BERKELEY, Calif — A new focus on original artwork has brought exclusive talent to the vending community here along Telegraph Avenue. A collage of uncommon handmade products displayed by freelance artists made from the community’s diverse culture is shared with both residents and visitors alike.

BERKELEY, Calif. — César E. Chávez Park in the Berkeley Marina hosted its 34th annual Kite Festival this past weekend. The festival has been a hit with both residents and travelers ever since 1985, and continues to grow and improve each year.

For more than 50 years, the Downtown Berkeley Farmers’ Market has led eco-friendly initiatives, including selling organic produce and striving to be waste-free. Vendors sell their food and products in glass jars, paper containers and paper bags and customers are encouraged to bring their own bags and containers.

Vivid bursts of color gliding through the air, the laughter of lively children racing down grassy hills and the aromatic smell of barbeque can all be found at the Berkeley Kite Festival, an event dating back more than 30 years. This year, the festival at the Berkeley Marina once again saw tens of thousands of people watching hundreds of kites of all different shapes and sizes soaring above.

The Berkeley Saturday Farmers’ Market attracts “all walks of life,” said Marcel Ramos, who was staffing the Ecology Center’s table on a recent morning.

The University Lutheran Chapel in Berkeley, Calif., works with many immigration advocates, including the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity Program, to create a safe, comforting environment for those enduring hardships because of their immigration status.