The third annual Keep Poplarville Beautiful event is right around the corner, as organizers prepare for this year’s Trash Bash.

For the first time, the event will have food, entertainment and door prizes to celebrate Earth Day, event organizer Laurie Jaufre said.

The event starts at 8 a.m. at the gazebo in Poplarville’s City Park on April 22, but participants are welcome to pick up litter at any time, Jaufre said.

Participants can collect their gloves, bags and trash grabbers at the park and choose an area of town to cover, she said. Filled bags can then be brought back to city trash haulers at the park. City trucks will also be dispatched around town to pick up larger items.

“For those that are not able to come to the park, they can go out in their own front yard, or go out on their street and into different areas and do their part,” Jaufre said.

As part of the national Keep America Beautiful movement, the aim is to draw attention to the litter problem in the city, she said.

“I hope this encourages the community to pick up trash when they see it and not to throw it out the window. There’s plenty of trashcans around town,” Jaufre said. “Our city’s too pretty to trash.”

This year organizers have received assistance from the students and faculty at Pearl River Community College, particularly from president-elect Adam Breerwood, Jaufre said.

With the participation of the college, she said she hopes to exceed last year’s record of 300 attendees.

Students from Poplarville High School’s Career Development Center also designed several flyers for the event that have been circulating around town, Jaufre said.

Many local organizations and residents made donations to ensure everyone is equipped and hydrated.

When she moved here several years ago from Abita Springs, Louisiana, Jaufre said she admired the city and the downtown area for its cleanliness, but the further out of the city she drove, the more litter she saw along the roadways.

What started as a personal effort to pick up litter in her area grew into the annual event for city residents to enjoy and take part in, she said.

Through the help of the new Keep Poplarville Beautiful Committee, filled with community members Byron Wells, Glenn Bolin, Rossie Creel, Brittney Creel, Cassandra Blackwell, Daniel Wise, Betina Dodd and Alex Shook, Jaufre said the event should be a good time for everyone to enjoy.

Starting at 10 a.m., entertainment from the local bands Crossties and Hyperflyy will be performing at the park, Jaufre said.

Hot dogs will also be served while five door prizes are given out and the splash pad opens up for the kids, she said.

Trash pick up will continue until the event ends at 2 p.m. For more information, visit the Keep Poplarville Beautiful Facebook Page.