Grand Island Chamber of Commerce Clean Up, Paint Up, Fix Up Essay Contest Winner - 1953
Sidway School sixth grader Peter McMahon won first prize in the Clean Up, Paint Up, Fix Up Essay Contest. His winning essay follows:

It's Clean-up Fix Up Paint Up time,
so let's clean up the dirt and grime.
We'll clean the house and prune the trees,
and all the friends and neighbors please.
We'll clean the yard and plant some flowers,
in our neighborhood we'll work for hours.
We'll clean the house and spend a buck
to haul the garbage away in a truck.
We'll make Grand Island a beautiful place,
and everybody'll wear a smile on his face.
An essay this was supposed to be,
But my words come out in rhyme you see.