By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Hundreds of volunteers hope to turn Northern Kentucky eyesores into areas of community pride in next weekend's Great American Cleanup.

Past unusual finds have included a bubble gum machine, a 23-foot cabin cruiser, even a dead cow.

"At Doe Run Lake, we've found headless dolls, tennis balls and tangled fishing line," said Steve Trauger, Kenton County parks and recreation programs coordinator. "One year, we even found a bowling ball."

IF YOU GO

• What: Great American Cleanup • When: Saturday, April 26. Most cleanups are from 9 a.m. to noon. • Where: Various sites in Northern Kentucky. For locations and times, call: • Betty Sander in Covington at (859) 491-2220 ext. 34 • Mary Shinkle in Boone County at (859) 334-3151 • Steve Trauger in Kenton County for the Doe Run Lake Cleanup at (859) 525-7529; • Jeremy Kleier in Florence at (859) 647-5416 • Connie Goins at (859) 485-4383 for information about activities in Walton.

Sponsored nationwide by Keep America Beautiful, the Saturday event mobilizes more than 2 million volunteers each spring to beautify neighborhoods, riverbanks and public roadways.

At most sites, volunteers will get lunch, a commemorative T-shirt, and the satisfaction of knowing that they've made their community a better place to live.

"It's a lot of work, and you get dirty, but you also have a lot of fun,'' said Mary Shinkle, Boone County's solid waste coordinator. "Whole families come together, and you get to meet a lot of people who care about their community."

• In Boone County, volunteers will gather at five sites from 8:30 a.m. until noon on Saturday: Rabbit Hash General Store, 10021 Lower River Road; New Haven Elementary School at 10854 U.S. 42 in Union; the Florence public services building, 7850 Tanners Lane; behind the stadium at Ryle High School, 10379 U.S. 42 in Union; and the Walton city building at Main and Church streets.

Organizers will provide bags, gloves and T-shirts, and lunch afterward.

• Kenton County Parks and Recreation will sponsor its annual Doe Run Lake cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon as part of the Great American Cleanup. Rubber gloves and trash bags will be provided, and participants are encouraged to wear boots or shoes and old clothes. The cleanup will end at noon with a picnic party.

Last year, 75 volunteers removed nearly 2 tons of trash and 50 tires from the picnic areas, hillsides and the area between the service road and Doe Run Lake. They also collected everything from car batteries to construction debris, Trauger said.

• Covington residents can pick up litter at 18 sites - two more than last year - from 9 a.m. until noon, said Betty Sander of the Covington Community Center.

"We've got a record year," Sander said. "We're expecting about 400 volunteers, 100 more than last year."

The city of Covington will plant one tree at each neighborhood cleanup site.

For cleanup locations, contact Sander at the Covington Community Center or your local neighborhood association. Participants should bring work gloves and wear hard-toe shoes. T-shirts also will be given out at the celebration.

Besides the Covington Community Center, cleanup partners include the Covington Neighborhood Collaborative, the city of Covington, CSI Waste Management, Covington Business Council, Friends of Covington and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful.

Earlier this month, Campbell County Fiscal Court partnered with 11 cities to remove thousands of pounds of trash, recycle 230,000 pounds of scrap metal, and collect 210 appliances, 4,784 tires, and 320 tire batteries.

"We'll partner with the cities again for a cleanup during a weekend in October," said Reno Deaton, Campbell County's solid waste coordinator.

E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com