It's that time of year again when downtown Sacramento becomes the hub of entertainment for all party seekers and concert goers. This hub is located at Cesar Chavez Plaza, on the corner of Ninth Street and I Street. The Downtown Partnership announced on April 9 the after party locations for all concert goers to go to after Concert in the Park. The first set of bands will set up May 3, the first Friday of the concert series. Concerts begin at 5pm and go to 9pm and the last night of Concert in the Park will end on July 26.   As stated on their website there are nine official locations that are prime party spots to head to after the concert. To partake in the after party merriment check

The Cesar Chavez statue will be moved from the stage of his namesake park, and solar-powered, self-compacting trash cans will be added this year. But don't worry, the memorial for the American farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist won't go far – it will be moved from the stage to a more prominent place on I Street, facing City Hall, on a short pedestal, according to a city staff report. The third and final phase of improvements to the 2.5-acre community park located between I and J streets, across the street from City Hall, is set to be approved as part of the consent calendar at the City Council's Jan. 8 meeting.  The project is estimated to cost $318,000, according to th

It was a scorching Sacramento summer day this past Saturday but that didn’t stop more than 2,000 hungry and thirsty locals from packing into Cesar Chavez Park for the 10th annual Raley’s Grape Escape. With only three hours to sample bites and pours from 60 restaurants and 40 wineries while a live Chef’s Challenge takes place in the center of it all, careful planning is needed to maximize your (and your mouth's) time. If you’re like me, you’re already looking forward to next year’s event. With three years under my belt, here are some tips I’ve gathered to turn you into an efficient Grape Escaper: 1. Get your tickets early The early bird not only gets the worm, it gets the cheapest tick

It’s almost summer, and with the season comes the return of Concerts in the Park. Sacramentans of all varieties came out to Cesar Chavez Park on Friday for the first in the concert series that will continue through July. The crowd swelled in size as the sun set and music filled the air. Stage performers included bands Storytellers, Island of Black and White, and Arden Park Roots. DJ Shaun Slaughter provided dance beats and announcer Danny Secretion rallied the concert-goers between sets. Check out the free concerts every Friday from 5 - 9 p.m. this summer at Cesar Chavez park.

photographs by Barry Wisdom / The volume wasn't the only thing turned to "11" the evening of May 4, as an off-the-dial number of revel-hungry music lovers descended on Cesar Chavez Park for the 2012 Concerts in the Park season opener. Some 6,300 men, women and children – a record for the 21-year-old free, all-ages concert series – filled the downtown Sacramento venue to celebrate the River City's unofficial summer kick-off. Local musician and erstwhile emcee Danny Secretion hosted the Downtown Sacramento Partnership-sponsored event, offering loving introductions to The Storytellers, Island of Black and White, and Arden Park Roots. The Storytellers, described on the DSP website as a

It’s cold out there. It never stops raining. Despite some chilly conditions, the weather was not cold enough to deter the warmth heralded by the protestors of Occupy Sacramento who kept marching on Nov. 5 in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street for bank transfer day. Some are people whose homes have been taken away due to foreclosure. Others are disappointed because their children’s favorite teacher has been cut from lack of funding in their public school. Some just can’t get the health insurance they need. Others are sick and tired of the lies fed by government. Others are aging and their basic Social Security check no longer covers their necessities. Others are people on disability whose

Why Occupy? Right now, regular folks ― young, smart, educated young people ― are frustrated because they don't see a way to claim their piece of the American dream. For Julio Escobar, 19, a Sacramento City College student who grew up in Oak Park, the decision to stay and offer himself up for arrest by not leaving Cesar Chavez Park was one of principle.   The issue with the park started on Oct. 6, when 19 protestors elected to stay after closing at Cesar Chavez Park on behalf of the 99%. The nineteen took the bullet for the majority refusing to leave in civil disobedience despite repeated warnings by the police to disburse or be taken to jail. A video of the events unfolding can be se

Occupy Sacramento protesters told City Council members Tuesday in no uncertain terms – “Tyranny.” “Unconstitutional.” “Treason.” – that their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly are being violated by an ordinance that prohibits overnight camping in city parks.) “We should not be here to teach you about the Constitution,” said Sacramento resident David Witkin, 28. “We are here to tell you what your constituents want.” Protesters who have taken over Cesar Chavez Plaza for nearly two weeks showed up in force at City Hall Tuesday to ask council members – again – to consider an exception to the law allowing them 24-hour access to the park. “The Constitution wasn’t drafte

Tamales of many flavors were featured at today’s 7th annual Sacramento Tamale Festival.   The festival, sponsored by KSFM, filled downtown’s Cesar Chavez Park with tamales, burritos, sno-cones and a variety of entertainment.  Aztec dancers, music, piñatas for the kids and a scheduled performance by the singer Royalty added to the festival’s offerings. First-time festival patron Terri Ortega heard about the event several years ago when her cousin won first place in the tamale-making contest.  Terri decided to come to the festival today to “see what it was all about”.   Carrying several bags of purchased goodies, she noted that it is “beautiful here and everyone is enjoying themselves”.  

Outside a Texan lighthouse – barefoot, with a Conchita horse and a snake as its audience – Musical Charis spent three months writing and recording new tracks in the middle of nowhere in southern Texas. The Sacramento-based band Musical Charis is releasing its third album, “Ace of Space,” on Friday August fifth during the album release party at Cesar Chavez Park. This early release date – six days prior to the national release on August 11th – is a special limited release only available in Sacramento for concert attendees. “We love Sacramento,” said Jessie Brune, the band’s keyboardist. “Sacramento has been a really good home for us and we just wanted to say thank you by making the album

Fiesta en la Calle’s summer concert series began on the first Thursday of June and ended this past week. The nine free concerts at Cesar Chavez Plaza came to an end with Gustavo Galindo, Cambio De Piel and Orixa closing out the successful first year concert series. Vince Vicari served as emcee for the event. As he came to the stage he thanked the event sponsors including Corona, D’Chaleco Magazine and radio station Latino 97.9. Ricardo “El Niño” Rayas once again served as DJ for the show. Vicari took the stage to introduce the evening’s performances saying, “We have three great bands out here tonight. We are very excited to close our summer concert series this way. We also have great f

People got funky with the funk, R&B and soul bands at the Friday Night Concert in the park at Cesar Chavez last week. The Bell Boys and the Gerald Pease Combo put on great shows that had people bopping their heads. The Nibblers headlined, with people dancing and filling the dance area in front of the stage. The Bell Boys, made up of brothers Erik, Jacob and Elijah, opened the evening with a fresh sound mix of hip-hop and electronic sounds echoing through the park. They were joined by singer James Cavern. The young guys’ energy was infectious as Jacob and Erik played their hearts out on guitar and drums while lead singer Elijah Bell smiled as he sang to the crowd. The Bell Boys got peop

Caliente, the Spanish word for hot, was the perfect word to describe Jammin’ in the Park 2. Saturday’s event drew well over 1,000 spectators to Cesar Chavez Park to enjoy the sounds of DJ Nightfly, Esteban Villa, Blanca Sandoval, Los Elegantes and the legendary Latin rockers Malo. Two fathers of the Chicano art movement — RCAF artist and poet activist Jose Montoya and El Teatro Campesino veteran and Chicano film producer Phil Esparza — were honored for their contributions to the Sacramento community. La Raza Galeria Posada presented a family day full of music, dance, poetry, arts and crafts. Many vendors had stations set up inside the beer garden and around other parts of the park. Chi

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

Local indie bands offered up a hearty dose of energy and a touch of theatrics to the 1,000-plus-person crowd at Cesar Chavez Park Friday night for the latest installation of the Concerts in the Park series. On the sidewalk leading up to the stage area, vendors were selling gyros, drinks, necklaces and earrings. The CHP had a tented booth, as did radio station Radio 94.7 FM and The Sacramento Press. The night’s diverse crowd included families, neon-haired teens and seniors, all basking in the glow of live music and sunshine. Friends spread out islands of blankets on the grass, and children ran around with balloons attached to their wrists. Siblings Juli and Tyler Lydell of The Dreaded Di

Hundreds of Sacramento locals gathered at the corner of J and 20th streets in Midtown Sacramento late Saturday afternoon as world-renowned performance painter David Garibaldi showed appreciation for Kings fans by featuring them in his “Be Heard” mural. Garibaldi requested photos of fans via Facebook and Twitter last week, and he chose 10 of the photos to display on his massive mural. “I’ve never done anything quite like this,” said the Sacramento artist. “I was honored to give something back to the Kings fans, who are the ones responsible for the team staying in Sacramento.” DJ Joseph One’s music echoed off the buildings and through the streets as crowds of people watched in awe and gos

Locals boogied to music from Miss Lonely Hearts, Keri Carr and The Golden Cadillacs at Cesar Chavez Park for Concerts in the Park Friday night. The host said that several audience members shook their hips like “country zumba dancers” to each of the bands. Mothers danced with their sons and daughters, couples boogied down and children ran in front of the stage. Around 1,000 people came out to buy food and drinks and enjoy the music. Miss Lonely Hearts band is an experimental country and roots band from Davis. The band includes Wyatt Hesemeyer as the lead singer, Patrick O’Connor on suitcase percussion, Doug Keen on bass and vocals and Keith Cary on lap steel and mandolin. Hesemeyer’s lo

The weather forecast for Thursday is clear and sunny and Sacramento is counting down the hours to this year's biggest St. Patrick’s Day party. The de Vere’s Party in the Park kicks off at 10 a.m. on Thursday March 17th at Cesar Chavez Plaza in Downtown Sacramento for 12 hours of St. Patrick’s Day festivities, music, pipes, dancers, food, and drinks. 9th street between I and J streets will be closed to traffic beginning at 5 am to make room for all of the St. Patrick's Day festivities happening in the park. The street will reopen to traffic after midnight. Advance ticket sales for the Party in the Park available at deveresderules.com end at 11:30 a.m. on March 16, but tickets are availabl

Sacramento’s St. Patrick’s Day party will be held downtown this year instead of on L Street so the event can accommodate the thousands of expected festivalgoers, according to Lisa Martinez, director of outreach and marketing for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. The downtown organization and de Vere’s Irish Pub are organizing this year’s de Vere’s St. Patrick’s Day Party in the Park at Cesar Chavez Park from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 17. “Our goal is to create a bigger footprint for the event,” said Martinez, Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s director of outreach and marketing. From 5 a.m. to midnight on March 17, Ninth Street will be shut down between I and J streets for

Come along and be a part of the FREE fun at the City of Sacramento’s 2011 Earth Day celebration! Earth dwellers of all ages are invited to come celebrate and learn about our majestic world, and the Sacramento community’s role in helping to make our area a green and even more environmentally friendly city. The Earth Day celebration takes place on Thursday April 21st, at the City Hall Plaza located at 915 I Street, and Cesar Chavez Park located just across tthe street in downtown Sacramento. Our celebration kicks off with lively entertainment at 9 :00 AM with the festivities continuing until 2:00 PM. The green fun includes interactive learning, complete with clean air demonstrations, ring-