Fort Simpson (May 09/03) - It was chilly. It was Super Soccer weekend.

Yet close to 50 people turned out for a community clean-up on Saturday morning.

Julian Porter, 6, won a new bike by participating in the Fort Simpson community cleanup on Saturday. - Derek Neary/NNSL photo

Ken Davidge, a member of the sponsor Fort Simpson Beautification Society, said he was pleased with number of participants and happy with the outcome.

"The town looks better today," he said afterwards.

Volunteer Melody Rasmussen agreed.

"It makes our community look so much nicer when we all put a little effort into it," said Rasmussen, who won an adult bicycle as a draw prize.

Nearly 200 bags of trash were collected on Saturday. The only hitch was the circling scavengers.

"Faster than we were packing the bags, those bloody ravens were unpacking them," Davidge said, chuckling.

Not only did individuals come out and pick up trash, several businesses contributed prizes, Davidge said, expressing his appreciation.

A cleanup in the Wild Rose subdivision will likely be held over the next week or two, he added.

The Beautification Society, which has sponsored the cleanup for the past several years, will be hosting its annual general meeting at the end of the month, Davidge noted. He said new members are needed to take over the organization.