The weather is warming up and Austin is gearing up — there are lots of exciting things happening in April. We will see the usual signs of spring like budding trees and green grass. We will also see some signs of spring that point to big things happening in our community. Here is what to watch for:

Next weekend the community will host two great celebrations: Stepping Out for Autism Walk and the Karenni community’s Kay Toe Boe celebration.

Stepping Out for Autism will be held at the Hormel Historic Home on Saturday, April 18, with registration and walk at 10 a.m. and lunch starting at 11 a.m. with entertainment by Good Vibrations DJ and Bragen Rights Photo Booth. All funds raised stay in Austin to support three summer camps for youth on the Autism Spectrum.

The Karenni Community of Austin invites you to join in celebrating Kay Toe Boe on Saturday, April 18, at 10 a.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. During this celebration, Karenni people pray for good crops and farming. Karenni people also pray for family, good health, and social networking. With this celebration, Karenni people are welcoming a new year with a clean spirit and leave behind the bad one and move on with positive connections. All are welcome to come and learn more about the culture of Karenni, a growing population in Austin.

Earthwork is scheduled to begin at the Wescott complex during the last two weeks of April. You’ll see construction equipment start arriving soon. Work will start on the Art Hass field inside the stadium and move to the north track/soccer field later in the season.

A ground breaking ceremony is set for the new Spam Museum on April 21. It will be a great celebration for the downtown retail district followed by a summer of construction including work to re-open the Third Avenue plaza to a one-way street. This event is a foretaste of the festivities to come in 2016, as Hormel Foods Corp celebrates its 125th anniversary and the new museum opens.

The City of Austin is hosting the ninth annual Community Pride Day on Saturday, April 25. Volunteers are needed to help clean up debris left by the melting snow in parks, trails and public places. Gather at the municipal pool parking lot at 9 a.m. for refreshments and to receive trash bags and gloves. This is a great opportunity for families and groups to work together to improve the community. If you have questions, call the Park & Rec office at 433-1881. Vision 2020 is also working that morning on a graffiti clean-up project at Roosevelt Bridge. To volunteer to help with graffiti removal, call Vision 2020 at 437-3448.

Austin will celebrate our diversity at the sixth annual Taste of Nations festival on Saturday, April 25 at El Parral at 210 4th St NE. Stop by between 11:30 a.m and 1:30 p.m. to enjoy free entertainment and free food samples from many different cultures.

I hope you enjoy watching for the traditional signs of spring as well as the signs of Austin’s growth and renewal as much as I do.