Operation Clean Sweep last Saturday

Volunteers wearing safety vests and carrying trash bags, both provided by the Missouri Department of Transportation, pick up trash near East Austin Boulevard and the on-ramp to U.S. Highway 71 north on Saturday, April 28. The Nevada/Vernon County Chamber of Commerce sponsored "Operation Clean Sweep" targeted several areas of town and about three dozen bags of trash were picked up by more than two dozen volunteers participating, according to organizer Lynda Jones. The "volunteers were committed," said Jones, "we got a lot accomplished." The event which coincided with several other community events, began at 8 a.m. at the Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center with a locally donated volunteer's breakfast of bisciuts and gravy prepared by Dr. Ron Showengerdt and school nurse Dawn Jones. Some volunteers chose the areas they wanted to clean. A group of 10 Cottey College students took on Austin Boulevard from the west edge of town all the way east to Ash Street and then to the Square. Another smaller group worked on West Highland Avenue in the north part of town. The group at left worked both sides of the freeway and Austin and are left to right: Kevin Wyland, Michael White, Johnathan Bunce, Barbara York, Sadie Ensor, Gina Ensor, Callie Ensor and James Ensor.