GULF SHORES, Ala. – For the second year the makers of Barefoot Wine will conduct a beach cleanup day in Gulf Shores.

On July 28 the company will hand out supplies at about 9 a.m. and send the residents and visitors off to make the Alabama beaches cleaner. The group will have a tent set up at the western end of the boardwalk.

The Barefoot assembly permit was one of two OK’d recently by the Gulf Shores City Council. A church group applied for the other and will sponsor a gathering and beach luau on June 14 that will include food and fellowship and is open to the public.

“We have been partnering with the Surfrider Foundation for the past six years and we’ve been doing beach cleanups with them nationally in and additionally with Surfriders, Barefoot also sponsors and hosts local beach cleanups in various states. For example, in Florida we’re going to do 21 beach cleanups this year.”

A local group will help with the Barefoot cleanup in Alabama.

“This year we are partnering with Mobile Bay Keeper and we’re also partnering with United Johnson Brothers, our local distributors,” Mary Kilduff with Barefoot said. “I do one in Alabama every year. This is just a way for us to give back to the community and to also get involved with other local nonprofits in the area as well to keep the beaches barefoot friendly. Its a little tagline we like to use.”

Kilduff said her company plans to make it an annual event in Alabama.

“We welcome everyone to come out to the beach cleanup,” she said. “We will supply cleaning supplies; bags, gloves. We supply sanitizer, sun block, bottled water. Basically what we are going to do is have people come in and sign up from about 9 until about 10:45. It’s a great family day to come on out. You can clean for 10-15 minutes, jump in the ocean, come back out and clean for another 10-15 minutes. Whatever you want to do. It’s very laid back, very enjoyable.

“We’ll do a big group photo shot at the end with all the trash collected.”

The city of Gulf Shores is glad to have the help.

“From the city’s perspective, we’re very, very appreciative,” Director of Recreation and Cultural Affairs Grant Brown said. “There’s always a need for awareness of beach cleaning and beach cleanup.”

Brown said the group will be encouraged to clean beaches in front of condo complexes and rental homes, places the city can’t always get around to cleaning as often as needed.

“Our goal is to have people start near Little Lagoon Pass and work their way back eastward, cleaning at the foot of the dune line all the way down to the water’s edge,” he said. “That’s an area where there’s a lot of single-family duplexes zoning area that even after we’ve cleaned up and people have cleaned up after spring break, it still has some issues.

“The public beach area, since we have the night-time cleaners so it’s pretty clean.”

About 60 people participated in the 2011 event.

The luau will be part of a retreat at the Gulf Shores Beach Retreat Center.

“It’s a large place that set up somewhat like a hotel so you can have a lot of people and stay there for multiple days,” Brown said. “They have beach access across the beach so they can go to the beach and just have fellowship.

“They are encouraging the public to attend.”

Brown said the group was hoping for about 175 people to show up and the only issue raised about the permit was limited parking.

“As long as they don’t let people park on the rights of ways and to keep the noise levels where they are supposed to be, we are happy to let them try it,” he said.