A cold, breezy but sunny Saturday morning, January 17th, brought out another large contingent of community volunteers for the quarterly edition of the Texas Department of Transportation-pioneered Adopt-a-Highway (AAH) trash pickup along the designated stretch of FM 3351 – Ralph Fair Rd.

Started in 1985 right here in the Lone Star State by TXDOT, Texas’ Adopt-a-Highway idea has served as the benchmark for similar programs in 49 states (can you name the lone exception?) and several foreign countries.

The Fair Oaks Ranch Homeowners’ Association initiated local involvement in AAH in 2002 when it began sponsoring the clean-up of Ralph Fair Rd. from the Cibolo Creek Bridge south to the city limits. Due to the ongoing bridge construction, the pickup has been temporarily limited to Fair Oaks Parkway south to the city border.

AAH Event Coordinator & FORHA Board member Dedie Manitzas along with the FORHA Office Staff organizes the event, arranging numerous details including location assignments, collection teams and transportation. After a light breakfast, the morning of the pick-up includes a safety talk, instructions, and a group photo. Crews then head out to the road and generally spend up to about 2 hours picking up trash. The January 2026 effort from the 25 volunteers netted 25 large bags of garbage, as well as the usual number of odds and ends of assorted things (mostly quite odd).

For more information about Adopt-a-Highway, or other FORHA-sponsored volunteer activities and community events, call the Homeowners’ office at (210) 698-2225 or visit the Association’s website at www.forha.org.