Families beware, a Tyrannosaurus rex is running loose at the Discovery Museum Science and Space Center this weekend. As part of the museum's Gee Whiz Geology: An Exhibit About Rocks, Fossils and Dinosaurs that began Jan. 16, the museum is focusing this weekend's activity on the terrifying T-rex. This featured exhibit is geared toward families with kids about 12 and younger, but there is fun for everyone, as visitors will begin their learning adventure tracking down the Tyrannosaurus rex footprints throughout the museum's grounds. Families will learn about these huge creatures together as they move through the museum and interact with exhibits. Beth Callahan, director of marketing and d

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

Mark your calendar and don't miss the California Automobile Museum's Annual Spring Swap Meet on Sunday, March 7, 2010 from 6am - 2pm.Vendors will offer unique and hard to find automobile collectibles and accessories, including antique auto parts, tools, books, magazines, models and much more! The Meet is located next to the Museum at 2400 Front Street - parking in Museum parking lot, on the street, and behind the Museum. New this year, vendors can pre-register by visiting www.CalAutoMuseum.org/SwapMeet. There will also be set-up and merchant and car sales registration on Saturday, March 6 from 2pm - 5pm and registration and set up will open at 5am on March 7. General admission and parking

Suspended from a wall, a Chinese dragon's red eyes peer into mine. Its multicolored head sways playfully, side to side, up and down, mechanical tongue wagging while dancing with glimmering sequins. To the left of the 5-foot dragon head, a small circular Chinese Moon Gate welcomes me into a new exhibit I've been invited to tour several days before opening. I vaguely remember viewing similar scenery my first time outside of California. My mind wanders back to 1990, age 5, learning the lion dance in the streets of southern China. I complain to Mother how I'm the only Chinese American Jew in all of China. I miss my Californian friends of many different races. I walk past a rope, a ladder an

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

By The Celebrities Psychic NANCY BRADLEY Sometimes a building is not haunted itself; the artifacts it holds are. This is the fantastic case of the Discovery/History Museum in Old Town Sacramento, California, located on Ist Street in Old Sac. It was not too long ago that as the Celebrities Psychic I received a call from the Discovery Museum. They had been hearing strange noises. Employees talked of things being put one place and found in another. Most of the activity was happening upstairs they told me. One employee said “I saw a person upstairs at the old carriage. It was before we opened the doors for the day. The person was dressed in ‘old time’ clothes and I thought, well, they must ha

More than 95 regional artists and craftspeople will offer their unique gift items during the Crocker Art Museum’s Holiday Art & Craft Festival at the Scottish Rite Center, located across from the main entrance of California State University, Sacramento, at 6151 H Street. Visitors will support the Crocker and local artists while they shop for everyone on their holiday list with an array of gift items and price ranges. The artist’s creations for sale include jewelry, ceramics, paintings, gourmet food, a variety of unique holiday items and more. You can also capture the holiday season by having photos taken with a Victorian Santa Claus in the front lobby. Attendees will also enjoy free parki

Halloween came to Sacramento early Wednesday morning as a group of six local science fiction lovers marched downtown dressed in Klingon, Death Star Trooper and Sith Lord costumes. Dozens of children and sci-fi fans flocked to take photographs and speak with the costumed characters. Others gawked, laughed and one child even cried as they meandered from the California Museum down K Street and past the Capitol to Cesar Chavez Plaza. The march was organized to promote The California Museum's new sci-fi exhibit "Out of this World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television," which will run from Oct. 3 to Jan. 10. It will feature more than 50 props and costumes from some of Hollywood's mo

Jazz keyboard master Roger Smith will perform during the Crocker Art Museum’s Third Thursday Jazz Summer Concert Series on September 17 from 5:30-8 p.m. Smith and his band will bring their lively spirit and exceptional talent to perform an array of melodies ranging from R&B to smooth jazz. This is the final concert of the Summer Concert Series before it takes a hiatus during the winter months. During his 30 year career, Smith has released five CD recordings and collaborated on countless others. His Off the Hook was a smash, No. 1 hit on Billboard’s contemporary jazz singles chart in 1999 and stayed in the top 10 for nearly 20 weeks. Smith returned to the charts in 2004 with the 14-track s

Sacramento gamblers tired of driving to Las Vegas to get their gaming fix can breathe a sigh of relief. The Sacramento History Museum is bringing the games to Old Sac with the first-ever Gold Rush Gambling Day. Although the dealers may be playing Three Card Monte instead of Texas Hold 'Em and the sinning might give way to educational outreach, it still promises to be a fun day. The event, which will be held on Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Sacramento History Museum (101 I St.), is one of the weekend events that the museum holds every second and fourth Saturday. It is expected to last about one hour. The day will begin with a lecture about Gold Rush-era gambling games and life in the typical s

Ahhh, yes, it's that time of the month again folks. Second Saturday weekend that is! Although there are great things going on all month long throughout Sacramento, many locals will argue that the second weekend of the month in Sacramento is their favorite time to venture out on the town. In addition to the Art Walk on Saturday, this weekend has a plethora of cool things to check out. And for Sactown, mid-July is looking to bring us some relatively mild weather to boot! Take a look to see if any of these events can lure you to venture out...try something different this week! Thursday 7.9 Food & Wine: California Grape & Gourmet -- $50 ($70 day of) Where: Sacramento Convention Center When:

This is a great week for book-minded Sacramentans, with plenty of literary events taking place in libraries, movie theaters, community centers and museums.  Read on. Monday, June 29, 7:30 p.m. Poetry reading -- Dorine Jennette and Valerie Fioravanti. Sacramento Poetry Center. Hosted by Frank Graham Dixon. Davis resident Jennette has published poems, essays, and reviews in The Journal, Ninth Letter, Coconut, Court Green, Memorious, Puerto del Sol, and the Georgia Review. She has a poetry collection, Grace by Degrees, coming out in 2010. Valerie Fioravanti writes fiction, essays, and prose poems. Her story collection, The Brooklyn Shuffle, was a finalist for the Tartt First Book Award. Her

The property on the west side of the existing Crocker is prepped for constructing the new wing in July 2008. A block structure will house equipment that will service the entire art museum. The steel beams are above the basement which is the front part of the new wing along the street. The concrete wall in lower portion of photo is along the western side of the new wing. A worker on the south side of the basement which is the front area of the new wing. The holes in the concrete will carry the heating/cooling ducts. The area below and above the duct openings are now filled in and are part of the floor. The auditorium and seating is put in place. Concrete flooring on the e

Sacramento's Preservation Roundtable is a quarterly gathering of local history and historic preservation organizations, intended to share current information on local preservation topics, public policy, events, and plans in progress. Everyone is welcome to attend. Preservation Roundtable - Saturday June 13th 9:00am to Noon at the Young Ladies Institute – 27th & N Sts. (1400 27th Street) Continental Breakfast * $5 donation 6/13/09 AGENDA: 9:00 Welcome & Introductions 9:10 Preservation Issues & Updates: - CA State RR Museum Foundation - Kathy Daigle - Capitol Dist. State Museum & Historic Parks-Pati Brown - DOC (Devel. Oversight Committee) update - City Preservation Office - Roberta Deeri

On June 5, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation will host a Riverboat Casino Night on board the Delta King Riverboat, providing a colorful look at the world of the riverboat gambler. This event will feature authentic 1850s games of chance, including Chuck-A-Luck, Faro and Shut the Box, as well as more familiar games like poker and roulette. Also featured are a silent auction, live music and entertainment, and food and drink, all appropriate to the Gold Rush era. Re-enactors in period attire will add to the atmosphere of the event. While period attire is not required for those who attend, it is encouraged. Several stores in Old Sacramento, including Sacramento Dry Goods on Second and I St

Although many of the events this weekend do not really reflect the true meaning of the foundation of this holiday, there are still some great things to do! Whatever your plan is this weekend, do take a moment to reflect on what Memorial Day is about and be thankful for our fellow Americans who put their lives on the line for the sake of our country. Just in case you aren't sure as to what Memorial Day is all about and why it is a National Holiday, here is the definition from Wikipedia: "Formerly known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near

An all-star cast of jazz musicians are slated to perform during the Crocker Art Museum’s popular Third Thursday Jazz Summer Concert Series. From May through September, concerts are held outside on the third Thursday of the month from 5:30-8 p.m. Light refreshments and beverages are available for purchase. Concerts are free to Crocker members and $10 for nonmembers. The Perry Mills Project will open the series this Thursday, May 21. Guitarist and singer Perry Mills will lead his band in a passionate fusion of rock and jazz. Their new CD Hello? is aimed at engaging, rhythmic, and approachable musical art, infused with R&B and jam-band vibes, while keeping the integrity of progressive-rock a

Live snakes, bats and a desert tortoise named Shelly - these animals will slither, fly and crawl their way around the California Museum on Saturday, April 25. Inspired by Earth Month and Earth Day, Family Fun Day will have the theme "California's Critters and Crawlers." From 10 a.m.-3 p.m., families and individuals will be able to enter the museum for free and view any of the regular exhibits as well as build crafts, learn about animals and view some endangered and threatened species. The goal is "to learn more about California's natural diversity," said Ashley Robinson, the museum's communications manager. Emceeing the event will be Francie Dillon, a children's entertainer who will be

Week 13: March 31-April 5 So after a few weeks of experimenting with this Storyline, I’ve decided to tweak things around a bit. Quandary: My initial concept of highlighting an event a day was in response to those flighty and exasperated comments like: “There’s nothing interesting going on in Sacramento” or even more so the: “There’s nothing to do on Mondays (or any other day of the week that doesn’t seem to offer anything new)”. 7 Days, 7 things to do was my attempt to address this boring complaint of the non-creative, unimaginative types. Not to say that I haven’t been there myself! Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t until I started to get out a little bit that I really became aware of the

Economy have you feeling down? The Crocker Art Museum is offering some much-needed respite and relaxation at special rates through its Arts Stimulus Package. Launching today, the special deals and discounts will remain in effect through 2009. “Historically, museums are very well attended during times of national strife and economic decline,” comments Lial A. Jones, Director, Crocker Art Museum. “Individuals look for places to relax and refresh. Our goal is to keep the Crocker easily accessible during this difficult time.” The Arts Stimulus Package includes two ongoing specials for the general public and extra discounts for public employees on Furlough Fridays. Guests can purchase a new