Boone to pick up

annual litter cleanup day
By Frank Ruggiero
ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com

Spring cleaning needn’t be limited to the household.

Just ask Boone Public Works.

On Saturday, April 19, the town of Boone will host its annual Boone Cleanup Day, where volunteers take to the streets and rid them of winter’s litter.

Like every year, the day is scheduled to coincide with Earth Day and the N.C. Litter Sweep, which lasts from April 19 through May 3, and program coordinator Marsha Story said it’s also an ideal time for people to make good on their Adopt-A-Street or Adopt-A-Stream agreements.

Volunteers may stop by the Boone Public Works office, located at 321 E. King St., between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on April 19 to pick up cleaning supplies, gloves and safety vests. Story said the state has since strengthened the Litter Sweep regulations, now requiring participants to wear full, reflective safety vests.

Refreshments, including soft drinks and pizza, will be available at public works around lunchtime. Folks can also participate in the Most Unusual Litter Contest, which carries prizes of $100 for first place, $50 for second and $25 for third for the individual or group that finds the oddest piece of trash.

Last year’s saw a fishing pole take first, an eight-track tape second, and a homemade poster reading “Traveling, broke and shoe-less” win third. The fall cleanup day’s contest saw first place go to a person finding a cologne bottle shaped like a jukebox, second place to a Ziploc baggy full of prunes, and third to an abandoned VCR.

Story said approximately 168 people attended last spring’s Boone Cleanup Day, and she hopes more will participate this year.

The town also plans to help those cleaning their homes by offering an additional curbside garbage pickup anytime between April 19 and May 3. To receive an additional pickup, interested citizens need only call public works at (828) 268-6230.

A rain date for the Boone Cleanup Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 26. For more information, call Boone Public Works at (828) 268-6230.