Sac County Fair opens today

Posted on May 23, 2013 by CoolDMZ in Miscellaneous | Leave a comment

The 2013 Sacramento County Fair opens today at Cal Expo and runs through the weekend. A much smaller and cheaper cousin to “Big Fun,” the County Fair has much of the same fun without the crowds and heat. Sacramento “Don’t Say Jazz” Music “Don’t Say Jubilee” Festival is this weekend as well, but maybe you’ve got time for both?

Admission is free for kids under 12 and only $5 for adults. The music acts may not boast any headliners but there is a Journey cover band and some country music to enjoy. Saturday is Jimboy’s Taco Day; I’m not sure what that means but I don’t think it’s too much to set aside one day a year to dedicate to Jimboy’s tacos is it?

The animals and the people raising them are a great reason to visit, so if you want to see them make sure to visit before Monday, by which time the judging will be over and all the cows will have gone home (and pigs and sheep and stuff).

Special themes for each day:

  • Thursday, May 23 – Opening Day-Celebrating Your Community-Invitational Mayor’s Goat Milking Contest
  • Friday May 24 – Value Day – Dollar Food Items, 4 to 9 pm & Demolition Derby
  • Saturday, May 25 – Stars & Stripes Bull Riding sponsored by Lasher’s Elk Grove Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram
  • Sunday, May 26 – Junior Livestock Auction, 10 am, Livestock Barn & Gran Jaripeo (Mexican Rodeo & Fiesta)
  • Monday, May 27 – Military Appreciation Day &Team Sorting

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Zach Hill gets props from SPIN

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Stickie in Arts & Entertainment | Leave a comment

Sacramento’s Zach Hill is ranked #24 on SPIN Magazine’s new list of the Best Drummers of Alternative Music. While lists like this are a paradigm of subjectivity, it is a solid complilation that only sometimes ignores the definition of alternative music. Lenny Kravitz? James Brown? Slayer? Sigh.

But Hill is a solid choice in terms of talent, influence and indie-cred. SPIN notes that he is a “Present-day mythical… superhero of drumming” and “a reminder that I don’t know anything at all”. He is currently listed above widely worshiped contemporaries Danny Carey and Glenn Kotche. Only 33 years old, Hill is a strong candidate to be a future top ten lister among similarly bombastic legends Terry Bozzio and Stewart Copeland.

Hill rose to prominence with Hella, check out their performance of “City Folk Sitting, Sitting” at Capitol Garage. For a recent example of his work with the hip-hop combo Death Grips, listen to “World of Dogs“.

“Field Trip” app gets you free admission to 3 SF museums

Posted on May 20, 2013 by CoolDMZ in Miscellaneous | Leave a comment

20130520-202316.jpgA tip from occasional Ragger Scooter brought me to Google’s announcement that via its new Field Trip app, visitors to 6 major cities can get free admission to a number of museums. That includes three locations in San Francisco: Conservatory of Flowers, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Walt Disney Family Museum.

If you are around one of the following 13 museums, you will get a Field Trip card with “Free Entry” in the title (check the ‘nearby’ tab). Show the card on your phone to the admissions staff and they’ll take care of the rest.

Not sure how long this deal will last. As for the app, it seems pretty fun–it tracks your location and notifies you when you are near something interesting, by compiling info from a number of sources like Sunset Magazine, Zagat and Thrillist. When I fired it up at home it showed me dozens of locations from those Arcadia Publishing books, which I I didn’t really mind, except I’m pretty sure I said no nuts. (Sorry, I’m having trouble thinking about anything except “Arrested Development” coming back…)

It’s official: Kings are staying in Sacramento

Posted on May 15, 2013 by CoolDMZ in Sports | Leave a comment

Yes, over here

USA Today’s Sam Amick (formerly of the Bee) broke the story on Twitter: the NBA Board of Governors has apparently officially rejected the Chris Hansen/Steve Ballmer bid to purchase the Kings and move them to Seattle.

Turkish Delight, or Trio: Third Time’s the Harm

Posted on May 12, 2013 by sac-eats in Food & Drink | 1 Comment

imagesDish 1: It looked like a pile of burnt, crumbled hamburger meat over a base of somewhat loose, nearly separated risotto. Dish 2: It tasted like a chicken breast stuffed with a banana cream pie. Dish 3: Had the vegetable lasagna not been cold, it may have been satisfactory. Dish 4: For a slightly tough lamb shank, it was tasty if a bit cool.

These are not the entrees you should be serving. These are especially not the entrees you should be serving when the Eats clan has invited the Crushers to come along and evaluate a new eatery. If you don’t remember the Crushers, they’re great friends who do not hold back when served a shitty meal. And rarely stay quiet when they’re served a somewhat ok meal. They expect no errors at a $20 a dish joint, and just short-of-perfection at a $5 hash house.

This is also not the food you should be dishing out when you’re on the radar. How should you know you’re on the radar? Well, first comes the attention from Bee critic BAR, then an increase in Yelp reviews, then you wind up having two reviewers (Garrett McCord from SNR and Vanilla Garlic was at the table next to us) in on the same night. We’re talking NSA level-Zero Dark Thirty radar going on. Continue reading

Local artist to donate Second Saturday proceeds to Food Bank

Posted on May 9, 2013 by CoolDMZ in Arts & Entertainment | Leave a comment

pameneyro SFB art fundraiserPriscilla Ameneyro, a local artist whose abstract paintings will be on display at The Art Studios, has unique plans for Second Saturday this week. She plans to donate 100% of the proceeds on sales of her artwork to the Sacramento Food Bank.

Ameneyro, who is originally from Norwich, England (home of the Canaries!), told me idea came about as part of her own ongoing discovery about healthy eating. “I admire [SFB's] mission to provide fresh produce to those in need. I believe that you cannot sustain happiness if you cannot sustain your health,” she told me.

Her abstract acrylics and watercolors are on display at the Paolo Mejia Art Gallery.

Priscilla Ameneyro art fundraiser
The Art Studios
1723 I St, Sacramento, CA (behind Michelangelo’s restaurant)
May 11, 2013 (Second Saturday) 6-9pm

YMCA will operate 3 city pools this summer

Posted on May 8, 2013 by CoolDMZ in Family | 1 Comment
Tahoe Pool, ready for action

Tahoe Pool, ready for action

YMCA of Sacramento had recently announced it would operate Glenn Hall, Southside and Tahoe Pools this summer. But the even better news is that these pools will hav open swim hours seven days a week.

In addition to open swim hours 1-5pm Sunday through Friday and noon to 6pm Saturday, the pools will be open for lap swim, lessons, water exercise and swim team (at Glenn Hall). The public swim fee of $4/adults and $2/children is steeper than previous years but still a great deal. There will also be a $150 family unlimited pass.

This is excellent news. I am definitely looking forward to some serious chillaxing at Tahoe Pool this summer. Long hours on Saturday is awesome!

Hank Shaw wins!

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Stickie in Food & Drink | Leave a comment

America’s best food blogger of 2013

Congratulations to Hank Shaw, winner of the 2013 James Beard Foundation Award for Individual Food Blog.

This was Shaw’s third nomination for his blog Hunter Angler Gardener Cook which chronicles his pursuit of honest food.

In addition to writing, Hank teaches food classes in the Sacramento area. His next appearance will be Friday May 10 at Whole Foods for Cajun 101.