Clean up the Trinity River and do your community a solid at Trash Bash events

Five hundred tons of garbage?

That’s how much residents have collected through the Tarrant Regional Water District’s Trash Bash events over the years.

Now’s your chance to add to the pile and serve your community with three more Trash Bash events coming up in September.

Waterway cleanups are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17 along the Trinity River and at Eagle Mountain Lake, and Saturday, Sept. 24 at Cedar Creek Reservoir southeast of Dallas.

You can choose one of 10 designated spots along the Trinity River when your register online. Volunteers can also reserve a Trash Bash T-shirt.

Also, an after-party will be held for the Trinity River cleanup at Coyote Drive-In and Cobb Park. Come enjoy bounce houses, dancing, face painting, food and other treats.

To sign up and for more information, go to trwd.com/trashbash/.

Celebrate reading at Trinity River Book Festival

If you can’t make it for Trash Bash, consider another event along the Trinity.

The Trinity River Book Festival, which celebrates the power of reading as part of National Literacy Month, is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The festival is designed to engage readers, support writers and inspire the next generation with literature.

A wide array of authors, publishers, book clubs and others will be on hand to encourage a love of books and reading.

The book festival will be held at Trinity River Pavilion 1, 2300 W. 7th St., 76107.

To register for this free event and for more information, go to trinityriverbookfest.org.

Also, wake up early strap on those running shoes for a Run-To-Read 5K and 1K at 8 a.m. This fundraiser supports literacy programs and promotes health and fitness for all ages.

Prices range from $10 to $25. To register and for more information including packet pickups, go to raceroster.com/events/2022/62554/run-to-read.

Spruce up your neighborhood with free trees

Looking to add some shade to your yard after the brutal summer heat wave of 2022?

Sign up for free trees for you and your neighbors through Fort Worth’s Neighborhood Tree Planting Program.

Participating as a group, neighborhoods within Fort Worth can receive free 5-gallon trees for planting in the parkway or within 20 feet of the edge of a roadway.

The tree planting program, operated through the city’s Forestry Section, requires that one person from a neighborhood serve as the coordinator.

Residents are responsible for planting trees and watering them until they are established.

To learn more or coordinate a tree planting event for your neighborhood, contact the Forestry Section at 817-392-7452 or forestry@fortworthtexas.gov.

For more general information, visit fortworthtexas.gov/departments/parks/services/forestry.

This story was originally published September 11, 2022 at 7:00 AM.