This weekend will be overflowing with events in Troup County — where in addition to the nearly 1,000 student-athletes and their families that will be in town for the USA South Spring Sports Festival and the City of LaGrange’s second annual Leaving LaGrange Better Than We Found It cleanup — residents will be able to choose from a host of concerts, fundraisers and community events.

Point University will start the weekend off on the right note on Friday night with its spring concert, titled “Encore!” The concert is free and open to the public and will celebrate Dr. Byron Cartwright as he retires from teaching full-time. There will be performances at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Spring Road Christian Church at 1729 Spring Road in Lanett, Alabama. 

Also on Friday, Kevin Dunn will perform a musical benefit concert at Pure Life Studios to benefit the Deborah Dunn Memorial Scholarship. Proceeds from the concert will be awarded to a graduating Callaway High School senior pursuing continuing education in the sciences. Dunn was a science teacher at CHS, and she served as the principal at Callaway Middle School prior to her death. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at 206 Clark Street in LaGrange. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Purelifelagrange.com.

The 2019 Relay for Life Troup County walk will take place on Friday as well, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Chris Joseph Track at 290 Fort Drive. There will be live music, games, entertainment, food and a silent auction to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The event will end at midnight. 

On Saturday, groups throughout the community will join together to clean up their neighborhoods as part of the Great American Cleanup. This year, the theme of the cleanup will be “Clean Your Block,” and Keep Troup Beautiful encourages residents to sign up for the Great American Cleanup by contacting them at (706) 884-9922 or by email at director@keeptroupbeautiful.org.

In Hogansville, the community cleanup will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Calvin Hipp Park will be used as the staging point. Gloves and bags will be provided, and there will be refreshments and prizes at noon at the park. Dumpsters will be placed at Strozier Park and on the corner of Askew and Lawrence. For more information or to get involved, contact city hall at (706) 637-8629.

As the cleanups wind down, the LaGrange Lions Club will host a field day at Pyne Road Park. The event will take place from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and will feature activities including tug-of-war, a three-legged race, sack race and obstacle course. Participation costs $250 for a team of eight people, which includes a t-shirt and $5 food credit for each team member. The Lions Club is partnering with vendors from the community for food and beverages at the event. For more information or to register, contact Chairperson Josh O’Neal at (706) 302-1717.

A variety of Earth Day themed activities will also be hosted throughout the day on Saturday at the LaGrange Memorial Library, with Ray Day at the Library from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The event will begin with story time with “The Lorax” at 10 a.m., followed by an interactive energy lesson at 10:30 a.m., a bees and butterflies event at 12:30 p.m., an electric vehicle presentation at 1:30 p.m., a presentation on Ray Anderson’s legacy at 3 p.m. and a social with staff and board members of The Ray at 4 p.m. There will be activities for children throughout the day. 

Also on Saturday, the Hillside Art, Music and Food Festival will take place on Garfield and Lincoln Streets in the Hillside neighborhood from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. 

Additionally, the LaGrange-Troup County Humane Society will host an adoption event at LaGrange Mitsubishi on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

On Sunday, the LaGrange Art Museum will host the opening reception for the Creative Youth Art League show. The show will feature work by local elementary, middle and high school students. The opening reception will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Merit awards will be presented at 3 p.m. The exhibit will be on display at the LaGrange Art Museum until May 4. For more information, visit Lagrangeartmuseum.org.

Finally, the Sons of Lafayette will close out the weekend with a concert titled “Music in the Air” on Sunday at 4 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of LaGrange. Tickets cost $15 in advance or $20 at the door and can be purchased at Plum Southern, Marketplace on Main, from a Sons of Lafayette member or online. For more information, visit Sonsoflafayette.org.