Close to Home for March 31 and April 1

Easter is here with many activities planned this weekend to remember the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Among those men who portrayed Jesus Christ in The Atlanta Passion Play, which was presented for 35 years at the Atlanta Civic Center until 2011, Atlanta actor Chris Britt has formed a nonprofit ministry, The Gospel of Matthew, through which he travels mainly in the U.S. and Israel to portray Jesus Christ. tgom.info, facebook.com/GodSWORDpresentations. AJC file photo

Easter is here with many activities planned this weekend to remember the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Among those men who portrayed Jesus Christ in The Atlanta Passion Play, which was presented for 35 years at the Atlanta Civic Center until 2011, Atlanta actor Chris Britt has formed a nonprofit ministry, The Gospel of Matthew, through which he travels mainly in the U.S. and Israel to portray Jesus Christ. tgom.info, facebook.com/GodSWORDpresentations. AJC file photo

Eggstravaganza at Callanwolde

Eggstravaganza Easter Egg Hunt at Callanwolde. 8 a.m. to noon Saturday (rain or shine). $5 and $1.24 service fee for online purchase, $5 parking (credit/debit only). Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road NE, Atlanta. Children and adults must have a ticket. Bring your basket and camera. Children can find thousands of candy-filled eggs (including three golden “prize” eggs), meet the Easter Bunny, play games, visit the LEGO building station provided by LEGOLAND Discovery Center and The Home Depot station, have their faces painted, buy treats from Cinnaholic and dance on a children’s dance floor with beats brought by J&M Sound Design DJ. With no onsite parking, guests can park at Emory Briarcliff Property’s Parking Lot A (1256 Briarcliff Road NE, Atlanta) for $5. Trolley service will be available to and from that lot, running every 10 minutes and starting at 8 a.m. Tickets: callanwolde.freshtix.com/events.

Avondale Estates Dog Parade

Avondale Estates Dog Parade. 9:30-10:15 a.m. check-in/on-site registration, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday. Free. Pavilion, Willis Park, 51 Dartmouth Ave., Avondale Estates. Costumes are not required. Award categories include Best Costume, Best Owner/Dog Duo, Most Spirited/Enthusiastic and Best Behaved. The first 50 registered participants to check-in will receive a free bag of goodies. The event will be rescheduled in case of rain. View list of rules: AvondaleEstates.org/DocumentCenter/View/2298.

Norcross Easter Egg Hunt

Norcross Easter Egg Hunt. 10 a.m. Saturday. Free. Rossie Brundage Park, 350 Autry St., Norcross. Bring your Easter baskets and cameras for photos with the Easter bunny. APlaceToImagine.com.

Egg Hunt, Health Fair in Douglasville

Easter Egg Hunt, Community Health Fair and Business Expo. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Jessie Davis Park, 7775 Malone Street, Douglasville. Hosts are Legacy of Pearls Foundation, Inc. and the Sigma Omega Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Prizes and refreshments will be provided. Shekesha Jefferson at 770-920-3009.

Spring Native Plant Sale in Roswell

Spring Native Plant Sale. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 6-7. Free to garden area. Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. Sponsored by the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. Attract butterflies, pollinators and birds to your garden by adding native plants. More than 120 species of plants will be available, including herbs and vegetables. Horticulturists and knowledgeable gardeners will be on site to help provide guidance. ChattNatureCenter.org.

Avondale Estates Easter Egg Hunt

Avondale Estates Easter Egg Hunt. 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Free. Willis Park, 51 Dartmouth Ave., Avondale Estates. Children up to age 10 are welcome. AvondaleEstates.org.

Northeast Cobb Community Egg Drop

Northeast Cobb Community Egg Drop. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Free egg hunt, free photos with Easter Bunny, free parking, $7/child for unlimited rides. Football fields, Sprayberry High School, 2525 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta. Presented by Superior Plumbing and C&S Paving, Inc., the event will involve more than 90,000 eggs and pieces of candy spread out and dropped from a helicopter. Also, there will be inflatable slides, bounce houses and Peter Hart with the Atlanta Puppets. CommunityEggDrop.org.

Easter Egg Hunt in Clarkston

Easter Egg Hunt by Clarkston First Baptist Church. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Free. Milan Park, 3867 Norman Road, Clarkston. This Easter egg hunt, beginning at 12:30 p.m., also will include free food, games and prizes. Participants should bring their own baskets or bags. 404-292-5686 ext. 223 or ClarkstonFBC.org.

Taste of Forsyth, Easter Egg Hunt

Taste of Forsyth and Easter Egg Hunt. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (weather permitting). Free, $1 to $4 per sample from more than 25 restaurants. City of Cumming Fairgrounds, 235 Castleberry Road, Cumming. Sponsors are the city of Cumming and Lou Sobh Honda & Lou Sobh Kia. Event Coordinator Tracy Helms at 770-781-3491 or thelms@CityOfCumming.net. CummingFair.net.

Mostly Mutts ‘Flea’ Market in Acworth

Mostly Mutts “Flea” Market spring fundraiser. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday and continuing Thursdays through Saturdays for three weeks. Donations may be dropped off noon to 6 p.m. Monday to April 4 at Acworth Crossing shopping center, 3335 Cobb Parkway NW, Suite 840, Acworth. Accepted items include (but are not limited to) furniture, collectibles, antiques, china, crystal, kitchen supplies, tools, jewelry, art, pet supplies, handbags, accessories, books, small appliances in good working order, games, toys, storage/organizational items, office supplies, sports equipment, garden décor, scarves, belts, video games, record albums and DVDs. Funds raised will help Mostly Mutts protect animals from being euthanized at local shelters by providing housing, health care, training and physical and emotional care to rescued animals until they can be placed in their new “furever homes.” Since 2004, Mostly Mutts has saved about 6,500 animals. Mostly Mutts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, staffed by volunteers and privately funded through donations and adoption fees. Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue and Adoption, Inc., 3238 Cherokee St., Kennesaw at 770-272-6888, FleaMarket@MostlyMutts.org.

Peace Corps Info Session in Johns Creek

Peace Corps Information Session. 11 a.m. to noon Saturday. Free. Ocee Library, 5090 Abbotts Bridge Road, Johns Creek. A former Peace Corps volunteer will share hands-on volunteer experiences about immersion in a new culture and learning a new language. Ask questions and gain tips on the application process. Open to teens and adults. 770-360-8897, afpls.org. PeaceCorps.gov.

Douglasville Police’s Community Enrichment Day

Douglasville Police: Community Enrichment Day Festival. Noon-5 p.m. Saturday. Free. Douglasville Police Department, 2083 Fairburn Road, Douglasville. Deputy Chief S. A. Shaw at shawsa@DouglasvilleGa.gov.

Egg Hunt at Ebenezer

Easter Egg Hunt at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Noon-3 p.m. Saturday. Free. Horizon Plaza, 101 Jackson St. NE, Atlanta. Children of all ages are welcome. 404-688-7300, info@EbenezerChurch.us, HistoricEbenezer.org.

Pastor’s Celebration in Atlanta

Birthday Celebration for the Rev. Dr. R. L. White Jr. and his 50 years of preaching the Word of God. 2 p.m. Saturday. Mount Ephraim Baptist Church, Family Life Center, 1202 W. Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. White is the founder and senior pastor of this church, preaching for 50 years and pastoring for 48 years. In 1997 he was elected president of the Atlanta Branch of the NAACP from which he recently retired. He also established an international ministry in Ghana, West Africa in 2000. His ministry continues to grow as he reaches out to the world through radio and television programs which include Cable 57 Network at 9:30-10:30 p.m. (EST) Saturdays. MtEphraim.com/AboutUs.html.

Kennesaw Mountain lecture

Saturday Lecture Series: John Scales. 2-3 p.m. Saturday. Free. Visitor Center, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw. Author John Scales discusses and fields questions on his book “The Campaigns and Battles of General Nathan Bedford Forrest: Kentucky to Chickamauga, 1861-1863.” 770-427-4686 ext. 0 or nps.gov/kemo. tinyurl.com/zfd8haz.

‘Disney’s Alice in Wonderland JR.’ in Roswell

Roswell Youth Theatre: “Disney’s Alice in Wonderland JR.” 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday. $12, free for children under age 2 on a lap. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. This version features updated songs from the animated motion picture of the classic tale. Roswell Youth Theater (RYT), a program of the Roswell Recreation, Parks, Historic & Cultural Affairs Department, produces one musical and one play each year. RYT productions are open to youths, ages 8 to 18, who are selected by audition. Leslie Kelley at 770-641-3987 or LKelley@RoswellGov.com. Tickets: tututix.com/RoswellYouthTheatre.

Avondale Estates Sunrise Service

Avondale Estates Community “Sunrise” Service and Pancake Breakfast. 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Free. Avondale Pattillo United Methodist Church, 3260 Covington Highway, Decatur. Join with members of Avondale Pattillo United Methodist and Columbia Presbyterian Churches on the front lawn of Avondale Pattillo UMC for this service. Then stay to enjoy a free pancake breakfast. The Easter Worship Service (to include the Sacrament of Holy Communion) will begin at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary of Avondale Pattillo UMC. AvondaleEstates.org/DocumentCenter/View/2305.

Bright Star Easter events in Douglasville

Easter events. Bright Star United Methodist Church, 3715 Bright Star Road, Douglasville. 770-949-2555, BrightStarUMC.org.

Hosea Helps event in Atlanta

Hosea Helps: Easter Sunday “Share the Love” Revival event. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Free. Orange Lot, Georgia State University Stadium, 51-3 Capitol Ave. (old Turner Field). Hosea Helps will offer “strong preaching,” gospel music, food, etc. Hosea Helps at 404-755-3353, 4hosea.org.

Easter Sunday at Gibbs Gardens

Easter Sunday at Gibbs Gardens: Classical Music in the Gardens. 12:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday. $20/adult, $18/senior (65+), $10/child (3-17), free/child (2 and under), free parking. Gibbs Gardens, 1987 Gibbs Drive, Ball Ground. 770-893-1880 ext. 2, info@GibbsGardens.com.