Bogalusa Mayor Wendy Perrette told The Daily News that the city of Bogalusa is advancing in the statewide “Cleanest City Contest.”

Perrette said that contest judges informed her Friday that the city had won its district, which was made up of Bogalusa and four other cities of similar population size and location. Judges from the contest visited Bogalusa on Wednesday, March 20, to inspect the city and determine whether it would advance to the state level of competition.

“We’re very happy to be advancing again this year,” Perrette said.

Perrette said that the next level of judging would likely be some time after Easter, so she encouraged citizens to do their part to keep the community clean this spring.

She also said that the city is holding a poster contest for school students, as well as a “cleanest campus” contest among area schools.

“We’ll be checking out the schools after recess to see how they do,” Perrette said. “We’re trying to encourage the kids not to throw their trash on the ground after they finish their snacks at recess. It’s about explaining to them the importance of picking up after yourselves, even if the trash isn’t specifically yours.

“Our kids can teach us the latest trends and dances, but they can also be a great example to us adults about how to keep our community clean and attractive.”

On Saturday, March 16, dozens of volunteers organized a city-wide “clean up day.”

The Louisiana Garden Club Federation sponsors the Cleanest City Contest each year. According to the group, the aim of the contest is to instill civic pride in the individual citizens and thus, improve the appearance of towns and cities.

In 2018, Bogalusa finished in fourth place in Division G.