Rain or shine, the third annual Austin Community Pride Day will be held Saturday.

That’s the word from organizers Lou Beckel and Kim Underwood.

Volunteers are asked to assemble in the parking lot at the Austin Municipal Swimming Pool, beginning 8:30 a.m. Saturday. There will be refreshments served and assignments made to the volunteers at that time.

Gloves and trash bags will be distributed to all.

The city-wide clean-up begins 9 a.m. Saturday.

According to Underwood, director of the Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, “More volunteers are encouraged to participate.”

That includes individuals, couples and families, as well as clubs and organizations.

The focus of the clean-up effort will be to collect debris left in public areas during the winter.

Steve King, Austin 2nd Ward Council Member, has obtained vehicles that will visit the parks and other public areas to collect trash bags when the clean-up is completed.

The bags will be delivered to the Austin Municipal Swimming Pool parking lot, where Austin Coalition for Environmental Sustainability volunteers will sort the items for recycling.

Beckel, a downtown business-owner who has been a part of all three spring clean-up efforts, said Saturday will be an opportunity for residents to “show their pride.”

She said not only can the volunteers clean-up parks, trails and other public areas, but they can also clean-up their own neighborhoods.

For more information, call the Park and Rec department at 433-1881.

Tree planting

Arbor Day weekend would not be complete without a tree-planting project by Spruce Up Austin, Inc. volunteers.

The community betterment organization’s volunteers will plant 20 trees Saturday morning near Austin Rotary Centennial Park and the Cedar River.

The 20 trees symbolized the 20th anniversary of the organization.

All the trees will be balled and burlapped.

Sod will be removed from a 6-foot diameter circle and all the holes for the trees will be dug by auger.

The SUA, Inc. board members are asked to bring shovels, pitch forks, utility knives and wheelbarrows (if available).

After planting the 20 trees, the SUA, Inc. volunteers will join the Austin Community Pride Day clean-up effort in the Marcusen-Lafayette parks area along the Cedar River.