The Friends of Boley cleanup event that was cancelled over the past weekend has been rescheduled for May 2.
Friends of Boley Vice President Keith Kingrey said the event will begin at 8 a.m. and will focus on the section of the West Hoblochitto Creek from Long Bridge on Beech Street to the Burnt Bridge boat launch.
Breakfast, lunch and T-shirts will be provided to volunteers who help clean the creek of trash and debris.
Kingrey said breakfast will be provided by the Picayune Civic Women’s Club, who will have coffee, donuts and orange juice for the volunteers.
For those volunteers who do not have a kayak or canoe, Friends of Boley will rent some canoes to lend.
After the cleanup, lunch, water and drinks will be provided to the volunteers.
For the protection of the volunteers, local firefighters and ambulance personnel will be at the event.
Kingrey said Coast Electric is sponsoring this year’s event.
In the long run, the organization still has plans to implement a trail along the creek and designate it as a blue water trail. However the organization is still ironing out the finishing touches to achieve their non-profit 501c3 status in order to apply and receive grants that would help them implement the programs they plan and employ an executive director.
Kingrey said the organization has also planned to hold a fundraising event after they acquire their non-profit status.
So far the plan for the fundraiser is a three-tier adventure race. Kingrey said tentatively it will entail a foot race down Goodyear Boulevard to the creek, before participants jump in a water craft and race down the creek to Burnt Bridge. Then racers will get on a bicycle and race back to the start on Goodyear Boulevard.
“It should be a pretty good fundraiser,” Kingrey said.
The aim of the organization is to keep local creeks clean and promote them as an economic development tool that would attract tourists and give locals a reason to appreciate them.