The Sacramento Zoo sponsored a full day of discover planet earth activities on Saturday, April 6, 2013. From learning how to protect the environment to appreciating the diversity of animals on the planet, all aspects of celebrating planet earth were offered at the zoo. Numerous presenters and exhibitors showed off commercial, government, and research products and projects that enhanced the way we understand and interact with the earth. I was able to photograph many of these displays, along with the people and children that were willing and enthusiastic participants.   Exhibitors display earth oriented products and services.       Touching and learning about tortoise and turtles.

It's a holiday week and so we have have multiple midweek openings, reviewed briefly below. Also opening in wide release today is the animated "Rise of the Guardians." And Friday will mark the limited release of "A Royal Affair" at the Crest (Denmark's official Academy Awards submission).   Red Dawn Directed by Dan Bradley It’s been 28 years since the original “Red Dawn” was made and approximately 4 since the remake was made and then shelved pending solutions to studio problems. And if the two films are representative of their times, in the intervening 24 years, apparently we got more interested in gritty realistic action scenes and less interested decent storytelling – and it’s now hipp

There’s a new resident at the Sacramento Zoo, the 2-year old Masai giraffe named Shani. “She is a pretty special girl,” said zoo spokeswoman Tonja Swank. “There are only about 100 Masai giraffes in American zoos.” She added that Shani will eventually mate with the zoo’s other Masai giraffe, Chifu. Shani came to Sacramento from the Los Angeles Zoo in mid-August and recently completed her quarantine period so she can now explore the exhibit, according to the zoo blog. The blog also notes that the Masai giraffe is the largest subspecies, and it is native to southern Kenya and Tanzania. Shani is about 11 feet tall, and she is expected to reach between 16 and 19 feet in height when she is

Looking for a special way to turn your Valentine’s Day into a memorable holiday? There are myriad options out there, but here are a few highlights for the upcoming weekend: For the foodie (Fri & Sat 6pm): Let GrubCrawlUSA's Pre-Valentine's Sexy Singles Mingle & Consensual Couples Crawl take you on a taste-tastic tour of Sacramento's finest dining spots. Whether you’re single or paired up, there’s a spot for you—Friday is aimed toward singles & Saturday to couples (so, presumably, if you find someone on Friday you can make a return tour on Saturday!). For the single lady (Fri 9pm): Stroll Now 100.5’s Mile of Men at The Park Ultra Lounge and take your pick from the area's most eligible bac

While last-minute shoppers set out to get that final gift on Christmas Eve the Sacramento Zoo filled with visitors who took advantage of free admission as the Zoo held its annual PJ Party. Opening the Zoo on Christmas Eve has been a tradition for more than 12 years and while wearing pajamas is not required to attend, admission is free during the three hour event. Tonja Swank, the Zoo's public relations coordinator, said the Zoo typically draws 500 to 600 visitors on a regular Saturday but on days like Christmas Eve or Free Museum Day when admission is free the number jumps into the thousands.     

If you’re a fan of Hula-Hoops and a variety of local food, wine and beer, then the Sacramento Zoo’s 10th annual King of Feasts Wine and Food Luau – which will be held Saturday at the zoo – is for you. “The luau is held all over the zoo,” Tonja Swank, public relations coordinator for the Sacramento Zoo, said of the 21-and-over event. “We line the different restaurants, wineries and breweries along different areas of the zoo. Some will be lined along Big Cat Row where the hyenas, snow leopard and where the larger cats are.” Participating restaurants include local favorites such as Zocalo, Taylor’s Kitchen, Kru and Chops Steakhouse. Swank said attendees can expect to find sample-serving siz

Sutter’s Landing will not be the future site for the Sacramento Zoo. That determination was made during a City Council workshop Tuesday afternoon. The workshop was called so the council members could be brought up to date on the current status of the zoo – currently located on 14 acres in Land Park – and where it will be in the next 40 years.  The workshop was called by Councilman Rob Fong following a feasibility study released last July. For now, the council has decided to keep the zoo in Land Park. “I think it’s pretty obvious that we’re not going to be looking at putting the zoo anywhere else in the short term,” Fong said, adding that the “short term” means anywhere in the next 20 y

Valentine’s Day has traditionally been celebrated with a simple dinner for two. Couples exchange cards professing their appreciation for one another, gift the usual candy and jewelery and call it a day. As Valentine’s Day draws closer, many people are looking to celebrate that special day in a more memorable way. Sacramento has a number of exciting events and specials to choose from on Valentine’s Day and the weekend prior. While many make reservations at their favorite restaurants, why not book a Valentine’s Day Lovers’ Cruise, provided by Hornblower Cruises, for a change? “Sacramento’s Cupid’s Valentine’s Weekend Brunch Cruise,” on Sunday, is a two-hour cruise departing from the L-S

  Fairytale Town opened its gates on Thursday for a special After Hours event, the Once Upon a Night: Moonlight Costume Ball, just for adults. The event was open to adults 18 years of age and older and featured live music, a DJ, dancing, two themed bars, food and beverage, a henna artist, and more.   Fairytale Town continues to promote the imagination, creativity and education of children as their core mission.  However, its After Hours programming will help develop an avenue to reach new audiences, and raise funds to support the park's programs for children and families.  "So many Sacramentans remember coming to Fairytale Town as children, and hold fond memories of the park.  We want to

 From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., watch the Sacramento Zoo’s California Celebration event on the below livestream feed. Sacramento Press will be onsite during this unique event and will be showing live performances and conducting interviews with participants and visitors. Free live streaming by Ustream Free video chat by UstreamExperience California’s rich cultural diversity with live entertainment, music and dance. Local museums, historical societies and genealogy groups are also participating. Participants include: Sojouner Truth Multi-Cultural Art Museum, Jodama, African Drum and Dance, Education First, Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, Kovar’s Satori Academy of Martial Arts,

 The Sacramento Press is excited to be using live, streaming video as a new media tool. We hope that by streaming the events we go to live, it will enhance the connection we have with our current readership, engage the community at these events and encourage new readership not just in downtown and Midtown, but all neighborhoods in the Sacramento area. Our first live streaming video experiment at the de Vere's Irish Pub's St. Patrick's Day block party was a big hit with The Sacramento Press' readers. St. Patrick's Day allowed us to realize that live video really helps us to showcase the great events happening in our neighborhoods and entice Sacramentans to get out and explore our communit

Summertime is here and Sacramento is stepping up to the plate! Sounds like it's going to be a scorching weekend at upwards of 100 degrees but the music and entertainment events are equally as sizzling! With a nice mix of free and low cost things to do as well as a few splurges, June is going out with a jam packed weekend! Browse this list to find plenty of opportunities to laugh, feast & learn along with local talent & tons of live music. It's sure to keep you and yours entertained all weekend long... Thursday 6.25 Theatre: Hedwig and the Angry Inch -- $25 Where: Artisan Theatre (1901 Del Paso Blvd) When: 8pm (also showing Fri & Sat nights this week) Why: This is the last weekend to see

Spring is almost over and so begins the onslaught of fun, fabulous things to do during the summer months in Sacramento! It's not quite time to break out the bikinis and flip-flops, but I have spotted some sleeveless tops and open-toed shoes lately...my all-time favorite season in Sacramento is almost here! This week, and particularly this week-end, is already jam-packed with music, festivals and outdoor events with the promise of the heat soon to come. I hope you haven't made plans already... Tuesday 4.28 Music: Rev Theory-- $12 at the door Where: Marilyn’s on K When: Doors- 6:30pm, Show- 7:15pm Why: You may get an idea for their music-style by the bands they’ve opened for: the likes of

This week there is no excuse! Despite this 'little' slump we're in, I was able to find a slew of cost efficient ways to entertain yourself throughout the week. There's a little something for everybody... Tues 4.14 Music: Lipstick- $3 (before 10pm) When: 8:00pm Where: Old Ironsides Why: A fusion of indie rock, pop, garage & electronic dance part. It's been going strong for 8 years. 'Nuff said. Sports: Sacramento Rivercats v. Portland Beavers- $10+ When: 7:05pm Where: Raley Field Why: If I am going to go to any Baseball game, it's going to be this one. Who wouldn't want to see which of the water creatures prevails? Wed 4.15 Music: Ari Hest w/ Hana Pestle- $8 When: 8:00pm Where: Marilyns o

Today 2500-3000 people attended Earth Fest at the Sacramento Zoo in perfect Spring weather. " I think its activity creating activity, the animals are a huge draw but when you add all the live music and vendors its great for families" said Marisa Hicks Sacramento Zoo Marketing Coordinator. We gave out 750 reusable grocery bags, stickers and postcards to the public by spinning are gameshow inspired prize wheel. Our booth was visited by the Zoo's very own mascot, Gus the green tree frog, who with one spin walked away with a SacPress bag. It was great to meet so many enthusiastic kids, parents and visitors so excited about the special events put on at the Sacramento Zoo. The next first Satur

We will be updating this storyline at The Sacramento Zoo during Earth Fest today from 9:00-4:00. Sign up to become a community contributer and recieve a free reusabe SacPress grocery bag. You can also follow our day on Twitter @sacramentopress We started with a 5:00 AM wake up call and began staging the materials in the office to be loaded up and sent over to the Zoo. The Zoo is projecting about 5,000 people will attend, should be a great day to ride your bike or bring your family down to be part of this great event.  

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

That's right, Landpark! William Land Park donated to the city of Sacramento over 166 acres of land in the year 1926. Today Landpark is a gorgeous park that includes, a picnic recreation area, a pond, a 9 hole golf course, jogging trails, an amphitheater, Fairytale Town, Funderland Amusement Park, and The Sacramento Zoo all set in the heart of Sacramento's downtown area. The Sacramento Zoo is a non-profit organization, something that the average Sacramentan may not know, says Lauren Kraft the public relations coordinator for the Sac Zoological Society. The Sac Zoo houses animals of endangered species with the higher purpose of caring and protecting them. They are primarily an educational a