Mark Twain once wrote that “everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.”

The same thing can be said of litter. A lot of people talk about what a problem littering is, but few do anything about.

That is not true of a group from East Laurinburg Pentecostal Holiness Church. we reported a few weeks ago that Rev. Michael Edds and his congregation had found a way to turn their words into deeds. The church congregation devoted a day to picking up every last piece of litter strewn along a mile-long stretch of Old Lumberton Road.

Pastor Edds contacted us recently to remind us that we can all do our part to make Scotland County cleaner by joining forces with the Scotland County-Laurinburg Chamber of Commerce Litter Sweep effort on April 28.

Even though the Litter Sweep is county-wide, Edds said his group has selected to start with Main Street, which is the heart of Laurinburg, to be their target of the cleanup.

Main Street from the stop light at the Board of Education to the railroads tracks and two blocks on either side of Main Street will be the focus area.

Edds is asking all churches, businesses, civic organizations and citizens are invited to join in cleaning up Main Street. The group will meet at 8 am on April 28, at the Story Telling Arts Center at 131 Main Street.

You should contact the Chamber of Commerce at276-7420 as soon as possible to inform them of the name of the organization and the number of volunteers who will help in the Main Street cleanup or in the county-wide effort. Trash bags, gloves and vests will be provided.

For information on the “Taking Our Community Back group, please contact Mrs. Tamera Roberts Tietjen at 910-462-3607

All neighborhoods, businesses, churches, civic organizations, schools and citizens are strongly encouraged to support the Chamber in this county-wide effort. If you do not choose to help with Main Street, please help in cleaning up your own neighborhood.

Teams who are participating in the “Litter Sweep” are eligible to win cash prizes for collecting the most bags of trash. King of the Mountain prize will be $200. and second place will be $100.

Litter Sweep participation does not stop with cleanup events; motorists are encouraged to participate in the NCDOT Swat-A-Litterbug program throughout the year, especially during the biannual Litter Sweep events. It’s easy to promote clean roadsides by participating in this program – simply record the littering offense and report it to the Office of Beautification. Visit the Swat-A-Litterbug website for more information.

Additionally, the state State Highway Patrol will be on alert and policing roads for motorists with unsecured loads and others that intentionally and unintentionally litter.