Invigorated by 38 degree temperatures, intensified by a strong wind blowing off the Flint River banks, a large number of volunteers, young and old, came early Saturday morning, and quickly set to work to help with the annual Rivers Alive cleanup.

Keep Decatur County Beautiful director, Suzanne Brandt said they had over 160 volunteers show up and she was very pleased with the number, considering the fact that some were new groups and individuals who had not been there before.

One spirited group was the Hutto Middle School Student Council, ten of whose members reported to their sponsor, Beverly Payne, and following instructions, scrambled down the river bank to clean their section, which stretched from the pavilion to the bridge.

Payne said the students decide each month on a community project to adopt and each year they have chosen the Rivers Alive Cleanup. “They really enjoy doing it,” she said, and it’s not just for the doughnuts she provides at the end of their assignment. The Hutto students who volunteered Saturday were Robert Hayes, McKenzie Finley, Emily Chambers, Mycha Harris, Manal Patel, Ariel Bowens, Mia Boone, Erin Jones, Jeramie Payne and Javontae Petersen.

Another student group, members of the Circle K Club from Bainbridge College, were assigned the bank to the west of the pavilion. Michael Stewart, spokesman for the club, said it is a yearly project for their organization as well.