Newest articles on The Sacramento Press written by Michaela Stewart

Chili cook-off raises money for Kiwanis Family House

2011-05-24T07:17:01Z

On Sunday, members of the Kiwanis Family House and the International Chili Society brought their best bowls of chili to the Kiwanis Chili Cook-off at The West Sacramento Moose Family Center on Jefferson Blvd.

While the judges were inside the center tasting various kinds of salsas and Chile Verde, the participating cooks began chopping up onions, and adding meat to their pots of chili.

Both the Kiwanis and ICS members were given one hour of prep time and three hours to cook their chili before the judging began at 3 p.m.

The chili cook-off consisted of two challenges: the Kiwanis Chili Challenge and the International Chili Society Regional Chili Cook-off.

The ICS regional chili cook-off had a total of 20 participants who competed in three categories: best salsa, best Chile Verde and the ICS Red (Texas style chili).

The Kiwanis members of the East Sacramento-Midtown club sponsored the event that was made up of eight contestants.

The Kiwanis Family House is a nonprofit organization that provides housing to families that have ill children or adult family members who are being treated at the University of California, Davis, medical center.

Development Manager of the East Sacramento-Midtown Kiwanis Family House Gary Christensen said the profits from the event will stem from the $10 donations from the community to taste the chili and the ICS member’s registration fee, who participate in the regional cook-off.

Together, both organizations helped to raise a total of $2,500 for the Kiwanis Family House.

“We’ve had over 20,000 families come stay at The Kiwanis House since 1984,” Christensen said.

Christensen added the proceeds from the event will go to families who cannot afford to pay the $40 rent per day, which is required of families that want to stay at the Kiwanis Family House.

“The winner gets bragging rights for a whole year and a banner,” said Kiwanis Family House member and competitor Leslie Merker.

Heather Schiltz, who lives in the suburbs of Sacramento, won by popular vote for the best-cooked chili.

“This is the first time I’ve done this type of event, so it’s cool,” Schiltz said.

Vice President of the Board of Directors, at the Kiwanis Family House in Citrus Heights Bill Hooper said he has been working with the Kiwanis Family House for 33 years and was satisfied with the outcome of the event.

“I enjoyed tasting all the different chilis, the fellowship and working for such a great cause,” Hooper said. “With the bad economy, families really need us.”

In addition to both chili challenges, the event featured a live band, Last Call, and a raffle by the Kiwanis Club.

Vendors such as the Salt City Candle Company and Baja Mariner were stationed across from the chili competitors.

“When you dine with people, you become friends. When you cook with people, you become family,” said Bobby Brown, who was at the event selling his Baja Mariner seafood and vegetable dip.

“I’m having a great time and having fun tasting all the chili,” said Nikki Shepard, 40, who lives in Elk Grove.

David Hipskind, who was a participant of the ICS challenge, said the first-place winners will go to the world champion ICS cook-off.

Hipskind has been a member for of the ICS for 30 years and said he uses only the freshest ingredients for his chili.

“My wife and I have developed the recipe so it’s a proven winner,” Hipskind said.

There were 12 judges for the ICS chili cook-off.

“The ICS is very consistent with their chili making. With the community, you’ll get everything from chili to spaghetti,” said Steve Boldenweck, who participated as a judge in the cook-off.

Boldenweck said the Kiwanis Club community is not required to follow the same rules as the ICS in their chili making.

The ICS cannot use beans in their chili only meat and the ingredients used to make their sauce.

The Kiwanis community cooks are allowed to add anything from black beans to sausage links to their chili.

Boldenweck added that as a judge he likes to go by T.A.C.A, which means to judge based on taste, aroma, consistency and appearance.

Steve McIntire has been nominated for president elect at the East Sacramento-Midtown Kiwanis club and joined about a year ago.

Before the event ended, McIntire gathered everyone outside of the lodge to announce the winners.

Bobby Santos, who lives in East Sacramento, won for best salsa.

“It feels great to have won,” Santos said.

Lynn Robinson, who is a member of ICS and lives in Lincoln, won for best chili Verde.

“This is awesome, we’re going to the world championship!” Robinson said.

The winner of the red chili was Steve Atkinson, who resides in Reno.

“I was really shocked there were a lot of good chilis out there,” Atkinson said.

“When I heard about the Kiwanis house, it became a passionate thing for me,” McIntire said.

McIntire has been a member of the ICS for 20 years.

He brought the idea of the cook-off to the board of the Kiwanis Family House and plans on making this an annual event.

“The family house needs the money to operate. Since I became aware of the family house, I wanted to help them,” McIntire said. “We’re using the chili as a vehicle to raise money for the family house.”

“If we have it again here next year, it will be twice as good,” said director of the West Sacramento Kiwanis Family House, Mauda Butte.

“The family house touches a lot of people,” Butte said.

For more information on future events held by The Kiwanis Family House visit their website. www.kiwanisfamilyhouse.org

Extra funds for R Street improvement project

2011-05-19T04:53:44Z

The R Street improvements currently under construction from 10th to 13th streets are getting a few more amenities, as construction left extra funds in an approximately $1 million ~~$1.5 million~~ federal grant allocated to the project.

The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to approve 13 more pedestrian benches, 13 banners affixed to streetlights and a decorative arch that spans R Street at 10th Street and a pedestrian arch over the sidewalk on 12th Street and R Street, to be constructed by Teichert Construction, the main contractor for the project.

“This will be the icing on the cake to R street and will make the area more pedestrian-friendly,” Sacramento Department of Transportation spokeswoman Linda Tucker said.

The R Street improvement project will add uniformity to the area that currently lacks consistent curbs, and it will also add parking spaces and street lights as well as restore the area’s mixed-use industrial, business and residential buildings.

Adding the new benches, banners and archways was an extension of federal funds already dedicated to the project.

“We got the go-ahead from Caltrans to make use of federal funds already budgeted for the project,” Tucker said.

According to Department of Transportation Project Manager Zuhair Amawi, a lot of thought went into the improvements.

“The selection of the concepts and design of the items in the change order was the result of many months of R Street stakeholder meetings organized by CADA (Capitol Development Area Authority) and approved by the City Preservation Commission,” Amawi said.

The project had a 36-week construction timeline and is still on-target for a summer finish.

Ground was broken last September.

“We can expect an opening event to celebrate R Street’s new look sometime this summer,” Tucker said.

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this story after it was published. The incorrect information has been struck out and the correct information has been added.

Organization monitors government actions

2011-05-18T07:12:17Z

Eye on Sacramento, a nonprofit Sacramento-based government watchdog organization, has recently been launched in the city of Sacramento to maintain a watchful eye on the policies and actions of the city government.

“We formed EOS because we believe that too little attention is paid to the broad public interest and too much attention is paid to special interests,” said EOS President Craig Powell. “The public has little inside knowledge of what really goes on in city government. We hope to change that.”

“Eye on Sacramento was started by a core group of about nine people who were active in the Campaign for Common Sense Utilities Rates (the group that sponsored Measure B on the November 2010 ballot),” Powell said.

Powell currently serves as the vice president of the Sacramento County Taxpayers League and is the league’s point person on city government issues. He is also the president of the Land Park Volunteer Corps (which cares for William Land Park) and writes the monthly “City Hall” column for Inside the City magazine.

“Six more individuals have joined the effort over the past five or six months, so the 15 key participants now comprise the initial Board of Directors of EOS,” Powell said.

Powell said EOS was formed for two reasons: to “shine a very bright light” on the actions and policies of local government in Sacramento and to develop and promote local government policies that advance and protect the broad interests of the general public.

“The three functions that form the core of Eye on Sacramento’s work is the watchdog unit, our policy incubator and our community unit,” Powell said.

The watchdog unit is composed of about half a dozen people amongst whom are several board members and whose responsibilities entail monitoring the role of the city government.

Powell explained that the watchdog unit is responsible for attending all City Council meetings, monitoring the actions of all City Council members and being able to follow up with the council by asking questions during public comment.

“We are actively recruiting volunteers who wish to serve in our watchdog unit, either as regular monitors of government actions, investigators of particular issues or government actions, researchers and writers,” Powell said. “Volunteers expand our capacity to scrutinize local government.”

The policy incubator is the process in which the board will review current policy issues on a regular basis in order to make a final agreement on creating a new policy.

Once the board has created a policy that they all can agree on, a recommendation of the policy will be proposed to the City Council.

“Sacramento residents should have every opportunity to feel confident in their local government. I appreciate anyone who sees priority in the importance of maintaining integrity and transparency throughout government offices,” said City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby.

Powell added that EOS is now focusing on the cellphone tower and billboard policy and recommendations to the current budget crisis within the city.

“Outsourcing is an alternative budget solution to mass layoffs and public service-level cutbacks, which have been the primary budget-balancing tools of the local government in the past few years,” Powell said.

The implementation of presenting awareness to the public about the actions of local government will be done through the EOS community unit.

“The city not only welcomes but encourages public input and participation during the budget adoption process,” said city spokeswoman Amy Williams.

“We want to create a strong communication system between ourselves and neighborhoods,” Powell said.

These efforts will be performed through the EOS representatives, whose role is to watch over particular communities within the city of Sacramento and attend neighborhood meetings.

“By attending neighborhood association meetings, EOS representatives will be able to connect with members of the community and report back to the EOS board as to what the issues or concerns of the community are,” Powell said.

He added that EOS will assess public priorities by receiving feedback from local communities and periodically conducting polls within particular areas of Sacramento that question residents on their attitudes toward government.

“Right now, improving the local economy is critical and ensuring that we don’t make cutbacks in the city’s public services,” Powell said.

“(On May 12), City Council directed staff to explore ways of restoring community centers and staff is working at reviewing all feasible options,” said Williams.

EOS will use email alerts, newsletters and TV interviews to voice to the public the actions of local government as it pertains to the concerns of the residents of Sacramento.

“The government performs better when they’re being scrutinized than when they know that no one is looking, “Powell said.

The members of the Board of Directors of Eye on Sacramento include Craig K. Powell, Greg Hatfield, Lisa Garcia, Carl Burton, James Felton, Ray Garcia, Diane Schachterle, Erik Smitt, Arnold Duplantier Sr., Karen Klinger, Sarah Foster, Katy Grimes, Phil Nails, Dennis Kellogg and Adam Willoughby.

Next year, EOS plans to focus its attention on the city’s school, park and fire districts, as well as the cities of Elk Grove and Rancho Cordova.

B Street's "Extraordinary Things" brings tragedy, hope

2011-05-03T06:12:15Z

Looking through the eyes of Anne Frank was truly an extraordinary experience at B Street Theatre.

“Extraordinary Things: Through the Eyes of Anne Frank” captivates its audience with diverse characters and realistic props.

Playwright Dana Friedman brings to life on stage the extreme conditions that millions of Jews had to face in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II.

Directed by Buck Busfield, the play is set in Amsterdam-present-day-Netherlands-where Anne Frank, her family and four others lived in her father’s office building for two years to ensure the safety of Anne’s older sister Margot from the German authorities, who would have taken her to the a Nazi concentration camp.

The play begins with Anne telling the audience the details of her 13th birthday when Anne’s parents give her a diary that she fills with her most intimate and profound thoughts, but little does she know that soon the writings of her diary will dramatically change as quickly as her life will.

Anne is a free-spirited, witty and clever young girl who is experiencing all the normal phases that teenagers go through, only she must endure them with the presence of seven other people who are too wrapped up in themselves to notice Anne’s discontent for her new surroundings.

The size of the stage holds no resemblance to the actual space of the hide-out that the real Anne Frank occupied.

Though with the small beds, tables and kitchen area being so close together did create a lack of space for the characters who were on stage.

Stephanie Altholz, who plays Anne Frank, leaves the audience engaged with her sarcastic remarks about the personalities of her new roommates.

Anne’s sister, Margot, played by Cynthia Zitter, always does what she is told, unlike Anne. Margot is very quiet and likes to keep to herself.

As Anne’s family begins to get settled in their new living area, four others begin to slowly enter the stage one after another, also hiding from the Nazis.

The lighting on the stage illuminates the character of Anne, and a spotlight shines on her in particular parts of the play symbolizing the importance of her inner most thoughts and feelings.

Hans Van Daan (Dave Pierini), Mrs. Van Daan (Amy Kelly) and their son Peter (Chris Page) are the first three permanent guests to arrive.

While Hans Van Daan is a very straight-to-the-point kind of man, Mrs. Van Daan is in denial about her overbearing and rude behavior that everyone around her becomes fed up with.

The character of Mrs. Van Daan is that of pretentious chatterbox who can never keep her mouth shut.

Peter Van Daan is a shy, often silent young man who has a strong admiration for Anne’s clever and courageous personality.

Dr. Dussel, played by Greg Alexander, is the last person to arrive, leaving behind his wife and son.

Anne’s relationship with each character begins to unfold as days turn into weeks and weeks into months and months into one year.

Mr. Frank, played by Michael Stevenson, is the concerned yet kindhearted father figure who provides comforting words to everyone in times of fear and panic.

Costume designer Paulette Sand-Gilbert selects pieces for the characters that reflect their personalities.

Jamie Jones plays the role of Mrs. Frank, who is also concerned for Anne and emphasizes her disapproval of her daughter’s relationship with Peter.

After one year, the conditions in the annex become unbearable, there is not enough water for everyone, and a horrible stench begins to fill the office.

Anne starts to isolate herself from the others more often, as her thoughts of loneliness and hopelessness take over her once-optimistic outlook.

Finally, Gies comes to visit the Franks, Van Daans and Dussel.

Gies informs everyone that the war is coming to an end.

Everyone gets excited and hopeful for their futures outside of the annex.

Anne is 15 when the German authorities find the “Secret Annex,” and as each character fearfully exits the stage, they know their fates will soon be the Nazi concentration camps.

In the play Anne says, “Youth is lonelier than old age,” something she experienced both hiding in the annex for a year and then later, when she was sent to a concentration camp, where she died.

The show runs until June 5 with performances at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Tickets are $22 for adults, $15 for children and can be purchased at (916)443-5300 or www.bstreettheatre.org

Men walk a mile in high heels to support WEAVE

2011-05-02T04:47:26Z

Men of all ages and shoe sizes gathered at the corner of 18th Street and Capitol Avenue, ready to walk one mile in women’s high heels to support WEAVE’s first “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event.

“There are so many men that are affected by sexual assault, and this is a way for men to show their support,” said Amber Stott, WEAVE director of communications relations.

Stott estimated that since Friday WEAVE has raised over $63, 000.

Stott said all proceeds will go to WEAVE and benefit the various services that WEAVE provides, including counseling, WEAVE safe house, legal assistance, prevention programs and 24-hour support and response teams to help survivors of sexual assault.

In addition to hosting the event, WEAVE members also participated.

“We thought it was important to bring attention to the issue of sexual assault, and this is a really great way to spotlight this issue,” WEAVE board member Bryan Merica said while wearing his gold heels, knee-high socks and white headband.

The River City Gems, a transgender and cross-dressing support organization, also played a big part in the event.

Member Melissa Hansen, 51, said WEAVE contacted the River City Gems to help with the shoe distribution process and to coach the men walking in heels.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, 215 men walked toward the starting line as a crowd of up to 500 people cheered them on.

Roseville resident Shannon Pagel, 22, said she came to support her boyfriend, Dan Thompson.

“It’s fun to see men appreciate what women go through,” Pagel said.

The men anxiously waited at 19th and Capitol as retired news anchor Stan Atkinson announced the guidelines for the race.

“After the completion of each lap you will receive a different color lei and your race master will count your leis at the end of the race,” Atkinson said. “We not only encourage cheating, but we recommend it. May the best fellow win.”

The men took off walking and running in their heels of blue, white, gold and red as the crowd cheered in excitement, taking pictures and laughing.

Some men held signs that said “I am man enough to walk in her shoes” and “Put yourself in her shoes.”

Toward the end of the race, some of the men struggled in their heels, taking off one shoe, and eventually walking barefoot until the race ended.

“In my mind I didn’t think it would be that difficult to walk in a pair of heels, but after the first five minutes I thought, I’m in trouble,” said Jeff Briggs, 40, who lives in Carmichael.

The men who had completed the race wore three leis of purple, red and black around their necks.

After the race was over, the crowd shifted to the main stage on the corner of 19th and Capitol Avenue, where members of WEAVE gave out awards to participants.

The first award was presented to Santiago Proano, 39, a resident of Midtown, for “dude with the hairiest legs.” Atkinson handed Proano a large jewelry box with a silver pearl necklace with the words “Hairiest legs” written inside the box.

“This is great,” Proano said. “I’m so proud of it and I would do it again!”

Out of four teams, Activate Direct won for “most team spirit.”

Team member Matthew Eagan, 30, said it felt great to win and was happy to have a full team at the event to support WEAVE.

Sammy Cemo, 70, raised the most money for WEAVE with a total of $5,125.

“It was pretty easy,” he said. “There are so many people that are aware of WEAVE.”

The after-party kicked off at the Beer and Wine Garden, with free alcohol and live entertainment by Azuar. Vendors and information booths were set up in support of the event, including The Sacramento Bee, First Aid, Icing on a Cupcake and Le Spa.

Le Spa manager Robin Fischer, 48, said she heard about the event on the radio and thought it was a great idea.

“I think this event has been super! ” she said. “I’m totally impressed!”

Most of the men had taken off their heels by then, but Jason Poole, 27, founder of Bar in a Jar, still had on his high heels.

Poole said his teammates suffered from ankle scrapes and bruises, but he ran five laps, surpassing the one-mile goal. He said he definitely would participate again.

WEAVE volunteers were satisfied with the turnout of their first Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event.

Stott hopes men will walk away with the ability to talk about women’s issues.

“We will definitely have it again next year,” Stott said.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Sacramento

2011-04-30T05:14:56Z

Every year on May 5, Mexico and parts of the United States celebrate Cinco de Mayo in honor of the victory won by the Mexican Army in 1862. Now it's time for Sacramento to celebrate with these restaurant specials and events around town.

Here’s a round-up of Cinco de Mayo celebrations:

Event: Cinco de Mayo Celebration
Time: 5 - 10 p.m. Thursday.
Location: Zócalo (A Taste of Mexico) on 18th Street and Capitol Avenue.
Information: Zócalo (A Taste of Mexico) is throwing a street party that will include live music, performing artists The Midnight Players, and DJ Al Ruiz will be the entertainment for the night. Tequila shots and $2 tacos will also be served.
Contact: 441-0303
Cost: No cover.

Event: O’Drinko De Mayo
Time: 3:30 Thursday- 1:30 a.m Friday.
Location: De Vere’s Irish Pub at 1521 L Street. on 15th and L streets
Information: De Vere’s Irish Pub will be hosting this event in honor of the San Patricios (a group of Irishmen) and the Mexican soldiers who fought with them during the Mexican American War. The drink and food specials include $4 margaritas, $2 beers (Coronas), $2 tacos and, in celebration of national burger month, they will be serving a tostada burger with a $2 Corona.
Contact: 231-9947
Cost: No cover (21 and over)

Event: Cinco De Mayo Fiesta
Time: Noon Thursday - 2 a.m. Friday.
Location: Tres Tequila Lounge and Mexican Kitchen at 1182 Roseville Pkwy Suite 110.
Information: The fiesta will be at Tres Tequila Lounge and Mexican Kitchen. They will have a 10,000 square-foot tent set up in the parking lot directly behind the restaurant for all their guests to enjoy. Doors open at noon, but the festivities begin at 3 p.m. From 3 - 5 p.m. the first band, ZuhG will be performing, followed by the Folklorico Dancers, Cigar-rolling will be performed by the Casillas Cigar Rollers, the second band of the night, Private Criminals, will play from 6 - 8 p.m. and the night will end with a DJ and dancing.From 8 - 10 p.m., the real party begins with a DJ and dancing. Tres will be handing out $5 margarita coupons, which are valid through Cinco de Mayo. Their “Doble Doble” will be their featured special of the night, which consists of a 24-oz Tecate beer along with a shot of Repos ado Tequila for $12. The food specials will include: $2 tacos (pork and chicken), $3 sausage on a stick, $5 turkey legs.
Contact: 441-7200
Cost: $5 cover until 5 p.m., $15 after 5 p.m.

Event: Cinco De Drinco
Time: 6 - 11 p.m. Friday.
Location: Centro 2730 “J” St.
Information: Grub Crawl USA presents a bar crawl that is starting at Centro Cocina Mexicana. Guests will bounce from spot to spot receiving discounts on specialty drinks and free Latin-themed appetizers. Founder of Grub Crawl USA Cline Moore will be conducting random prize giveaways ($20 gift cards) to his guests.
Contact: 730-0977
Cost: $30 per person. For half price tickets, go to grubcrawlusa.com.

Event: Cinco De Ol Sacto
Time: 6 p.m. Thursday - 1:30 a.m. Friday.
Location: River City Saloon 916 Second St.
Information: Come join in the festivities taking place in Old Sacramento, which include more than 15 places with food and drink specials. Some of the entertainment for the night will include the band The Bajas Boys, live karaoke and comedy at Laughs Unlimited comedy club.
Contact: 524-5275
Cost: No cover.

Event: Tequila Museo Mayahuel Cinco de Mayo Week
Time : Monday (6:30 - 10:30 p.m.), Tuesday (6:30 - 10:30 p.m.), Wednesday (noon - 10:30 p.m.), Thursday (noon - 1:30 a.m. Friday), And Friday and Saturday - 7 (11:30 a.m - 10:30 p.m.
Location: Tequila Museo Mayahuel at 1200 K St.Suite 3.
Information: Tequila Museo Mayahuel’s Cinco de Mayo celebration will start on Monday with an education on the tequila-making process by a tequila maestro. On Tuesday evening, there will be a three-course meal served with tequila tasting by Casa Noble. Wednesday will be the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which starts at noon and at 7 p.m. Mayahuel will host its inaugural Festival de Los Moles. Thursday will include drink specials, and live entertainment. Recovery day will be on Friday, at Mayahuel and the restaurant will be offering Menudo, Polzole, and Bloody Marys. Saturday will end the celebration with a day for the whole family to enjoy food specials and live entertainment.
Contact: 441-7200
Cost: (May 3)$30, (May 4)$25

Event: Cinco de Mayo Fiesta
Time: 4 p.m. Thursday - 2 a.m. Friday.
Location: Centro Cocina Mexicana at 2730 J St.
Information: The celebration will be held on the outside patio of the restaurant and will feature drink specials including $5 beers (Blue Moon, Bud light) and $10 margaritas.
Contact: 442-2552
Cost: No cover.

Event: Vallejo’s Cinco de Mayo Block Party
Time: 5 - 10 p.m.
Location: 11 and O streets.
Information: Celebrating Mexican Independence, Vallejo’s will be hosting a block party with live entertainment, The Midnight Players( a band). Drink specials will include $5 tequila shots, $4 margaritas and $7 Vallejo’s shots. Vallejo’s will also have a one-time buffet for $11. A few of the food items include carnitas, fajitas and Chile Verde.
Contact: 498-1744
Cost: $5 in advance, $10 at the door(tickets can be purchased from any Vallejo’s employee)

Event: Cinco de Mayo Party to Support LLS (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)
Time: 6:30 on Thursday.
Location: 701 Crocker Road
Information: This special benefit will feature a DJ and live entertainment. Cocktails and appetizers will be served as well. All proceeds of the benefit will go toward The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Contact : 443-6970
Cost: $50 a ticket (buy tickets at L Wine Lounge at 1801 L St.)

Event: Tres Hermanas Cinco de Mayo Party
Time: 4 p.m. - midnight
Location: Tres Hermanas Restaurant at 2416 K St.
Information: Inside the restaurant will be live entertainment featuring singer Tony Montana. They will be serving Chile Verde and carnitas for $8.95 and tequila shots (cabo and wabo).
Contact: 443-6919
Cost: No cover.

Event: Chevy’s Fresh Mex specials May 2 - 5
Time: 11 p.m. - 2 a.m. Monday - Thursday
Location: Chevy’s Fresh Mex (1369 Garden Highway)
Information: Starting on Monday, Chevy’s will have margaritas for $3. From Tuesday - Thursday there will be $2 tacos and buy a combo then get the second combo for a penny. For the night, three bars will be open and will be including tequila shots ranging from $12 - $30.
Contact: 649-0390
Cost: No cover.

Man on the Street: What's a sign that it's officially Summer in Sacramento?

2011-04-28T22:16:29Z

What’s a sign that it’s officially summer in Sacramento?

Summer is around the corner, and signs of the season are showing up everywhere in the city, the days are warmer and outside recreational activities begin to increase.

The Sacramento Press stopped locals in the central city during the Second Saturday Art Walk, and asked, “What’s a sign that it’s officially summer in Sacramento?”

Musician/singer Elijah Bell, 19, lives downtown and said he knows it’s summer when girls are walking around wearing less clothing. He added, “The days seem longer, and more songs come out on the radio.”

Live music and local street performers are also more prevalent during summer on Second Saturdays. Street performer Archime Vice, 21, said there is an increase in police patrolling during the summer.

“More cops are out late on summer nights to stop buskers (street performers) from playing after 9 p.m.”

Chanel Love, 21, a student at Sacramento City College lives in Elk Grove, said she notices that people seem to take time off work most often during summer.

“People are taking more vacations, and you see more young people out on the weekends.”

Midtown resident, Zachary Denco, 21 said that for him a sign that summer is here is when “Second Saturday is happening,”

He added that the ArtWalk can only be properly experienced during the warm season.

Like Bell, Andrew Emary, 26, a furniture installer who lives in Elk Grove, along with his wife Juliana agreed that girls are wearing less clothing, but said they don’t wear enough clothing.

“In the summer, girls are wearing shorts that are too short, and I’ve even seen them wear their bikinis at the mall.”

What are some other signs that summer has officially begun in Sacramento? Give us your responses in the comment section below.

Cats lead early but Padres come back for a 7-5 victory

2011-04-26T18:22:09Z

The Sacramento River Cats lost yet another home game to the Tucson Padres Monday night. Even though the Cats took the lead in the second inning the Padres soon caught up in both the fifth and sixth innings, leaving the Padres with a 7-5 victory.

At the top of the first inning, leadoff Everth Cabrera walked. Left fielder, Cedric Hunter batted next only to be grounded out by Cats shortstop Eric Sogard. Second baseman Logan Forsythe took bat and flew out to center fielder, Matt Carson making two outs for the Padres.

With Cabrera already on first base, first baseman, Anthony Rizzo hit a two run home run to center field placing the Padres in a lead of 2-0.

As the Cats took the field, fans yelled, “Strike em out!”

The Tucson Padres kept the lead in the second inning. Outfielder, Clark Matt started the inning with a single to right center field. Guillermo Quiroz grounded into a force out by shortstop Eric Sogard, outting Matt Clark. Luis Durango walks allowing Quiroz to advance to second base.

Quiroz scores when outfielder Cedric Hunter hit a single to left field. With Durango at second, baseman Logan Forsythe singles to left field, so Durango is able to make another score for his team.

The Cats came back tremendously in the bottom of the second inning. Carson batted first and hit a single to left field. Anthony Recker walked to first sending Carson to second base. Catcher Josh Donaldson hit a single past shortstop Cabrera, allowing Carson to make his way to home plate and score for the River Cats.

Recker scored again when Shane Peterson hit a base hit to right field cutting the Padres lead to 4-2.

Donaldson advanced to home plate when infielder Adam Heether hit a base hit to left field bringing the score to 4-3.

With Peterson at third base, second baseman, Josh Horton got a base hit, tying the game tied at 4-4.

The Cats remained strong as Eric Sogard hit a fielder’s choice, outting Horton and Heether traveled home, with the Cats now in the lead, 5-4.

Neither team scored in the third and fourth inning.

At the top of the fifth inning Padres tied it up 5-5.

The Padres took the lead once again when Clark hit the ball to right-center field allowing Jesus Guzman who was already on second, to score taking back the lead.

In the sixth inning Forsythe walked. Second at bat was Anthony Rizzo who hit a single. With Forsythe at second and Rizzo at first, Jesus Guzman hit a sacrifice fly out to center field allowing Forsythe to score for the Padres.

With the score at 7-5 the Cats had their last chance for victory in the bottom of the ninth. The game ended with a ground-out by Adrian Cardenas. Steve Tolleson walked and Carson struck out swinging. Recker also walked and Tolleson was able to get to second base on a defensive interference.

The Cats replaced Recker with Jemile Weeks which did them no good as Josh Donaldson took bat and grounded into a force out to infielder Guzman.

The River Cats will face the Tucson Padres again at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at Raley Field.

Photos by Ron Nabity.

Doug Herndon teaches techniques of journalism to local community

2011-04-21T04:51:55Z

Tuesday night, former Sacramento City College journalism professor Doug Herndon taught a workshop that outlined the basics of journalism.

Attendees included both local, freelance and aspiring writers.

“Journalism is the collecting, writing, editing and publishing of news,” Herndon said.

Herndon started with an overview of the fundamentals of being a writer:

*Providing information
*Story Ideas
*News value
*Every story needs a hook
*What it means to cover a story
*The formula and format for journalism

When providing information within a story, Herndon said it is important that a reporter weed out any natural bias or personal opinion.

“It’s not my place to tell you what I think,” Herndon said. “My whole job is finding people who know a lot about a few things, and getting them to tell that story.”

After touching on the importance of providing accurate information in a story, Herndon talked about where writers can obtain story ideas.

“Story ideas come from other stories. It’s all been done,” Herndon said. “It’s about the new angle that hasn’t been done yet.”

Herndon passed out calendars and added that it’s all about the calendars, and as the month of May comes up, writers can begin to talk about topics such as Mother’s Day or graduation day.

Other ideas for stories can be gathered just by paying attention to what is going on around you, and a story idea can be found by walking down the street. To determine if it is newsworthy, he gave a set of values.

“What makes a story a story?” Herndon asked.

Herndon listed the basic factors that come into play, which include: impact, immediacy, proximity, prominence, novelty, conflict and emotion.

He emphasized how much of an impact a story should have on the community, and how a writer must make an analysis of whom his or her audience is and what will keep readers interested.

In addition to value, a story must have a hook.

Herndon explained a hook as having a “so what?” moment.

He gave a brief example of a story that covered the farmers market and pointed out that the hook would be the growing popularity of organic foods and healthy food choices being made by consumers.

There are several factors included in a story, but what does it mean to cover a story?

Herndon defined covering a story as doing one’s homework and learning how to write interview questions.

He continued with examples of where to learn more about the story you’re covering.

“You can learn on Google, other publications or by talking to people,” Herndon said.

The process of interviewing then takes place when a reporter proceeds by setting up an interview in a professional, polite and persistent manner.

It is important to get the correct spelling of a name, age and occupation of the person being interviewed, Herndon added.

Herndon said the best tip he could give on interview questions is to always ask whom else you should talk to and find more information on the subject you are writing about.

As the workshop came to a close, Herndon reviewed the formula and format for journalism.

“The first step is the summary lede,” Herndon said. He described the lede as a short summary of what is most important in your story, basically the who, what, where and when and how.

“After the lede comes a quote, then a short paragraph with background information,” Herndon said.

Herndon said. “End on a powerful quote, and you will have yourself a solid package of a story.”

While the crowd reflected on the main points, Herndon suggested, “I think you’re here because somebody here wants to be a writer.”

“If you want to be a writer, you can be a writer,” he said. “Take notes and find a story that you really want to write about.”

Attendee Shell Crane, 25, an analyst with the Department of Health Services, said, “I learned how to be more creative in my writing and what will attract the reader to read what I’m writing about."

Larry Groves, 53, a communications director for the Del Paso Partnership, attended the workshop to get more information on the historical background of journalism and said he looks forward to future workshops that elaborate on story writing.

The Sacramento Press will have its next workshop May 12, on “Review Writing,” led by Nick Miller, arts editor for the Sacramento News & Review.

River Cats fall to Las Vegas 51s, 6-3

2011-04-12T18:11:54Z

The River Cats faced the Las Vegas 51s at Raley Field Monday evening for the first game of the four-game homestand. The teams were tied in both the first and second innings, but the 51s took the lead in the third, and kept the lead until the end with a 6-3 victory over Sacramento.

Before Monday’s game River Cats left-fielder Chris Carter talked strategy. The Cats had beat the Tacoma Rainiers, 11-3, the night before.

“The strategy for tonight’s game is to play hard, play the game right and make it easy,” Carter said.

In the bottom of the first inning second baseman Eric Sogard hit a single to left-center field. He was followed by third baseman Wes Timmons who hit a double down left field allowing Sogard to advance to third base. Carter hit the ball to center field allowing Sogard to score. Adding to the excitement, center fielder Matt Carson brought Timmons home from third tying the game at 2-2.

After the second inning both teams remained neck and neck at 3-3.

Las Vegas scored another run in the third inning, taking the lead for the first time, 4-3.

Neither teamed scored during the fourth, fifth or sixth innings.

The 51’s scored again in the seventh inning, when Manny Mayorson hit a ground ball straight to Eric Sogard. He threw to Wes Timmons at third, but Ryan Budde was able to run home and give the 51s another run, 5-3.

The crowd began booing the 51s at the top of the eighth inning.

First at bat was Adam Loewen who hit a double to right field. Sacramento fans began to cheer when Budde struck out. Niuman Romero took bat next and Cats pitcher Joe Bateman picked Loewen at second base. Romero struck out for the third out.

At the top of the ninth inning the Cats changed pitchers, swapping Joe Bateman for Fernando Cabrera.

Mayorson hit a single to center field, getting on base. Darin Mastroianni hit a ground ball straight to Cats’ Sogard, who threw it to Steve Tolleson for the out at second.

Brett Lawrie went to bat next and hit a double, advancing Mastroianni to third. With 4 balls and 0 strikes, Cats pitcher Fernando Cabrera walked 51s Eric Thames. Cabrera also walked Ryan Shealy, giving the 51s another run with Mastroianni rounding home. The 51s were well on their way to victory.

Toward the bottom of the ninth inning, the crowd of 6,292 slowly dwindled as fans began leaving. However, a few fans began cheering as Josh Donaldason was up at bat, chanting ”Let’s go River Cats! Let’s Go!”

The Cats weren’t able to make a comeback at the bottom of the ninth. Donaldson hit the ball but it was caught for the first out. Tolleson walked only to be forced out by a ground ball from Adrian Cardenas. Anthony Recker was last at bat and he made the third out as his hit into left center was caught.

The Cats will face the 51s again at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at Raley Field.

"Jewish Voices" benefit concert features local soprano Rebecca Plack

2011-04-07T06:01:13Z

Sunday afternoon ~~evening~~ , local artist Rebecca Plack will be performing a solo concert at the “Jewish Voices : Songs from the Old World Tunes from the New” benefit concert at the Center at Twenty-Three Hundred ~~on 2300~~ , a new multi-use venue in Sacramento known for its exceptional lighting and acoustics.

Prior to this upcoming event, Plack has sung at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and with the Sacramento Opera.

Plack has been performing since she was 8 years old and currently teaches voice lessons to young students at a private studio in Davis.

The “Jewish Voices” benefit concert will be hosted by the president of the Mosaic Law Congregation, Deborah Gonzales.

The Mosaic Law Congregation is a non-profit religious organization that often uses the Center at Twenty-Three Hundred ~~on 2300~~ for events that benefit their congregation.

“Rebecca came to me with the idea to have a benefit concert and create a program for the concert that would honor Jewish composers, performers and poets,” Gonzales said.

Plack said that being Jewish made it difficult for her to decide which Jewish composers and performers she should profile.

“During the first half of the concert I will be honoring Lotte Schone, a Jewish singer,” Plack said.

Plack explained that Schone was a famous opera singer during the early 1900s, whose song recordings have recently been copied and transformed to a digital format.

The genres that will be featured during the concert include classical, musical theatre, cabaret and folk music.

“I want to take the audience on a journey that starts in Austria in the 1800s and ends in New York a few years later,” Plack said. “It’s a journey that honors Jewish artists and presents music that everyone will know and love.”

Gonzalez said Plack will be talking about each piece that is performed, which will provide a nice cultural experience for the audience members.

“My style of commentary will be similar to program notes. It will be informing the audience about the songs being played and the composers,” Plack said.

The concert will highlight composers Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for their musical “Showboat,” a popular musical play in 1927 ~~the 1900s~~ .

“ ‘Showboat’ is considered to be the first story musical where the storylines and the music were being presented as equals,” Plack said.

The proceeds from the concert will go toward purchasing a new grand piano for the Mosaic Law Congregation.

“It would be much easier if our synagogue had its own piano for musical performances so we could avoid going through the trouble of having to rent one,” Gonzales said.

In addition to the piano, the proceeds will also help to support the synagogue’s general funding.

The concert will be held at The Center at Twenty-Three Hundred ~~2300~~ , at 2300 Sierra Blvd., right next to the Mosaic Law Congregation.

Doors open at 2:30 p.m. and the concert starts at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the Mosaic Law Office on Sierra Blvd., Watermelon Music in Davis or at www.mosaiclaw.org. They can also be purchased at the door the day of the concert.

Editorial Note: Corrections have been made to this story after it was published. The incorrect information has been struck out and the correct information has been added.

Shen Yun Performing Arts will perform at Sacramento's Community Center Theatre

2011-04-01T06:14:33Z

From the versatile dances to the colorful scenery, Shen Yun is a unique traveling show that presents its audience with an understanding and a visual of the traditional Chinese culture.

Shen Yun will be coming to Sacramento on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Both showings will begin at 8 p.m. at Sacramento’s Community Center Theater at 1301 L St. across from Capitol Park.

“Every year, Shen Yun has brand-new performances,” said Sherry Zhang, who works for the Asian Arts Foundation as a local presenter for Shen Yun.

“The 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture have so many stories and legends. Dancers in Shen Yun bring to life many of these legends and stories,” Zhang said.

Every year, Shen Yun travels around the world with a variety of new pieces, songs and dances representing the true culture of China.

“There are several dynasties that the dancers portray on stage, like the Middle Kingdom, Han Dynasty and Chin Dynasty,” Zhang said.

Shen Yun came together in 2006 when a group of artists decided they wanted to revive the traditional Chinese culture and bring back the era in which China was known for being “The Land of the Divine.”

The show launched in January 2007 and has been traveling for the past four years.

Shen Yun has traveled around the world. The tour begins in December and ends in June.

“In the past, the show has traveled to over 100 states and several continents like Asia and Europe,” Zhang said.

“When I was on stage, I felt very purified, when you’re performing, you think about how you can present the sacred message to the audience,” said Cecilia Xiong, who is currently a performer and dance teacher for Shen Yun.

Xiong is originally from China but lived in Canada before she started dancing in the show.

“I was 25 years old when I first started dancing with Shen Yun, and it was the most amazing experience of my life,” Xiong said.

Xiong last performed in 2010 and reminisced on the opening of that year.

“I really liked the opening dance. We told an Asian story about a king of all the gods who would send his gods to earth so they could reign over human civilization,” Xiong said.

Xiong is currently teaching at the Fei Tian Academy of Arts California in San Fransisco helping to train young dancers who hope to be future performers for Shen Yun Performing Arts.

“The dancers create a very powerful performance, but the Shen Yun orchestra creates the unique songs,” Zhang said.

The orchestra combines both western and Chinese influence and all the songs are original compositions from Shen Yun.

Creativity is also displayed through the radiant and extravagant costumes that make the performers’ storytelling very colorful.

“Shen Yun has a costume team that works very hard to create so many different handmade costumes,” Xiong said. “The design ideas come from the choreographers and directors of the show.”

“Cloud and flower patterns are used to create a very classical and traditional costume,” Xiong said, adding that the digital backdrops are essential to the shows’ success.

“The backdrops are animated and are designed to create a lifelike picture for the audience,” Xiong said.

“The 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture is a treasure for all people. Shen Yun not only showcases the most authentic Chinese culture, but also the beauty and virtues Shen Yun presents will touch everyone's heart,” Zhang said.

Ticket prices can vary from $60-$100 depending on seating arrangements and may be purchased by phone at (800) 363-8212 or online at www.SFshow.net

Local Roots Food Tours offers an opportunity to experience Sacramento's culinary scene and learn about the city's historical roots

2011-03-31T05:20:16Z

Sacramento’s Local Roots Food Tours are a fun way to experience Sacramento’s culinary scene by sampling different restaurants and learning new recipes, like homemade pasta noodles.

The tours began in February, and were created by Lisa Armstrong who is the owner and only tour guide at the moment.

“My first experience on a food tour was in Seattle,” Armstrong said. “After coming home from Seattle I couldn’t stop thinking about how much fun I had and what a great idea it would be to put together a tour for a city like Sacramento.”

At 11:15 a.m. on a Tuesday, Armstrong conducted her first official three hour tour with a group that included eight people.

“We are hoping to attract anyone who likes to eat, who likes to have fun meeting people: chefs, store owners and individuals who would like to learn more about the culture of Sacramento,” Armstrong said.

The group started the tour with a meet-and-greet at César Chávez Park in front of the fountain.

After introductions, Armstrong announced that the group would be sampling foods from seven different locations including Shine Coffeehouse, Sugar and Spice Speciality Desserts, Sampino’s Towne Foods and 524 Mexican Restaurant.

“Our tour locations vary anywhere from a farm-to-table upscale restaurant to a small and special bistro to a funky coffeehouse off the beaten path to a mom and pop deli market,” Armstrong said.

The second location was 524 Mexican Restaurant on 12th Street, where owner Jose Gomez served the tourists Albondigas, a fresh daily soup with meatballs, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and rice in a tomato broth.

“This restaurant is over 100 years old, and a lot of the recipes are from the 1950s,” Gomez said.

In addition to 524, the tour also stopped at Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts on F and 10th streets.

Carissa Jones, who owns the bakery, allowed the tourists to sample chocolate-covered mints and cream puffs.

“I started this bakery because it’s a great opportunity to offer people something other than just cakes,” Jones said.

The tour also includes several different historical neighborhoods such as Alkali Flat and Mansion Flats.

“We pause here and there to talk about a particular house or some funky fact about a person who lived in the home at some point,” Armstrong said.

The Sterling Hotel, Charles Lai Mansion, Sacramento International Hostel, Hubbard-Upson House and the Governor’s Mansion are just a few of the historical homes that are a part of the tour.

“George Pardee was the first governor who lived in the mansion,” Armstrong said. “It was built in 1877 and is now being used by the state and public for ceremonies and events.”

Armstrong said she received most of the historical information from the Sacramento Room located within Sacramento’s Central Library where she spent several hours of researching and reading publications. She also was able to find some history by talking with the locals in the communities where the tours pass through.

“Now I know about places I can go to when I come to Sacramento,” said guest Anne Winbush, who lives in Lathrop, but works in Sacramento.

“My favorite stop was Ambrosia Café I liked the southern red velvet cupcake samples. They were delicious and are one of my favorite cakes.”

Armstrong said that Local Roots Food Tours works closely with local farms, vineyards, orchards and businesses that promote farm-to-table food in their restaurants and supports other local businesses.

Tours are conducted every week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, but will be expanded by this summer to offer more times and days.

“We plan on offering food tours in Midtown, as well as local farms and vineyards in the upcoming months” Armstrong said.

Tickets are $58 and can be purchased here.

The next tour will be on Saturday, April 2, at 11:15 a.m.

Patrick Mulvaney and Shawn Harrison discuss the importance of local agriculture in Sacramento at Time Tested Books store

2011-03-22T04:59:23Z

Sunday evening Patrick Mulvaney couldn’t be found in the Mulvaney’s B&L kitchen. Instead, the chef and restaurateur was at Time Tested Books with Shawn Harrison, executive director of Soil Born Farms, discussing local agriculture as part of The Sacramento Living Library series.

The series is presented by Midtown Monthly and Time Tested Books. Tim Foster, editor of Midtown Monthly, moderated the talk.

Harrison began the conversation with the historical context of Sacramento’s agriculture addressing the question: Why it is the way it is?

“Farmers were unable to sell their crops in Sacramento because there was not a huge demand for those crops so they went elsewhere,” said Harrison.

Mulvaney said, “98 percent of the food that is grown in Sacramento leaves our area, so only 2 percent of the food that you see in our city is stuff that we eat on a daily basis.”

Mulvaney and Harrison also discussed the economical aspects of local farms in Sacramento’s schools.

“A school can pay X and a grower can pay X and right now those don’t match,” said Harrison.

Harrison added that while schools might have the ability to pay for quality foods the farmers don’t have the resources needed to produce an abundance of food for these facilities.

There is an mechanism that Harrison and Mulvaney are currently trying to develop as an attempt to solve this issue.

“An aggregation hub is a mechanism we’re trying to develop for Sacramento Unified School Districts to collect crops from small growers who would not on their own be able to sell to big buyers or school districts,” said Harrison.

Mulvaney said he wants people to improve Sacramento agriculture for the future generation.

“We want to make sure that what we leave our grandchildren is better than what our grandparents left us with,” said Mulvaney.

Harrison emphasized the need to implement healthy eating habits into local school districts.

“We need to replace the processed foods with local grown foods, starting with our high schools,” Harrison said.

Mulvaney said, “The process is economically liable, but there is a big gap between the small farmer, who is unable to distribute to large facilities, and the school’s ability to make a change in their schools.”

“This is a great opportunity to learn about things that we don’t even think about,” said attendee Jim O’Donlad, 55, of Citrus Heights.

Time Tested Books hosts The Sacramento Living Library every third Sunday of the month. The next talk will feature novelist Ishmael Reed, who will be discussing his novel “Juice” on ~~April 17~~ April 10 at noon.

For information on The Sacramento Living Library go to http://www.timetestedbooks.net

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this story after it was published. The incorrect information has been struck out and the correct information has been added.

New soccer field is dedicated to Grantland Johnson in Hagginwood Park by councilwoman Sandy Sheedy and Hagginwood community

2011-03-17T16:23:57Z

City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, along with the Hagginwood community, will be gathering Saturday in honor of a new soccer field recently constructed in Hagginwood Park.

The soccer field will be named after Grantland Johnson, a former city councilman and county supervisor representing all of North Sacramento.

“We’re expecting about 60-100 people will show up,” said Jim Cones, director for Sacramento’s Parks and Recreation Department. “Recently we had a grand opening of a park in North Sacramento, and there were several hundred people.”

Cones said the plan to implement the soccer field came from a survey that was conducted in 2008.

“Some of the parks in the city were not as safe as they should be, so the community did surveys, and the No. 1 recommendation from the community was to reconstruct Hagginwood Park,” Cones said.

As part of the master plan to re-design Hagginwood Park, a new soccer field has been provided as an effort to make positive changes in the community.

“The park will be used to promote positive things and leave less of an opportunity for negative influences like drugs or gang violence,” Cones said.

In addition to the need for positive influences within the community, there was a lack of soccer fields for use in North Sacramento.

Sheedy said the soccer field can be rented throughout the year and has been built to meet the needs of the residents in Hagginwood.

The funding for this project was provided by both the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

“SHRA contributed $1 million and our budget was $1.3 million,” Cones said.

Johnson grew up in Del Paso Heights and graduated from Grant High School, where he was a
member of the Grant Pacers football team and played baseball on what has now become the Grantland Johnson soccer field.

“It’s the community’s way of thanking Grantland Johnson for his contributions to this city and state,” Sheedy said.

The grand opening of the new soccer field will be at Hagginwood Park from 1 - 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The park is located at 3271 Marysville Blvd.

Cones said the reconstruction of Hagginwood Park is just beginning. There are still new restrooms to be built, parking lots to be redesigned, and a makeover of the entire playground to be done.

VIBE hosts Cake Craze Contest for local cake decorating artists and bakeries

2011-03-10T05:10:08Z

Saturday, VIBE organization will be organizing and hosting a cake-decorating contest where local bakeries will showcase their designs in Midtown for the Second Saturday Art Walk.

Cake Craze is a fundraiser and all proceeds will benefit the VIBE Foundation and the new teen center that is being built.

VIBE is a youth organization which was founded in 2007 and officially became a nonprofit organization about a year ago.

“The VIBE Youth Board was brainstorming ideas and came up with the Cake Craze contest,” said VIBE spokeswoman Mylesha Ramey.

Julia Hildago, chairwoman of VIBE, said this is the first time we’ve done an event like this and we’re very excited.

The youth organization is made up of a group of teens, including Hildago, who seek to emphasize youth leadership throughout the Sacramento community.

Several local bakeries and cake artists will be participating in the Cake Craze contest.

Participants include New Roma Bakery, Posh Couture Cakes, Crazy Cake Company, Olivia’s Custom Cakes, the Nugget Market on Florin, Cake Castle Bakery, That’s a Cake, and freelance cake artists Stacy Smith, Sierra Rizing and Rosalie Sarron.

The youth board will be judging the contest.

All contestants will be judged in four visual categories: best in presentation, most creative, most outrageous, and best depiction of theme.

“There are no guidelines or requirements,” Ramey said. “Each bakery must come up with their own cake and it has to relate to the theme Generation Y.”

The winner will be featured in The Sacramento Bee with a photo of the winning cake, said Christina Demoss, executive director of VIBE.

In addition to being promoted through the Bee, the winner and the other contestants will be promoting their businesses at the actual event.

“I plan to hand out some business cards and hopefully get more business,” said Rosalie Sarron a contestant of Cake Craze. Sarron is a freelance cake decorator who lives in Natomas.

“We’ll probably end up having at least 1,000 people coming to the event,” Demoss said.

VIBE leaders said they would like for all contestants to be creative and diverse in the presentation of their cake art.

“I am really excited about the theme because I am a part of Generation Y, and I love designing cakes, so I this will be a really good first experience,” Sarron, 25, said.

Hildago explained that all proceeds will be going to the VIBE Foundation and that the organization is currently in the process of opening a teen lounge in Midtown.

The Cake Craze contest will be from 4:30 – 9:00 p.m. at 1725 K St. In addition to the cake art contest, there will be vendors such as Starbucks and Vic’s Ice Cream.

All participants will be bringing their decorated cakes between 3:45 -4:30 p.m.

The cakes are only being used for decorating, not eating, but there will be live entertainment.

“For the entertainment, we have John King. He’s from San Francisco, and he plays the drums off of like trash cans and pans. It’s really interesting and very cool,” Hildago said.

Demoss encouraged anyone who is interested in attending this event to come and support the local bakeries and youth of Sacramento.

For more information, visit the VIBE Foundation website. www.thevibefoundation.org

Sacramento Police Department starts Ceasefire program to decrease gang violence

2011-03-03T03:20:46Z

“Stop the violence now” is the message the Sacramento Police Department hopes to get across to the communities of Sacramento that are most impacted by gang violence through its “Ceasefire” program.

The program had its community kick-off event last July, but officially began in November. Captain Dan Schiele of the Sacramento Police Department said gang violence in Sacramento has always been an issue.

“From 2009-2010, there was a 37 percent increase in crimes involving gang members,” said Rhonda Jackson, project director of Ceasefire.

“There are over 4,600 gang members in Sacramento,” she said.

The Ceasefire program originated in Boston.

“Ceasefire has been chosen because the program model has the most potential for reducing gang violence,” Schiele said.

“Ceasefire is a partnership where we attempt to educate the gangs about the initiative, give them alternatives, and let them know the consequences of not stopping the violence,” Schiele said.

South Sacramento was the first area that Ceasefire targeted. Schiele is in charge of the officers in the area who are implementing the Ceasefire strategy.

The partnership includes the Sacramento Police Department, District Attorney’s Office, the Public Health Institute, and about a dozen churches in the city.

Ceasefire works with gang members, giving them resources to leave behind their violent lifestyles.

“SETA (Sacramento Employment and Training Agency) has a whole list of different agencies that can help provide services like substance abuse or mental health.They are also providing case managers for these individuals,” said police Lt. William Champion.

Champion is the project manager of Ceasefire and lieutenant in charge of the gang unit. He also organizes the leadership of the faith-based groups.

“You can’t just arrest away the problem. You have to provide alternatives to the gang lifestyle,” Schiele said.

He added that some of the faith-based groups try to intercept gang members and educate them on alternatives. For example, Genesis Church walked the Mack Road corridor looking for people in need of mentoring or life coaching because they are rated as high-risk young adults.

The Ceasefire strategy is designed for those who have been identified as “drivers of violence.” through the Sacramento Police Departments statistical data and crime reports.

Once the drivers of violence have been identified, the police contact their parole officers, and they are required to attend a meeting.

During this meeting, Ceasefire representatives inform these “drivers of violence” that they can either choose to work with their programs and end their violent lifestyles or, if they continue, then they will go back to jail. If they decide they would like help, they can utilize the free services like job training and counseling.

In addition to having the program in place, Champion encourages the community to take action.

“I hope the community sees the results,” he said, “and sees that they no longer need to be in fear, that this is a partnership, and without the community’s help, we cannot make this a successful venture.”

Jackson said it will take years before the program’s effects on crime can be measured.

“So far we’ve had 20 young people go through the program, and have reached 50 people,” Jackson said.

Schiele emphasized that the purpose of the program is to reduce violence and to stop the killing of young people.

“Young people in the 16-25 age group account for the highest percentage of violence,” Schiele said.

“Once we can get that dialogue across, and that dialogue heard, that the killings and shootings and violence needs to stop now, then we hope there’s a moment where we can actually have a conversation about how we can help them get out of your gang lifestyle,” he said.

Champion says the program still needs some modifications to become successful.

“There’s still a lot to do,” he said. “There’s still call-ins to have, community engagement to happen, new partners to bring on board.

“Hopefully we have success and we reduce violence, and these individuals get the help and services they need to make them successful, and we continue on,” he said. “We’re taking it one step at a time.”

City Cemetery tour celebrates Black History Month

2011-02-24T06:43:06Z

In celebration of Black History Month, the Old City Cemetery Committee will be giving a free tour at 10 a.m. on Saturday detailing the fascinating history of African-Americans during the 1800s.

Bob LaPerriere will be the main tour guide Saturday along with other members of the committee.

“I was involved in starting the Old City Cemetery Committee,” LaPerriere said. “ Now I’m the tour coordinator for this particular tour”.

LaPerriere has been giving tours for 25 years. Every year he conducts a tour at the old cemetery, which covers the extensive history of physicians and medicine from the 1800s.

This tour celebrating Black History Month is not shown every year. It’s been at least eight years since the committee has been able to do this type of tour.

“It’s just a matter of volunteers,” LaPerriere explained. “If we get more volunteers, we can have these tours on a more regular basis. It takes an awful lot of work to put these tours together, a lot of research and a lot of work”.

Laperriere said the main purpose of this tour is, “ to make people more familiar with the history of African-Americans in the 1800s”.

Some of the key individuals being discussed include: Edwin Crocker (an abolitionist), Vaardmen Bullard (a former slave), Ernest Houston Johnston (an African-American graduate of Stanford University, first graduating class), Sarah Jones (a prominent African-American educator), and Henry Yantis (a church deacon and champion of education).

“It’s important that people realize the struggles that African-Americans went through in the 1800s for independence in the time of slavery, even though California was a non-slave state,” LaPerriere said.

“You have to research old burial records and old written records from the area, and sometimes it is very difficult to find any information on a particular person,” he said.

The Old City Cemetery is located at 1000 Broadway, between Muir Way and Riverside Boulevard. Parking is free and is located across the street from the cemetery.