Adopt-A-Highway originated in Tyler, Texas in 1984 when two Texas DOT employees became concerned as they watched trash fall out of a passing truck, and no one else seem to care. James Evans and his co-worker Billy Black said enough is enough. They went to work organizing the adopt-a-highway program. The Tyler Civitan Club was the first AAH group ever. Now we are in 49 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan, over 90,000 groups worldwide. March 9th is International Adopt-A-Highway Day.

Cherokee County`s beautiful landscapes are some of South Carolina`s most precious natural resources. Not only that, with thousands of tourists coming to the county each year, our scenic beauty is also an important economic resource, one we need to protect.

In 1988 the Adopt-A-Highway program began in South Carolina, and has been one of the most successful programs in combating litter along our highways ever enacted. We at the Cherokee County Adopt-A-Highway program believe this success comes from relying on individual citizens who genuinely care about the beauty of their county and state and want to take responsibility for enhancing that beauty.

Businesses, religious organizations, schools, civic organizations, communities and any other groups of this kind, who are willing to commit to the responsibilities and see that they are carried out, can be a part of our program. A group that wants to "adopt-a-highway" must agree to adopt at least two miles of highway and participate in four scheduled pick-ups per year. A group leader must be chosen and an Adopt-A-Highway Agreement Form must be submitted and approved. The group is committed for a two year period, then can either renew for another two years, or choose another section of highway if it wants to continue with the program.

The group`s designated leader will work with the Adopt-A-Highway County Coordinator and the SCDOT Resident Maintenance Engineer. Along with clean-up responsibilities, the groups must complete safety training and fill out " report cards" that help us keep track on how well the program is working.

• 2008 Litter pick-up dates.
• 1st countywide pick-up - March 15th - starting time 8am
• 2nd countywide pick-up - May 24th - starting time 8am
• 3rd countywide pick-up - August 16th - starting time 8am
• 4th countywide pick-up - November 8th - starting time 8am

• 2008 Countywide mower (roadside grass cutting) dates.
• The weather will determine how often the mowers will cut. The height of the roadside grass must reach 5-7 inches before the mowers will begin cutting. We will post dates as soon as we receive them.

We are the Cherokee County Adopt-A-Highway "LitterPatrol" Team. Thank you for your interest in cleaner communities and your concern in more beautiful highways in Cherokee County.

We sincerely believe Adopt-A-Highway volunteers showcase the best mankind has to offer. 

Enjoy your visit.