Greener El Cerrito event Saturday

Volunteers will plant 124 street trees in locations all over the city for Greening El Cerrito Day on Saturday. Two weeks ago the event's organizers had only 15 residences and businesses registered for the free trees, but the city's Environmental Services Division did a large outreach through school e-mail trees and other sources and there were individual efforts to find willing tree recipients.

Recognition in particular goes to Jamie and Paula Tipton, who went door-to-door in their neighborhood and signed up 40 households along Clayton and Central avenues. The couple will be among the volunteers planting trees in their neighborhood.

The tree planting in the morning followed by the Making El Cerrito Greener Environmental Showcase from noon to 2 p.m. at City Hall and City Hall Plaza, 10890 San Pablo Ave. The event includes music, children's activities, refreshments and informational resources. For details call 510-215-4354.

Bats fly into Kensington

The Bat Show, one of the most popular annual programs put on by the Kensington Library, returns at 7 p.m. Tuesday to the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave. The program presented by the Bat Conservation Fund features live bats and a slide show that illustrates their usefulness to the ecosystem and emphasizes bat conservation. Because of space limitations, attendance is

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limited to those who have the 90 free tickets that the library began making available beginning on Tuesday. Children must be at least 5 years old to attend the program.

There will also be a simultaneous Halloween-themed family story time at the library for children under age 5 and for those who cannot be accommodated at the bat show. For details call 510-524-3043.

Fall festival ready

The annual Fall Festival in Kensington starts with a parade starting Sunday at noon at the corner of Amherst and Arlington Avenues. Led by the El Cerrito High School marching band, the parade will follow Arlington to the Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave., where festivities will continue until 5 p.m.

Highlights include pumpkin carving and coloring contests, lunch available off the grill, and live music by the El Cerrito High Jazz Band, the Blues Daddies and the Fortune Smiles Jazz Ensemble.

Bayer wins award

Berkeley-based Bayer was among 12 East Bay companies, several of them key businesses in health care and retail, that will be recognized with a Business Efficiency award today in downtown Oakland. The annual awards presented by Stopwaste. Org. honor medium-sized and large Alameda County businesses that have boosted efficiency by cutting waste. Bayer diverts 86 percent of its discards, reducing the county's waste sent to landfills.

Crabby kitchen winners

Berkeleys Kitchen won the ninth annual Crabby Chef Competition hosted by Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto of Berkeley on Oct. 11. The Berkeleys Kitchen team of Anna Zulaica and Cristina Lau took home the trophy and the Cal Recreational Sports Development Funds Camp Scholarship Program received a check for $2,500. The prize money was a portion of the proceeds from food booths that were set up at the competition.

Berkeley's Kitchen is a food network whose primary mission is to promote the appreciation of the diverse ethnic cuisines available in the City of Berkeley and beyond, while also emphasizing balanced meals and sustainable foods. One of the principals of Berkeley's Kitchen is to support charitable works. More information is available at www.berkeleyskitchen.com.