A day of cleaning up from winter is coming to the Village of Radium Hot Springs on April 16. A group of volunteers will gather at the Meet on Higher Ground coffee shop at 10 a.m. for the 2011 version of the Radium Trash Bash.

“We are all to meet at 10 a.m. at Higher Ground on Main Street. The town is broken up into streets and lanes and everyone is given their respective location. Garbage bags and brooms are handed out and off we go. At 1p.m. we converge back at Brent’s Shack at the park for a barbecue as our way of saying thanks,” said Radium Mayor Dee Conklin.

She feels this an important event for the community.

“This is an opportunity for showing pride in our community. Keeping it clean shows that we care for the place we call home. After a clean-up day we all appreciate what littering does and the amount of garbage that is picked up is staggering.”

The hope is that dozens of people will come out to help spruce up the community and, as part of the promotion, volunteers are asked to, “Bring gloves, a broom and a neighbour,” if possible.

As for the date of the clean-up, Conklin said the town is trying to accommodate as many people as possible.

“We would have been involved in Valley Pride Day on April 23 but that is on Easter weekend, so we chose to clean up on April 16 so we can be ready for our visitors and have the town all clean when they arrive. It’s been a long winter.”

As for why people should come out to the event, Conklin sees this as a great way to get back outside and meet up with friends after a long cold winter.

“We all take a lot of pride in our community and working together is one fabulous way of showing that we care.

“We have all been stuck inside for the last four or five months – what a great way to see your neighbours and contribute to the place we all call home and clean up Radium.”