Cleaning is a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.

It's a task that can be made a little more enjoyable by a collective spirit of cooperation and camaraderie. It also helps if cleaning crew members are like-minded and share common interests.

For a group of volunteers in downtown Lititz, cleaning up is a labor of love.

Downtown Lititz business advocate Venture Lititz will conduct its annual spring cleanup on Saturday, April 26, from 8 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will meet at the Lititz Borough office, 7 S. Broad St., and then proceed to tidy up and spruce up the five blocks of the historic downtown on Broad Street and East Main Street.

To sign up to volunteer, go to http://www.lititzpa.com/event/spring-clean-up or call 717-626-6332. There is no deadline to sign up, and individuals can even show up on the day of the event and help clean up.

"It's a really fun morning," said Emily Allen, who's the executive director of Venture Lititz. "There's a lot of laughter. It's not hard labor. You're being a part of the community, and it gives you a sense of pride. There's a sense of ownership. We're not just here; we're part of it."

"We're trying to brighten up the downtown and get ready for spring and all the events that happen in Lititz in the warmer months," continued Allen. "This is not a fundraiser. This is just giving back. It's a great coming together of all different people in the community."

Armed with shovels, brooms, rakes, leaf blowers and wheelbarrows, volunteers sweep, pick up trash, weed and mulch around trees in the downtown business district. The volunteers work in pairs or in groups.

"It's not overwhelmingly dirty," said Allen. "But this year, we had a lot of snow, so debris got pushed into corners. You don't really notice the dirt, but if you look close, it's there."

Between 60 and 80 volunteers are expected to participate in Venture Lititz's spring cleanup. Typically, the volunteers are families, members of sports teams and church groups, borough council members, members of civic organizations and concerned citizens.

"It's a range of people," said Allen. "It's a nice day for people to meet. Everyone works together for a day. It's a great turnout, but we could always use more volunteers. The more people we have, the more we can get done."

Currently, there are nearly 60 merchants doing business in downtown Lititz.

"(The downtown shopping district) is our face," said Allen. "It's what people see when they drive through town. We want people to come back. You wouldn't notice something if it was really clean, but you'd notice it if it was really dirty."

"We want to do anything we can to make Lititz beautiful," Allen added. "It's great for the merchants. It makes Lititz welcoming. Our goal is to be a draw. We want to keep the downtown pretty, and people turning out to help clean up makes that happen."

Venture Lititz's spring cleanup event was established 12 years ago.

In promoting the local business district and making the historic downtown a destination for both locals and out-of-town visitors, Venture Lititz hosts four other events throughout the year: Taste of Lititz, set for Friday, June 6, this year; Apocalititz 5K, to be held on Saturday, Oct. 25; its annual gala near the end of the calendar year; and Fire & Ice in February.

"It's great to see the community come together," said Allen. "My favorite part of the spring cleanup is seeing people working together. You see high school kids working alongside borough council members and working toward a common goal. Lititz isn't just a town; it's a community."