Disclaimer: the contributor of this and his wife run Movies on a Big Screen, Sacramento's weekly screening series of documentaries, general independent film, classics and cult titles. The following is blatant self-promotion of a MOBS event. On Sunday, March 14, 2010, Movies on a Big Screen is teaming up with the Sacramento Historical Society to present, Meet Mary Pleasant. The filmmaker, Susheel Bibbs, will be in attendance to speak following the film. The film begins at 7:30 PM, and the screening will take place at The Guild Theater, which is located at 2828 35th St, Sacramento. Admission is $5.00. About Meet Mary Pleasant: A unique, historical, performance documentary, unfolds the sag

In the two and a half weeks that I've been a Sacramentan, I've discovered many things that I like.  Some of these things I have included in my series of "Discovering Sacramento" articles.  I really like taco trucks. I like sports bars in general, and Sneakers in particular.  I like the Garden Highway, and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to like the Virgin Sturgeon.  But there are a lot more things that I like, which haven't made it into my articles.  With this fact in mind, I have decided to begin a new storyline.  I'm calling it "Stuff I Like".  I'm going to try and keep these posts brief and to the point.  This is what I like, heres why, badda bing, badda boom. Short attention span readin

To kick off Sacramento's Beer Week, the Old City Cemetery Committee conducted a tour of Sacramento brewers who are buried in Sacramento's Historic City Cemetery. The tour began at 10 a.m. Saturday, with about 40 people gathered to learn about these historical beer makers. The tour was guided by Dr. Bob LaPerriere, who shared his wealth of knowledge as we stopped at the brewers' graves throughout the beautiful cemetery. It was interesting to learn that all but two of the brewers buried there were German by ancestry and most of these men interacted with each other, whether it was through their business investments, ownership or employment. The first stop was at the grave site of Frank Ru

Tuesday night's regular Sacramento County Historical Society monthly meeting will not feature beer, but copies of Sacramento’s Breweries will be available for sale, and author Ed Carroll will sign books and give a brief talk on Sacramento brewery history. In addition to the Golden Notes signing, the meeting will also feature James Scott and Tom Tolley, presenting their new book Sacramento’s Alkali Flat by Arcadia Publishing. They will also give a brief talk on their book, will have copies for sale and be present for signing. SCHS members can pick up their free copy of Sacramento’s Breweries early at this event; for non-members, copies cost $15. Sacramento’s Breweries, by historian Ed Car

On Tuesday February 9 the Sacramento City Council authorized the use of the Sacramento city seal for use on plaques to be fabricated through the Historic Properties Plaque Program, a project of Sacramento Heritage, Inc.   Sacramento Heritage Inc. is a nonprofit organization incorporated by the city of Sacramento to promote and preserve Sacramento's architectural heritage. The Historic Properties Plaque Program allows owners of properties that are either listed Sacramento landmarks, or contributing buildings to Sacramento historic districts, to purchase bronze plaques for display on their properties. The cost of the plaques will be paid by the property owner, should they choose to partici

The doors to discovery will be open and waiting Saturday with Sacramento's 12th annual Museum Day. Museum Day will open 26 of Sacramento's museums to the community at no charge from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The last guests will be admitted at 4 p.m. and all will close at 5 p.m. This event is presented by the Sacramento Association of Museums, which promotes a large range of art, history, science and wildlife museums and exhibits. Museum Day coordinator Delta Pick Mello said last year saw a record 80,000 participants at Museum Day. This year, depending on the weather, Mello recommended that guests plan to visit only two or three museums on Saturday so they have time for parking and possible c

The Shack restaurant in East Sacramento was packed Saturday, the overflow filling the patio. So many people turned up for the book launch of photographer Tom Myers’ “Postcard History Series: Sacramento,” that he sold the 65 copies he'd brought in little over an hour.   The book is a visual history of Sacramento, taken from Myers’ collection of vintage postcards and supplemented with specific descriptions and historical details.   Myers began collecting postcards about six years ago as an extension of his interest in the history of the Sacramento area. His collection has grown to more than 680 postcards, most of them spanning the years 1905 to 1940.   The introduction to the book was

On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed to the world, "I have a dream...” His speech was given at the Lincoln Memorial after a quarter million people concluded the March on Washington, which became the largest demonstration for human rights of its time. Martin Luther King, a reverend, scholar and civil rights activist, practiced non-violence and civil disobedience to help change the existence of racial inequalities. During his life he was recognized by being the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, at age 35, but is predominantly known for his leadership in demonstrations and non-violent protests that challenge racial segregation and racial discriminatio

Family legend has it that Russian Czar Nicholas II was hot on the heels of the Anapolskies when the clan's grandmother shepherded the children out of the country. The situation was much the same for other Jewish families in 1904 Russia. On Tuesday, descendants of the immigrants, who settled in Sacramento, celebrated the longevity of a downtown business that has remained in the family for more than 100 years. Three generations of brothers, as well as a wife-husband team, have run the business for the last century. The business has changed over the years to become Sacramento's oldest family-operated pawn shop, California Loan & Jewelry Co. The current owners, brothers Larry and Warren Anap

The smell of rubber and motor oil fill the vast warehouse stuffed with cars, trucks and motorcycles. The battle between man and machine reaches its pinnacle under the I-5 freeway in downtown Sacramento. The California Automobile Museum, 2200 Front St., is featuring the Born to Ride exhibit through March 12. The exhibit is chronological, following motorcycles from their humble beginnings at the turn of the 20th century to the current world speed record holder. This impressive machine, BUB 7, reached 367.382 mph in September at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. Bikes of all brands, spanning several countries and countless models, are on display. There's a 1912 Harley Davidson, once owned by Steve

The story of Sacramento's rapid development from remote frontier city to hub of the modern Central Valley is rich and storied. It's easy to forget that 65 years ago trolley cars criss-crossed Sacramento's bustling streets. Not too long before that, areas such as East Sacramento and Land Park were unincorporated farmland. Since 1953, the Center for Sacramento History, the city and county's official archive, has collected and preserved artifacts that tell Sacramento's colorful story. But it's not just a repository. The center allows researchers to duplicate its vast collection of video, photographs and documents for a modest fee. Recently it partnered with Zazzle, an Internet company, t

Those passing by Grebitus & Sons Jewelers at the corner of 10th and L Street this month will see a piece of Sacramento history in the window; a trio of life-size animated figures (a man, a woman and a dog) in front of a Christmas tree. The figures are products of the Gaffney Display Company, the family firm who created the figures for the Breuner's furniture store chain's annual Christmas window display.   The idea started at November's Sacramento County Historical Society meeting, where Mark Gaffney gave a presentation on the history of Gaffney Display Company and their years providing animated figures for Breuner's. Mark's parents started Gaffney Display in 1936, and Mark has carried o

For the fourth year, the California Hall of Fame will induct a group of individuals who have changed the state for the better. The ceremony will be held on Tuesday at the California Museum, the site of the hall of fame. The 13 inductees are: Carol Burnett (comedienne and actress) Andy Grove (former chairman and chief executive officer of Intel Corp.) Hiram Johnson (California governor and U.S. senator) Rafer Johnson (Olympic gold medalist in decathlon) Henry J. Kaiser (industrialist and founder of Kaiser Permanente and the Kaiser Family Foundation) Joan Kroc (philanthropist and widow of the founder of McDonald's) George Lucas (director and producer) John Madden (NFL player, coach a

Sacramento, CA – On Friday, December 4, 2009, the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) will unveil a new photographic exhibition, Red Menace! The Sacramento Conspiracy Trial of 1935. The exhibition documents Communist farm labor organizers on trial in Sacramento for attempting to “overthrow the government.” The evening will include an address about the trial by Dr. Kathryn Olmstead, a professor in the History Department at the University of California, Davis. The exhibition reception with light refreshments begins at 6:00 p.m., while the lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. at CSH (551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd, Sacramento). Tickets are $10.00 a person and must be purchased in advance at CSH or by callin

From the lofty perches of the power players, in their skyboxes and bank towers, the public may look very small, almost antlike. Deal and decision makers are elevated and segregated from the little people, whose lives they influence. On Thursday, October 29, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced his "Rules of the Game" plan to build an arena and entertainment complex in Sacramento. The press conference was held 25 floors up, with a hazy overview of the city, extending from the historic rail yards to Cal Expo: two potential sites for a new and lucrative sports/real estate venture. In that same sweeping view, the mayor could look down on the central city neighborhoods. From Downtown, Midtown, East

Sierra II in Curtis Park was the location for the ninth and final Town Hall Meeting of the City of Sacramento Charter Review Committee. The crowd of approximately 45 people was on the Baby Boom-plus end of the generational scale. It included members of the public, neighborhood representatives and former, current and candidate public officials, from the Central City, Curtis/Land Park, Oak Park and the South Area. The City Charter legally and procedurally defines the City of Sacramento and its operations. Kevin Johnson's Strong Mayor Initiative, which would dramatically change the City Charter, will be on the June 2010 ballot. Sacramento was founded with a City Charter in 1858. In 1921, d

As a Sacramento resident keenly interested in the history of K Street from the gold rush to the present, I have read many opinions regarding the best ways to fix the ongoing problems of K Street. Some have been proposed recently, ideas that I view with a mixture of amusement and horror. Most involve returning to the mistakes of the past while clearly avoiding its successes. In order to take the best from the past while avoiding some of its mistakes, I have selected some favorites. I can take credit for none of them, as they are all ideas that have been suggested at other times and places, but they seem like the best of the lot to me. This ten-point plan varies in scope from the very simple

October marks Archives Month in most of the states in the union, and for the sixth consecutive year, California will be participating. To celebrate, the State Archives will be hosting an open house at 1020 O Street on Saturday, Oct. 3, starting at 4 p.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m. Stephanie Hamashin, an archivist who will be working the event, spoke about what attendees can expect. "The most important part of the exhibit will be both of California's constitutions," Hamashin said. "We haven't had the 1849 one on display in five years, and the one from 1879 is about the same. What is major is that both have never been shown simultaneously." Due to the fragile nature of the documents, special

The Sacramento County Historical Society presents its Fall Social & Barbecue Under the Stars in the Old City Cemetery When: Saturday, September 26, 2009 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM Where: Sacramento Old City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway Sacramento's city cemetery was established in 1849 with a donation of 10 acres of high ground by John Sutter. Among its first internments were the victims of Sacramento's 1850 cholera epidemic. Some notable residents of the old city cemetery are city founder John Sutter Jr., our first mayor Hardin Bigelow, and Central Pacific founder Mark Hopkins. Thousands of other Sacramentants inhabit the cemtery, from all walks of life. Tour guides will introduce you to some of the

This summer, a group of Sacramento State graduate students and local history enthusiasts began gathering once a month to take a bike ride through Sacramento's historic neighborhoods and share their knowledge about local history, historic architecture and cultural heritage. Two rides have occurred so far. The next will take place on Sunday, August 30, at 9:00 AM, in the Southside Park neighborhood. Riders will meet at the site of the Robert E. Callahan Bandstand in Southside Park, near the corner of 7th and T Street, at 9:00 AM. Built on a former slough, Southside was inhabited by generations of immigrants and working-class families. The neighborhood's many ethnic communities, including Po