By: Claire Tribble
We have a busy spring coming! We have BIG cleanups, the Earth Day Expo, and the Household Hazardous Waste Collection planned. One thing we will need plenty of is volunteers! Wonderful people who give us their time and hard work make Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful (KALB) events successful! We have plenty of opportunities for people to step in and make a HUGE difference in the next couple of months.
Saturday, March 16, is the first big event of the season, pending the weather (April 6 is the rain date). It’s the 8th Annual Ardmore Spring Clean hosted by United Pest and Turf Control. This is a great event that is very well planned by everyone at United Pest and Turf Control! KALB provides all supplies for volunteers, and County Commissioner Daryl Sammet will provide the trailer to hold all of the litter collected. They have everything mapped out allowing things to run smoothly! There will be a complimentary breakfast at registration, and lunch will be provided afterwards! We can not praise United Pest and Turf Control enough for hosting this great event that is such a help to Ardmore.
The next big cleanup is the TVA Trash Attack on Saturday, March 23, from 8 a.m.-noon. This event will be based at Cowford Campground, and we will be working on the campground, Dairy Road, and Hatchett Ridge Road. We will provide breakfast and all supplies at registration. All volunteers will be provided with a thank-you gift courtesy of TVA. County Commissioner Derrick Gatlin will have his crew working to pick up the litter and debris as we fill up the bags! Last year, we removed 7,820 pounds of litter and debris from this area, and unfortunately, there is still plenty to get.
We have partnered again with Athens State University to host the 2024 Earth Day Expo on April 20. The event kicks off that morning at 7:30 a.m. with a guided nature walk through Marbut’s Bend led by TVA expert Damien Simbeck. Damien is an expert in the local flora and fauna. The Earth Day Expo begins at 10 a.m. in and around the Athens State University Carter Gymnasium. We will have lots of vendors, educators, crafts, and shows for all ages! We are very excited to have Steve Trash, Rockin’ Eco Hero again this year courtesy of Limestone County Water and Sewer Authority, and a SOAP BUBBLE CIRCUS thanks to a grant from the DEKKO Foundation. We are adding vendors daily! This event is FREE to the public.
Next up is the Joann Christopher Memorial Elk River Cleanup on April 27, from 8 a.m.-noon. We will meet at the Elk River (we are still determining a good base camp and focus area). We will honor the decades of hard work that Mrs. Christopher dedicated to keeping the Elk River clean! We will have a complimentary breakfast at registration, and a free gift for volunteers complimentary of TVA. KALB will provide all supplies for volunteers. County Commissioner LaDon Townsend will be there assisting us as we fill up bags!
The last big event that we have on the books for this spring is the Household Hazardous Waste Collection! This will be the 5th Household Hazardous Waste Collection we have been able to provide courtesy of the Limestone County Commission and the Limestone County Solid Waste Authority. As of right now, we are planning on May 11 from 8 a.m.-noon. As usual, this will be a drive-thru event in the Athens Middle School parking lot. We will be accepting paint, paint products, household chemicals, lawn chemicals, and the old (large back) televisions. As always, this is a free event for Limestone County residents.
We’ll be busy, but we hope to see you at our events! If enough people begin to work together, we can make a positive change in Limestone County. With the current rate of growth, we have a lot of work to be done!
By: Claire Tribble
Executive Director, Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful
April 19, 2024
