If you are staying around town this Memorial Day Weekend, you're in luck: there's plenty afoot. From honoring our troops (as the day is originally intended) to simply taking advantage of your extra day off, you'll be able to have all sorts of fun in Sacramento this weekend. In addition to the events below, find even more in Sacramento365.com's Holiday Events section or do a quick date search for the weekend to see an even wider variety of activities. Festivals galore: Sacramento County Fair: Cal Expo; Thurs-Sun 10am-10pm; Mon 10am-7pm: Enjoy the friendly atmosphere, traditional county fair competitions, agriculture displays, hands-on family activities, carnival, festival-style enterta

Don your green and get into the St. Patrick's Day spirit this weekend! Sacramento celebrates everyone's favorite Irish holiday this Saturday and Sunday with a slew of entertaining events. In addition to the ones listed below, see even more selections in Sacramento365.com's Holiday Events section. Family-friendly fun: -17th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade: Old Sacramento; Sat 1pm Hundreds of colorful marchers dressed in green, along with Irish and Highland dancers, pipe and drum bands, historic re-enactors, and a variety of cultural organizations, will all join together to be a part of the 17th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. -St. Patrick's Day at the California Automobile Museum: Ca

The Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary held its 12th Annual Kibble & Bids fundraising event on Saturday at the California Automobile Museum. Over 500 people attended the fundraiser, dubbed "Vintage Gold," which featured food, beer and wine-tasting, silent and live auctions, a raffle, live music and plenty of Golden Retriever greeters. Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization which "rescues and heals displaced, abandoned, and homeless Golden Retrievers and Golden/Labrador mixes throughout Northern California, no matter their age or health." Jody and Mike Jones founded Homeward Bound in January 2000 and took in 255 d

The Crocker Art Museum’s Art Mix is pairing hot rods and haut couture on Thursday with the Va Va Vroom Art Mix. A collection of classic cars brought together by California Automobile Museum Curator Nathan Smith will be on display in the Crocker Art Museum courtyard at 216 O St., and a fashion show presented by Sarah Kreutz and Cast Images will follow. Part of the museum’s Thursays ‘til 9 series, the event is free with museum admission, and it runs from 5 - 9 p.m. Music will be provided by Phono Select Sound System, and pop-inspired art-making will be on-hand. A live painting demonstration by Arturo Balderama will go from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., and docent-led tours will be offered at 6 and 8

This Saturday, July 21, the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento (CCAS) will team up with SacMod to host the first annual Art a Go-Go. Twenty regional artists, including Micah Crandall-Bear, Ning Hou, Gregory Kondos, David Lobenberg, Gayle Rappaport-Weiland and Gerry Goss Simpson, have donated art to be auctioned. “Much of the artwork is inspired by the period — including several pieces created for the event,” said Mike Azevedo, CCAS director. Renee Carter, a CCAS board member, is opening her Mid-Century Modern home for this event. Carter’s home, completed in 1963 for Robert and Jeanette Powell, was featured in SacMod’s “2010 Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour.” The home has ret

The annual Capitol Concours d'Elegance 2012 took place at the Capitol Mall on Sunday June 10. The motor classic event was presented by Wells Fargo Bank. A (pardon my French) Prelude d'Elegance Haute Couture Classic Automobile and fashion show featuring delectable hors d'oeuvres took place the night before. The Tiana Vega Concours d'Elegance Collection was featured at the Prelude d’Elegance on Saturday, June 9. The haute couture event took place at Sacramento's Shriners Hospital for Children. Classic cars were paired with the Tiana Vega collection making this an exquisite showing for the audience at Shriners. Guests were also able to set appointments with designer Vega for custom fit

This Sunday, June 17, 2012 is Father’s Day. Why not avoid the traditional gifts and treat Dad to a meal or a fun-filled day out? Sacramento365.com's Holiday event section has many options as well, but let us outline some for you below! Eat & Drink Well Father’s Day Brunch with Live Mariachi: Zocalo; Sun 9am Join Zocalo for their annual Father's Day Brunch with live mariachi music. Fun for the entire family! Father’s Day Blues and BBQ: Old Sugar Mill; Sun 11am-5pm Bring dad out for blues, BBQ, & cigars by Art of Cigars on the Carvalho Family Winery Crush Pad. Father’s Day Beer Brunch Cruise: Empress Hornblower; Sun 11:30am-1:30pm Dad will enjoy the unique experience of a Father's Day Be

You know Mom deserves a day off, so why not take her out on the town this weekend in celebration of Mother’s Day? Below are a few choices, but be sure to check out this previous article on the Sacramento Press and visit Sacramento365.com's Holiday Event section for even more options. Museum hop: Mother’s Day at the Auto Museum: California Automobile Museum, Sun 10am-6pm Take a step back in time with classic cars at the California Auto Museum. Mother's receive free admission on this day. Mother Nature Stroll: Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sun 1:30pm-3pm Celebrate the beauty of spring with a delightful guided walk through the Nature Preserve on Mother’s Day. You may want to bring your binocul

How does a gasoline engine work? Instructors Joe Montgomery and Charles Crail conducted a three-hour hands-on Youth Basic Engine Class at the California Automobile Museum on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The class had half a dozen youth accompanied by their adult buddy. The Briggs and Stratton one-cylinder engine was utilized as one of the models. Participants were encouraged to disassemble and identify key engine parts, then reassemble the engine. General topics included the brief history of the engine, the purpose of an engine, internal/external combustion, the function of each cycle: intake, compression, power, exhaust, valve train, oiling system, fuel supply-carburetion-mixture

This past weekend, the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento kicked off its WUNDERCARS! exhibit with sporty style as it featured Porsche as the first of four rotating exhibits. The WUNDERCARS! exhibit officially began on October 1 and will run through May 11, 2011. After Porsche, WUNDERCARS! goes on to feature BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen with the overall intent to illustrate the story of the German automobile industry's impact in the U.S. The Porsche rotating exhibit was quite impressive and representative of the historical engineering concepts pioneered by the company founder, Ferdinand Porsche. After working for several automotive companies in Austria and Germany, in 1931 F

Scott Pruett, the 2010 Rolex Grand Am driving champion, was the ideal Keynote Speaker for this year’s Fundraising Dinner, “Life in the Fast Lane.” After all, the local hero from Auburn has become one of the nation’s most successful race car drivers by going very fast for almost 25 years now. Scott’s humble and down-to-earth style definitely endeared him to an enthusiastic and appreciative audience on November 5th at the California Auto Museum. It is easy to see how this native Californian has been able to make such an incredible impact in the racing world. Scott spoke from experience about the value of a team effort to succeed in racing whether in the Grand Am Series, Trans Am Championsh

The California Automobile Museum is proud to announce that Ferrari of San Francisco will be the title sponsor of its newest exhibit, Automobilia! Celebrating Italian Automotive Design. "I thought this Automobilia! exhibit was the perfect fit for the area and an exciting opportunity to support the Ferrari brand by our presence in the community that has shown its love for Italian motor cars," said Greg Minor, general manager of Ferrari of San Francisco, who noted the growing number of Ferrari owners in the Sacramento area. The project is the most ambitious ever undertaken by the California Automobile Museum and the sponsorship by Ferrari of San Francisco marks the Museum's first support for

The California Automobile Museum was once recognized for the Ford collection it housed, but since 1997, it has expanded the makes and models of the cars on exhibit and now is becoming known for its diversity in exhibitions. This diversity is part of the Museum’s mission to tell the history of the automobile. Currently the Museum is opening Lowriders: The Art of Low and Slow which will run through January 9 and will open Automobilia! Celebrating Italian Automotive Design on November 13. As the Museum continues to expand the types of cars represented at the Museum, it looks forward to the unique schedule of exhibits it will present in 2011. Dropped and Chopped --- January 22 - March 27 Exp

Sacramento, CA | Automobillia opens at California Automobile Museum (CAM), November 13th. The ears are greeted with that uniquely distinctive note of the finely tuned exhaust system, you can tell even from a distance with your eyes closed “That’s a Ferrari coming”. The clean fluid body lines inspired by the racing legends, it just screams high performance. That’s a Ferrari. It was a rare opportunity to view some 15 of the finest examples of the famed Italian sports car which were on hand for the special preview event at the California Auto Museum in Sacramento. The event, which ran from 11am to 2pm was a kickoff celebration for the upcoming Automobilia “Celebrating Italian Automotive Des

Sacramento, CA   The CAM Car Cruise and Show snaked through the streets and captivated downtown Sacramento Saturday evening. Saturday evening, car enthusiats from all over Californina gathered at the California Automomobile Muesuem (CAM) to stage for a downtown cruise and auto show that would cover several streets. If you were downtown Saturday evening after 5 P.M., you may have seen the very long line of vintage, classic and modern cars that snaked through the streets of downtown, from CAM all the way up to 28th and J. Streets were closed from J over to L, beginning at 22nd and over to 25th. Bands of different genres were playing on each street as folks enjoyed the wide variety of cars

On Friday, July 30, the Sacramento Mountain Lions Cheer and Dance team finals were head at Barcode on Arden Way at 9pm.  The event was originally scheduled to be held at Venue Events Center located at 1417 R St. at 8pm, but a power outage reportedly due to a blown transformer under SMUD control forced a last minute schedule and location change. Noticeably distressed, dance team Director Lindsay Shoemaker scrambled to secure an alternate location.  Demonstrating why she is in fact the team's leader, when put to the test inside the eleventh hour, she found a way not only to come through, but to create an even better atmosphere.  Barcode, despite being a fair distance away from midtown Sacra

With the preliminaries complete, the Sacramento Mountain Lions cheer and dance team will hold the final qualifying round on Friday, July 30 at Venue Events Center located at 1417 R Street, next to Burgers & Brew.  Beginning at 8pm, the final round is open to the public, with an after-party to follow shortly thereafter. The preliminaries were held at the Venue Events Center on Saturday, July 24, from 1-5pm.  With nearly 60 registered participants appearing, many of whom who also participated in the recent Sacramento Kings dance tryouts held at the California State Fair.  Those tryouts were held at Cal Expo the previous Saturday and Sunday, and it seems the Mountain Lions tryout atmosphere

The Sacramento Mountain Lions dance team will hold the first round of tryouts for the second half of their planned squad tomorrow from 1-5pm at the Venue Events Center located at 1417 R Street between 14th and 15th in between The Shady Lady and R15.  The squad is a professional adult dance and promotions group that will represent the Sacramento Mountain Lions football team at all home games, and at a variety of community events.  The preliminary session features a variety of compulsory activities including everything from taking head shots to learning a unique choreographed routine. With only 6 days before the finals, participants will go through interviews and judged performances before

The Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour will provide architectural and design enthusiasts an opportunity to discover what it’s like to live, work and play in more than 15 quintessentially Californian residential and commercial structures built between 1945 and 1970. Participants are invited to tour the interior spaces of buildings designed by renowned architects, Jones + Emmons, and a host of local prominent architects and designers including, Carter Sparks, Leonard F. Starks, Sooky Lee, George Muraki, and Rickey + Brooks. An estimated 500 visitors will see Sacramento from a different perspective as we open the doors to our past, present, and future. MCM architecture (also referred to

The California Automobile Museum’s newest exhibit features cars that were created in California but have been celebrated in movies, songs and popular culture across the country and around the world for a half-century. The exhibit, Drive Fast, Take Chances: Birth of the Hot Rod is sponsored by So-Cal Speed Shop, Sacramento and runs now through July 5. It explores the hot rod culture that grew out of the dry lake beds of California in the post-World War II years and ultimately spread to drag strips and back roads, as well as burger drive-ins and street cruises, such as the annual car cruise hosted by the California Automobile Museum which will commence on the streets of Downtown Sacramento