Cleanup along Silver Comet Trail honors area lawyer

CEDARTOWN — The Silver Comet Trail in Polk County is just one of the many treasures people enjoy locally and globally. Cyclists, walkers and hikers come from around the world to traverse the miles of paved walkway that stretches from metro Atlanta to the Alabama border, and continues onward across the state line for miles more.

Even though the people who enjoy the trail the most are usually tidy when they pass through, human impact on the environment is an ongoing struggle.

One that Keep Polk Beautiful sought to fight against during a weekend cleanup to honor one of the founding fathers of the trail, Joe Anderson.

Keep Polk Beautiful Executive Director Randy Cook organized cleaning crews in Cedartown and Rockmart on Saturday morning to come take part in cleanup efforts along the Silver Comet Trail as a way to honor the legacy of the attorney who died almost a year ago.

“Joe Anderson had such an impact on me when I moved back to Cedartown, and he was coming around and trying to get the trail going,” Cook said. “He spent countless hours on the legal aspects of it and getting the property transferred back for the community to enjoy. And every time I ride on the trail, and he was always such a unique character... he always said if people would just pick up a little trash whenever they see it, it would make the world a better place.”

“The people in Polk County really don’t know what we have here. People come from all around to ride the Silver Comet,” he said. “If it weren’t for Joe, we wouldn’t have it.”