In the springtime, the thoughts of a small-town mayor naturally turn not to love, but to city-wide clean-up. It is, after all, a way to demonstrate the love we have for our towns. Skidmore had held other clean-up days, but the instructions for 1918 were a bit more specific. From the May 2, 1918 Skidmore News:
Clean-Up Day, Tuesday, May Sixth
Let every man, woman and child help Skidmore to retain its reputation as the cleanest and nicest town in Northwest Missouri by cleaning up their premises and removing all rubbish from the alleys.
Gather up all your old tin cans, put them in a retainer outside the walk in front of your residence on the streets running east and west, and not in the alleys, not later than 10 a.m. Tuesday, as this is the only day they will be hauled free.
Please see that old stable litter is removed from alleys. Clean out your cellars and caves, but do not throw your rotten apples and potatoes in the alleys or streets. If you fail to give them a free seat Tuesday, give them a decent burial, as they are precious articles.
Put a little lime in your out buildings. If you are too poor to buy a little, your humble servant has it for you.
J. O. Miller, Mayor.