It’s time for the first Top Five Fridays of 2013! Scroll down for The Sacramento Press’s most-viewed articles of the past seven days. Community Contribution 5. New Year’s Eve fireworks in Old Sac | Photos by Kati Garner Making one of her regular appearances on Top Five Fridays, Kati Garner comes in at No. 5 with another great photo journal. 4. Django Unchained by Luke Soin This movie is HOT right now. In the words of Mr. Soin, “People are throwing the word masterpiece around this movie like they throw cigarette butts on the ground at a Depeche Mode concert, and rightly so.” 3. Tune up cycling skills with free Bikeology 101 Workshop by Bonnie Osborn Free bike info? Sign me up! Don’t wo

Double Rainbow in Sacramento Pro-am photogs about the city snapped shots of an early morning double rainbow. Storified by The Sacramento Press· Fri, Dec 21 2012 09:42:32 The weather may feel a little bah humbug on the cusp of this pre-holiday weekend, but the sun did peak through long enough this morning, giving everyone reason to take out their phones or cameras and start snapping. Here are some Storified shots of today's double rainbow.   Happy Friday, happy holidays and happy puddle jumping! Double rainbowxlillou777x Photo by Karen WilkinsonThe Sacramento Press On the day of the #endoftheworld I wake up to fire red sky's and double rainbows. I see today as the dawn of

Skip the crowded malls and bring your wish lists and cameras down to the MARRS Building to visit Santa’s Workshop in Midtown, Sacramento. This Saturday, Santa's elves will be welcoming the whole family down to capture their holiday portraits with Santa during his final day in Midtown. Attending the workshop is FREE and open to the public. Families will have the opportunity to take their own photos or they can purchase instant photos from the on-site photographer. Children are also encouraged to bring their letters to Santa and place them in Santa’s Mailbox for express journey to the North Pole. This Saturday we will also be having FREE Milk & Cookies available for all the kiddos to enjoy

[Note: text written by Natalie Nelson, Director of the Pence Gallery in Davis. Natalie coordinated and moderated the "Arts Grown Locally" panel discussion.] For those living in mostly rural Yolo County, sometimesa town like Davis or Woodland can feel a little isolated. However, it means that you have a world of entertainment choices in terms of options for great art, music, and dance, despite Yolo’s small population of 200,000+ people. This past year of 2012 was a watershed year for the arts in Yolo County. The Nelson Gallery of UC Davis received a large naming gift, and embarked on a campaign to build a new facility. John Natsoulas created a gallery of public art throughout downtown Dav

Skip the crowded malls this Holiday Season and bring your wish lists and cameras down to the MARRS Building to visit Santa’s Workshop in Midtown, Sacramento. Santa's Workshop is open every Saturday in December, leading up to Christmas Weekend. This Saturday Santa's elves welcome the whole family, even the pets, to capture their holiday portraits with Santa. Grateful Dog Daycare will be on hand to give the photogenic pooches a special treat. Families will have the opportunity to take their own photos or they can purchase instant photos from the on-site photographer. Children are also encouraged to bring their letters to Santa and place them in Santa’s Mailbox for express journey to the No

Photos by Ron Nabity Photography:  Colten Bilbrey from Beitzel Elementary School gives it his all while singing the National Anthem. Sacramento's James Johnson attempts to block a shot by Pistons' Tayshaun Prince in the first period. Detroit's Jason Maxiell slams one home during the first period.  Isaiah Thomas lays one up past Detroit's Andre Drummond.  Chuck Hayes protects the ball during the first half of Wednesday's game. Fans enjoy the action.  Wednesday's game was not as well-attended as Monday's home opener.  Kings' Marcus Thornton fights for a rebound in the closing minutes of the first half. Tyreke Evans works his way around a Detroit player to make the layup. Kings and

The Sacramento Kings won their first home game of the season on Monday night against the Golden State Warriors. With a 16-point run in the third quarter, the Kings managed to hang on as the Warriors fought back in the fourth, finishing at a close 94-92. Post game press conference via Cowbell Kingdom: Sacramento Press community contributor and photographer Ron Nabity (see his work at nabityphotos.com) was there to capture the night and sent us these shots:  Opening ceremony included glow sticks for everyone. Golden State's Harrison Barnes takes a shot in the first minutes of the game. DeMarcus Cousins moves into rebound position during a free throw in the first period. Rapper Futu

Alt-rock godfathers and Lollapalooza festival founders Jane's Addiction brought  their "Theatre of the Escapists" Tour to the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at UC Davis Saturday night. Thenewno2 ("the new number two") opened. The band played a mix of songs ranging from three off of their most recent album, 2011's The Great Escape Artist, to their classic back catalog that prompted many full-throated audience sing-alongs. Their first studio album, 1988's Nothing's Shocking, was well-represented with "Mountain Song, "Ted, Just Admit It...," "Ocean Size," "Up The Beach," and with "Jane Says" played with Dave Navarro (on acoustic guitar) and bassist Chris Chaney sitting in comforta

The Sacramento Press has thorough coverage of the 3rd Annual Bastille Day Waiters' Race here and here, but I happened to be in the area with my camera and took some photos. Ah well: the more, the merrier. Or as the French say, "plus on est de fous, plus on rit" (literally: 'the crazier we are, the more we laugh').        

The creme de la creme of Sacramento’s restaurant wait staff gathered Saturday night for the Bastille Day Waiter’s Race. Fifty tray-carrying participants speed walked twice around the block bounded by 18th and 19th Streets and L Street and Capitol Avenue while trying not to spill the glasses on their trays.  The streets were packed with curious onlookers who were cheering on their friends or the wait staff who represented their favorite restaurant. Activities such as a photo booth complete with silly props and karaoke provided pre-race entertainment. Afterwards, racers, friends and family met in the 1801 L courtyard for drinks, socializing and the awards ceremony. Marja-Liisa Magnuson of

The Shins (with opening act Gardens & Villa) played Monday night at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at UC Davis. The show was the last of series of four concerts in Davis in April produced by the Bay Area's Another Planet Entertainment that I started calling "mini-Coachella," since the headlining bands (and many of the openers) also played that desert mega-festival the last two weekends: Explosions In The Sky at the Mondavi, Bon Iver at Freeborn Hall, and Florence + the Machine at the Mondavi. Other recent Coachella stopovers in the region include fIREHOSE at Harlow's, The Buzzcocks at Ace of Spades, Givers at Harlow's, and Mazzy Star at Harlow's. The Shins are touring to suppo

Appearing behind a sheer shadow box a top the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts stage on Wednesday night, Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, launched into her lilting “Only if For One Night,” the starting track off her 2011 record release “Ceremonials.” The crowd, captivated by Welch’s charisma and gold-studded cloak, cheered as the singer reverently raised her arms like a black bird and crooned the chorus line: “But you came over me like some holy rite, and although I was burning, you're the only light! Only if for a night!” Her graceful, yet guttural vocals permeated the theatre full with Florence aficionados. Behind her, a tapestry of stained glass cathedral windows and ce

Texas band Explosions In The Sky visited the Mondavi Center at UC Davis Sunday night and provided a pure guitar wall of sound bliss. Their show is the first of a set of four concerts in Davis in April produced by the Bay Area's Another Planet Entertainment (books shows for the Outside Lands Festival (2012 lineup to be announced tomorrow), the Treasure Island Music Festival, The Independent in SF, and the Fox Theater in Oakland, among others) that I am dubbing "mini-Coachella" since the headlining bands (and many of the openers) are playing there both last and next weekend. Upcoming Davis shows are: Bon Iver on Tuesday, April 17th at Freeborn Hall; Florence and the Machine on Wednesday, Ap

American River College (located at 4700 College Oak Drive in Sacramento) is exhibiting a collection of photos from the Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program through March 30. The collection will be on display in the school’s Kaneko Gallery in its Fine & Applied Arts Area. The gallery’s hours are 11am-4pm Monday-Thursday and 11am-2pm Friday. Parking permits are $1 for the day. ARC is the only community college in the state to receive such a gift, which includes 150 portraits, celebrity snapshots, couples, nudes, painting ideas, party photos, still lifes, and outdoor images. Art faculty Ken Magri and ARC Foundation Executive Director Kirsten DuBray worked to secure the collection, which

It was a very tough decision to choose the winners of The Sacramento Press 2012 Journalism Open. Fifty-three community contributors shared 93 stories about the greater Sacramento area and the quality of submissions this year really impressed the judges. Thank you to all of you who made this year’s Journalism Open a success. The Sacramento Press judges were Casey Kirk, Director of Community Outreach, Brandon Darnell, Copy Editor and Reporter, and Colleen Belcher, Editor-in-Chief. Each story was judged on newsworthiness, research and sources, spelling and grammar and how interesting they were. Each winner could only win one prize. Click here to read the complete judging criteria. First

Photographs are an important part of storytelling and can often tell a story on their own. After a brief workshop hiatus, our first Sacramento Press workshop for 2012 will be on photojournalism. (The Journalism Open workshop wasn't a typical workshop for us.) John Hernandez will teach an introductory photojournalism workshop from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the Sacramento Press office called "Introduction to Photojournalism." Hernandez is a Sacramento-based photographer. He has professional experience in wedding, portrait and social documentary photography as well as various multimedia platforms, including audio slideshows. He has freelanced for ABS-CBN, a Filipino American news ch

Just moments after Wilco’s enigmatic guitarist Nels Cline had peeled the paint off the walls inside UC Davis' Mondavi Center with a little psychedelic freakout on "Impossible Germany," front man Jeff Tweedy pulled out the line of the night: "You know, something just occurred to me - the guy yelling 'Free Bird!' might help explain the pepper spray incident." Ohhh, too soon? Tweedy asked that too, amidst the smattering of "ohhh's" and groans that were peppered (zing!) in with the laughter and the applause - although there seemed to be a resounding agreement that a little aerosol Tabasco to the face would be an appropriate response for a guy who apparently still thinks it's cool or funny t

Only 10 miles from downtown is an area used to be known as the strawberry capital of the world: the Old Florin Town District, according to its locals. The ongoing revitalization efforts in the area shows acknowledgment of its historic past. “The goal is to make Old Florin Town a destination,” Sacramento County Department Transportation Senior Land Architect James Schubert said. According to the "Sacramento County Florin Vision Plan" in 2002, the county and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) started revitalization efforts in the district. Since then, two district gateway landmarks were installed: one on Florin Road and Florin-Perkins Road and another on Florin Road a

Verge Center for the Arts has remained a consistent hub of creativity for Sacramento since they first opened their doors as a private art gallery in 2009. In 2010 they expanded into their current space—a 22,000 square foot warehouse in Downtown Sacramento—and organized as a nonprofit. Now home to 30 resident studio artists, plus extensive gallery and event space, Verge continues their mission of exposing Sacramento to the contemporary art and artists of the region. 2011 was a particularly big year for Verge. Among many other achievements, they had a more-than-successful Kickstarter campaign ($9,165 raised on a $7,500 goal!), won the First Place award of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Co