By: Claire Tribble
Are you looking for something to do this spring? From litter cleanups to a night on the town, we have you covered! We have a very busy spring planned, and we hope that we will see you all somewhere! As the (very hopefully) warmer weather approaches, we all need some time outdoors to soak up some sunshine.
We’ll kick off the season with the United Pest and Turf annual Ardmore Spring Clean! Toby Thomas, his family and wonderful team do a fantastic job of planning this cleanup each spring, and we can’t thank them enough. Despite being cold and very wet last year, the volunteers still managed to remove 1,380 pounds of litter and debris from alongside Ardmore’s roadways. I’d say we are due for a nice, sunny cleanup this year, so join us March 8 at 8 a.m. in the Jones Drug parking lot for breakfast, supplies, and directions. This is a great opportunity to get out and show Ardmore some love!
We’re literally rolling the dice with the next one — “Bet on a Beautiful Limestone” casino night fundraiser on March 15! Come walk on the red carpet and enjoy a night of good food, good music, and some Vegas fun. We’ll have plenty of fun for everyone, and a drawing for some amazing prizes that have been generously donated by Limestone County businesses. The tickets are $75 each and they include food, one drink, and $100 of funny money! For a small donation, you can get additional funny money. Tickets are limited, so stop by the KALB office and get yours soon!
On March 29, we will have the TVA Tennessee River Trash Attack. This will be my 3rd Tennessee River cleanup, with the first two yielding 11,220 pounds of trash from the same three roads — Cowford, Hatchett Ridge, and Dairy Roads. Once the ground dries a bit, Derrick Gatlin and I will scout out the roads and find the ones that need the most work, but I have a feeling we will unfortunately be in (or close to) the same spots. We will meet at 8 a.m. for breakfast, supplies, and instructions. TVA will provide a gift for volunteers to say thank you!
Next up is the TVA Joann Christopher Memorial Elk River Trash Attack! Join us on April 12 to help us clean up the Elk River. Last year, we had a HUGE group of volunteers, and we’re hoping to top it this year. I think that Commissioner Townsend and I have found some spots that need lots of work. Maybe we can top Lukas Geiger’s 27-tire haul from earlier this year. I’ll announce a definite meeting location soon, but we will begin at 8 a.m. We’ll have the usual — breakfast, supplies, instructions, and a gift from TVA!
Shaking things up again, next up is the Marbut’s Bend Guided Nature Walk and the 2025 EARTH DAY EXPO. We’ll be back at Marbut’s Bend and Athens State University’s Carter Gym on April 26! This are our favorite events every year, and we are so proud to be able to offer them to Limestone County for free! Start out the morning at Marbut’s Bend at 7:30 a.m. for a guided nature walk through this hidden gem. Damien Simbeck, a TVA expert, will guide you around the beautiful trails and will answer almost any question about the local wildlife and plant life that you can think of. The Earth Day Expo begins at 10 a.m. and we’ll be hopping until 3! We’ll have plenty of exhibits and vendors for all ages. We will have some exciting new things this year, and we can’t wait to tell you more!
To wind down the marathon, we’ll have the annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection on May 17. Thanks to the Limestone County Commission, we are able to host this event every spring. This is the only way to dispose of harmful household chemicals in Limestone County, and it is free to all residents! We will accept all of the usuals again this year; hopefully we will all have the opportunity to get some spring cleaning done and have our vehicles loaded! I’ll release more detailed lists closer to time.
By: Claire Tribble – Executive Director, Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful
February 21, 2025
