Winners of the Commission for a Clean County’s 10th-annual awards were announced recently.  

The Community Pride program honors businesses, community groups, civic clubs, schools and individuals (both adults and children) for exceptional efforts in the categories of litter pick-up and control, recycling, beautification of public areas and environmental stewardship.

The latter category includes energy conservation, cleaning of air, use of biofuels, “green” building and other methods of nurturing our environment.

The winners were:

• James Mashburn, Clyde alderman, for his dedicated service in aiding the revitalization of the Town of Clyde.

• Katie Finegan, recent Tuscola graduate, for outstanding environmental work enhancing the safety and aesthetic appeal of her church, St. Johns, in Waynesville.

• David Raulerson and sister-in-law Teresa Raulerson, for their continuous litter pick-up along N.C. 276 and for landscaping the Cruso Community Center.

• Plus Linen, owned by Gary Harkins, for excellent, committed environmental stewardship in the Canton plant.

• Sue Pendley, for devotedly both supervising and working on the annual Maggie Valley Fall Days decorations along five miles of Maggie Valley.

• The Master Gardener Volunteers, and their Coordinator Tim Matthews, for the oversight and management of three school gardens and for supplying both the plants and work in landscaping the county’s extension center.

• The Evergreen Circle Community and the Sonoma Masonic Lodge No. 472 for showing true “community pride” through long hours, hard work and expense rehabilitating the property of a neighbor in need.