2nd Annual Watauga Lake Cleanup!

Registration At Fish Springs Begins Saturday At 8:30am
OUR COMMUNITY GIVES BACK / 2nd ANNUAL WATAUGA LAKE CLEANUP
BUTLER, TN — Our Community Gives Back, an organization of people who live on and/or use Watauga Lake, has organized the 2nd Annual Watauga Lake Cleanup on Saturday, June 11. Registration begins at 9:00AM at Sugar Grove Baptist Church on Sugar Grove Road, Butler TN & Fish Springs Marina, 191 Fish Springs Road; Hampton, TN. Volunteers will be given gloves and trash bags before scanning the waterways and the shoreline across the full expanse of the lake in both Johnson & Carter Counties. Once registrants return to the drop off points with trash, they will be given wristbands for admittance to an after clean-up celebration.
According to Mary Salter, Our Community Gives Back president, “The lake not only serves area residents and the local community; it serves as a tourist destination for folks from all over the southeast. It is our goal to keep the lake pristine and always make a great first impression for our out of town guests. Last year we had over 200 registered volunteers take part in the cleanup. This year we hope to increase that number by at least 50%.”
Watauga Lake is an economic lifeline for both Carter and Johnson Counties according to Thomas White, Fish Springs Marina owner and a returning sponsor of this year’s event.
“According to our survey data, a tremendous amount of visitors come from North Carolina, but the major influx of tourism comes from south Florida. Watauga Lake is truly a regional tourist destination. We live here, we work here and we entertain the multitudes of visitors who vacation here. I’m excited to again see so much community support for the lake cleanup. It’s all volunteer, and it benefits everyone in the region”, White said.
Trash drop off dumpsters will be located at Fish Springs Marina & Sugar Grove Baptist Church. A floating trash barge will be located in the middle of the lake. Trash can be dropped off at these locations from 9:00AM until 3:00PM.
There will be a celebration party following the clean up at Fish Springs Marina beginning at 3 PM. The Celebration Picnic is accessible from both land and water. Volunteers must have an admission wristband for the Cleanup Celebration Picnic upon delivery of trash at the drop-off locations. It is suggested that volunteers bring folding chairs to the celebration party.
There will be food, music by “Lightnin’ Charlie" and prizes all donated by local and regional businesses, as well as civic-minded citizens. Door prize drawings will be held at the Celebration Picnic and you must be present to win. No one will be admitted to the Celebration Picnic without a wristband. A Door Prize Raffle Ticket will be given for each bag of trash collected.
Watauga Lake is about five miles east of Elizabethton, Tennessee. It is a TVA electric generating facility capable of producing 57,600 kilowatts. The reservoir extends 16.7 miles above the dam and provides 152,829 acre-feet of storage capacity. Construction of Watauga started on February 16, 1942, but the War Production Board ordered work stopped in October because it was considered nonessential to the war effort. Construction on Watauga resumed July 22, 1946, and the dam was completed on December 1, 1948. Water levels on Watauga vary only about nine feet in normal years to provide for seasonal flood storage and for the augmentation of flows of water during other seasons. It forms a long, slender body of water extending in an easterly direction from the dam, and it has a shoreline of approximately 109 miles.
For information, to volunteer or donate contact: Mary Salter 423-768-0363.
Sponsor’s & Contributors:
Allied Waste
Applebee’s
Auto Zone of Mt.City
Beef O’Brady’s Restaurant
Big John’s Closeout
Bill Cockett
Billy Joe Burrows Trucking Co.
Boone Rent-ALL
Captain’s Table Restaurant
Cornett Furniture
Cozy Corner Florist
Doe Valley Store
Dorre’s Designs
Dr. David Mills
Dry Hill General Store
East Tennessee Power Sports
Elizabethton Auto Zone
Elizabethton Golf Course
Elizabethton Parks & Recreation
Express Graphics
Farmer’s State Bank
Fatz Restaurant
Fish Springs Marina
Food Country Grocery Store
Food Lion Grocery Store
Fred Hicks Cabinets
Freeman Gas & Electric
Hair Fashions & More
Heritage Propane
House of Flowers
Humphrey’s Masonry Supply
In Memory of Marina Hernandez
Jim Cherry- Carolina Made
Johnson County Bank
Johnson County Building Supply
Lake Shore Marina
Lowe’s of Elizabethton
Madena & Co. Jewelry Store
Malcolm J. Wilson Marketeer
Mallard Cove Marina
Marsh Propane
Marty Plummer
MAYMEAD
Mayor Larry Potter
McDonalds of Mt. City
Mountain City Cycles
Mountain City Excavation & Paving
Mountain City Funeral Home
Mountain Electric Cooperative/OPC
Mountain View Nursery and Landscape
NAPA Auto Parts of Mt. City
O’Reilly’s Auto Parts
Papa Murphy’s Pizza
Pioneer Landing
Pizza Inn
Poblano’s Mexican Restaurant
Red Tail
Save A Lot Groceries
Second District Vol. Fire Dept.
ShayBrey Interior Design & Florist
Shoun Lumber & Millwork
Silver Keys Bed & Breakfast
State Farm Insurance
Suba’s Restaurant
Sugar Grove Baptist Church
Tennessee Forestry Services
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
The Cabin Store
The Final Touch
The Garden Barn & Feed
The Harbor POA
The Jeweler’s Bench
The McCann Family
The McWilliams Family
The Primitive Shop
The Tomahawk News Paper
TN. Clean Water Network
Tractor Supply Co.
Tributary Restaurant
True Value Hardware
TVA
Vicky Woods – Iron Mountain Inn
Vila Nova Vineyards
Wagner, Potter & Tuttle Families
Wal-Mart of Elizabethton
Walker Title, LLC
Waste Management
Watauga Lake Real-Estate