The Sacramento Youth Symphony and Academy of Music enchanted an audience of approximately 350 guests at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria. The free holiday concert was hosted by the Central Library on Sunday afternoon. The Sacramento Public Library invited the public to celebrate music performed by the 85-member ensemble. Musicians played to a full house which has been common for many of the events held at the Central Library. Sacramento Youth Symphony and Academy of Music’s Artistic Director, Michael Neumann, presented the Academic Orchestra and the concert also featured the Saltarello Flute Ensemble and the Clarion Clarinet Ensemble. Neumann addressed the audience by welcoming and t

A new concert series kicked off in Sacramento on June 2. Fiesta en la Calle, Spanish for Party on the Street, began their set of 9 summer concert series at Cesar Chavez Park. Some of today’s best sounds representative of America’s Latino Music Culture will be performing throughout the summer. Corona helped put on the event and there was no mistaking they were involved as a giant Corona blown up bottle shared the stage. The Corona Beer Garden also took a prominent spot at Cesar Chavez Park. Sacramento News and Review, Life Entertainment, Mi Gente Foundation, D’Chaleco, Mayahuel Tequila Museo and radio station Latino 97.9 served as sponsors of the event. Several vendors were on hand to pr

The Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition is in town for an exhibit called “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music,” which showcases the contributions of Latinos in popular music. The Sacramento Public Library, located at 828 I St., is hosting the exhibit. Although the library will be closed Saturday through Monday for the Memorial Day holiday, the exhibit will stay in Sacramento until Aug. 7 and then depart for a showing in San Francisco starting on Aug. 27. The exhibition was created by Experience Music Project and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. “American Sabor,” its national tour and related programs are made possible by the Ford M

Whether you’re short on cash or you’d rather spend your money on something else, Valentine's Day can seem like another unnecessary financial burden. With the typical gift of chocolates, roses and romantic dinners generally geared toward couples, it may feel hard to keep up on a budget. This year, Valentine's Day falls on a Monday, leaving a whole weekend’s worth of events leading up to the holiday. The Sacramento Press had the cash-strapped in mind, when we put together a list of things to do around Sacramento, Valentine’s-themed or otherwise, for $20 or less a person. Friday, Saturday, and Monday Selland's Specials Selland's Market-Cafe 5340 H St Served daily (Monday - Saturday) after

A group of 12 women sat around a large table, passively sipping iced tea and discussing the latest novel chosen for their 8-month-old book club: “Darling Jim” by Christian Moerk. The outdoor awning of Franklin Boulevard’s Coffee Garden was full of avid readers as the Alt+Library Book Club for 20s and 30s met for its August discussion. The book club’s facilitators – programming librarians Lori Eastwood, 31, and Jessica Zaker, 29 – lead the monthly discussions with poignant insights and leading questions that get the attendees into the right mode of talk. “It’s a great way to read,” Meg Dana, 22, said. “If I’m not in school and I don’t have something driving me to read, I just don’t do it

If you happened to be at the Central Library last Thursday, you might have noticed two women walking through in Victorian-era dresses. Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with the space-time continuum. The Central Library has been hosting a series of historical presentations for its 2010 events. “I always enjoy these type of things,” Joy Farrow, 66, said. “I hope they have others!” Historian Judy Eitzen and local actress Connie Clark presented their impersonations of Margaret and Aimee Crocker in front of an audience of about 30. The reenactment was put on to commemorate the October opening of the Crocker Art Museum’s new educational wing. At the very start, Eitzen composed herself as a

 Seasoned players and passers-by bit their lips and flicked their thumbs playing video games at the Central Library Saturday for a monthly program called Game Day put on by the library’s technical staff. More than 40 people, kids and adults alike, showed up to play the three games on the roster: Rock Band 2 for the Nintendo Wii and Street Fighter IV and Skate 2 for the Xbox 360. Last month’s Game Day was a two-on-two team tournament for the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The winning team received two $25 gift cards to Fry’s Electronics. This month, however, the staff wanted to take the game choice in a different direction, and also to suspend the tournament feel in favor of

Upon Mayor Kevin Johnson's invitation, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan came to Sacramento Thursday to discuss his views on charter schools and education reform. He also met with Sacramento legislators, students and teachers, before answering questions in a town hall forum. A little after 5 p.m., Johnson introduced Duncan to a public audience who gathered inside Sacramento's Central Library. In a five-minute speech, he outlined Duncan's resume as a Harvard graduate and superintendent of Chicago's Public Schools. "I'm more excited about the state and the potential of what we can do in this country with the leadership of President Obama and U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan," Johnson said.