PRIDE Cleanup Saturday, April 30th

With the warmer weather upon us, it is time to take pride in our county once again by participating in the annual spring cleanup event sponsored by PRIDE.

The 9th Annual Pride Spring Cleanup on Saturday April 30, where McCreary and Whitley County will battle for the Volunteer Cup, given to the county with the most volunteers.

Crews will clean up trash and debris along Highway 90 from US 27 to US 25 in the signature Kick-off to the spring cleaning season.

Last year over 250 bags of trash and tires were collected by volunteer groups scouring the roadside for unsightly debris on the McCreary County side alone.

Registration for the cleanup will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Cumberland Falls parking area, with the cleanup scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The day will wrap up with a special cook-out and celebration event where prizes will be awarded. Groups will have an opportunity to win $100 for bringing the most volunteers.

All volunteers will receive a free lunch, and they will be entered in a drawing for door prizes. Free T-shirts will be given to volunteers, while supplies last.

All volunteers should dress appropriately for working outdoors in the weather that morning. Sturdy shoes are recommended. PRIDE will provide disposable gloves and safety vests.

“‘No Place Like Home’ is our Spring Cleanup theme this year, and that’s certainly true for the communities around Cumberland Falls,” said PRIDE’s Tammie Wilson. “Cumberland Falls is truly one of a kind, and this entire area is beautiful.”

“Based on the volunteers who turn out for the annual Cumberland Falls Spring Cleanup, people take great pride in the falls and enjoy working together to serve their community,” Wilson said. “The cleanup and cookout are fun, and then volunteers can actually see they made a difference as they drive home on clean roads.”

“There is still time to support the event by making donations toward the lunch and door prizes, which reward our hard-working volunteers,” Wilson added. “All donors will be recognized at the event, so this will be a good opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to community service.”

Whitley County volunteers won their third Volunteer Cup last year, by bringing out more participants. McCreary County has won the award four times since the event began.

The event is a partnership among PRIDE, Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, McCreary County Fiscal Court 109 Board, Whitley County Fiscal Court, US Forest Service, McCreary County Extension Service, McCreary County Board of Education, Whitley County School System, Bank of McCreary County and Pine Knot Job Corps.

The Cumberland Falls Spring Cleanup is part of the PRIDE Spring Cleanup campaign across 42 counties of southern and eastern Kentucky. The region-wide PRIDE Spring Cleanup is sponsored by Outdoor Venture Corporation, Walmart and Kentucky Association of Highway Contractors, Inc.

For more information, please call the PRIDE office, toll free, at 888-577-4339. To invite friends to volunteer, look for the Cumberland Falls Spring Cleanup event on Facebook.