The annual Friends of Lake Cumberland Cleanup was held Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019.

During the three-hour event, 240 volunteers removed 460 bags of trash and 39 old tires from the lake and shoreline near Waitsboro Recreation Area in Somerset and Conley Bottom Marina in Monticello. Afterward, they gathered for a free picnic at Cole Park in Burnside.

“It was a beautiful day, and the enthusiastic response by volunteers was great to see. We want to thank the individuals and groups who volunteered,” said Tammie Nazario, President/CEO of Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, which is the nonprofit organization that co-sponsored the event with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Cumberland Natural Resource Managers Office.

At Waitsboro, the largest volunteer groups were the Pulaski County High School JROTC and Southwestern High School JROTC. In their friendly competition to collect the most bags of trash, the PCHS students won.

A group of kayak enthusiasts also volunteered at Waitsboro. Members of the Lake Cumberland Kayakers and Pitman Creek Paddlers traveled by kayak along the shore to collect trash. They brought back the filled trash bags on their kayaks.

At Conley Bottom, there were volunteer groups from Walmart and Cobb.

“We also appreciate Burnside Marina and Conley Bottom Resort for donating the pontoon boats that transported volunteers and the trash they collected. That allowed the volunteers to cover a much larger area,” Nazario said.

“At the picnic, the Pine Knot Job Corps cooked and served the food and provided DJ services, and we are grateful for their contribution. The picnic was a fun ending to the event,” she added.

To view photos taken at the event, visit the Facebook Photo Album.

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