Public Lands Day
There are 25 national parks in California, and on Saturday all of them are free, as in no entrance fee. That’s 20 bucks saved for visiting Yosemite. Closer to home, there’s Muir Woods (usually $7), Pinnacles National Monument ($5) and, well, here’s a little secret, the majority of national parks are free all the time. California state parks are getting in on the act too, with reduced fees all day.

Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival
They had me at Robert Hass. And he’s just one of the many poets appearing at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park in Berkeley in celebration of writers, nature and community. Which is linked to a bigger event of 100 Thousand Poets for Change. Sat 12-4:30pm.

Salsa festival
This is the tomato-based variety and not the hip gyrating one, though there’s bound to be some of the latter with several stages of Latin music all afternoon. I’m a lover of salsa, and the downtown square in Redwood City is a happening little place. 12-5pm.

Book’toberfest 2012
Beer and books. What could be better. This is mostly a book industry and writer event with lots of craft beer involved, including a panel discussion titled Brewing up a good book. Fri 5-8pm at the Mechanic’s Library.