By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Scores of volunteers took to the streets of St. John the Baptist Parish Saturday in an effort to stash away trash littering parish roadways.

The parish’s annual Clean Sweep campaign, now in its third year, serves as the culmination of Keep St. John Beautiful events throughout the month of April. Volunteers from all parts of the parish came out in droves Saturday to pitch in some time picking up trash.

“We had more than 200 volunteers from LaPlace, Reserve, Garyville and the west bank, which is up from 150 last year,” said St. John acting Chief Administrative Officer Buddy Boe. “We figured that about 100 came out for the first year, so we are continuing to increase in help.”

Boe said the group started the day around 8:30 a.m. at Highway 51 Park in LaPlace before fanning out across the parish to gather trash strewn across major roadways. He said 40 volunteers were stationed on the west bank, 30 in Reserve and Garyville and the rest took to the streets of LaPlace.

After more than two hours of trash collecting, volunteers made their way back to the park food for free food, drinks and live music from The Yat Pack.

Boe said prior to the Clean Sweep, inmate crews from the St. John Sheriff’s Office swept through the eastbound and westbound lanes of Airline Highway from New Wine Ministries to Walnut Street picking up trash along the busy street.

The local effort is one of many throughout the state and nation that are a part of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup Day. Keep St. John Beautiful received a $9,000 grant from Keep Louisiana Beautiful Inc. to help pay for supplies and advertisements for Clean Sweep 2010 activities.