More than 400 people are expected to participate Saturday in the third annual Platte River Revival, held each year to remove trash and debris from the North Platte River running through Casper.

Volunteers have removed close to 1 million pounds of debris from the river over the past two years, said Jolene Martinez, an administrative analyst with the city.

Items fished out of the river include chunks of concrete, a large engine and an old Star-Tribune newspaper box. 71 Construction will donate time and equipment to lift large pieces of debris out of the river this year, Martinez said, possibly a telephone booth and a refrigerator.

Teams and individuals will check in Saturday morning at Mike Lansing Field. Pre-registered groups already have assignments, but Martinez said organizers would accept walk-up participants up until about 9:30 a.m.

The river will be divided into five sections with city employees overseeing each section, with the help of Rotary Club volunteers.

"We have Russian olive tree removal, debris removal in the water, out of the water, tree planting at two locations, and a special operations area where we have heavy equipment and an on-duty fire crew that's going to tie the area off with ropes to make sure it's safe," Martinez said.

Vendors are providing free coffee in the morning as well as an aluminum water bottle for each participant, Martinez said. After about three hours of work, participants can feast on a massive amounts of food, also donated, including fruit salad, macaroni salads and grilled pork.

Various city departments will provide their services to the event, and the city council is kicking in $14,000 from its "council goals" fund. Some of the city council members will volunteer, too.

"I love the river. I use the pathway a lot, and I think the river and the parkway and all those amenities are great for the city," said Ward 1 Councilwoman Kate Sarosy. "I've always been a big supporter of the cleanup."

You can reach city reporter Pete Nickeas at pete.nickeas@trib.com or (307) 266-0639. You can read more about Casper politics and government at http://tribtown.trib.com/redtape.