Although Halloween may still be a bit away, Sacramento is already in the holiday spirit. This weekend spooky events abound for the young and the young-at-heart. See our selection here, and tune into Sacramento365.com’s Holiday event section for even more possibilities. Family haunts: Monster Bash: 6 - 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, at Sacramento Children’s Museum Get those costumes ready for Halloween with a night of music, dancing, refreshments, and museum play at the Sacramento Children’s Museum’s Monster Bash. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: 7 p.m. Fridays, 12 p.m., 2 p.m, and 4 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21 only, through Oct. 27 at Free Fall Stage at Victory Life Church

Imagine getting very close to a steam locomotive. So close, in fact, that you can hear her racing down the track, whistling past. If you ever wondered how a professional photographer could capture this experience, then “Trains & Tripods,” a two-day workshop held only twice a year at the California State Railroad Museum, is your ticket. All proceeds benefit the CSRM Foundation. The opportunity to shoot inside the CSRM before open hours was an advantage that was greatly appreciated by the more-than-two-dozen attendees at the seminar and workshop conducted Friday evening and Saturday morning by Dave Henry, a professional photographer, Canon representative and freelance Sacramento Bee photogr

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

Mother's Day is almost upon us and, while some people think it ends after giving mom breakfast in bed, the fun doesn't have to end there. Treat mom to the whole day by taking advantage of the many activities Sacramento has to offer. Scribner Bend Vineyards Mother's Day Brunch Location: 9051 River Road Event hours: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Scribner Vineyards is opening its doors for a brunch catered by Rayna's Gourmet Catering. There will be three brunch times available: 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Located about 15 minutes from downtown Sacramento, guests get to sit and eat outside, surrounded by grape vines. "It's 15 minutes from downtown, but you feel like you're in a different world. It's got

September is Amtrak California’s rail safety month. Board members, Caltrans employees, and Senator Carol Liu spoke Thursday at the California State Railroad Museum about California’s rail safety statistics and the future of rail safety. California has the most railroad fatalities annually in the nation, and has the second most incidents of trespassing. “Since 2008, 300 people have been killed in railroad accidents just in California,” said Caltrans Chief Deputy Director Richard Land. “Our belief is that tragic incidents like these can be stopped.” September was dedicated rail safety month in 2009 when California passed resolution No. 10, a bill promoting education of railroad hazards i

Calling all Disney lovers! Stage Nine’s “The Vault” and the California State Railroad Museum are hosting the worldwide debut of The Pixar Collection at the museum Sunday. The collection will include artwork inspired by the first 11 films created by Pixar Animation Studios. Stage Nine, located at 102 K St., is an entertainment store that carries unique collectibles and pop culture memorabilia. Stage Nine owner Troy Carlson said that he is honored to have the collection’s debut in Sacramento. “I definitely expect collectors, and there are people traveling from Los Angeles and San Francisco.” Carlson said that they voiced their interest in hosting the event in Sacramento. Stage Nine gall

The California Dream, as portrayed by vintage fruit crate art, inspires visions of a healthy horizon of gleaming sunshine, warm, temperate climate and an endless spread of sweet, colorful fruit. In the early 1900s, California was depicted as a land of promise where eastern city folk migrated west in hopes of farming the widespread and fertile land. This prized picture of California, in part, grew out of the railroads that helped deliver bountiful harvest coast to coast and spread the message of the new frontier through fruit labels. A collection of these artistic fruit crate labels can now be seen by visiting, “Pick Me! Fruit Crate Art & the California Dream,” an exhibit  shipped and pre

Give Smart Sacramento promotes waste free experiences in place of traditional holiday gifts What was your favorite holiday gift of the past? Was it a sweater from J.Crew three years ago? Or maybe it was the CD-Man you got in ’95? I’m guessing it was something that hasn’t gone out of style or become obsolete. My favorite gift in recent memory was a family membership to Fairytale Town. I will always remember the time spent with my children and my family at Fairytale Town, because the memory will never go out of style, be shoved in the back of the closet or go in the "Goodwill" pile. This year, the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities is challenging you to replace at least one out of

The North Sacramento Land Company celebrated 100 years in business Thursday, reflecting on its humble roots in 1910 before North Sacramento was even incorporated. “We’ve survived the Wall Street crash and a few other recessions and a couple of wars, so that’s a feat in itself,” said Bob Slobe, the company’s president. “We’ve always been a reasonably small company, and some of that has to do with our involvement and giving back to the community.” That involvement was celebrated Thursday at the California State Railroad Museum when artifacts were presented to museum officials dating back to the very inception of the museum. Bob’s mother and then-president of the company, Carolyn Slobe, wa

Old Sacramento’s streets are once again dirt, and about 150 volunteers are dressed in their best 1850s fashion as the area reverts back to its rich history for Labor Day weekend. Visitors can rumble down the streets in a horse-drawn carriage, refresh themselves at the Stinking Tent Saloon, pan for gold and then gamble away their findings at one of the more lecherous tents in the frontier tent city that sprung up overnight in front of the Sacramento History Museum on First and I streets. “I think it’s really important for people now to know about the history that was happening right here in that time period,” said Janessa West, public programs coordinator for the Historic Old Sacramento F

The annual Sacramento International Film Festival will kick off at the Crest Theatre on Saturday. The festival, which began in 1995 as the Sacramento Festival of Cinema, features documentaries, and short and feature films. This year's theme is "Digital Odyssey." Executive director Martin Anaya estimated there are 120 films this year. "There's more than a hundred films, and you look at it and it's like, 'I don't know, none of these films have Brad Pitt.' Some of them have known actors, and you might go because you recognize the name, but for the most part they don't. So why go to an unknown movie? What I say is investigate it a little bit, there's trailers online, check it out. What you'

A 1950s Lionel train advertisement shows a father, mother, little girl and boy peering into a window display featuring a model train going through a city, over a bridge and into the mountains. The father appears to be the most interested -- head cocked, hand on his chin, ready to help his child build the toy train set. An adjacent Lionel Train advertisement shows a father sitting on the ground assembling a train set, while his son sits in the background frowning. California State Railroad Museum's "Some Assembly Required" exhibit, which opened today, featured a somewhat similar scene. Many families were in the museum, but the historical toy exhibit seemed to strike the strongest chord wi

Despite the sweltering temperatures, it will be Christmas in June this weekend in Old Sacramento. On a 40-city interactive train tour,"Disney's A Christmas Carol" train will be pulling into Old Sacramento Friday through Sunday as a promotion for the upcoming "Disney's A Christmas Carol," which is scheduled to open in November and stars Jim Carrey. Carolers, Christmas decorations and fake snow will transform the train tracks near the California State Railroad Museum into a winter wonderland for families and children of all ages. Those who hop aboard the train will be treated to several different exhibit cars highlighting the making of the movie and featuring props and costumes from the f

The SFF (Sacramento International Film Festival) is here with a dazzling array of filmmakers and films on display. Each day of the festival features a different theme and on Sunday March 29, we are featuring California History. At the California State Railroad Museum. We will start things off at 10:20 AM with Anne and Mary: Reflections on the Railroad, a short documentary about the railroad in Humboldt County, California. This is followed immediately by Click Clack Jack, a fictional story of how a railroad engineer saved a town from a greedy land baron. At 11:45 AM we will be screening Meet Mary Pleasant, the story of the mother of civil rights in California. Meet Mary Pleasant is a uniq