One of the region’s popular trails will be receiving small tender loving care next week.
Carter County Proud will discuss the last pieces of their inaugural Tweetsie Trail Cleanup during their regularly scheduled meeting set for Thursday, April 13, at Smoke House BBQ Company in Elizabethton. The meeting gets underway at 6 p.m. and is open to the public.
The Tweetsie Trail Cleanup is being held in conjunction with the annual Earth Day Celebration event scheduled for Monday, April 22, at Covered Bridge Park that serves as a kickoff for the county’s community gardens program and will be a rally day for the upcoming Downtown Elizabethton Farmers Market.
“We’ve about got everything wrapped up,” Carter County Proud Founder Ed Jordan told the Elizabethton Star Tuesday. “We’re hoping for a good crowd Thursday. We’re going to work on the logistics of the event. We’ve about got everything situated but we’re going to see if we need to use transportation.”
Participants for the cleanup are being asked to meet at Lions Field on April 22 at 10 a.m. and begin the journey down through the Tweetsie Trail. The public will be provided gloves and water as they make their way through the trail, picking up litter, before concluding the cleanup at Covered Bridge Park.
“That’s one thing we’re going to bring up at the meeting,” Jordan said. “We’re going to see if we need to have transport available for people who get to the Covered Bridge Park and need to get back to Lions Field. We’re also going to see if people want to start from Covered Bridge Park and meet us halfway on the trail. It’s just those minor details we’re going to clear up but we’d encourage the public to come out for Thursday’s meeting to hear more about the event.”
Earth Day will be the group’s first big initiative with the Tweetsie Trail, Jordan said. The founder added that it was important to have this event in place to raise awareness about litter in the community.
“Awareness was the main thought about this,” he said. “Down through Elk Avenue, you can see the trash near the Tweetsie Trail. This is a great way for members of the community to come out, show their support and be visible for others.”
Jordan added other small details will be discussed during the meeting, including a possible rescheduled date if inclement weather occurs. Carter County Proud is also looking to partner with different agencies, including Milligan College, for the day.
In other business, attendees of Thursday’s meeting will hear from guest speaker Justyn Markland from the Carter County Code Enforcement office and also receive an update on enforcement locally. Jordan added that an update on transitioning to Keep Carter County Beautiful will be on the docket and a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce to possibly sponsor the changeover is expected in the coming days.
For more information on how to get involved, visit the Carter County Proud Facebook page online.