Members of the April 1865 Society joined forces with members of the Battle of Selma Committee and members of Jeff Davis Artillery to clean up Valley Creek before the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Selma, which is coming up April 23 through 26.

“We got everything out of there from flip-flops to just about every ball imaginable from soccer, footballs, handballs, softballs and basketballs,” said Benny Austin, vice president of the April 1865 Society.

Before the Battle of Selma re-enactment last year, the Alabama River flooded and the creek was backed up with tree limbs and trash, creating a mess near the Valley Creek covered bridge.

“That happened before the battle last year, and we didn’t have time to clean it up,” Austin said. “When schools days happened, it seemed like every child would spot all of that trash. They would all line that side of the bridge and point, so it was very embarrassing not only to us but for the city.”

Austin said the cleanup took about six hours.

“The creek was a horrible mess prior to us cleaning it up, and we were able to remove the logjam and 95 percent of all of the trash,” Austin said. “It just made all the difference in the world. It is no longer an eyesore and an embarrassment for the city.”

With help from Robert Turner, owner of Al’s Towing & Recovery, they were able to remove between eight to 10 logs that were causing the trash to build up.

Austin said they were inspired to clean up the creek by a post made on the Shine On Selma Facebook page.

“Someone posted a picture of it saying they were taking their grandson to see where the re-enactment was, and this was what they saw, so we definitely wanted to get it cleaned up before any more guests came to town,” Austin said.