SOMM   Written and Directed by Jason Wise   Special One-Night Engagement Wednesday, June 19th at 7:00pm Tower Theatre 2508 Land Park Dr. Sacramento, CA 95818   Four men will do anything to pass the most difficult test you’ve NEVER heard of... SOMM takes the viewer on a humorous, emotional and illuminating look into a mysterious world – the Court of Master Sommeliers and the massively intimidating Master Sommelier Exam. The Court of Master Sommeliers is one of the world’s most prestigious, secretive, and exclusive organizations. Since its inception almost 40 years ago, less than 200 candidates have reached the exalted Master level. The exam covers literally every nuance of the world

Four times a year Bows and Arrows holds their Makers Mart. The market offers visibility to local artists and creators while providing them the opportunity to show off their talents. A large variety of handmade wares will be available to browse at this summer’s Makers Mart this weekend. The concept behind Makers Mart is to support local artists and give them a space from which to sell their creations to the community. Vendors selling a wide variety of art – both culinary and design –will be at the market. Pushkin’s Bakery is one of this season’s vendors. Located at 1820 29th St., Pushkin’s offers a menu full of gluten-, wheat-, and dairy-free options, including the strategically-named “Aw

While many of us are trying to decide what’s for dinner, 50 million Americans suffer from hunger or food insecurity, not knowing if dinner will even be an option. The Central Library will host a free screening of A Place at the Table – a documentary that aims to expose a hunger epidemic. A discussion panel on food insecurity featuring local experts will follow the screening. The documentary claims to show that the face of hunger is not always stereotypical, and may be closer to home than many think. A Place at the Table focuses on three Americans - two children and one single mother - who experience a daily struggle with hunger and other physical and mental health concerns. From the crea

The Sacramento Antique Faire is your one-stop shop for all things old and neat. Among the treasures you can find at the fair is vendor Don Rowden, a veteran vendor and oak furniture refurbisher. Rowden has been selling his wares at the fair since it began eight years ago. Originally from Detroit, Rowden moved to the Sacramento area about 24 years ago after serving in the Marine Corps. He also held a career as a narcotics agent before devoting his time to his passion for antique furniture, an interest he’s been exploring for about 30 years. Rowden’s booth, located just off 21st Street at space F-5, is full of turn-of-the-century American furniture made from solid oak and walnut. When aske

Allison Mora Couture presented her Spring/Summer 2014 Line at The Other Office in Old Sacramento on Saturday, June 15. The unveiling of Mora's latest line was well received. First came a fashion runway show, followed by a gallery style fashion showing on Saturday night. In collaboration with U.BE.U. Fashion Boutique, the event also introduced jewelry, shoes and other accessories from local vendors to complement the colorful and elaborate Mora designs. Accessories were provided by local vendors, including Haute Baubles Jewelry & Accessories, Swagger Footwear & Accessories, Jen's Jewelry and U.BE.U Fashion Boutique. Although the event was held in the evening, about a dozen models ga

Polynesian artist Fiji will be playing at Ace of Spades this Friday. Dubbed as one of  the biggest and well known Polynesian acts of our time, the man with the “Golden Voice” is coming to Sacramento to bless the city with his island-reggae infused with hip-hop and jazz.  “Previous albums Evolution and Born and Raised brought successful unique island style to the mainstream. Gratitude included hits like “Smokin Session” and “She’s Da Bomb.” co-written by Fiji, as well as a remake of Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” Songs from the album were heard on Bay Watch Hawaii and MTV’s Real World Hawaii.” fijitheartist.com/about-us/ Fiji made his mark by successfully blending a num

Sacramento is downright abuzz these days about the farm-to-fork movement, but does the enthusiasm translate into more income for local farmers? Sacramento-area farmers think so. They believe that heightened attention to the value and importance of local food is good for them as well as for the community. Farm-to-fork movement benefits local farmers Local farmers have been “doing” farm-to-fork for years—at least 30 years, as measured by the opening of one of the earliest Sacramento farmers markets by Dan and Renae Best in 1980. Even though direct marketing from farmers to consumers has been around for a long time, the new interest from consumers, chefs and local organizations is a boost t

I was told that there was a bright halo-like rim around the sun around noon today. I got my point-and-shoot camera and made sure I set my aperture at the smallest setting possible to lower the risk of damaging my camera. I figured I'd take this opportunity to shoot the halo since I have never seen a halo this big in a while and I was fortunate to get this shot on my second try. Shooting the sun isn't something that should be done often and it should be done with caution. This photo was shot at 12:05 pm from the South Land Park area. 

From “Love and Survival: The Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy”: “I am not aware of any other factor in medicine - not diet, not smoking, not stress, not genetics, not drugs, not surgery - that has a greater impact on the quality of our life, incidence of illness and premature death from all causes." –Dr. Dean Ornish Human relationships are the spice of life. Love and intimacy makes all our daily lives richer. Through these articles in the coming months, I will address a variety of topics for all age-appropriate conditions and situations. I hope you will enjoy the information and that it will enrich your lives. Today I want to simply open the dialogue and prepare the pat

The term NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) has become a common pejorative, used most often to depict people who oppose development that they believe degrades the quality of neighborhood life. NIMBYS live in a variety of older houses on generally quiet streets. DIMBYS, (Development In My Back Yard) on the other hand, scorn NIMBYS, and yearn for new, spacious dwellings with warehouse-sized garages to park their Land Rovers. They long to buy into new developments containing expansive houses with much ballyhooed “modern amenities.” The proposed McKinley Village project has fired up both groups. NIMBYS in East Sac and Midtown dread the traffic assault that will overwhelm them if developers blast thr

Printed magazines have begun to fade from pop culture due to the internet, which is why out of print issues with interesting covers may become more valuable. Warren Anapolsky, co-owner of California Loan and Jewelry at 916 J Street, told SacTV.com in a video interview that  the magazines are not for sale and are only on display through July 31. The reason for this display is that the family owned jewelry store that overlooks Cesar Chavez Park likes to give back to the community when they can. These vintage magazines that date back to World War II come from a collection that belongs to a friend of the owners. Familiar faces on these covers include Steve Jobs, The Beatles and Marilyn Monroe.

If you are a poet or writer, you’re likely familiar with Robert Duncan’s work as a poet and writer, but you may be surprised about the visual art he created. His work, along with that of his partner, Jess Collins, and 33 members of their artistic circle is included in the Crocker Art Museum’s newest exhibit, “An Opening of the Field: Jess, Robert Duncan, and Their Circle.” This exhibit opened Sunday, June 8, and runs through Sept. 1, 2013. If you don’t already hold a membership to the Crocker, this exhibit may encourage you to do just that. Following the successful run of the large works of Gregory Kondos, this new exhibit features works of a more intimate scale that hold secrets. Inclu

Meet Kari Shipman – one of Sacramento’s hardest-working fashionistas. Shipman is the woman behind Juniper James, and you can also find her at artist incubator Flywheel at the Downtown plaza, which she co-owns. She’s proud to call herself a member of the creative working class, and is dedicated to seeing Sacramento’s artistic community grow. We almost lost her to Los Angeles. but fortunately for us (and unfortunately for L.A.) she made the decision to put down roots in Sacramento. Below she shares her thoughts on the necessity of Sunday brunch, enjoying the outdoors like a true urbanite, where the boys can find the best vintage duds, and how to sustain a creative class. Watch the city fly

Friday, June 14, 2013 members of the LGBT community, politicians, uniformed military personnel and straight allies gathered to honor members of the United State Military at the Antiquite Mansion Privee in Midtown Sacramento for Courage to Stand, The Official Gala of 29th Sacramento Gay Pride Weekend.  The evening featured the Sacramento Valley Veterans Color Guard, which is a Gay Veterans club in Sacramento Gay Men's Chorus whose rendition of the Star Spangled Banner brought the crown to their feet with a thunderous applause.  Also on hand was keynote speaker, Retired Navy Officer and LGBT Activist Zoe Dunning of San Francisco. Dunning recounted what it was like to have the debate for DA

The annual Juneteenth celebration was held at William Land Park this weekend. Hundreds gathered in celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation. Here are my shots from this weekends event. Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

This year's parade followed a new route; starting at Crocker Park at 2nd St, it flowed down to 7th St, hung a left and Walla! - the Festival on Capitol Greens. Here's some of the parade participants: The Grand Marshalls were Steve Hansen, the first openly-LGBT person elected to the Sacramento City Council and Brandi Glanville, a Sacramento Native and Best Selling Author of “Drinking and Tweeting” & Star of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! The Grand Marshalls To see photos of the Festival, CLICK HERE! Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

Once the parade finished on N St, everyone scurried into the festival held on the Capitol Greens between 4th and 7th Ave. There were lots of vendor booths, a dancing area, drinks, plenty of shade thanks to either trees or big tents placed on the lawn. Was it hot during PRIDE? Yep. The mood felt upbeat. Everyone, for the most part, endured the heat enthusiastically and with lots of liquid, water or otherwise! Sac Pride Live did a....well....live broadcast from the festival. They are the first-ever live LGBTQQIA radio show to hit Sacramento. Broadcasting live every Saturday night from 10:00 PM - midnight (following River Cats baseball) on Talk 650 KSTE. As usual I wandered around with m

Photographs by Barry Wisdom /   Those who grew up in the 1950s and '60s were frequently shown educational films and filmstrips that offered moral instruction on a variety of such "behavioral" subjects as lunchroom manners, illegal drug use and dating. Dating and marriage in the "happy days" of the late-1950s and early-1960s are the topics of the fictitious educational film that playwright Robert Bastron has used to frame his sometimes-campy, sometimes-poignant "A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage c. 1959," now playing at Sacramento's Big Idea Theatre. The show, which opened June 14, continues through July 13 with performances at 8 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday

Photographs by Barry Wisdom Scott Barry – playwright, screenwriter, actor, filmmaker, UC Davis engineering grad, and one-time San Francisco 49ers draft pick – was looking for just the right "costume" choice for the world premiere of his one-man comedy "Rise," which opens the evening of June 15 at Sacramento's Ooley Theatre. Though he was primarily seeking the advice of wife Mary Alice as he made several quick changes from an array of possibilities laid out on a trio of front-row seats at the downtown theater, he wasn't above soliciting additional opinions from his tech crew, as well as this photojournalist, as he modeled the still-tagged clothing under the stage lights. Should he pair a

Watch The Sac City Rollers in a double header featuring our Capitol Punishers and Folsom Prison Bruisers as they take on Pikes Peak Roller Girls and Central California Area Derby and join in with the hashtag #RinkRiot.