ELKINS – Several downtown businesses and Elkins Make it Shine are banding together to host a clean-up day.

The event, which will feature prizes for citizens participating, will be held on the official Earth Day, which is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22. Those taking part will have a chance to win prizes provided by downtown businesses.

“We are hoping to get as many people out for clean-up day as we can,” event organizer Desire Kniffen Watson told The Inter-Mountain. “We have a lot of events planned for the spring and summer in downtown Elkins and there are some things that we need to get cleaned up.”

Free supplies, including garbage bags, gloves and other cleaning materials, will be available for pick up at Beander’s Restaurant and Tavern on Davis Avenue. The event is scheduled to run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

“People can come to Beander’s anytime between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to get supplies and go pick up trash,” Kniffen Watson said. “After they pick up the trash they can leave the bags on the side of the road and the trash trucks will come and load them up.”

There will be a sign-up sheet at Beander’s for volunteers participating. The prize winners for the day will be selected from that list.

“Some of the local downtown businesses are donating some prizes and gift cards that we are going to give away as thank-you gifts for people who help us get downtown cleaned up,” Kniffen Watson said.

Community clean-ups, tree planting events and peaceful demonstrations are planned throughout the United States on Earth Day, which was first celebrated in 1970. More than 1 billion people in more than 193 countries participate in events each year, as Earth Day is recognized as the world’s largest civic observance.

More information about Earth Day and a list of planned events across the country can be found at www.earthday.org.