When it comes to helping spruce up the area, one local organization is getting back into the swing of things for the spring season.

After Mother Nature put the brakes on a pair of cleanup events, Carter County Proud has been able to get into a routine for the new year and started off on a high note last weekend with a Tweetsie Trail cleanup.

In conjunction with the Carter County Community Advisory Board’s Earth Day Celebration, the organization held a cleanup on the Tweetsie Trail and used it as a way to raise awareness for litter and clean up the Elizabethton portion of the trail — all the way from Lion’s Field to Covered Bridge Park.

“We had a fabulous cleanup/awareness walk down the Tweetsie Trail,” said Ed Jordan, Carter County Proud founder. “Volunteers walked around seven miles of trail and we celebrated Earth Day by cleaning up litter and trash.”

Jordan added the initiative was able to net 32 bags of trash and litter being picked up, along with other bits of assorted debris.

“We had a great group (of volunteers) including many students from Elizabethton High School,” Jordan added. “The students were honor roll and Bartleby students.”

To continue the momentum, Carter County Proud is partnering with Elizabethton Lowe’s and Elizabethton Parks and Recreation for a landscaping project on Saturday, April 28, at 9:30 a.m.

According to Jordan, the event is a way to celebrate Arbor Day. Volunteers are encouraged to show up at the portion of the Tweetsie Trail at the corner of Mary Patton Highway and West G Street to plant trees.

“We’re inviting the public to attend Saturday’s event as a way to give back to the community,” he said. “We appreciate the support from Lowe’s and Parks & Rec. This will be a great way to add some more trees to our part of the Tweetsie Trail.”

Carter County Proud has various other projects coming through the pipeline throughout 2018. For more information, visit the Carter County Proud Facebook page.