In Butler County, Earth Day is a time not just for awareness about the state of our planet, but a time to give back. This weekend, there are plenty of chances to improve the community, whether it be through participating in a cleanup initiative or learning about sustainability. And don’t worry, there still are opportunities for music and activities in and around the county as well.

Slippery Rock is the place to be this weekend, with things happening around the clock. Saturday at Slippery Rock University, Earth Fest will kick off at noon and end at 6 p.m. at the Macoskey Center, 247 Harmony Road. Horseback rides, nature and gardening DIYs, craft vendors and food will all be available and contribute to the mission of sustainability in the community. The event is rain or shine.

As far as performing arts are concerned, the university’s production of “The Fantasticks” will run from Friday until Tuesday in the Stoner Black Box Theatre on campus. The musical chronicles two neighbors who are tricked into falling in love by their fathers. Performances on Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday’s performance begins at 2 p.m.

“The Epilogue: A BFA Senior Dance Concert” will go on at 2 and 5 p.m. Saturday in the Dance Studio Theater in the Stoner building on the SRU campus. Tickets are $10. Pieces are choreographed by students with additional dances created by Lashonda Johnson. For more information on any campus events, visit sru.edu/events.

Slippery Rock High School students present “Beauty and the Beast” at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at 201 Kiester Road. Go out and see the hard work students and faculty have put into the “tale as old as time.”

Grove City College, 100 Campus Drive, will be a hub for arts activity this weekend. The school’s orchestra will perform classic movie hits from “Back to the Future,” “Forrest Gump,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and more at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Pew Fine Arts Center. Then at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the campus’ Harbison Chapel, three choirs will participate in their spring concerts. All performances are free and open to the public.

Looking for a local night at the movies? Grove City College students will showcase their filmmaking skills and event planning prowess at the Lux Mea Film Festival at 7 p.m. Friday in Crawford Auditorium on campus. The red-carpet event will feature student short films and an award ceremony for the winners following the viewing.

Placement for the new singers in Pittsburgh Youth Choir will start at 6:15 p.m. Monday on campus in the Pew Fine Arts Center at Grove City College. Students must be in third to 12th grade to qualify for placement. For more information, registration and other placement dates and locations, visit www.pittsburghyouthchorus.org.

Butler Downtown is sponsoring a cleanup day to brighten the city streets. Those interested are encouraged to take gloves, leaf blowers and screw drivers at 8 a.m. to 152 Main St. Volunteers will meet there for coffee and doughnuts and be assigned to parts of the area. In the event of inclement weather, a rain date is scheduled for April 30.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Butler County, 101 Mahood Road, will seek to improve their grounds during a spring cleanup day from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Those who can’t make it that day are encouraged to donate supplies to the effort.

The Butler Area Public Library, 218 N. McKean St., will host the Tabletop Game Day from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The event theme explores the high seas with strategy games such as Pirates of the Spanish Main and Shiver Me Timbers.

Concordia at Cabot, 112 Marwood Road, will host Irish singer-songwriter Cahal Dunne at 7 p.m. April 28 at Haven I apartments. The event is free and open to interested community members, with a happy hour beginning at 6 p.m. and optional tours of the living facilities.

Roots Rally 2 is back from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday at Jergel’s Rhythm Grill, 103 Slade Lane, Warrendale. The music festival celebrates American genres such as blues, rockabilly and folk, and the festival benefits Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Highmark Caring Place in Warrendale. Tickets are $15 for adults and free for those 18 years old and younger.

For online entertainment, Prime Stage Theatre in Pittsburgh is offering a virtual showing of the play “The White Rose” in honor of Holocaust remembrance. The show details the legacy of Sophie Scholl, a college student whose anti-Nazi pamphlet called for an end to World War II. Performances and ticket purchases can be accessed at primestagecom.anywhereseat.com.

If you’re up for a drive this weekend, two shows in Pittsburgh are sure to please. The national tour of the Broadway play “To Kill a Mockingbird” will continue its run through Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at the Benedum Center, 237 Seventh St., Pittsburgh. For tickets and showtimes, visit trustarts.org.

Pittsburgh Public Theater began its run of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” last week at the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh. Shows continue through May 1, with tickets available through ppt.org/orientexpress.

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Molly Miller is an Eagle staff writer.