City officials and members of Keep Meridian and Lauderdale County Beautiful kicked off efforts to clean up the community on Tuesday, March 19, with a proclamation by Mayor Jimmie Smith and a pledge to do more to beautify Meridian and the surrounding county.

Betty Lou Jones, who organizes Keep Meridian and Lauderdale County Beautiful, said the cleanup effort is part of a nationwide initiative to beautify the country as America nears its 250th year of independence on July 4, 2026. Locally, she said, the organization strives to work with Meridian and Lauderdale County to address the problem of litter and illegal dumping in the community.

“We’re so pleased that we are reaching the point where this city is going to be cleaner, greener and more beautiful and look as beautiful as we once remember it looking,” she said. “We invite everybody in the city of Meridian and the county of Lauderdale to come together and work together to clean this city and this county.”

Jones said all residents are invited and encouraged to take part in the citywide Good Citizen Clean Up Day, which will run from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The day is a continuation of a similar cleanup event held last fall in which 100 volunteers picked up more than 1.5 tons of garbage over the three hour period. This time, however, organizers are hoping to see even more participation.

Cleanup locations include:

•Royal Road from 20th Street to State Boulevard

•State Boulevard to 26th Street

•Riverbirch Drive from Highway 19 N. to North Hills Street

•North Hills Street between Bounds and King roads

•Dixie Stop and Go from North Hills Street to Bowling Alley

•B Street in the Tuxedo area from McGinnis Lab to Highway 39 Bypass bridge

•26th Avenue from 14th Street to 20th Street

•40th Avenue from Highland Avenue to 40th Street

•40th Street from 35th Avenue to Poplar Springs Drive

Lauderdale County School District students will also participate by picking up trash and debris on roads near their school campuses.

Following the cleanup, participants will gather at Highland Park at noon to celebrate what they were able to achieve as a community.

To take part in the cleanup, volunteers can contact Craig Wilkes at 601-485-1998 to select a site location and arrange to pick up trash bags, gloves, vests and other supplies participants will need.

In addition to the cleanup day, which organizers hope to hold four times per year going forward, Jones said Keep Meridian and Lauderdale County Beautiful is also asking residents to sign a pledge card affirming their commitment to the beautification efforts. The pledge, she said, is a way to show support for the initiative and unite the community behind a common goal.

“We ask you to come and get a pledge card and sign this pledge stating that you will help us,” she said. “We will work together. We will work together tirelessly to make it a cleaner, beautiful city.”