With spring comes the urge to get out and enjoy the beautiful lakes Chilton County has been blessed with.

First, though, there needs to be some spring cleaning.

The 13th Lake Mitchell spring cleanup will be held beginning at 8 a.m. on March 27.

“We need as many people as we can get there,” said Anita Lawson, president of the lake’s Home Owners and Boat Owners association. “We usually have about 100. We’re hoping this Saturday is going to be beautiful, and we’ll have 200.”

The HOBO group organizes the cleanup with the help of Alabama Power.

Volunteers, with or without boats, will meet at the John Trobaugh Pavilion at Higgins Ferry Park. After the crews return to the boat launch, free hotdogs and chips will be served.

Last year, workers collected almost 1 ton of trash—including some unusual objects.

“Last year, we got a refrigerator out,” Lawson said. “You just wouldn’t believe the trash we get out of the lake.

“If this stuff just floats on down the river, it would be dangerous. Us keeping the lake clean is one of our main goals.”

If a clean lake wasn’t reason enough, there is another incentive for local high school students to participate in the cleanup.

The HOBO association will once again award a $2,500 scholarship to a high school senior in either Chilton County or Coosa County who plans on enrolling in college.

Participation in one of the cleanups (there will be another one in the fall) is a requirement to be awarded the scholarship.