Second Saturday Tonight- Watch Live Video Here

2010-07-11T00:10:08Z

Sacramento Press will be set up in front of KlickNation at 1015 20th Street tonight for Second Saturday. We will be serving free lemonade on this hot summer day and enlisting new community contributors!

KlickNation is also hosting two wineries, RailBridge Cellars and Ficklin Vineyards, and Mochii Yogurt. Sean Berry from Vis a V Salon 2381 will be offering free consultations and free services. Sandra Hoover @ SandraHoover.net will be showing her art, along with Kathryn Luna and Kristin Hartman, and Elizabeth Kaapcke. DJ Slyvano will be spinning live throughout the evening and there will be a live performance by Sacramento Wushu club.

Come join us or watch live video here!

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Local efforts to aid disaster in Haiti

2010-01-17T04:11:37Z

In wake of the recent disaster in Haiti, many people are looking for ways to help the victims. There are various ways to do so on a local level, and some businesses are already making a difference. From big to small, fundraisers and donations are giving Sacramentans ways to reach out to Haiti. With the damage still unknown, there is still more we can do to help.

Here’s what you can do to help with disaster relief in Haiti:

-Local businesses and communities can take the initiative to raise and donate funds to the Sacramento-Sierra Chapter of the American Red Cross, whose spokeswoman Trista Jensen says, “The best thing that people can do right now is to make a donation.”

KCRA 3 is joining with the Sacramento Sierra American Red Cross chapter to raise funds to help the victims in Haiti. On Monday from 4:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., the station’s Call 3 volunteers will be taking calls at 916-447-2255 if you'd like to make a donation.

Reach out to a local business you frequent and ask them to donate a percentage of their sales for one day, one hour, or even one item. Also, consider contributing to efforts already set in place, especially if it means shopping, dining, or attending events at an alternative venue that will donate some of those sales.

Raley’s, the West Sacramento-based grocer, has set up checkstand collection boxes for American Red Cross aid to Haiti at all 134 Raley’s, Bel Air, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source stores, beginning Saturday. Raley’s will accept donations through Feb. 13 and said Friday that it will give 100 percent of the donations directly to the American Red Cross and will pay for all its administrative costs.

Also joining the efforts is Punch Line Comedy Club , who will be hosting a comedy benefit February 2nd and will donate 100 percent of it’s ticket sales to Haitian relief. On February 17th Marilyn's will be hosting "Helping Hands for Haiti," a benefit show featuring local artists (visit soulsandsounds.com for more information).

Do you know of other local fundraisers planned? Are there restaurants, entertainment venues, or other local businesses pitching in to donate to the victims of the Haiti earthquake? If so, we want to spotlight them on The Sacramento Press. Please comment below or email mona@sacramentopress.com.

Check back this upcoming week for more information about how you can contribute to local efforts.

Earth Fest at The Sacramento Zoo

2009-04-04T21:50:04Z

Today was a great day to be at The Sacramento Zoo. It was sunny and beautiful and there were animals and smiling painted faces everywhere you looked.

There were many booths set up around the zoo in honor of Earth Fest. Among them were the Sacramento Public Library, Sierra Club, Department of Conservation, The Lavender Farm, and many more along with crafts, a rummage sale, live music, and face painting.

The Sacramento Press tent was set up close to the zoo entrance. Most people were instantly attracted to our spinning, clicking prize wheel and headed over to our booth to see what was to be won: stickers, postcards, and best of all, reusable grocery bags.

By two o'clock every single reusable grocery bag had disappeared. It was a great sight to walk around the zoo and see people loaded down with reusable bags, reusable bottles, recycling pamphlets, used library books, and adorned with glittering faces and 'Share' and 'Tell' Sacpress.com stickers.

Is that it?

2009-03-12T02:03:26Z

About a week ago I moved to a new house. A duplex, actually. Moving is never easy; besides all the heavy lifting and cleaning to do there are new neighbors to meet, new trash day to remember and the ceremonial 'arranging of furniture'. However, I've moved so many times throughout my life that it's become a pretty breezy process. Except this time.

Not only have I been barraged with neighbors coming over to excitedly point out that I am, indeed, parked in front of their house, and, Can I please not do that? And will I please make sure my dog never poops in their yard? Okay, so I get it, I am part of the never-ending cycle of new tenants in the neighborhood. And it's not like I was expecting a homemade pie or 'Welcome to the neighborhood' basket of goodies.

But what happened when I parked in front of my own house was an extreme case of public-street-parking-rage.

Rather than simply ask me not to park in this spot, my neighbor (and fellow duplex-resider) rams his car into mine and tries to push my car out of "his spot" and into the middle of an intersection.

Instead of just leaving a note on my car explaining that he is particularly affectionate about this parking spot, my new neighbor with whom I share a very thin wall, takes his key out and etches a long, squiggley line into the front panel of my car.

Another neighbor watched all of this happen from his front window, and so luckily, I have a witness. And some advice.

I am told to call the police and in the future, don't park there or in the spot across the street. If I do, says the witness, the lady across the street will pull up and honk her horn until you come out and move your car.

I call the police and I'm told that, due to the budget crisis, no policeman will be dispatched. No policeman, no arrest, not even a slap on the wrist for this guy. I'm told I should simply let my insurance company take care of it.

So my question is, Is that it? And why are people so psychotic about their parking?

Social Glue- The Monday Night Skate

2008-10-31T00:25:31Z

At around 7 p.m. every Monday night, a group of people on wheels congregate at the corner of 3rd and S. After a few minutes of wobbly waiting for everyone to show, the group sets off. I say 'wobbly' because, well, have you ever tried to stand on in-line skates? The skaters who attend the Monday Night Skate are exceptionally lithe on wheels once they get going. It's impressive, and shows that skating 6-12 miles at least once a week not only makes you a really good skater, but healthy as well. That might not even be the best part- the Monday Night Skate is a great way to socialize.

Here's my experience: I pull up (in a car--sadly I haven't owned a pair of in-lines in years) to 3rd and S, to find Superman on skates. As he stands there, waiting for the rest of the crew, Superman doesn't even wobble. That's how good he must be, I decide. It turns out that this man's name is Bernard E. Scoville, and he's one of the ringleaders of Skate Night. As this is the Monday before Halloween, costumes are optional attire along with the standard elbow pads and helmet. Another skater, Gus Prevolos, glides up shortly thereafter. I ask how many others they are expecting. "This time of year, probably 5-9 skaters. In the summer there are more, maybe 12-15," Scoville says. The cool October weather seems ideal for skating treks, but the fact that it gets dark so early right now certainly dissuades some skaters.

The Monday Night Skate has been going on since 1993, and Scoville has been an involved skater since the group was formed. For him, the main attraction to skating with the group is the health benefit. Health aside, skating with others and meeting new people is what makes The Monday Night Skate so great. Scoville and Prevolos have both met some of their best friends through the skate group. "It's a friendly group," says Prevolos.

After discussing which route they'd like to venture, the group skates away. One thing is sure, that the skaters will end were they began, at 3rd and S, and most likely grab a bite at Vallejo's before the night is through.

Join The Monday Night Skate on skates, scooters or bicycles by 7 p.m. ever Monday. For more information, take a look at www.sacramentoskating.com.

Check back for more posts in this storyline by clicking the green storyline tab. And feel free to share your answers and thoughts in the conversation below.

Monday Night Open Mic at Fox and Goose Pub

2008-10-28T23:10:38Z

You wouldn’t know it if you were standing outside and looking at the Fox and Goose Pub on a Monday night, but inside, it’s buzzing with people and music. The action is well-contained within those thick walls, and the second you open the door you’re sure to be overtaken with the warmth of the place and the lively rifts within.

The way Fox and Goose is laid out, there are two rooms to choose from. The first room contains all the essentials to Monday Night Open Mic; plenty of great pub beer true to England and Ireland, and an on-going line-up of one quality band of musicians after another. The crowd is usually a diverse one, ranging young to old, family or friends of the musicians and newcomers alike. In this room, people sit in clusters or stand against the back wall with beer in hand, all listening to the music and occasionally chatting.

The other, slightly disconnected room to the left of the pub, has a more docile energy than the first. Smaller clusters of people inhabit the large, comfortable booths, and towards the back end sits a drum circle. Those sitting in the booths seem easy-going, content, and are all engaged in conversation. The music is nice and resonant in this room, and thus can accompany friendly discussion rather than reign over it. Patrons Mark Richardson and Paul Rohrer sit in this room. They are just a few of many who are in regular attendance on Monday nights, agreeing that it is the quality of music and the social aspect that draws them to Open Mic Night. They come for the music and to socialize with other musicians whom they’ve met there. They agree that, on Monday nights, there’s always a good amount of people, but not too many.

It’s obvious that Open Mic at Fox and Goose allows for a good ‘Social Glue’ climate. It’s hard not to have a good, mellow time with friends where the beer selection is sound and it doesn’t really matter if you like the band playing, because there will always be more than one.

Have a few rounds at Fox and Goose Pub on Monday nights, starting around 7:30. You can find more information at their website.

Were you one of the people that attended? What did you think? Check back for more posts in this storyline by clicking the green storyline tab. And feel free to share your answers and thoughts in the conversation below.

Where do you hang out locally?

2008-10-28T23:02:44Z

What are things that people socialize, gather, bond around? What activities are better in two’s? What keeps your hands busy and your tastebuds happy while you socialize?

Sometimes socializing can be pretty ritualistic. Maybe that’s what Monday Night Football and Girl’s Night Out are all about. Just some ways to hang out doing the things you dig doing, and maybe meet some other people that dig it too.

A personal example. I dislike ice cream. You will never catch me with Ben and Jerry, or find frozen treats in my grocery cart. However, I’ve been known to eat a scoop or two bimonthly with my little brother at our favorite neighborhood place. It’s sort of become a tradition, and it’s not about the ice cream.

So, where do you go to bribe your little brother with ice cream and harangue him with questions about his love life? Where do you go to have a good cup of joe and chat? Or, dance? Basically, I want to know what’s going on with the rest of you while your head is busy socializing.

In your area, what do people do together to get outside the house?

Comment below or better yet sign up and write your own storyline about what you do in our neck of the woods!