Community Festivities

Ettore's Coffee Break for Youth Development Network

2011-02-21T04:02:27Z

Guests will indulge in Ettore’s European Bakery pastries, Peerless coffee and mid-morning chat Wednesday at the third annual Ettore’s Coffee Break to benefit local nonprofit Youth Development Network.

“A lot of fundraisers are at dinnertime and at lunchtime, so this is something different and unique,” Ettore Ravazzolo, owner of Ettore’s European Bakery said.

Ravazollo said it has always been one of his goals to have his own fundraiser for a nonprofit in the community, so three years ago he teamed up with Sharon Gerber, president and founder of marketing and outreach firm Six Degreez, Inc., and the Youth Development Network to do just that.

“I thought ‘though, why don’t we do a coffee break?” Gerber said. “Because everybody wants to take a little break about 9:30 a.m. and get a little nosh and a little coffee and have a little chat.”

According to Gerber, the $35 ticket buys you entrance into the event, Peerless coffee and eight or 10 different breakfast pastries, including a special cheese Danish pizza pastry that Ravazollo designed specifically for this event.

“It’s a Danish but rolled out like pizza dough,” Ettore said. “So instead of cheese I will use custard and top it with apples, strawberries and blueberries to make it look like pizza toppings.”

He said the dessert will be topped with shaved white chocolate to resemble grated cheese.

Ravazzolo said he plans on making between 600 and 700 pastries. The pastry selection will include mini croissants, chocolate croissants, scones, all kinds of Danish, muffins, small cinnamon rolls and more.

“We’ll have about anything you can find at a pastry shop,” Ravazzolo said.

In addition to the coffee and pastries, Gerber creates a different competition for the event every year. The two previous Coffee Breaks included a muffin-scooping competition and cake-decorating contest, and this year’s competition will be a pizza-making competition between local celebrities.

These local celebrities will make up “The Dough Boys” and “The Dough Girls,” with the men competing against the men and the women against the women, Gerber said.

The Dough Girls will be made up of Councilmember Angelique Ashby, Michelle Odell, Lucy Eidam Crocker and Alisa Okelo-Odongo, and The Dough Boys will consist of Leroy Tripette, Phillip Arndt, Gary Maisel and Rick Nelson.

The contestants will have to throw the pizza dough into the air, making it fit for the pizza pan, and then put on the toppings – cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms and sauce. Whoever gets it done the fastest, assuming it looks decent, will be the pizza-making champion, Gerber said.

The competition will take place on a stage in front of all the guests, and the contestants will be able take their pizzas home in boxes to bake and eat later.

Gerber said Ettore’s Coffee Break raised a net $13,000 last year and this year it is expected to raise a net $25,000 to $30,000.

100 percent of the net proceeds are going to the YDN, said Barbara O’Connor, a member of the YDN board of directors. She also championed the cake-decorating contest last year.

YDN trains youth and their adult companions and teachers how to make them more responsible and proactive citizens. O’Connor said the proceeds will go directly into YDN’s operating budget and will be used to fund scholarship, training and summer camp programs for the teens and their teachers.

“I think in a democracy you have to train young people to care about getting involved in their communities, and you have to equip them with the skills to be effective at it,” O’Connor said. “And that’s what (Youth Development Network) does.”

Local celebrity radio show host Kitty O’Neal will emcee the event, as she has in the two years past. Steve Winlock, who works for the Sacramento County Office of Education, will sing “Good Morning Starshine” a cappella at the event. He has performed on Broadway and as an on-air personality for KVIE, Gerber said.

The Coffee Break will begin at 9:30 a.m. and last until 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

It will be held at the Elks Building.

Tickets cost $35. To purchase tickets online, click here. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

Pizza Rock opens to the public

2011-01-17T05:32:31Z

K Street’s newest restaurant Pizza Rock opened Friday with success and a lunch rush that lasted past 3 p.m.

“There was a line when we opened and it’s been like this all day long,” said Pizza Rock pizzaiolo (or pizza maker) Jim Hemstalk.

Pizza Rock is one of three establishments opening this week on K Street. The other two, District 30 and Dive Bar, will have grand openings on Wednesday.

“The turnout so far has been fantastic and the response from everybody has been wonderful,” Hemstalk said. “Everybody just raves about it as they walk out the door, so that’s a good sign.”

Pizza Rock’s co-owner Tony Gemignani, internationally renowned pizza-throwing champion and chef, said the inspiration for the place came about five years ago and the overall concept is “nightlife meets pizza.”

And that’s definitely the vibe you get when walking into the place.

At the front end of the restaurant to the right of the entrance is a Cirigliano Forni pizza oven and kitchen, imported from Italy, which cooks pizzas in 90 seconds at 900 degrees.

This oven is manned by two pizziolos, and their station is enclosed by a huge gray marble counter.

Gemignani said he thinks the front oven is great for kids to be able to come up to the counter, hang out and watch how pizza is made.

But the restaurant has three other ovens — one rotating oven that is made of stone and can cook about 50 pizzas at a time, and two regular-sized pizza ovens in the back of the main kitchen.

The dining room of the restaurant is where the “rock and roll” style really comes out with the punch-cut steel ceiling decorations, red linens, alternative rock songs playing over 10 large overhead speakers, high black ceilings, black chair-backings made to resemble the inside of a guitar case, six flat-screen TVs sitting plush against all-brick walls, black and gray checkered carpet and drawn black curtains separating the dining room from the two kitchens.

Meanwhile, a chain-link fence with barbed wire tops the long bar to the right side of the restaurant.

As though driving through the fence on top of the bar, the front end of an old-fashioned Peterbilt truck is painted with flames and doubles as the DJ booth.

As for the pizza?

Gemignani says Pizza Rock pizza is unique in a variety of ways, but mostly in the way it stays true to the ingredients, with six types of dough, ingredients imported from Naples and the best cheeses in the nation.

Each pizza is between 12 and13 inches around with six slices and serves two to three people, and the prices range from $11-30 a pop.

Pizza Rock also serves a Pizza Romana, which stays true to its Italian roots as a meter-long thin pizza with 18 slices and three separate arrangements of pizza toppings on it.

Downtown Sacramento Partnership Marketing director Lisa Martinez ordered a Margherita pizza and the Sicilian pizza to share with a group of co-workers.

She said the food was phenomenal and that she appreciated the variety of pizzas.

“They have a bunch of different varieties of Italian pizzas, and I think that it’s a little bit of a different style than what we’re used to seeing here in Sacramento,” Martinez said.

Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, said he was also very satisfied with his experience.

“The food was incredible,” he said. “You know it’s day one so you’ve got to have a little perspective coming in, but the food came out delicious and it’s definitely somewhere we’ll be back.”

“The decor gives a feel that all along people have said Sacramento deserved,” Ault said. “I think some of the investment that’s being made in the central city as it relates to the quality of the product and the real destinations are very, very impressive. They did a wonderful job.”

Jay Sherman, the restaurant’s other acclaimed dough spinner, will perform regular shows of pizza acrobatics in the dining room.

Pizza Rock hours are as follows:
Monday and Tuesday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Wednesday through Friday: 11 a.m. - 3 a.m.
Saturday: 11:30 a.m. - 3 a.m.
Sunday: 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Photos by Ron Nabity

New mini, mobile, gourmet burger in town

2011-01-14T04:20:41Z

Looking for a burger on-the-go, minus the drive-thru window? Mini Burger Truck might be parked right up your alley. Literally.

At the end of this month, MBT will begin traveling the central city and surrounding areas, bringing gourmet burgers to various lunchtime locations, despite an inconvenient ordinance.

This city ordinance limits mobile food vendors to 30 minutes per location. So in accordance with the legislation, MBT will move at least 400 ft. (about a block) every 30 minutes.

“We anticipate being able to serve a good amount of people in that time because we’re targeting to have really fast-paced service times,” said MBT operating partner Davin Vculek.

In order to keep customers in the know regarding the truck’s whereabouts, MBT will update its location mainly via Twitter, but Facebook updates will also be posted, and a truck geo-tracking system is in the works.

“Someone doesn’t even need Twitter to be able to follow us,” Vculek said. “They can always just visit our website to get the most up-to-date location.”

Vculek said he has known for years that he wanted to start a burger business in a quick-service setting because he thinks burgers are a classic, all-American food.

“It’s something that relates to almost everyone – just about anyone likes a good burger,” he said.

Once food trucks started gaining popularity across the nation, he said he knew it was the right fit.

“We just figured these things are going to work perfectly together because the food is easy to eat on the go,” Vculek said.

He also said, however, that MBT will not sacrifice quality for convenience, and that “trying to do the food the right way” is a top priority.

In keeping with its gourmet motto, MBT will use local ingredients, including meat and seafood whenever possible, and locally baked artisan breads, according to Vculek.

Each burger will be roughly the size of a credit card, or a typical slider-size burger found in restaurants, and he said two burgers should be plenty.

One of Vculek’s favorite menu items is called the “ninja burger,” which comes with an array of Asian ingredients including Asian coleslaw, pea shoots, a lotus chip (a fried lotus root that tastes a lot like a potato chip, according to Vculek) and sriracha aioli for some spice.

Another one of his favorites is a burger called the “Cowtown,” which is a standard barbecue bacon burger with barbecue sauce, bacon, crispy onion straws and pepper jack cheese.

He said he expects this to be one of MBT’s best-selling burgers.

In addition to the standard beef patty, customers will have the option to upgrade the meat on their burgers to buffalo or natural chicken breast supplied by a local vendor, according to Vculek.

MBT will also offer a fresh veggie burger with a mushroom-based patty, made fresh and never frozen, Vculek said.

In addition to its standard burger menu, the truck will feature a slider of the month made with seasonal ingredients.

For the month of February, MBT will feature a crab cake slider. Each month, a portion of the proceeds from the seasonal creation will go to a local charity, and a new charity will be chosen each month.

As far as sides go, three fresh salads, hand-cut French fries, sweet potato tater tots, crispy onions and fresh chips cut daily will be options to accompany the burgers.

For customers craving something sweet, MBT will offer its own organic cotton candy. The sweet treat will come in flavors such as mango, lychee and pomegranate, according to Vculek.

Customers will also find up to 15 kinds of glass bottle beverages, such as the original Dr Pepper and specialty root beers in addition to regular fountain sodas, fresh squeezed lemonade and freshly brewed iced tea, which Vculek says will be made daily on the truck.

MBT will operate mostly during lunch in the central business district downtown, but will also serve surrounding areas.

“We will go anywhere from Davis to Roseville and beyond,” Vculek said. “We’re based here in Sacramento, so we’re definitely looking to the city first, but we’re available for events and private parties in the surrounding cities also.”

MBT will accept cash and credit cards.

For now, MBT is only one truck strong, but Vculek said he hopes to expand.

“We also hope with the popularity of the truck that the city catches on and sees that this is something the people want, and they will look further into the ordinances,” Vculek said.

Suzie Burger general manager Matt Cleary said he welcomes the truck as friendly competition.

“I think everybody has a place for business in our town, so more power to them if they can get a business off the ground and be successful,” Cleary said. “I think that’s great.”

Stuart Campbell, owner of the local vegan mobile food vendor Happy Go Lucky Veggie Cuisine, said, “I’m happy for everyone who can put a business together and offer something unique to Sacramento.”

Vculek said he is excited to get MBT out on the street and meeting everyone.

MBT is scheduled to debut on Jan. 29 in front of the Sacramento Convention Center as a part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Winter Wine and Food Fest.

To visit the Mini Burger Truck website, click here.

To visit the Mini Burger Truck Twitter page, click here.

Photos by Dan Gutierrez.

CA Hall of Fame rolls out the red carpet

2010-12-16T01:24:39Z

It was a night of star-gazing at the California Museum Tuesday as the 2010 Hall of Fame inductees were greeted by a crowd of about 180 people who came to see them walk the red carpet.

“I came to see the celebrities, specifically Betty White,” said Elk Grove resident Meredith Richards.

White was an obvious crowd favorite as people started chanting “Betty, Betty!” when she arrived.

But the event was more than just stargazing.

“I think this is important because it recognizes Californians who have made a big impact on the state, in a different way than things like Oscars and Emmys and that kind of thing,” Richards said. “It honors people who are not in the entertainment business but have still made a big impact on California.”

Guests such as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Gov. Gray Davis and inductees including artist Wayne Thiebaud and filmmaker James Cameron said they really appreciate the value of this exhibit.

“We invent the future,” said Davis. “We have Google, Apple, Facebook…A lot of people have contributed, not only to the development of California, but to the world, and they should be recognized, and now that there’s a hall of fame, they are.

“I think it’s great that Arnold and Maria have established the Hall of Fame,” Davis said. “We didn’t have one before them, and I think it’s really a class act that, on his way out, Arnold is honoring Pat Brown, who I think is a real icon amongst governors.”

“I think honoring people is a good idea,” Thiebaud said. “I don’t think the people who are honored ever feel that they should be honored, because there are so many other people that also should be honored.”

When asked by The Sacramento Press what he believes to be the significance of the California Hall of Fame, Cameron emphasized its impact on California’s youth.

“One of the primary reasons for this exhibit space is to have kids come through on school tours and so on and not only understand the history of California, but the contributions that people from California have made,” Cameron said.

“So what does that teach them?” he asked. “Well, that they can do this, because almost everybody in here didn’t come from it being handed to them or it being given to them on a silver spoon. They all worked their way up from modest roots to accomplish something, and hopefully that’s the inspiration that kids can take from this.”

“A great nation is one that has great talented people, but also awards those talented people,” Schwarzenegger said. “So that’s what we’re doing. We’re recognizing this great talent in the inductees, and we’re celebrating it here tonight.”

Other 2010 inductees were either camera shy (they never appeared on the red carpet) or unavailable for comment.

After the red carpet segment, all inductees or inductee representatives were recognized with the Spirit of California medal, given by Shriver, during a private induction ceremony inside the California Museum auditorium.

Photos by David Alvarez.

The STiLTS and The Stenographers bid farewell to Fairman

2010-12-14T04:06:41Z

Local Sacramento bands The STiLTS and The Stenographers will play their last show with frontman and Sacramento native Christopher Fairman at Luna’s at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Fairman has played guitar in The STiLTS since it formed in 2008, and bass in The Stenographers since it formed in 2009.

But the bands will be one man short after Fairman moves to Austin, Texas on Dec. 27 to pursue a career as a musician.

“Not in a bad way but (Sacramento) is not the place to be.

“When I first started playing music people always said ‘You never know who’s going to be in the audience,’ and that was true for a few years,” Fairman said.

But he said that’s not the case anymore.

“It’s not very beneficial for me, at least in my mindset, to be here,” Fairman said.

Fairman said he traveled all over the country and knew when he got to Austin that it was the place to move.

“It was the vibes,” Fairman said. “I just knew it was a place that I could grow as a person and a musician and still be in a real music city, because there’s not very many of them.”

In June, after settling in Austin, Fairman will release The STiLTS’ next CD, “The Paladini Ranch,” which The STiLTS recorded in the last five days of 2009.

“We literally finished it at New Year’s 2010, so it was quite a moment,” Fairman said.

According to The STiLTS’ second guitarist, Sam Stern, the sounds of The STiLTS are an original mix of sounds and colors that are unique and can’t be categorized into any one genre.

“The STiLTS is a pretty unique band to play in because it's hard to put a genre to it,” Stern said. “Christopher is pretty influenced by Jazz music, so it is a band that is more about tones, phrasing, and colors, and creating an atmosphere for the songs.

“Everyone in the band comes from different backgrounds and interests, musically, and it all just comes together when we play. I think I'd call it a psychedelic jazz-rock band with overtones of trash ’80s music. But it really doesn't do it justice.”

And as for the band’s plans after Fairman leaves?

According to drummer of The STiLTS and The Stenographers, Zack Kampf, the bands will stay together and “just have to make it work.”

However, Stern said the bands won’t be the same without him.

“I'm pretty bummed that Christopher is going to leave,” Stern said. “We are friends inside and outside of music, so Sacramento is certainly going to be a duller place to live without him, but he's got to flap his wings, metaphorically speaking.”

The finale show, which is being co-funded by a grant from the J Irvin Foundation, will be hosted by Fairman’s friend, poet Frank Andrick and will feature The STiLTS, The Stenographers, and friends Josh Fernandez and David Houston.

“That’s what the whole thing’s about; it’s about friendship,” Fairman said. “(Playing with this band) is the most magical thing I’ve ever done.”

The show will be at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, at Luna’s Cafe, located at 1414 16th St.

There will be a cover charge of $6 at the door.

For more information about Fairman and his music, click here.

Photos courtesy of Christopher Fairman.

The Au Brother's jazz it up at Crescent Club Speakeasy

2010-12-13T07:50:58Z

The Au Brothers band brought hot New Orleans jazz and jazz improvisation to the Crescent Club Speakeasy Saturday to an enthusiastic crowd of 30-plus for a night of celebration of an all-too-infrequent pairing—young musicians and “trad” (traditional) jazz.

Although Gordon Au was unable to play Saturday, the band made up of Brandon Au, Justin Au, Shelley Denny and Nahum Zdybel serenaded the audience with standard jazz jams such as “Pretty Baby” (1916), “Fly Me to the Moon” (1954) and Louis Armstrong’s personal favorite, according to Brandon Au, “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” (1927), all written before the Au Brothers’ time.

The songs had a swing and an exciting rhythmic pulse, even without a drummer, thanks to the percussiveness and precision of the rhythm section, Zdybel on guitar and Denny on bass.

Justin and Brandon Au showed a slyness to their playing usually reserved for much older musicians. Staying within the trad jazz idiom, Justin on trumpet used a variety of mutes and techniques that were by turns brash, playful and insinuating. He also broke out an unlikely horn—a marching trombone, which allowed him to play tenor duets with his brother.

Brandon, likewise, stayed primarily with his trombone, but also picked up what looked like a small baritone horn for variety. Brandon showed a full-out virtuosity on his instrument, and, like Justin, showed a variety of techniques that made his solos unpredictable and nuanced.

Brandon, 28, and Justin, 23, have been playing this style of music for over 10 years now and showed veterans’ savvy in their playing.

“Since we’re a family and we’ve played together for so long, sometimes he can complete my sentences almost, but in a musical sense,” Brandon said.

Both the Aus quoted freely from recognizable melodies in their solos, and listeners were chuckling and nodding at the wit that both brothers’ playing showed. When playing together, the brothers exhibited a seeming effortlessness in the Dixieland tradition of both improvising on the melody at the same time.

Zdybel also showed virtuoso skills in his guitar solos, as well as driving the beat for all three quick-tempo sets. Denny was a solid backbone, always driving the rhythm forward with his excellent time, even during Zdybel’s solos when he was the sole rhythm instrument.

Brandon also showcased a delightful singing voice, scattering solo verses, both with lyrics and scat-singing, throughout the evening, without a microphone. His singing showed a musicality and an easy humor that was totally in keeping with the rest of the night’s music.

“It’s a really nice experience playing this improvisational music,” Brandon said. “A lot of it’s just responding to what’s going on around you, and that’s what jazz is.”

The Au Brothers — rejoined by Gordon Au later this month — are performing at a number of “Home for the Holidays” concerts in the area.

Their next show will be at the Crescent Club Speakeasy on Dec. 31. Tickets can be purchased here for $35 or at the door for $60.

Crescent Club Speakeasy is located at 1150 Firehouse Alley in Old Sacramento.

For more information on the Au Brother’s and upcoming events, click here.

2010 CA Hall of Fame, red carpet induction ceremony

2010-12-09T06:08:08Z

For the first time, the California Museum’s red carpet event – the California Hall of Fame – will be broadcast live. Barbra Streisand, Betty White, Serena Williams and Mark Zuckerburg are some of the new inductees who will be recognized Dec. 14 in Sacramento.

The other 2010 inductees are Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, director James Cameron, John Doerr, Silicon Valley visionary investor, A.P. Giannini who is considered the father of modern banking and Bank of America, country music legend Merle Haggard, author and activist Anne Lamott, former Secretary of State, George Shultz, Dr. Kevin Starr and artist Wayne Thiebaud.

These are individuals who have made legendary achievements in the areas of politics, activism, science, philanthropy, sports, business, entertainment, technology, fitness and literature and were chosen based on those achievements, according to a press release.

The fifth annual ceremony will be co-hosted by Lisa Ling, a correspondent of the Oprah Winfrey Show, and Jason Kennedy, a reporter and correspondent for E! News.

The recipients will be awarded the Spirit of California medal by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver, and the live broadcast will include this and the red carpet interviews, speeches and induction ceremony.

Besides the inductees and their families, guests will include state officials, the Museum’s Board of Trustees, past year inductees, donors and sponsors, according to Brenna Hamilton, Communications Director for The California Museum.

Attendance is restricted to these preferred guests, as the California Museum auditorium, where the induction ceremony is being held, only seats 270 people, Hamilton said.

However, she added, there is a general public area in front of the Museum on 10th Street where the public is invited to watch the VIPs walk the red carpet on their way into the auditorium for the induction ceremony.

Some of these guests will include Governor-Elect Jerry Brown, Clint Eastwood and his wife Dina Eastwood, Margrit Mondavi, wife of 2007 inductee Robert Mondavi, Stuart Milk, nephew of 2009 inductee Harvey Milk, and Lt. Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom.

Inductees of years past have included Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, Jack Nicholson, Alice Waters, Leland Stanford, Ansel Adams, Jackie Robinson, John Steinbeck and Steve Jobs. For a complete list of previous inductees, click here.

Comcast Hometown Network will broadcast this event live on digital cable channel 104 from 6 – 8 p.m. on Dec. 14.

For more information about the 2010 induction ceremony or previous Hall of Fame exhibits, click here.

Photo 1 (Brown): courtesy of California State Archives

Photo 2 (Doerr): photo by Doug Menuez

Photo 3 (Giannini): courtesy of the Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley

Photo 4 (Haggard): photo by Pamela Springsteen

Photo 5 (Lamott): photo by Eliot Holtzman

Photo 6 (Shultz): courtesy of Hoover Institution

Photo 7 (Starr): courtesy of California State Library

Photo 8 (Strauss): courtesy of Levi Strauss & Co.

Photo 9 (Streisand): photo by Deborah Wald

Photo 10 (Thiebaud): courtesy of Matt Bult

Photo 11 (White): courtesy of Betty White

Photo 12 (Williams): photo by John Russo

Photo 13 (Zuckerburg): courtesy of Facebook

Ginger Elizabeth talks chocolate at Time Tested Books

2010-12-07T07:02:44Z

Local chocolatier Ginger Elizabeth shared the farm-to-storefront process of making chocolate
Sunday as a part of Time Tested Books’ Living Library series, at Time Tested Books, co-sponsored by Midtown Monthly.

“Chocolate is my life, and my mission is to educate the Sacramento region about chocolate,” Elizabeth said.

And educate she did.

According to Elizabeth, all the chocolate we consume comes from the cacao tree. The farmer grows the cacao tree, which has football-like cacao pod blossoms that grow from its trunk. Each pod yields about 40 beans, Elizabeth said.

When it’s time to harvest the beans, they are fermented. Without this process of fermentation, the beans wouldn’t taste like chocolate.

After the beans are fermented, they must be dried and then roasted. Just like coffee beans, the roasting is possibly the most important step, Elizabeth said.

After roasting, the beans must be crushed and winnowed, or separated into crushed bean shells and meaty insides, called nibs.

The nibs are then ground and made into a paste, sugar is added and the chocolate is ready to be consumed.

However, this version of chocolate is unrefined and only eaten in other countries, such as South America and Africa, where refined chocolate is unavailable.

The chocolate sold in the United States has gone through a concher – a machine invented by Rudolf Lindt, which removes any volatile acids from the chocolate and refines the particle size giving it a smoother feel on the tongue.

“After it’s conched you have beautiful chocolate,” Elizabeth said.

A member of the audience, Lisa Hansen, said she enjoyed learning about this process.

“I learned more about how chocolate was grown and about the pods,” Hansen said. “I had seen pictures of the pods and kind of knew how it was grown, but I didn’t know that much.”

Elizabeth is known as a “fonduer,” or a melter of chocolate, because she’s not a processor.

In addition to sharing the process of chocolate, Elizabeth shared a bit about where she gets her chocolate from different parts of the world, including Valrhona of France and a small chocolate distributor in Switzerland.

“I thought it was interesting how she sources her chocolate from many different places, and how she thinks that combining a diversity of flavors makes the chocolate more interesting,” said guest Ariana Salvo.

However, when asked about her most interesting chocolates, Elizabeth responded that she doesn’t care as much to be interesting as she does that her chocolate is delicious.

“You just need to eat what you like,” Elizabeth said.

Ginger Elizabeth is located at 1801 L St. suite 60.

Hmong New Year brings thousands to Cal Expo

2010-11-29T07:32:11Z

The smoky scent of fresh-cooked food and blaring sound of Hmong music filled the air at Cal Expo Thursday through Sunday for the annual Hmong New Year celebration.

Over the four-day period, more than 35,000 people swarmed the state fairgrounds to ring in the unofficial Hmong New Year, according to Sacramento Hmong New Year treasurer Mark Ching.

In addition to the rows of music, food and clothing vendors, some activities of the celebration included a dance competition, Miss Hmong beauty pageant and the Hmong Idol singing competition.

“This is part of my tradition, part of my culture, and also an identity of myself, so in a way it’s a part of me,” Hmong New Year enthusiast Ying Lo said.

He comes out every year for at least one day of the celebration to take part in the ceremonies, but his favorite part is the parade on opening day.

“During the parade, all the bad stuff and back luck that we had from the past year gets thrown away and we renew ourselves and embrace the upcoming year,” he said.

Krystilla Cha has come every year for the last 20 years and enjoys every year as much as the last.

She came out to see old friends, get some new movies, buy some new outfits, look around and see new Hmong jewelry to wear next year.

“You meet old relatives from your childhood and everyone comes together,” Cha said. “I have a lot of old relatives from places like Seattle, France, sometimes even South America.... A lot of people come to the Sacramento New Year because it’s a pretty big event, so you get people from everywhere.”

Shop-owner Mou proudly shared his tasty “cocktail fruit,” a tangy hybrid of the mandarin orange and pomelo, which seemed to be a popular buy.

Jeanne Lemkuil is very close friends with a Hmong family and comes with them to explore and buy Hmong handicrafts, fruit and other food.

She picked up three bags of the cocktail fruit, persimmons, green papaya salad, purple sticky rice and barbecued chicken, along with some gloves for her 9-year-old friend Sunshine Vang.

“My favorite part is coming here to buy stuff that I like,” Vang said. “Like gloves, fruit and vegetables and DVDs and movies for us to watch.”

And Sunshine wasn’t the only kid who came out for a good time. Hundreds of children, usually dressed in traditional Hmong clothes, accompanied their parents and grandparents to partake in this exquisite display of Hmong culture and welcome the year to come.

Holiday happenings in Midtown

2010-11-24T07:53:55Z

Looking for ways to get in the holiday spirit? The Midtown Business Association has a host of events, sales and services planned to bring holiday cheer to everyone this year.

12 Days of Midtown

Dec. 1
Santa’s Tavern Unveiling at Golden Bear, 2326 K St.
6 - 9 p.m.
Admission is free
Golden Bear is transforming into Santa’s Tavern for one day only, so stop by and have a beer at the bar with festive holiday vibes.

Dec. 2
YELP Ice’s Midtown at Kupro’s Bistro, 1217 21st St.
8 - 10 p.m.
Ice art, drink specials and an Eskimo-style fashion show will be presented at Kupro’s Bistro Thursday night by YELP and local clothing boutiques. Admission is free.

Dec. 3
Karaoke Carol-Off at Hamburger Patties, 1630 J St.
9 p.m.
Hamburger Patties and Sacramento News & Review will host the inaugural Karaoke Carol-Off Friday, Dec. 3. People of all ages are encouraged to compete for cash, gift certificates and other prizes worth more than $500.

The competition will be judged by representatives from Hamburger Patties, Midtown Business Association and SN&R.

“We just want people to have fun,” said MBA’s marketing and outreach manager Amber Schmaeling. “If they want to come in costume, that’s great, but it’s not mandatory.”

According to Schmaeling, the song selection will try to focus on holiday favorites but will not discriminate against songs that aren’t in the spirit.

Dec. 3 - 5
SGMC Wonderland Concert at the First United Methodist Church, 2100 J St.
8 p.m.
The Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus presents its 26th annual holiday performance titled “Wonderland!” From silly to serious musical arrangements, the Chorus promises to get people in the holiday spirit.
Tickets are $20 here.

Dec. 4
Holiday Port & Pairing at Revolution Wines, 2831 S St.
2 - 4 p.m.
Revolution Wines will pair two port wines with two plates so you can enjoy holiday wines with friends and family.
Price: $35, or $25 for wine club members

Holiday on MARRS at MARRS Building, 1050 20th St.
6 - 9 p.m.
Storybook reading, ornament decorating, a comedy showcase and holiday treats will all be a part of the MARRS Open House and Tree Lighting ceremony Dec. 4.
Admission: Free

Dec. 5
Santa Paws at Tres Chic Boutique, 2228 J St.
1 - 4 p.m.
Tres Chic Boutique and United Animal Nations will host a photoshoot for your pets, complete with holiday music and treats for the animals. Print photos will be available for purchase, but a lucky few may walk away with a free electronic photo. According to the Explore Midtown website, a portion of the proceeds will go to United Animal Nations.
Admission: Free

Dec. 6
Season of Giving at Bloodsource, 1608 Q St.
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sacramento’s local Bloodsource will be hosting this holiday blood drive to help save lives throughout northern California. All donors will receive a gift.

Dec. 7
Give a Gift, Get a Gift at Blue Cue, 1004 28th St.
6 - 9 p.m.
Drop off a gift at Blue Cue and receive one back. Donations will go to the Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento.

Dec. 8
Gingerbread House Decorating Party at ArtBeast Studio, 2831 S St.
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Admission: $8
ArtBeast Studio invites parents and children to hang out and build gingerbread houses Wednesday to ring in holiday cheer. According to ArtBeast Assistant Director Erin Tinney, Oriental Trading Co. is providing the majority of the supplies, but they are hoping for contributions from Sugar Plum vegan cafe and Freeport Bakery.

Kinney said that for only $8 you can build a gingerbread house and play in the studio for the rest of the day.

Dec. 9
Midtown Art Competition at Barton Gallery, 2226 K St.
6 - 9 p.m.
Admission: Free
The call for art deadline has been extended until the end of November for the Midtown Art Competition at Barton Gallery Thursday, Dec. 9. The art will highlight themes of people, places and events in Midtown.

This event is open to the public, and food, wine and music will be provided.

The grand prize winner will get the opportunity to display his or her art on a wall in Midtown donated by Harv’s Carwash, according to Kinney. Other prizes will include cash, gift certificates and theater tickets for the local theater companies.

Partners include Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, Barton Gallery, Midtown Business Association and SN&R. Representatives from each will judge the competition.

Dec. 10
Philharmonic Winter Wine & Jazz at Antiquite Maison Privee, 2114 P St.
6 - 9 p.m.
Tickets: $15 here in advance or $20 at the door
The Sacramento Philharmonic will host the “Winter Wine & Jazz” event at the Antiquite Maison Privee in Midtown. Admission includes a glass of locally produced wine and hors d’eovres by Jackson Catering.

Dec. 11
Holiday Craft Fair at Midtown Bazaar, I Street between 16th and 17th streets
10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Admission: Free
The Midtown Holiday Bazaar will feature handmade gifts and garments available for purchase to make holiday shopping that much easier. There will also be a special performance by the Midtown Elves.

Dec. 12
Junie B Jingle Bells at B Street Theatre, 2711 B St.
1 - 4 p.m.
Tickets: Purchase here for $15-$22
Kids ages 4 and up can meet Santa before the performance of “Junie B Jingle Bells” at the B Street Theatre Dec. 12.

In addition to the 12 Days of Midtown, the Midtown Business Association presents a few extra holiday festivities throughout certain dates in December.

Dec. 1 - 12
Midtown Elf Hunt
First, pick up your Elf Hunt passport from participating Midtown retailers or download it here. Then start hunting for the 12 holiday elves hidden among the holiday racks in these retailers. Stay updated with elf sightings via ExploreMidtown’s Twitter and Facebook. Persistent participants may be rewarded with holiday gifts, cash, gift certificates and other prizes, according to the event website.

Charity Gift Wrap
Tres Chic Boutique and French Cuff Consignment are offering a charity gift-wrap service at their respective establishments and will be collecting donations for the River City Food Bank.

Dec. 1- 31
Light Up Midtown Contest
All Midtown residents, visitors and suburbanites alike will be treated to the dazzling storefront displays of participating Midtown businesses and get to vote on their favorite. The voting will take place Dec. 1 - 31, and a prize of $1,000 in advertising grants will be awarded to the winning store on Jan. 20, 2011. To vote for your favorite decorated business, go to exploremidtown.org.

For more information, click here.

Photos courtesy of Explore Midtown.

Sacramento hosts TEDx to celebrate youth

2010-11-22T07:57:26Z

Give your children pocketknives and let them play with fire. Let them deconstruct appliances, throw spears and drive a car, and trust them to develop necessary skill sets when given the tools.

These were just a few of the ideas shared with the crowd of 100-plus children and adults at the TEDxYouthDay event Saturday night in the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria.

TED is a small non-profit best known for its TED Talks and Podcasts that bring the worlds’ most innovative, entrepreneurial and inspirational speakers together to give the speech of their lives and share ideas worth spreading via global conferences and TEDx events.

The TEDx program brings TED talks to the local level as independently organized events perfect for cities such as Sacramento that want to become a part of the global conversation.

“TED events open up the mind,” said Internet marketer Nathan Chowilawu-Eshe.

“I liked the five rules you want your children to break because you know we try to keep our children safe and give them these boundaries when they’re young, and that safety is more for our benefit as parents,” Chowilawu-Eshe said. “It kind of stifles their ability to search and explore and find out things.”

The theme ran throughout that youth can and should be trusted with their abilities to be creative and innovative in ways that adults are unable. But one of the speakers, Jay Silver, dreamer and researcher at the MIT Media Lab, focused on just that: trusting children.

“I hope that the idea behind trusting children in your heart expands out, like a Care Bear Stare,” he said. “Kids are creative. Trust them.”

The youngest speaker was kid reporter Daniel Wetter, 14, who has interviewed names like Mayor Kevin Johnson and covered stories as newsworthy as the Haiti earthquake for the Scholastic Kids Press Corps. He is currently the only video journalist for Gold Country Media, which has newspapers throughout Placer County.

“Kids just need to get themselves out there,” Wetter said. “They will find success.”

Glitter & Razz Productions owner Lynn Johnson came all the way from Oakland for the presentation. As an advocate for youth education, she appreciated the piece on Flexbooks, the online and interactive textbooks, by Rivkah Sass of the Public Library.

“There are so many ways that the rest of the world gets information in much for flexible and dynamic ways, so why don’t we give that to children?” she said.

The night ended with a finale by the guys of Simple Jack, all under age 14, who blew the audience away with an energized and surprisingly awesome performance.

“Keep it real,” said Simple Jack’s Cole Aperson, 14. “You know like if you play an instrument you can put it to more use and join a band with your friends, or you can do it by yourself. It doesn’t really matter. It’s just sort of fun.”

Other musical performers included Sacramento's Doombird and 15-year-old Julianna Zachariou.

The talks from this event should be accessible via the TED website within the next two weeks, according to event organizer Brandon Weber.

Photos courtesy of Jeremiah Mayhew.

Are you sure you have the facts right?

2010-11-17T23:00:21Z

Fact-checking is extremely important, for both writers and editors. It protects a publication’s credibility and prevents libel lawsuits, according to Patch.com editor Clare Noonan during her fact-checking and research seminar at The Sacramento Press Tuesday night.

“You have to ask yourself if your source is reliable,” she said. “And nothing on the Internet should be your only source.”

She warned that fact-checking is important for a number of reasons.

“If you can’t get the basics right, your readers won’t read another word you say,” she said.

There are a number of areas where mistakes are often found, including spelling errors, war dates, locations, ages and names of businesses.

Some tips she gave for more sound fact-checking were to trust your instinct; always be curious; pay attention to names – especially last names – addresses and directions; think about whether the figures make sense; double-check numbers, like if there are supposed to be five items in a sequence, make sure there are five, and take into consideration the tone of the piece.

As a reader or an editor, ask yourself if it sounds like the writer really knows about the topic of his piece.

In order to engage the audience, she handed out a made-up piece of writing and asked audience members to identify the details that they would fact-check. All of a sudden, the room was full of editors who were willing and eager to rip the piece apart.

“Going over that one project, doing some editing, I think that was really helpful,” said Sacramento Press community contributor David Alvarez. “A lot of times we just skim through something and don’t take the time to look into the facts that are there.

“I know sometimes I get lost trying to find a street or a town, and I just take it for granted the the person who’s writing it knows what they’re talking about. But you have to go back and look at the facts and find out what’s really true.”

Some resources Noonan suggested for more information on fact-checking included “The Fact Checker’s Bible” by Sarah Harrison Smith and lexisnexis.

Writer Chi Smith said, “This makes me more cautious and a lot more skeptical of the news I read, but I learned that everybody here seems to have pretty solid integrity. It gives me a lot of confidence in the press.”

Photos courtesy of The Sacramento Press Managing Editor Colleen Belcher.

Sister|Brother launches in style and for a good cause

2010-11-17T05:27:46Z

Around 300 people are expected to show up Friday for a fashion-forward launch party-turned charity event with Christopher Collins from “Project Runway” as the MC and a live performance by Biz Markie, hosted by Sister|Brother Style at Lounge on 20.

Sister|Brother Style is a personal fashion styling business that offers affordable fashion consulting and an up-to-date fashion blog, owned and operated by siblings Mary Gonsalves Kinney and Michael Gonsalves.

“People can expect an amazing fashion show,” Kinney said. “It’s going to be like no other fashion show Sacramento’s probably ever seen.”

The stores providing clothes for the show include Julius clothing, Patrick James, Madam Butterfly, Franco Ferrini, Hamilton Jewelers, Krazy Mary's and Benson Co.

“It’s going to run the gamut as far as different looks, but the overall look for the fashion show is going to be urban glam,” Kinney said.

Aside from the fashion show itself, guests can count on host Christopher Collins from “Project Runway” and a live performance from Biz Markie to entertain throughout the evening.

Mayor Kevin Johnson will also be at the show to present the proceeds of the evening to the CCAF.

Kinney said the decision to partner with CCAF came naturally.

“Since we’re a fairly new company, we wanted something that was close to home and that meant a lot on a personal level,” she said. “There are AIDS funds in other cities, but the one in Sacramento may not be as well-known, so we really wanted to help elevate their presence here and raise as much money as possible for them.”

Gonsalves has been on the board of CCAF for more than a year now and said he sees this partnership as a win-win.

“(CCAF) has a strong following of people, but what’s nice about this event is that it’s reaching out to a broader spectrum of people that we haven’t yet reached out to,” Gonsalves said.

All funds raised by this event will go toward the CCAF, according to Gonsalves.

“No one is taking any money whatsoever,” he said. “So every single dollar that we raise is going to the AIDS fund.”

This particular fundraiser will provide college tuition and other school expenses for teens affected by HIV and AIDS who would otherwise have no chance of attending the universities of their choice.

“For our launch party, we wanted to do something different,” Gonsalves said. “(We wanted to) make it not completely about us and give back.”

General admission tickets can be purchased here for $35 and are expected to sell out, as did the VIP tickets, due to demand and capacity limits.

Photos courtesy of Brenda Bisharat photography from the Sister|Brother website.

Haute hats take the stage of Gallathea at Davis

2010-11-15T06:46:42Z

The costume design of Liz Galindo can be seen in recent blockbuster hits such as “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “There Will Be Blood.” Now they can also be seen at UC Davis, for a limited time, while the play “Gallathea” runs through Nov. 20.

“Gallathea” director Peter Lichtenfels said the comedic play is nothing short of delightful, with comic themes and exquisite headdresses.

“I think people should see it because it’s a comedy and the subject matter is extraordinary,” Lichtenfels said. “It’s two women finding each other as men, but they’re women and falling in love and being able to marry, and that’s like 425 years ago.”

The play was written about 10 or 15 years before Shakespeare wrote his first play, and Shakespeare borrowed a lot of material from this particular play for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Romeo and Juliet.”

Set in Lincolnshire in northeast England, the townspeople are faced with sacrificing their most beautiful virgin to Neptune once every five years. As the play starts, it’s a day before this event is to happen, and two fathers bring their daughters to the spot where the sacrifice is to take place.

The daughters are dressed as boys, expecting to fool Neptune and avoid death. The fathers then independently send their daughters into the forest.

“The daughters don’t know how to act as boys, trying to figure out how not to give themselves away, because the whole cross-dressing thing was completely new,” Lichtenfels said.

“So they see each other and think, ‘Oh, I’m going to learn from this boy how to be a boy, but if only he knew I was a girl,’” he said. “And so in that way and in that time, there’s the pressure of the sacrifice and is Neptune going to find them and sacrifice one of them, so they can never be together.”

A tale of forbidden love and gender-bending, the costumes play a large role in the depiction of the characters, which is where Galindo’s design skills come into action.

“I’ve known Liz for at least seven or eight years now,” Lichtenfels said. “I knew I wanted to work with [her] and here we are.”

He maintains that the headdresses are extraordinary, but they also have a very practical function.

“Through the uniqueness of each headdress, you can certainly identify the character,” he said. “And so many actors play multiple characters that it’s the way of keeping tabs on who’s playing what at any one time.”

Although, even as a Ph.D. candidate at UC Davis, Galindo has never done hat design before, her favorite part of designing for “Gallathea” was the creation of the hats, in addition to learning how to use a glue gun properly.

“It’s interesting, having to make things that are a lot bigger so that people in the far back of the theater can somewhat see what the detail is,” she said. “On film it’s a lot different because they are close up, so you really have to make sure that the detail is very specific, while in theater you just have to make it bigger and grander.”

With this in mind, most of the design elements of the costumes were focused on the hats, where Galindo drew inspiration from haute couture designer Philip Tracy, whose headwear can be seen on “Project Runway.”

“I got a lot of inspiration from him, and I have a collection of his hats of my own,” she said.

Still, coming up with the designs was no easy task.

“I read the script about seven or eight times, and since this was in Old English it was a new process for me,” she said. “I’d never worked in Elizabethan theater before, so it took a little longer for me to understand who the characters were. But after the process of reading the script over eight times, I decided to take each character and kind of go in my mind and think about how they would shop for themselves and how they would want to look.”

But besides the material from the script and Lichtenfels’ point of view, Galindo created the costume designs from scratch.

“The themes that I used were mostly puns and comical themes on each of the characters,” she said. “The fairies each have a name, and each name represents an aspect of the environment. One was Tulusa and she was the Earth, so she had two little globes and a feather on her, and one was Aurora, who was more the exotic with the flowers on her head, and then there’s one with twigs all over her and she’s the goddess of means and twigs.”

The most challenging part of the whole thing?

“Designing for a contemporary play,” she said. “I am used to designing for historical films.

“I approach each opportunity with a smile and as a learning experience,” she said. “Any time I do any project it’s always a learning experience.”

Thankfully she didn’t have to do it entirely on her own.

The UC Davis Costume shop, run by Roxanne Femling, provided a team of designers and students to help her with the workload. Galindo said she could not have done it without their help.

To purchase tickets, call (530) 754-2787 or click here.

Ticket prices are $17/$19 for general admission and $12/$14 for students, children and seniors.

Fowl Mouth Duck Dinner, Tuohy for the win

2010-11-13T05:02:07Z

The smell of fresh duck, fine wine and fruit-infused cocktails filled The Citizen Hotel’s Grange restaurant Thursday night at the second annual Fowl Mouth Dinner, where Grange Executive Chef Michael Tuohy and special guest/food writer Hank Shaw each presented his own version of duck in four different courses.

133 guests show up to participate in this event, and at $55 per plate, everyone got their money’s worth.

Guest and governmental advocate Gary Conover said he enjoyed the ability to have a variety of different kinds of duck applications.

For each course, two culinary creations came out side-by-side: one “A” and one “B,” which the guests were to vote on in a taste test, not knowing who had prepared them.

“Some didn’t taste wild, some tasted very gamey,” Conover said. “And it was fun to be able to rate them.”

The amuse-bouche or hors d'œuvre course consisted of a little egg stuffed with duck liver mousse on yuzu gelee (A) and duck tartare with olives, capers, roasted peppers and garlic (B).

67 percent of the audience voted for A, and 33 percent of the guests voted for option B.

Expert judge Rick Kushman of The Sacramento Bee said, “The blend of the egg’s mellow earthiness and the brightness of the yuzu gelee was both fun and a surprise, exactly what an amuse bouche should be.”

The first course was presented in two soup cups, with cup A holding a duck consomme foie gras dumpling, matsutake mushroom and radish sprouts; and cup B with a duck liver tortelloni made from duck eggs in rich duck broth.

Again the guests voted in favor of dish A with 69 percent of the popular vote, leaving dish B in the dust with 31 percent.

The next course came out with a duck confit, pickled daikon and mango salad (A) competing against a duck leg stuffed with duck and pork loganiza sausage and bitter greens (B).

Dish “A” stole the show once again, scoring 75 percent of the guests’ votes.

Finally, the main course of the evening consisted of a spice-scented duck breast with sweet potato, baby bok choy and persimmon against dish B, a duck breast roulade with Swiss chard, celery root puree, chanterelles and rue.

And dish B won the vote for the main course with 81 percent, compared to dish A’s 19 percent of the popular vote by the audience.

Kushman voted in sync with the guests, but said it was another tough choice.

“I picked B largely because of the way the celery root puree and the chanterelles complimented and expanded the flavor of the duck,” Kushman said.

Overall, the cuisine that reigned supreme was that of Chef Tuohy, the master behind the dish A creations. He walked away with 67 percent of the people’s vote, including the overall vote of Kushman.

Loyal Grange customer Victor Kearney said he thought it was nearly a tie.

“The quality of the food here is always exceptional, and I think that the presentation was phenomenal,” he said. “As I went through each course, it pretty much came out equal.”

Buy discounted designer clothes, donate to charity

2010-11-02T06:21:17Z

Looking for designer clothes at warehouse prices? Sound too good to be true? That’s what the Maryhouse staffers thought also when they first heard they would be hosting a designer warehouse sale to benefit their charity.

The fundraiser will be held Friday and Saturday on the 25th floor of the U.S. Bank building at 621 Capitol Mall. The space has yet to be rented and was offered to them to hold the event.

“This is a huge, unusual opportunity that came our way,” said Connie Frank, Maryhouse co-director. “We’re used to doing other smaller fundraisers, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The opportunity came along in September when a benefactor, who wishes to remain anonymous, closed six of her seven high-end boutique retail stores and decided to donate the stores’ contents to Maryhouse, according to Frank.

Since Maryhouse only has six full- and part-time staff members, this effort relies heavily on volunteers like Nancy Cordano, who used to be a national buyer for Nordstrom in the designer women’s apparel department and has been volunteering 25 hours a week for the last three weeks.

She has been pricing the items at 75 percent off or more and said there are a lot of high-end brands among the more than 40,000 pieces, including Charmel, Lillith, Cosabella, Elm and others.

Some of these high-end items include coats originally sold for $1300 now $279, $200 lingerie for $19, skirts, dresses, bras, scarves, tights, cashmere tops, jeans and children’s clothing.

The clothing is primarily women’s and children’s, but men are encouraged to come and get some holiday shopping out of the way.

“This woman had exquisite taste in her buying and bought some really fine merchandise,” Cordano said.

Co-Director Rebecca Hugo said this couldn’t have come at a better time.

“This time of the year we’re looking on the winter months coming, and there’s really a limited number of shelter beds for families,” Hugo said. “We’re in crisis mode, and there’s less money to do things like winter shelter.”

Since there will be no winter overflow shelter usually at Cal Expo, they are looking for ways to provide things like warm jackets and winter arrangements for women and children.

“We’re seeing this as a way to get through the winter,” Hugo added. “That’s forefront in our minds.”

The event will be held from 3- 8 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Ticket prices are $40 for Friday and $15 for Saturday. They are available at the door or online.

To purchase them online, click here.

Presidio Brass quintet captures Sacramentans

2010-10-29T00:41:31Z

Oaky perfumes and soft-spoken chatter filled the Community Center Theater as 1,010 of Brokaw's "best generation" gathered Wednesday night for the chamber music of Presidio Brass.

They played everything from Samuel Barbers’ "Adagio" to a suite from “West Side Story” to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen in a compilation of scores from their album "Sounds of the Cinema."

The five-man-strong brass quintet includes trumpeters Bill Owens and Ray Nowak, trombonist Sean Reusch, horn player Mike McCoy, and tuba player and primary music arranger Scott Sutherland. Their repertoire includes such prestigious ensembles as the London and Los Angeles Philharmonics.

One of the most striking qualities of the show was how well-tuned their instruments were. Each chord rang like a church organ.

American brass chamber music is the genre of their work, which is entirely instrumental, so no vocals or lyrics distracted from any of the pieces.

In fact, as was rewritten by Owens, Bohemian Rhapsody sounded even better without Freddie Mercury's legendary vocals. Their version was calmer than the original, less dramatic and more polished. No booming "I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me." Instead, the horns took turns retaining the vocal melodies, humming what sounded more like a tragic lullaby.

Feelings of reverence and appreciation exuded from those in the audience, evident in their gaze as the quintet performed. It was like nothing could shake them, besides the players, who took all the right opportunities to engage the crowd.

They were charismatic, playful and sincere in their messages.

Beth Wathen, a schoolteacher from Wilton, really enjoyed their interactions with the audience.

"They seemed very energetic and knowledgeable," she said. "The way they interacted with the audience was great. The selection was relevant because people would know most of the things they play."

As a big fan of country music, Wathen said her favorite part of the show was the opening "Copland Portrait," originally written for an orchestra by Aaron Copland, rewritten for a five-instrument ensemble. This "portrait," seemingly the most “country,” included the songs "Fanfare for the Common Man," "Simple Gifts" and "Hoedown."

And the audience did recognize most if not all the songs performed, whether or not it was immediately clear where they were made famous.

For instance, three-quarters of the way through "Hoedown," the band stopped just long enough for Owens to shout, "Beef, it's what's for dinner!" The audience broke into laughter, realizing the elegant composition from the modern-day beef commercial.

Another crowd favorite, introduced in French, was George Gershwin's "American in Paris."

Sacramento native Helen Bassett found the entire show very American, but said, "The piece 'American in Paris' was just fabulous – very easy to listen to, very relaxing, and very entertaining."

Gina McCoy from Rio Linda said she thought the show was fantastic. She brought her niece, son and nephew and said they really enjoyed it. Her favorite part was, "Night on Bald Mountain," originally by Modest Mussorgsky, and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," originally by Paul Dukas, most recognizable as being from the movie “Fantasia.”

The program was changed at the last minute due to time constraints, and the "Highlights from Jurassic Park" piece was cut. Sutherland joked that everyone in the audience had to buy the CD to hear the finale.

Urban Moonlite Records opens doors for inner city music

2010-10-26T04:34:53Z

Giving urban, inner-city artists a voice and promoting inner-city music throughout the world is what Urban Moonlite Records hopes to accomplish, Manager Clarence Muhammad said.

“We are here to help artists that want to get seen and heard that have a passion for music and entertainment," Muhammad said. "Through music, comedy or poetry, we’re trying to help you. We’re into bringing reality and putting dreams to sleep."

The label was founded in 2004 as the spawn of parent company Moonlite Hope Music, a record label based in San Leandro that has been signing R&B, gospel and country artists for 25 years.

Urban Moonlite Records will host a grand opening at its new recording studio on Stockton Boulevard, Saturday Nov. 20, from noon - 6 p.m.

They’ve made a lot of “giant steps” in the last four years, Muhammad said.

“One of the big steps we made was getting distribution directly with iTunes, Napster and Rhapsody,” Muhammad proudly shared. “We came into contact with a lot of big promoters, we’re on the Internet, we have our own Internet TV show on Ustream.tv, and we receive over 50,000 hits in a bad month.

“We also put on a Hyphy Crunk tour in 23 cities, starting in Oakland and ending in Atlanta. It was all funded by the label itself to showcase our artists and spread awareness about our company and diabetes,” he said. This tour took place in 2008.

However, the most recent of their big developments is the opening of a new recording studio.

With this new studio, the label will help local artists achieve their industry goals by creating press kits, photoshoots and recording sessions. After the artist spends some time in the studio writing lyrics and recording tracks, Muhammad and his crew bring in a producer to write beats and help develop the artists’ individual talent.

“You’re not going to get the same type of music they’re looking for in the commercial industry,” he said. “There’s something unique that comes out of the inner city.

“Pride, pain, and reality,” he said. “A lot of commercial music lacks the sincere pride or pain of inner-city music. When people make it into the commercial world, they change. They don’t want to change, but the label makes them change. The commercial is basically what everyone wants to hear, but they don’t want to hear the real side of it. Like what happened with Chris Brown and Rihanna, that happens every day. But most people don’t get heard. With our label, they get heard. That’s what inner-city music is about.”

The main goal is to get the word out about what’s going on in the inner city and to get people outside who think something different is going on to recognize there’s a lot of good talent that doesn’t get supported, according to Muhammad.

One of the artists the label supports is Sacramento actor/comedian Steve Muhammad (not related), who has been working with Urban Moonlight on a project he calls “Hood News.”

“I find some news and put a twist on it, kind of like Saturday Night Live,” Steve Muhammad said.

He said Urban Moonlite gave him the opportunity to come into the studio, record live shows and have them streamed via Ustream and Facebook, for a low cost.

“It gives the world an opportunity to see my talent,” Steve Muhammad said.

Another Sacramento-based recording artist and writer, Re Up, also said he appreciates the help and exposure Urban Moonlite has given him. He added that, apart from the recording studio, promotion and distribution, there is something that makes Urban Moonlite an exceptional record label.

“They’re different,” Re Up said. “They don’t shy away from any type of music. Most companies are only looking for a certain type of music, but they don’t shy away from anything.

“If you believe in yourself, they’ll give you a chance to do what you feel you’re good at. They actually give you the chance to get up there and shine.”

And Re Up will get his time to shine at the grand opening, as he performs live with F.O.C. and other inner city artists – some who are on the label, some who might want to work with the label and some who just want to work that day, according to Clarence Muhammad.

“There will also be workshops from various representatives and promoters that we consider OG in the game,” Clarence Muhammad said.

They will give a tour of the new studio and provide children’s activities, “like jumpers and child’s games,” Clarence Muhammad said. “It’s going to be a day of fun and great entertainment.”

The event is free to attend. It will be at the new Urban Moonlite Records studio, 4340 Stockton Blvd.

For more information, click here or visit the Urban Moonlite Facebook page here.

Wild & Scenic comes to Davis

2010-10-23T03:53:56Z

Did you know that active drilling rigs may be legally built within 150 feet of your home? Did you also know that only half of the paper you toss gets recycled? What about the cosmic dangers of our said-to-be fix-it ticket, the Cap and Trade system? Or the harmful health risks associated with the common corn-fed diet?

These issues were all addressed at the fourth annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival Thursday. The festival was hosted by nonprofits Tuleyome and Sierra Club Yolano Group at Veterans Memorial Theater in Davis.

The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) started the Wild & Scenic Film Festival hoping to spread environmental awareness and action through film, and it has. Installments of the film festival are held at 115 venues nationwide.

This year, the event raised $2,500 and attracted more than 175 people, according to the Tuleyome Members and Events Director Wendy Thomas.

One of the films was a fun film testing the theory that if stairs were made to be fun, people would use them more frequently. In the film, a staircase was transformed into musical fun with each step being turned into an electronic piano key similar to the game Dance Dance Revolution, and 64 percent more people took the stairs instead of the escalator because of the piano.

Thomas said she believes anybody can make a difference, whether it’s by recycling, leaving a smaller carbon footprint, or being more environmentally aware.

Each of the films was based in some way on these concepts.

One of the more frightening films was titled “Split Estate” and examines the lives of people who own the surface land of their homes but not the land under it. These were tragic stories about active drilling rigs being constructed within 150 feet of their homes and the effects of drilling for natural gases so close to residences.

“The scariest one was about the oil and gas in the Rocky Mountains and what’s happening in the Rocky Mountain states,” said audience member Diane Colborn.

“All the health problems people are having and the natural gas bubbles coming up from under the ground – I knew that there was some expansion of oil and gas development, but I’ve heard more about the coal in the Appalachian Mountains,” Colborn said. “I didn’t know that it was quite as extensive with oil and gas development in the Rocky Mountain states, and it’s just really recent in the last few years, and it’s just really frightening.”

Audience member Mike Matiasek agreed.

“I did not know the natural gas industry was so damaging to the Rockies,” he said. “It was exciting to see all the films touch on different issues. Some of it’s a little bit depressing, but it also opens us up to make change for the better.”

Another film that started audience discussion was titled “Story of Cap and Trade.” It broke down the concept of carbon trading into simple language and elementary diagrams to allow for a clear understanding of the program.

Its main theme focused on carbon trading as a huge problem formulated by the same individuals instrumental in Enron and other economic meltdowns.

“It fortified my views in opposition to cap and trade,” said Rodney, a member of the audience. “Everybody is talking up cap and trade, cap and trade. But the interesting thing about it is that Congress killed it for a reason. End of story.”

And he wasn’t the only one moved by this story.

David Thomas said, “I’m writing to my congressmen and congresswomen and senators and telling them that I’m not buying it until they change the process of the whole cap and trade business.”

The most warmhearted and uplifting film of the evening was titled “Planting Hope,” which documented how the simple act of planting trees by Kenyan Wangari Maathai grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights and defend democracy.

The other films dealt with issues involving the paper industry, the impact corn and corn products are having on our health, and the idea of buying locally grown organic and voting with your fork.

For more information on the larger Wild & Scenic Film Festival held once a year in Nevada City, click here. The next festival will be Jan. 14-16, 2011.

Choreography at The Crest

2010-10-18T06:53:02Z

The chatter from the near-capacity audience was silenced as soft footsteps took the stage of the Crest Theatre Friday.

Recognized as one of the most renowned small ballet companies in the nation, the Sacramento Ballet hosted the second annual Capital Choreography Competition with world premiers from choreographers Melissa Barak, Yannis Adoniou and Darrel Grand Moultrie, each of whom was competing for two grand prizes: one from the seasoned judges and one from the breathless audience.

Each choreographer presented a ballet of 20 minutes, practiced and rehearsed over a period of only 30 hours since tthe choreographer met the dancers of the Sacramento Ballet.

Video introductions of the choreographers and their ballets helped the audience get acquainted with each of the talented contestants, and revealed the unique focus of each ballet.

The first performance, choreographed by Melissa Barak, was titled “Keeping Within.” She used music by Charles Dodge and Morton Feldman, which was the primary focus for her ballet. The costumes were a brown-to-white fade of what looked like Lycra. The music was abstract and so was the choreography, which was no surprise since she shared in her video introduction that she tried to think outside the box. Accordingly, it was unconventional, although it remained very balletic. Ensemble movements and organic forms dominated in Ms. Barak's piece.

There was a fifteen-minute intermission between each number while the dancers rested and donned new costumes.

The second performance, choreographed by Yannis Adoniou, was titled “Gomidas Songs.” The ballet revolved around themes of the Ottoman Empire, with music by Gomidas Vardabet. The songs were interpretations of the ancient liturgy, songs, hymns, and folk dances of the Armenian people. The audience gasped as the dancers flung themselves from the stage and the sounds of skin slapping against floor mat added drama throughout the dance. In this way, Adoniou successfully utilized the wingless stage of the ornate Crest Theatre and the audience was very responsive. Mr. Adoniou's piece featured movements that were not conventionally balletic, and his was the most highly conceptual composition of the evening. The costumes were gauzy and earth-toned, and were unconventional as well: the male dancers wore skirts and the females tunics. An impressionistic depiction of the Armenian genocide gave Adoniou's composition a tragic cast.

The third and final performance, appropriately titled “Moved,” was by Moultrie. He chose the music “Juan Loco” and “Hora Zero” by Rodrigo y Gabriela, and “Recuerdos de la Alhanbra” by Francisco Tarrega. The rhythmic guitar and percussion gave this dance its spark and at once set it apart from the more somber tone of the first two dances, and Mr. Moultrie's emphasis was on the dancers, not the choreographic concept. It was bright, fun, and unaffected, and its light-heartedness and unabashed emphasis on pleasing the crowd paid off.

Moutrie won both the grand prize from the judges and the People’s Choice award, as well as a standing ovation from the audience.

The show was a decided artistic and popular success. Kudos to the Cunninghams and the Sacramento Ballet for once again exploring the margins of balletic performance, both in conception and execution.

The performances will be repeated for a new audience again this Friday.

Photos courtesy of Steven Chea.

Sacramento Press hosts Review Writing workshop

2010-10-14T21:03:59Z

Anybody can be a critic, David Watts Barton said at the Sacramento Press Review Writing workshop. What distinguishes a good critic is that they can back their opinion up and express it well, he added.

The Sacramento Press Editor in Chief discussed the art of review writing Wednesday in-house and via live stream from the Sacramento Press office.

Barton has been a pop music critic since he was 16 years old and made a living doing it for The Sacramento Bee for more than 20 years.

He began the workshop by making the audience repeat after him, “It’s just my opinion,” which he gave as the overarching mantra for all review writing.

“You can get wrapped up in your opinion,” he said. “But it’s not science, it’s art. It’s your experience and your response to your experience.”

Barton then shared a handout covering what he considers the four tenets of good review writing: researching, reporting, self-interviewing and writing.

The first principle, research, involves finding out as much as you can about the show beforehand.

“You can get a lot of background on somebody without ever having seen them,” Barton said. “If you do research beforehand, then you have something to fall back on.”

Some of his tips for doing sufficient research were to read other people’s reviews – get insight from other people, get a grip on the context, take advantage of the Internet, do your research ahead of time, and always check your spelling.

“If you can put it in a context for people, then it comes across as more multidimensional,” he said. “And spelling always counts. People will be all over you if you spell a name wrong, because it undermines your credibility. They will announce the names, but you should always double-check, because there’s a big difference between ‘Wormworth’ and ‘Wentworth.’ You’ll be attacked.”

He also made the point that you can’t judge two artists by the same criteria, because they’re not trying to do the same thing.

“They weren’t trying to be Bob Dylan, they were trying to make you dance,” he said. “You have to address the artist on the level the artist is addressing you, and that’s the only way it works.”

The second tenet of good review writing requires taking on the role of a reporter.

You need to recheck the names you think you already know and write things down as they occur to you, because you don’t know what you’re going to write until you sit down to write it.

You also want to look at what people are wearing, write down what the artists say between songs, pay attention to details (for example, how all the musicians work together, and if the sound sounds different than the sound on the record) and make sure not to be the person standing there, singing along, hearing what you want to hear.

“The role of the critic is to be the person that says the emperor has no clothes,” he said.

The self-interview is also an important part of review writing because concerts are about an energy exchange, Barton said.

You have to ask yourself questions about the show such as how did the bass player sound? Why do I feel this empty feeling? Did I believe it? Are these guys really who I thought they were?

”Art is supposed to move you,” Barton said. “There’s got to be a buy-in. Ultimately, it’s about striking a balance. It’s good to have a little bit of distance, but you still want to be caught up in it.”

Daril Helmer, creator of the website Broccoli Cheese and Crackers, found this tip very helpful.

“I came here to learn new things about writing reviews, and I think I did,” Helmer said. “Like the importance of the little things, like taking notes, getting thoughts down after watching a performance and learning to sleep on it.”

Barton then talked about the actual writing of a review.

“As I’m writing it, it forms, and things will pop out,” he said. “The most important thing is to just start writing.”

Alicia Dienst, who has written for Midtown Monthly and practices music review writing on the side, said she liked the approach Barton took to review writing.

“I appreciate the way he broke it down into a plan,” she said. “Do some research, have the experience, analyze your experience, then write it down.”

Bill Burgua, who has written many theater reviews for The Sacramento Press, said he also gained valuable information from the workshop.

“No matter how much we write, I’m a big proponent of longtime learning,” Burgua said. “This gives me just another insight into how to interview a critic. It resonated when he talked about ‘just write,’ because once I start writing, it falls into place. It reinforces what I’m doing and that I’m doing things right and how to do things better. And David has a lot of great experience, and you can always learn from someone with experience.”

Throughout the workshop, Barton answered questions from the audience such as when to take a break from writing, how to prevent from gushing, and the difference between a reviewer and a critic.

“You want people to come out feeling like they’ve learned something,” Barton said. “But remember, it’s just my opinion.”

Photos courtesy of Sacramento Press Staff Reporter Brandon Darnell.

The Entertainment Industry's Voice Against Drunk Driving

2010-10-13T05:09:47Z

With football season in full effect, tailgating is a popular pasttime for college students, especially. To prevent drunk driving with a peer-to-peer approach, RADD has been at Sacramento State football games promoting sober driving and offering resources.

Originally RADD stood for Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes Against Drunk Driving, but it now stands for The Entertainment Industry’s Voice Against Drunk Driving and is best known for its slogan, “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”

Not to be confused with MADD, or Mothers Against Drunk Driving, RADD is nonprofit organization formed in 1986 that uses celebrity power and public service announcements such as “friends don’t let friends drive drunk” to promote sober driving and road safety.

“RADD differs from MADD in that MADD focuses on critical victim outreach and stopping repeat offenders, while RADD focuses on peer-to-peer prevention outreach and providing lifestyle-oriented solutions to avoid drunk driving,” said RADD President Erin Meluso.

RADD was formed when the news of a fatal drunk driving accident involving teens reached a bay area radio station. Realizing they could capitalize on the number of celebrities frequenting their office for station promos, “they agreed to ask the celebrities to end their taping sessions with a ‘don’t drink and drive’ message,” Meluso said.

“It was formalized over time, and those voices formed the basis for the ‘RADD Celebrity Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk’ campaign, for which RADD is internationally recognized.”

John Mayer, Barry Bonds, Paul McCartney, Shaquille O’Neal, Warren G, Tim McGraw, Marc Anthony and Gwen Stefani have backed RADD’s road safety efforts and used their voices to get the word out about the importance of having a designated driver.

The organization’s goal is “to reduce fatalities and injuries across all age groups by promoting safe, sober driving and awareness of road safety,” according to its website.

According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), “alcohol-related deaths among U.S. college students rose from 1,440 deaths in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005, along with increases in heavy drinking and drunk driving.”

But Meluso said she believes alcohol-related crashes are preventable and that RADD has the power to stop them from happening.

“Like our federal, state and nonprofit partners, we are working toward zero highway deaths,” Meluso said in an e-mail. “At almost 100 per day nationally, we are at the lowest rate ever, yet 34,000 deaths is an outrage. Crashes are not accidents – they are predictable and preventable. We’ve made great strides with engineering (safer cars and safer roads), now we need to keep working on ‘engineering’ better drivers through education, solution (designated drivers, taxi cabs) and rewards for responsible behavior on the road and off.”

RADD uses peer-to-peer and student-to-student initiatives to spread awareness about sober driving and road safety.

One of the ways the organization is doing this is through the RADD College Project, funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, which has formed partnerships with Sacramento State and numerous other California universities to educate student volunteers on how to help other students.

“A student-to-student initiative means that college students...donate their time to host events on campus (like the tailgate event) or staff a table to speak with fellow students about being responsible behind the wheel,” Meluso wrote in an e-mail.

“Having students promoting the message of awareness and to make good decisions, such as having a designated driver every time you go out or having a taxi available to drive you home, has shown to be much more effective [than passive messages such as posters and scare tactics.]”

RADD has been working with Sacramento State’s Student Health Services for four years now, developing the student-to-student initiative on the campus. In an e-mail interview Sacramento State senior and RADD volunteer Jessica Spohn discussed the impact of RADD.

“RADD has helped keep the ball rolling with awareness and outreach for safe alcohol use. [It] has really helped me think in a different direction (as in, more outside the box thinking) towards safe alcohol use,” Spohn said. “Instead of focusing on reducing alcohol abuse, we now have extra tools to focus on congratulating and rewarding the people that are sober drivers and sober halves of the buddy system. It’s a whole other pool of people that we can connect with.”

The RADD Crew volunteers who attend the Sacramento State football games engage with the students by asking groups to identify their sober drivers, giving out prizes for the DD, passing out RADD designated driver cards and offering information about moderate drinking practices.

But volunteers of the RADD Crew can be found all over the place, not just on college campuses.

“We’ve recently launched a rewards program in 36 bars and restaurants across downtown L.A.,” said Emilie Marie-Chan, a spokeswoman for RADD. “The idea is to replicate the program that we have in downtown L.A. and partner with cities nationwide to promote road safety.”

As part of its drunk driving prevention program, RADD gives out designated driver cards, which come with perks.

Some of these perks include free nonalcoholic beverages, but that’s not the biggest perk for Sacramento State’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Health Educator Cyndra Krogen-Morton. She said in an e-mail interview that the biggest perk for students is knowing they are doing everything they can to keep their friends safe.

“I heard once that alcohol is considered the No. 1 public health issue for colleges, and we know that irresponsible and high-risk alcohol use can have devastating consequences for students,” Krogen-Morton said. “I think the RADD program takes a proactive, positive approach to reduce the risk of consequences associated with drinking and driving. Working with RADD has helped me be a better health educator by giving me a way to engage the Sacramento community in helping reduce drinking and driving among students.”

As support for RADD grows, RADD staff continue to make sure communities across the nation are aware of the importance of sober driving.

“Traffic crashes (not ‘accidents’) are the No. 1 killer of children, teens and young adults in America – everyone from ages 2-33,” Meluso said in an e-mail. “That is not acceptable to me, to RADD or our many partners, especially colleges. When it is someone you love, a single death is too many.”

Sacramento Ballet hosts Capital Choreography Competition

2010-10-11T04:55:34Z

Lean bodies, skin-tight clothes and some of the most graceful dancers in Sacramento are only a few of the highlights of this Friday’s Capital Choreography Competition at the Crest Theatre.

Three choreographers — Yannis Adoniou, Darrell Grand Moultrie and Melissa Barak — will showcase their choreographing talents and compete against one another at the second annual Capital Choreography competition hosted by the Sacramento Ballet on Oct. 15 and 22.

“We try not to make it about the competition,” Sacramento Ballet Artistic Director Ron Cunningham said. “We try to make it about them winning an award for having the best choreographed ballet, but everyone’s a winner for having gone through the process.”

The catch: Each choreographer will only have between 28 and 30 hours in total to rehearse their ballets with a set of dancers from the Sacramento Ballet company who they met for the first time last week.

Barak just flew into town last Tuesday after performing in New York and has been practicing five to six hours a day since then.

“It’s my job as a choreographer to make the music come alive and make it a visual experience as you’re listening to it,” she said.

According to Barak, each of her dancers will be wearing the same costume.

“The women will be wearing a leotard outfit with a patched skirt and the men will be wearing tights,” Barak said. “It’s going to be pretty basic as time and the budget are tight.”

She has no idea what the other choreographers are doing, but her goal is to make a good piece for herself and for her own growth.

“In my piece you can expect to see a very strong classical ballet base, but it’s not too conventional — a bit more modern and contemporary, not your quintessential ballet,” Barak said.“So the technique of ballet is just the underlying foundation.”

Her favorite part about working with the Sacramento Ballet is that they are very welcoming and eager to be working with someone new and to be a part of a new ballet.

One of those eager dancers is Stefan Calka, who participated in the last Capital Choreography Competition and has been with the Sacramento Ballet for seven years.

“My favorite part of this competition is the diversity and each piece being something in and of itself,” Calka said. “Each of the pieces derives its personality from the choreographers, so it’s cool to go from one piece to the next and have each be something completely different.”

According to Cunningham, there will be a grand prize awarded by the judges and a People’s Choice awarded by the audience.

“The judging is pretty subjective,” Cunningham said. “Some of the judges have been dancers, are dancers, or teach dance. Some of them are theater people. So in any case they have theater or dance backgrounds, but there’s no rubric or anything.”

The People’s Choice will be determined by the audience, who will vote with plastic chips. At the end of the three performances, the master and mistress of ceremonies will make a call for the audience to vote with their chips for either Adoniou, Moultrie or Barak, and people will go down each aisle with bags designated for each choreographer.

Each bag will be quickly weighed and the winner will be chosen based on the weight of each bag.

Last year, the audience chose a different winner than the panel of judges, so it will be interesting to see what happens this year, Cunningham said.

Tickets cost between $20 and $35.

To purchase tickets, call the Sacramento Ballet Box Office at (916) 552-5800 ext. 2, or click here.

Tickets may also be purchased at the Crest Theatre.

The Crest Theatre is located at 1013 K St.

Photos courtesy of Steven Chea.

Harlem Renaissance comes to Stockton Blvd.

2010-10-07T05:26:43Z

The Harlem Rent Party and Fish Fry will celebrate the music, art, dance and poetry of the Harlem Renaissance Saturday inside Master Barber and Beauty Shop.

Jazz bassist and orchestra conductor Harley White Jr. will team up with poet Justin Desmangles and artist Milton Bowens to showcase their talents to entertain and educate on different cultural elements that spawned from the Harlem Renaissance.

“We’re talking about the time period from the end of World War I to the beginning of World War II,” White said. “But we’re not only talking about the Harlem Renaissance. We’re talking about the forces that led to it and more importantly all the art and culture after it.”

The orchestra will play, Desmangles will intertwine his poetry and the poetry of other Harlem Renaissance figureheads – such as Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston – with the music and Bowens will display and discuss his art, including pieces from his collection titled “Afro-Classical” that were used in course study at Cornell University.

“Visually, you can expect to see music and poetry woven together in a way that will spark a deeper examination of why these things are appreciated,” Bowens said. “You cannot look at one of my paintings and not ask questions, because they’re designed to do just that – they’re designed to spark conversation.”

According to Master’s Barber and Beauty Shop owner Rodney Brown, between 70 and 80 people are expected to show up as of today.

The event will include a fish fry dinner of Catfish, Tilapia or Snapper, salad, bread and beans with every paid admission, which is also a significant part of the history of the Harlem Renaissance and where the event got its name.

“Fish frys were a way of keeping your rent paid,” White said. “People would have a party, play some jazz music and fry some fish, and that’s how you would make your rent money. And where else would you want to be?”

There will be a round table preview talk of the event at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Master’s Barber and Beauty Shop at 4340 Stockton Blvd.

The Harlem Rent Party and Fish Fry will take place Saturday from 8 p.m.-midnight.

For more information, click here to visit Master Barber and Beauty Shop’s Facebook page.

Sacramento International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival to entertain and educate

2010-10-05T06:37:16Z

The Sacramento International Gay and Lesbian Film Festiva l is back for the 19th year, celebrating art and creativity in the queer community and presenting films from all over the world at the Crest Theatre Thursday through Saturday.

“We try to both entertain and educate,” said Program Director Michael Dennis.

The difference in this year’s film festival is that there will be no underlying themes, unlike last year when the films all represented themes of gay youth. This year, the shorts and feature films will be a sort of mixed bag, Dennis said.

“I really like independent film, and this gives me a chance to see a lot of it,” Dennis said. “It’s really nice to hear people talk about the films after they’ve watched and hear how it made them think about something they hadn’t thought about before.”

The film festival will feature films from countries such as Spain, the United Kingdom and Korea.

“These are films that either we solicit or they’ve just heard about us and submit,” Dennis said.

According to Dennis, more than 250 short films, feature films, and documentaries were submitted for this year’s festival, but only 17 were chosen, including the short film “Calling Card” by local director Jennifer Hatton.

Hatton heard about the festival and began attending two years ago, but this is the first year she submitted a film after her introduction to filmmaking by the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project in San Francisco.

“The QWOCMAP provides free filmmaking training to queer women of color,” Hatton said. “The founder is an amazing female filmmaker who found it very hard to break into the male-dominated industry.

“So once she got her foot in the door, she decided to give back to the community by offering a 16-week intensive filmmaking program, and I couldn’t have done it without them,” she said.

According to Hatton, she submitted a few stories, and “Calling Card” got chosen for the program.

“Calling Card” is about a main female character who identifies as a butch. It’s a story of unrequited love and the power of nonverbal communication, Hatton said.

“I’m thrilled and honored that my short film was selected for the festival, and I’m thrilled that SIGLFF wants to promote and support local emerging filmmakers,” Hatton said.

And although Hatton is the only local director featured at the festival this year, she is not the only guest of honor.

According to SIGLFF Film Coordinator Patti Barcena, there will be a handful of VIP guests at the show, including actors and directors from “You Should Meet My Son,” “A Marine Story,” and “Six.”

SIGLFF is a nonprofit organization, and proceeds are donated to different organizations every year. Previous beneficiaries have been Capital Crossroads and Golden Rule Services. This year’s proceeds will benefit Equality Action Now, the Sacramento State Pride Center, and the Gender Health Center.

According to Dennis, they are expecting between 500 and 700 guests per night.

Individual night tickets are $10 each, and an all-festival pass is only $25. The perks of an all-festival pass include a $5 savings on tickets, an early opening time of 6 p.m. instead of 6:45 p.m., and free Barefoot wine and Zócalo appetizers before the shows.

Parking is available at 10th and I streets (accepting validations) and at 10th and L streets for $5.

Tickets are on sale now at The Crest, The Beat music store, and tickets.com.

The Crest Theatre is located at 1013 K Street.

This year, all of the showings will be in the evening, and the schedule is as follows:

Thursday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m.:
1. “Zucht” (Breath) – directed by Margien Rogaar, 10 min.
2. “Waiting 4 Goliath” by Cal Garingan, 13 min.
3. “You Should Meet My Son” – directed by Keith Hartman, 86 min.
Friday Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m.:
1. “Calling Card” – local director Jennifer Hatton, 4 min.
2. “Chained!” – directed by Betsy Kalin, 14 min.
3. “Frischluft-Therapie” (Fresh Air Therapy) – directed by Christoph Sheerman, 6 min.
4. “A Marine Story” – directed by Ned Farr, 93 min.

Saturday Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m.: shorts night
1. "Dinner at Lucy’s" – directed by Stephanie Markowitz, 7 min.
2. "Door Prize" – directed by Zsa Zsa Gershick, 7 min.
3. "Professor Godoy" – directed by Carlos Firmino, 13 min.
4. "Steam" – directed by Eldar Rapaport, 16 min.
5. "Dyke Dollar" – directed by Laura Terruso, 11 min.
6. "The Bath" – directed by Lee Mi-rang, 19 min.
7. "Six" – directed by Amy Neil, 12 min.
8. "Inflatable Swamp" – directed by William Feroldi, 13 min.
9. "Hens & Chicks" – directed by Becky Lane, 15 min.
10. "Laugh" – directed by David C. Jones, 5 min.
Note the change in the program, courtesy of Patti Barcena. “Inflatable Swamp” will show on Saturday in place of “Waiting 4 Goliath.” “Waiting 4 Goliath” will play on Thursday.

To view the full program, click here.

Sacramento Press hosts Food Writing workshop

2010-10-01T21:26:46Z

Food writer Becky Grunewald came to a full house at The Sacramento Press Thursday to share her tips on food writing with attendees, who got the chance to write reviews on food they sampled at the workshop and get professional feedback.

Grunewald showed up to give everyone a little taste of good technique at the second food-writing workshop The Sacramento Press has given.

Grunewald has been writing a food column for Midtown Monthly for four years, but it all started with her modest food blog. Now, she has her work featured in local monthlies and will have a piece in Sunset magazine next month.

The workshop began with a buffet from Selland’s Market, where attendees chose snacks from an assortment of signature cheeses, sandwiches, flatbreads and roasted vegetables. There was also a dessert tray of cookies, cupcakes, brownies, chocolate canolis, truffles, chocolate mousse and other tantalizing goodies.

Grunewald gave the audience 10 minutes to write about their treats, telling them to use all of their senses.

The room was silent while students, foodies, and experienced journalists studied their plates and tried to put their experiences into words.

When everyone was finished writing, Grunewald shared what she considers the five tenants of exceptional food writing : passion; curiosity; voice, tone and style; confidence and experience.

She read a food piece aloud by Pullitzer Prize winner Jonathan Gold, called “Le Cevicheria: Blood and Clams” and discussed what made his writing so powerful.

After listening to Grunewald read the food columns of Gold and other distinguished food writers, audience members took another look at their own pieces and personalized them using the tips she shared during the workshop.

Four people shared their work, including Lindol French, who compared the food elements on his plate to the characters of the TV show “Jersey Shore.”

Travel professional Christy Jourdan also shared her writing, but was more hesitant at first. This was her second workshop this summer.

“In the first thing I wrote, I wasn’t being me,” Jourdan said. “I was trying to judge the cupcake, which I’m not qualified to do. But then when Becky said the thing about being yourself, what came out was natural and good.”

But Jourdan wasn’t the only one who benefit from Grunewald’s insight.

Davis Enterprise Staff Writer John Edwards attended the workshop just to see what it was like and walked away with some useful writing tools.

“Becky was very knowledgeable herself, contextualizing the writing and everything,” Edwards said. “But I also really like the networking aspect of this. I got to meet some really talented people.”

And even the woman in the crowd who came with extensive food writing experience of her own, Human Rights Advocate Colleen Marie-Blanchefluer Whalen, got a lot out of this workshop.

“I’m an eco-gastronomy, eco-literacy educator, and even I learned a lot,” Whalen said. “I highly recommend these workshops. I’ll Yelp it like A++.”

The next workshop will be Oct. 13. David Watts Barton will teach attendees how to review concerts, theater and other performances. To RSVP, e-mail workshops@sacramentopress.com.

Photos courtesy of Sacramento Press Managing Editor Colleen Belcher.

Burn the Floor brings live dancesport to Sacramento Community Center Theatre

2010-09-27T05:34:53Z

Fans of “So You Think You Can Dance” or “Dancing with the Stars” can witness the same exciting choreography and chemistry with “Burn the Floor”, Sept. 29 - Oct. 10 at the Sacramento Community Theatre Center.

Finalists from Season 6 of “So You Think You Can Dance”, Ashleigh and Ryan Di Lello, will be performing live with a cast of 18 other professional competition dancers including four other finalists from the show, two of which are Pasha and Anya from Season 3. The 20 dancers will bring a theatrical display of Latin and ballroom dance styles.

“I’ve been doing shows throughout my life but I’ve never been in a show as high caliber as this,” Ryan Di Lello said. “This is by far one of the most incredible Latin and ballroom dance shows in the world. The talent on this stage is just phenomenal and it comes from all over the world.”

Both Ryan and Ashleigh began dancing before age 5, and they have been dancing ever since.

“The whole cast has been doing this style of dance since we were very little, so it’s not hard for us to get into character,” Ryan Di Lello said. “The nature of it is sensual or kind of sexy and that’s where Latin dance originated from. It takes a certain person to do this for a living, and it’s just in each of our systems.”

“Ballroom dancing is known for its sexiness anyways so the styles of dance and genres lend itself to that,” said Ashleigh Di Lello. “It’s part of the role you play.”

The show will combine traditional ballroom and Latin dances, such as the cha-cha, Paso doble, jive, swing, lindi, rumba, and salsa, and present a reinvented style of dancing that has never been seen before.

“This is a ballroom show but it’s very reinvented,” said Ashleigh Di Lello. The choreographer has taken ballroom dancing to a new level, to new heights, and added so many new, different elements that we weren’t allow to do on a competition floor.”

There is no element of competition to this show, but that’s not the only difference between this live production and a televised dance-off.

“When you’re performing to a live audience in a theatre you have to connect with every person in that room, no matter how large it is,” said Ryan Di Lello. “You have to project your energy and connect with each individual.

“It’s a little easier to do that on television because the cameras zoom right in. It’s a little more of a challenge in the theatre but it’s more rewarding when you see the response of the audience.”

And they’re anticipating paramount reviews from the audience. This show is highly esteemed as the first strictly dancing and singing show to make it to Broadway without one line of dialogue, said Ryan Di Lello.

There may not be any dialogue, but there will still be plenty of acting.

The show is divided into segments, each of which has a different theme with different characters.

“There’s a section of the show set in the 40’s, so we’ll be doing the jive and swing, and in that era I’m kind of a flirty playboy,” said Ryan Di Lello. “At one point I pull two girls off stage and I’m that character in that section of the show, but I’m other characters during other sections of the show. That’s our greatest challenge is that we have to develop characters for multiple sections of the show, while dancing at the same time.”

Each of the different characters and different styles of dance will tell the story of the show, which is based on the development of ballroom dancing throughout different eras.

“The story changes throughout the show between the different sections,” said Ashleigh Di Lello. “There’s a section called ‘History’ and it goes through the beginnings of ballroom and how it evolved in different eras. There isn’t one story that encompasses the entire show, but it will be told through different times in history and the evolvement of ballroom dancing in different areas around the world.”

So if you like shows like So You Think You Can Dance you will like this show, says Ryan Di Lello. “You won’t want to miss it.”

The Sacramento Community Theatre Center is located at 1301 L St.

Showing times are as follows:
Sep. 29: 8 p.m.
Sep. 30: 2 p.m.
Sep. 30: 8 p.m.
Oct. 1: 8 p.m.
Oct. 2: 2 p.m.
Oct. 2: 8 p.m.
Oct. 3: 2 p.m.
Oct. 3: 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5: 8 p.m.
Oct. 6: 8 p.m.
Oct. 7: 2 p.m.
Oct. 7: 8 p.m.
Oct. 8: 8 p.m.
Oct. 9: 2 p.m.
Oct. 9: 8 p.m.
Oct. 10: 2 p.m.

To purchase tickets, click here.

Sacramento Food Bank hosts Food Network Star Nikki Shaw

2010-09-24T02:55:29Z

Celebrity chef Nikki Shaw, a finalist on “The Next Food Network Star,” will give a demonstration on healthy cooking and talk about obesity in African Americans at the Sacramento Food Bank Tuesday.

“We’re getting hit the hardest with overweight and obesity issues,” Shaw said. “I think the best way to get the message across is to talk directly to the public. We are in the middle of a crisis, and the crisis is that 76 percent of African American adults in California are overweight.”

She travels between Sacramento and San Diego giving demonstrations and spreading awareness about the importance of healthy eating habits.

Tuesday’s demonstration is a collaboration with the Network for a Healthy California, which works to improve the health of low-income families in California by promoting the benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables and daily physical activity.

“We choose locations that need attention and can attract people who can benefit from this program,” Shaw said.

But the adults aren’t Shaw’s only concern – childhood obesity is increasing as well.

“I try to teach children and parents how to decrease the increasing childhood obesity rate because the issue is near and dear to my heart,” she said.

“I have children and have always taught them how to make wise choices so their palates are used to vegetables, so that it’s a part of nature. It’s important to me because they’re my babies, and I don’t want them to suffer from diabetes, heart disease, and the certain forms of cancer that can be prevented by eating healthy.”

And to get children excited about cooking, she’s learned you have to trick them.

“A recipe I love to demonstrate for children is called confetti spaghetti,” she shared. “That’s the first trick: give it a fun name.”

Shaw stressed the importance of getting the kids into the kitchen.

“Let them help you cook. They are more inclined to love a dish when they help you prepare it,” she said.

This kid-famous confetti spaghetti gets its name from the six fresh vegetables included in the spaghetti sauce: zucchini, yellow squash, onions, garlic, tomatoes and carrots.
“It’s like a celebration,” she said. “A celebration of eating healthy.”

During her demonstration, Shaw will also discuss the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables every day and the amount of sugar in sodas and juice drinks and how to cut back on them.

She will share some of her own tips and tricks such as when to substitute ground turkey in recipes that call for ground beef and how to cut back on beef and pork by eating chicken and turkey instead.

“Pork is not good for us because it has twice the amount of fat as beef,” she said. “Most people don’t even know that pepperoni is pork, and pork isn’t good because it blocks our arteries with the high fat content.”

Sacramento Food Bank representative Kelly Siefkin recognizes the need for these types of demonstrations, especially in this economic climate.

“The Sacramento Food Bank serves a wide variety of people and families in need who are often suffering dietary concerns because of lack of finances,” Siefkin said. “They often purchase items at the store that are inexpensive and because of that, nutritionally poor. So by getting the education that they are not otherwise exposed to they can learn to cook and prepare for the family in a much healthier way. If we can modify their diet we can modify and improve their lives.”

Her demonstration Tuesday will go from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Sacramento Food Bank is located at 3333 Third Ave.

Time Tested Books presents history of Sacramento baseball

2010-09-21T05:13:33Z

As a part of the Time Tested Books’ Living Library series, co-sponsored by Midtown Monthly, author and baseball historian Allan O’Connor presented Sunday at Time Tested Books on Sacramento’s long history in the “Other Major League.”

He talked about his book, “Gold on the Diamond,” which chronicles the history of Sacramento baseball teams since the sport arrived here during the Gold Rush.

“Before 1960 and before the usage of air travel by major league baseball teams, the Pacific Coast League was in many ways a third major league, located on the west coast while the American and National Leagues served up the national pastime on the East Coast,” O’Connor shared.

The Sacramento Senators, nicknamed the “Solons,” were a team in that western “major league.”

The parity between the Pacific Coast League and the "big leagues" back east was so complete that standout Sacramento players such as Joe Marti and Dave Freitas stayed in their hometowns because they could make just as much money here as they could playing with the American League or National League teams. Also, teams in the west were flying to the next city while their counterparts in the east were still traveling by train.

Cuno Barragon was a Hispanic kid who grew up playing ball in his neighborhood around 13th and L streets in the ’30s and ’40s. By the 1950s he was playing catcher for the Sacramento Solons, and at the end of the 1960 season was dealt to the Chicago Cubs.

During his three-year stint as catcher with the Cubs in the early 1960s, Cuno Barragon hit against the great National League pitchers of that era: Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, and Warren Spahn.

“Which ones were especially tough to hit?” Barragon was asked.

“They were all tough to hit. Have you seen my batting average?” Barragon joked.

Barragon and O’Connor went back and forth, sharing baseball stories with fellow Sacramentans, including longtime baseball fan Dean Ono.

“I saw them when they were at Hughes Stadium in 1974, when a couple of guys like Gordon Thomas from the Solons made it to the Brewers and were leading the league for home runs,” Ono said. “I remember when I jumped the fence to get one of their foul balls,” he added with a laugh. “It was always a great time.”

Other audience members shared similar memories of Sacramento’s PCL team.

Ron Deal said he remembers seeing the Solons play on Edmonds Field, which he said wasn’t all that different from Raley Field.

“I was a kid when I was watching them at Edmonds Field, but you know it wasn’t much different,” Deal said. “They had the green fence and boards and the stands. The league dimensions were a little bit different, but other than that, Raley Field is just a modern version.”

Something that was different, though, was the technology.

“People have asked me if I’ve ever hit somebody who threw 100 m.p.h, “Barragon said. “I say, ‘Well we didn’t have a clock, but I can show you a bone bruise.’ ”

The next event in the Time Tested Books’ Living Library series will be Sunday Oct. 17 with Richard Simpson. Time Tested Books is located at 1114 21st Street.

Renew your wardrobe at Stitch Swap

2010-09-16T20:58:13Z

Want to renew your wardrobe on a budget? You can, this Saturday, at the second annual Stitch Swap.

People will gather to swap clothes, shoes, purses, and accessories at The Urban Hive on 20th and H streets.

Event coordinator Liz Franco participated in her first Stitch Swap in Boulder, Colo. and decided it would be perfect to start doing in Sacramento.

“It’s a fun way to recycle your closet while at the same time giving to a good cause,” Franco said. “People should participate in order to help out people in our community who don’t have the means to buy new clothes or go shopping. Stitch Swap makes that happen.”

Franco and her two co-hostesses, bloggers Ashlee Gadd and Shawnee Kim, have been working very hard to make this the best swap yet.

All proceeds will be donated to the local Women Escaping a Violent Environment charity.

“About 50 women attended last year’s event,” Franco said. “But this year it’s going to be better-organized and more aesthetically pleasing. As of today, we are expecting anywhere from 60-80 swappers to show up on Saturday, according to our Facebook page.”

But you don’t have to be a fashionista to participate in this event. The Citizen Hotel’s marketing manager, Ashlee Gadd, is also a co-hostess of Stitch Swap but has no background in fashion.

“I have a background in marketing and communication, and fashion is just a choice,” Gadd said. “Liz and I are both super into thrifting, so we are not into paying too much for our clothes. Last year I found a black tube top, floor length dress that I wore to my anniversary dinner,” Gadd said. “It’s my favorite dress ever.”

Ashley Gray, who attended last year’s Stitch Swap, will be going again this year and said she encourages everyone to attend for many reasons.

“I mean, it’s fun to get new clothes, but there’s so much more to it,” Gray said. “Last year, Liz just did a really good job at getting a bunch of girls together to trade clothes around food and drinks, music, free clothes, and it’s a good way to clean out your closet. And then all the proceeds go to a charity, so it just makes it worthwhile for everybody to go.”

Not only is the event done for a good cause, but there’s a good chance you will walk away with some early Christmas shopping done, as well.

“Last year I got tons of clothes,” Gray said. “I was able to get tons of stuff for my mom and other people, too, including vintage dresses. So that was neat.”

Door prizes will include gift certificates to It’s All Yoga, Tuli Bistro, Grange Restaurant, and Crimson and Clover boutique.

Attendees can enjoy Babycakes cupcakes, wine from James David Cellars, and energy drinks from Go Girl.

According to Franco, they raised more than $200 last year that was donated to Relay for Life and the three hope to continue this event every year.

“We’re just trying to spread the love,” Gadd said. “We want to choose a different one each year so each part of the community gets a little bit of love.”

They ask that people refrain from bringing in undergarments, pajamas and unwearable or destroyed clothing.

There is a $5 entry fee. The hours of the event are 2 - 4:30 p.m.

Photos courtesy of J.P. Ryan.

Chinatown Mall to celebrate Chinese culture

2010-09-15T03:59:32Z

Sacramentans can experience everything from authentic Chinese harvest mooncakes to renowned Chinese authors and performers Sunday at the Chinatown Mall Culture Fair.

This year’s main event is the speaker series “Women Hold Up Half the Sky: Stories of Chinese Women” presented by Eastwind Books of Berkeley and Sacramento’s Chinatown Mall. The speakers will include Margaret Lum, Maggie Gee, and filmmakers Rae Chang and Adam Tow.

This is the fourth year of the fair, and community volunteer Steve Yee said he is excited for this year’s speakers to share their experiences as women in contemporary Chinese culture.

“The interesting thing is every year we bring some of the most renowned speakers to give lectures,” Yee said. “Maggie Gee was recently presented with the Congressional Medal of Valor from Barack Obama for her participation in World War II as one of two Chinese air pilots. She was an actor, a WWII pilot, and then she became a scientist. It’s quite a story.”

There will also be many exhibits in the lower level of the mall to touch upon the Chinese service in the U.S. military during World War II.

Another highlight of the fair will be the docudrama “Autumn Gem” presented by filmmakers Rae Chang and Adam Tow about Chinese women’s civil rights activist Qiu Jin.

“The film goes along with the Chinese proverb ‘Women Hold Up Half the Sky,’”Yee said. “It goes beyond those stereotypes of Chinese women – there were very courageous Chinese women. These were women that had dreams beyond the stereotypes, and like many cultures of that time, it was very male-dominated.

“But there were women like Qui Jin who began wearing men’s clothes and things like that. It’s shedding light on early feminism in Chinese and Chinese-American society.”

There will also be a variety of booths and activities for children.

“We have an entire children’s activities area where the kids can make paper lanterns, origami, calligraphy and other Chinese crafts. Another interesting thing that we’re doing is a project called the Peace Crane project, and that has to do with Hiroshima and making paper cranes in the name of peace.

“We do this every year to encourage unity. All the cranes the children make will be sent to the children’s monument at the peace park in Hiroshima,” Yee said.

The fair is held at this time of year because it coincides with the Harvest Moon Festival, which began in Chinese culture but has spread throughout the world.

“It’s a rare opportunity to purchase and try a mooncake. They are very sweet and very rich,” Yee said.

Yee added that there will be a food court selling authentic Chinese cuisine, and a Thai restaurant is located downstairs.

There will be performances on stage, nonstop singing, dancing and martial arts demonstrations of tai chi and kung fu.

In the Confucious hall, there is an Angel Island Immigration Station Exhibit, which has been given to the Chinatown Mall to keep.

“They call it the Ellis Island of the west,” Yee said. “All types of immigrants came through there. It was just recently the 10th anniversary of the Angel Island Immigration Station, so it describes the Chinese experience at Angel Island.”

And to top it all off, this immersion into multiculturalism is free.

The fair will be held from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday. Chinatown Mall is located between Third and Fifth streets and I and J streets downtown. The website for the event can be found here.

Photos courtesy of Steve Yee.

Junk 2 Genius brings out eco-artisans

2010-09-13T22:49:56Z

“Three, two, one. Hands off your sculptures,” a judge announced, as hundreds of people cheered for green gladiators and their trash.

Nearly 500 people gathered Friday night for the second annual Junk 2 Genius sculpture competition at the Davis Art Center.

DAC board member and Junk 2 Genius event organizer Sheryl Eberhart was happy with this year’s turnout, which was better than last year’s, and said this event is very valuable to the Davis community.

“I look around and see all these people coming together to do something unique, creative and constructive on a Friday night,” Eberhart said.

The event is an annual fundraiser for the art center that recycles junkyard treasures in a team-based build-off of eco-artistry. This year they raised several thousand dollars.

“They provide us with the trash and lots and lots of duct tape,” said Brittney Hansen, a Fairfield art teacher on team ANGST.

Teams of local businesses sponsored a total of 15 teams for this years’ event competing for the coveted “Trophy du Trash.”

The winner of this year’s competition was team Really Green Dinner Club with their bubble-blowing mermaid.

John Griffiths, owner of their business sponsor Gold Standard Diagnostics, was proud to support such a creative group of women.

“These are some of the most creative minds in Davis,” Griffiths said. “They care about kids, the community and making art fun,” said Griffiths.

But Really Green Dinner Club wasn’t the only winner.

The winner of the People’s Choice Award was team St. James School, the same team that won People’s Choice last year.

Ramona Hechtal of St. James School was proud to win again this year, but her favorite part of the competition is just seeing what people can make out of junk.

Some of the materials used in the competition included tin foil, old fan blades, bicycle gears, tile samples, spray paint, soffet vents, light bulbs, solar landscape lights, old plywood, yogurt tops, painters tape, yarn, rulers, cellophane, cardboard, rubber gloves and wire mesh.

The sculptures will be on display in the Davis Art Center’s Tsao Gallery until Sept. 23.