With spring officially underway, local events are sprouting up this month as fast as the flowers in your front yard.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, Winchester Inspired by Nature (WIN) is leading a litter pick-up at College Park.

WIN will provide gloves, bags and hand sanitizer. Participants will break off into small groups to pick up around the playground, park and around the gym. Meet at College Park pavilion.

For more information, email WInspiredByNature@gmail.com.

Clark County residents can also pedal on out to the guided bicycle tour at 6 p.m. April 9 at College Park Gym.

Walk Bike Clark County will lead participants on a leisurely bicycle ride through the alleys around College Park. If planning to borrow equipment, arrive at 5:30 p.m. For questions, email bpac@ccgisonline.com.

Second Thursday programs continue at 6:30 p.m. April 11 at the Bluegrass Heritage Museum.

Midway native Kelly Brengelman will perform as Madeline McDowell Breckinridge in “Votes for Women.”

Breckinridge (1872-1920) was a state and national leader of the women’s suffrage movement and was highly instrumental in Kentucky’s ratification of the 19th Amendment, granting American women the right to vote, according to the Bluegrass Heritage Museum’s website.

The great-granddaughter of Henry Clay, Breckinridge was also a progressive reformer who worked tirelessly to advance the living conditions of the poor, established educational programs, changed the outlook of child welfare and juvenile rehabilitation, and promoted the need for tuberculosis research, according to the Kentucky Humanities website.

Unafraid and unapologetic, Breckinridge, who went by Madge, used every opportunity to reach anyone who would listen. She recited countless speeches and marched in many demonstrations, calling for “Votes for Women”— and proudly cast her ballot in the U.S. Presidential Election of 1920.

The program is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6 p.m. The museum will also serve refreshments. For more information, call 745-1358.

The 30th — and last — annual Boonesboro Lioness Auction to benefit Hospice East is April 12 at First Church of God gym, 2500 Colby Road. Bake sale begins at 4 p.m. Auction begins at 6 p.m. with Woodrow Wilson as auctioneer. Refreshments will be available.

Hospice East uses the proceeds to provide special experiences for its patients and their families in Clark and Powell counties as well as its bereavement programs.

Debbie Jones, executive director at Hospice East, told The Sun through their “wish fund,” Hospice East has provided patients with experiences they wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.

Jones told The Sun the wish fund has helped take patients to church, pay for meals at their favorite restaurant and more. Last year, the auction raised $17,000 for Hospice East, and hopes to do the same. Since its start, the annual auction has raised more than $100,000 for patients at Hospice East.

Items include a 55-inch TV, a 5×7 rug, quilts, pressure cookers, a child’s moped, Cincinnati Reds tickets, mountains of dog food, pool float, craftsman tool set, a Black & Decker drill, peanut butter, cases of Ale-8, Holiday World tickets, various gift cards, one year of free McDonald’s Happy Meal coupons and more. Items will be collected up to the day of the auction.

The auction is open to the community, and a program listing the items available will be provided upon arrival. Jones told The Sun while it’s bittersweet the auction is coming to its end, Hospice East will shift its focus to raising funds during the Good Giving challenge.

For more information or to make a donation, contact Hospice East at 859-744-9866 or 800-398-9866.

There are also several local Easter-related festivities coming up this month.

Take your family to the Easter egg hunt at 11 a.m. April 13 at Beech Springs Farm Market. Admission is $5 per child and free for adults.

Head out to the Family Fun Day for Child Abuse Prevention Month, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  April 20 at Clark County Preschool. There will be food, inflatables, an Easter egg hunt and displays from community vendors.

Families can also attend the Underwater Easter egg hunt, noon on April 20 at College Park gym, 15 Wheeler Ave. Open swim for all ages begins at noon. Egg hunt begins at 1 p.m. Open to ages 14 and younger. Cost is $5 and includes swimming before and after the event. Pre-register by April 19.

Help collect trash and litter in downtown Winchester during this year’s Main Street Clean Sweep, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  April 22 starting at city hall, 32 Wall St. T-shirts available for participants. For more information, call Rachel Alexander at 737-0923.

The month will wrap with performances of “Steel Magnolias,” April 27 to May 5, at the Leeds Center for the Arts.

According to the show description, Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, is where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle — who is not sure whether or not she is still married — the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser; an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby — the prettiest girl in town — is about to marry a “good ole boy.”

Filled with humor and heartbreak, these “Steel Magnolias” makes the audience laugh and cry as they survive life’s challenges with their unwavering friendship.

Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for children. For more information on performance times or to purchase tickets, visit leedscenter.org.