The Sacramento Banana Festival returned to William Land Park this past weekend for the third time. This year’s theme was Bananarama. Dozens of performances took place during the two-day festival celebrating community involvement, art, music, food, diversity, health, wellness, culture and of course, bananas. Two acts performed simultaneously throughout both days. In between the two stages, the Children’s Stage and the Main Stage, an open air marketplace housed vendors, informational booths and a food court that offered an assortment of banana and other dishes. This year’s hosts were poet, Frank Withrow, and former News 10 reporter, Karen Massie. The hosts kept things moving at the main

Sacramentans and their families can go bananas this weekend at the third annual Banana Festival, Bananarama, in William Land Park. The festival promises live music, vendors, contests, and banana-themed foods ranging from banana cake to less-conventional “bananachos” and banana dogs. For the $5 admission, festivalgoers can enjoy around 20 banana foods and snacks and take part in activities including banana limbo and bingo. Live music ranging from African and Brazilian to blues, jazz and R&B will be playing alongside a live mural painting (guess the theme), amusement rides, face painting, storytelling and a banana split eating contest. Other competitions for kids include the Bananas in Paj

Thanks to the efforts of Museum Director Shonna McDaniels, contemporary artist Sonya Fe is the featured artist this month at the Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum located at 2251 Florin Rd. in Sacramento. Fe is an award-winning, internationally recognized fine artist. She found her calling in childhood and developed into the renowned artist that she is today upon coming of age during Chicano Arts Movement of the 1970s as a painter and muralist. During her lengthy career, Fe’s art has been exhibited throughout the United States, and internationally in Mexico and Tokyo. The list of grants, awards and commissions Fe has earned is far too long to list. Her client list includes well

Well over 800 visitors participated in the Museum Day festivities at the Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum this past Saturday. The day’s events included cultural performances, storytelling, arts and crafts activities for children, food demonstrations and vendors displays of ethnic jewelry, greeting cards and well as original works of art. “We had a beautiful event today,” stated museum director and founder, artist Shonna McDaniels. “All of our activities today were intended to further our primary mission to educate children and adults about the cultural diversity that has strengthened this nation while providing a platform to develop and showcase artists from culturally diverse

This past Saturday night over 150 supporters attended a fundraising event at the Florin Road Arts and Business Complex in South Sacramento for Marissa Grant, 16, a Sacramento area teen who suffered cardiac arrest on January 27, 2011 while attending classes at Natomas High School. The event was hosted by “The Friends of Michele Grant,” a group that includes Grant’s coworkers, friends and concerned members of the community who came together to provide financial and emotional support as Marissa fights her way back from the effects of being deprived of oxygen for 8-10 minutes before paramedics arrived to revive her. “We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love,” stated Michele G

A group of caring individuals who refer to themselves as “The friends of Michele Grant” are hosting “An Evening for Marissa” this Saturday, January 21, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Florin Road Arts and Business Complex located at 2251 Florin Road in South Sacramento.  On January 27, 2011, Michele Grant’s 15 year old daughter, Marissa, went into cardiac arrest while attending classes at Natomas High School. Marissa is now on the long road toward rehabilitation and recovery. The fundraiser is to help Michele Grant with the care of her daughter. Tickets for the event are $15.00 for adults and $10.00 for children. Dinner will be served and there will be a raffle to raise funds to help the f

Nearly 4,000 festival-goers had the chance to taste everything banana last weekend: banana pancakes, bread, pudding, cookies and even banana-flavored ice cream, all while contributing to the Sojourner Truth Multicultural Art Museum at Sacramento’s inaugural banana festival. Held at Cosumnes River College Friday through Sunday, the festival educated the community on banana health benefits, said Shonna McDaniels, the museum’s director. “We wanted to bring the concept of the banana and how different cultures use and prepare the banana and educate the community,” McDaniels said. Those various cultures included the Caribbean and countries in Asia, the Americas and Africa. In conjunction wit