Berkeley Lake's taking the whole idea of spring cleaning pretty seriously this weekend.

A Citywide Spring Neighborhood Garage Sale will be under way from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Some of the homes that ring the city's picturesque lake are taking part, as are four neighborhoods —- Berkeley Walk, Berkeley Commons, Berkeley Field and Miramont. Participating homes will be marked by signs and/or balloons at the mailbox.

And on Saturday, when the city celebrates Earth Day, it will take the cleanup spirit to the streets. In an annual ritual that's won praise from Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, teams of volunteers will fan out along roadways to pick up trash.

Serving others

The Duluth Merchants Association is holding its sixth annual Spring Benefit Dinner to raise money for a local nonprofit group.

This year's beneficiary is the Hands of Christ/Duluth Co-op ministry, which administers aid from local churches, community organizations and businesses to neighbors in need. The April 26 event, which includes dinner and entertainment, a silent auction and a live auction, will be at the Gallery at Gwinnett Medical Center-Duluth.

Tickets are $75 (or $650 for a table of 10). Information: www.duluthmerchants.com.

Doing swimmingly

The county's Parks & Recreation Department has just gotten an Excellence in Aquatics award from the National Recreation and Park Association.

The parks department operates 17 swimming pools (nine indoor; eight outdoor) and offers more than 1,000 classes, lessons and programs each year for all age groups and skill levels —- as well as lifeguard training. For a list of pools and programming, see www.gwinnettparks.com.