When you enjoy the scenic drive to Cumberland Falls, you can thank nearly 300 volunteers who picked up litter during the annual Spring Cleanup at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park on April 18.
The cleanup brought together 283 volunteers and removed 430 individual bags of trash, plus 13 tires. The bulk of the trash was collected along Hwy. 90, but volunteers also cleaned below the falls.
McCreary County won the coveted Volunteer Cup, which goes to the county with the most volunteers participating in the event. McCreary County was represented by 143 volunteers, and Whitley County had 124 volunteers. The remaining volunteers were from other counties.
The Whitley County Tourism Board and McCreary County Fiscal Court sponsored $100 cash prizes for the community groups which brought the most volunteers. With 48 volunteers, the Whitley County High School JROTC won the Whitley County prize. The McCreary County prize went to the Pine Knot Job Corp, which brought 44 volunteers.
“It was great to see so many volunteers serving their community and enjoying the morning together in such a beautiful spot,” said Kayla Vinsant, Director of Marketing for The Kentucky Wildlands/Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, an event organizer. “The rain held off, and everyone was in high spirits during the cook-out and door prize give-away after the cleanup.”
“We want to thank everyone who volunteered to pick up litter, as well as the partners who made the event possible,” added Crystal Cox, also with The Kentucky Wildlands/Eastern Kentucky PRIDE.
Ale-8-One Bottling and Pepsi Cola Corbin/Somerset donated drinks for the volunteers.
Door prizes were donated by the City of Williamsburg, McCreary County Tourism, McCrearyFest, McCreary County Chamber of Commerce, Pottery by Mehg, Big South Fork Scenic Railway, United Cumberland Bank, Randy Kidd State Farm Insurance and Crabtree & Wilson Insurance.
The Whitley County and McCreary County School Boards provided school buses to transport volunteers to cleanup sites along Hwy. 90.
South Kentucky RECC and the Walmart Supercenters in Somerset and Monticello supported the event through their 2026 sponsorship of the regional Spring Cleanup campaign, which is organized annually by The Kentucky Wildlands/Eastern Kentucky PRIDE.
The Spring Cleanup at Cumberland Falls is a partnership between The Kentucky Wildlands/Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, McCreary County Fiscal Court 109 Board, Whitley County Fiscal Court, McCreary County Tourism, Whitley County Tourism Board, Kentucky Cancer Program, The Center for Rural Development and Operation UNITE.
