Next Friday and Saturday, weather permitting, about 70 volunteers armed with lawnmowers, weed eaters and other equipment, will attack overgrown lawns in Seminole in an operation dubbed “The May Mowdown.”

The lawns being targeted are those of elderly and disabled people who have received complaints about tall grass but are not physically able to do anything about it.

“This is about the people of Seminole helping the people of Seminole,” said Jeremy Hunter, the organizer of the effort. “There are people who have been turned in for having tall weeds and grass, and we want to help them out because they cannot do it themselves.”

Hunter said when he began asking people to volunteer for the mow-down, he was pleasantly surprised, even shocked, by the number of responses he received.

“Within six hours of me putting the word out that volunteers were needed, I had 48 people come forward to help,” Hunter said. “It just blew up. I was overwhelmed by how many people want to help others and keep the community looking nice and clean.”

Hunter said he is working closely with the City of Seminole’s Code Enforcement office to get a list of yards to target, and he plans to repeat the “mow-down” every month. But he has one dilemma. The list of lawns that need mowing is not very long right now.

“We may just start at one end of town and hit tall grass as we see it,” Hunter said. “But we do want to help as many people as we possibly can.”

If you would like the mowdown crew to tackle your yard, or if you are interested in being a part of the crew, call (405) 712-3170. Hunter noted that in the event of inclement weather on May 14-15, the date of the mow-down will be adjusted accordingly.