Spring cleaning set for Saturday

SANDPOINT — Spring is in the air, but the dregs of winter are still drifting around the sidewalks and waterways of Sandpoint. Two area organizations are inviting civic-minded residents to join in spring cleaning events Saturday.

Shake the Sand Out! is an annual city spruce-up organized by the Sandpoint Business Improvement District that kicks off bright and early, 8:30 a.m., at Jeff Jones Town Square. BID staffers will be on hand to assign cleanup zones and pass out the tools of the trade — gloves and garbage bags. Both individuals and groups can volunteer to take part in the partial-day event. BID will provide a light breakfast and fresh java donated by Evans Brothers Coffee.

"This is a community event, and we encourage all to come," said Kim Queen, BID manager. "We would like to see 40 to 50 volunteers, optimally."

BID, established by popular vote in 2000, covers the downtown area between Superior and Larch streets, and First through Sixth avenues. Its services include maintenance, beautification, marketing and event organization for the promotion of downtown businesses. It is funded by those business within the boundaries based on a square footage assessment, according to the organization.

Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper is also organizing a cleanup event on Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon. Volunteers should be at City Beach Pavilion at 9:45 for goodies and a short logistics meeting. LPOW invites the entire family to don weather-appropriate gear, including boots and gloves, bring a few bags and pitch in to help clear the local waterways of debris in preparation for spring and summer.

LPOW is a Sandpoint-based non-profit organization with the goal of maintaining natural area waterways in swimmable, drinkable and fishable shape. It covers lakes, rivers and streams between the Pend Oreille River from Albeni Falls near Priest River to the Cabinet Gorge Dam in Clark Fork, including Lake Pend Oreille, according to lakependoreillewaterkeeper.org.