David W. Smith/Daily News Jared Weaver, an arborist for Bowling Green Parks and Recreation, shows a crowd how to properly plant a tree Saturday at the City of Bowling Green’s Arbor Day Celebration at Kereiakes Park.

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On a breezy Saturday morning, there was nothing lovelier than a tree for hundreds of people who attended the City of Bowling Green’s Arbor Day Celebration at Kereiakes Park.

The celebration, which has been observed for the past four years, provided a combination of fun and learning, with a bike rodeo, face painting and inflatable moonwalk, taking place alongside a tree-planting demonstration and a promotion of environmental awareness.

At about 10 a.m., the festival began and a long line formed for people interested in taking home a free tree to plant.

Redbuds, Kausa dogwood and Washington hawthorn trees were given away at a greater pace than in previous years, according to city public information coordinator Kim Lancaster.

“We had 1,500 trees ready to give away, and we gave them all away in about an hour and a half,” Lancaster said.

The city’s public works department, the local Sierra Club and other organizations set up informational tables with tools to help people care for their new trees.

Lancaster said the theme for this year’s celebration was “utility-friendly trees,” with lots of educational materials available for people to let them know what trees are safe to plant near power lines.

“The trees we’re giving away will mature to about 25 feet, and we want to let people know what trees to plant where,” Lancaster said.

Helping to educate the public was Jared Weaver, arborist for the city parks and recreation department.

Weaver held a tree planting demonstration, digging a place for a red oak sapling well out of reach of any power lines - a good thing, since Weaver said the sapling could reach a height of 100 feet.

“This is a good event for promoting environmental awareness, but it’s also a lot of fun for kids to be here,” said Weaver, noting the ongoing bike rodeo and the kids playing on an inflatable slide.

Bowling Green was recently designated as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

To earn that distinction, the city had to establish a tree advisory board, organize an Arbor Day observance, adopt a tree care ordinance and establish a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita.

Patrick Burke of Bowling Green carried three redbud saplings while watching his daughter, Bonnie, play on the inflatable slide.

“I’m looking forward to planting these trees in the yard,” said Burke, who also tends a vegetable garden.