Several East Ridge community members and leaders will come together on Saturday with one common goal – to beautify East Ridge at Exit 1, the Gateway to Tennessee.

This beautification event is a joint effort between the East Ridge Revitalization Program, the East Ridge Merchants Association and the East Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

Those interested in participating need to meet at Wally’s restaurant at 10 a.m. to gather all necessary items and divvy up the various tasks at hand.

Greg Ezell, president of the East Ridge Revitalization Program, said, “Exit 1 is the first thing travelers see as they pass into our great state and the City of Chattanooga, and our citizens have made it clear that they want to improve the appearance of Exit 1 to portray Tennessee’s beauty.

"With our commitment to the beautification of Exit 1 and its continued maintenance, we hope to draw more traffic to the business district of East Ridge and boost the economic development within our city. We are so excited to be a part of this community-wide effort to improve East Ridge’s appearance and we are looking forward to working side-by-side with the volunteers this Saturday."

The Tennessee Valley Authority will provide gloves and garbage bags while the City of East Ridge will provide trash and dump trucks for this Saturday’s event. Local landscaping company, Pelham’s Lawn and Landscapes, will be on-site providing professional landscaping services and equipment ensuring a successful event.

East Ridge City Mayor Mike Steele said, “With several thousands of travelers passing through the Exit 1 area in the upcoming holiday weeks, we want them to leave them with a positive image of our beautiful city and encourage them to stop, shop and return. Here in East Ridge, we have a great pride for this city and we want visitors to see that.”

The Exit 1 beautification movement is one of several steps the East Ridge Revitalization Program is taking to improve the City of East Ridge and instill pride within the East Ridge community.

The East Ridge Revitalization Program’s future steps will include the planting of flowers and other visually appealing shrubbery at Exit 1 along with the erection of multiple flag poles flying a large U.S. flag accompanied by the Tennessee flag.

David Curd, president of the East Ridge Merchants Association, said, “This weekend’s event is just one of the great things happening in East Ridge. The more community involvement we have, the more we can accomplish together.”

For more information regarding the Exit 1 beautification event please contact Greg Ezell at 423.605.0195 or visit the City of East Ridge’s website at www.eastridgetn.org.