On Saturday the Midtown Business Association is hosting its annual holiday celebration, featuring tons of fun events for Sacramentans of all ages and interests. Highlights include the IndieSacramento trunk show and craft bazaar at 24th and J all day featuring crafting and live music, an open house viewing of the Governor’s Mansion renovation, and a Ricky Berger and Sac Rag favorite Daisy Spot show at Bows & Arrows at 6pm. Tons of stuff for you crafter types, and kiddie activities all day at the Mosaic Salon parking lot at 27th and Jay. Here is a walking map for the event. (PNG image)

Continue reading “Midtown Holiday Celebration Saturday” »

This guy probably gets
free washes everywhere

Today is Veteran’s Day, and Harv’s Metro Car Wash will be offering free car washes for veterans.

[Harv's co-owner] Aaron Zeff and business partner Doron Levitan are both veterans themselves. Zeff trained locally at Mather Air Force Base before its closure and finished his career flying the supersonic RF-4 Phantom.

Harv’s Metro Car Wash
1901 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916.446-0129
http://www.harvscarwash.com

Penguins love ice-skating

…[Your holiday of choice here]! The Downtown Plaza Ice Rink opens tomorrow at noon with FREE skating all day. After tomorrow, regular admission is $6 plus $2 for skate rental. Plus $8 later on at Rite Aid for ankle braces and ice packs. The rink accepts cash only.

Mrs Cool reminds me that this weekend also brings 2nd Saturday and the Antique Faire. It was great planning to have the faire on Second Sunday, if you aske me.

This weekend, the two cornerstone businesses of Midtown will be having birthday parties.

Happy 35th to the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and Happy 21st to Rubicon Brewing Company!

(I’ll give you time to do a little happy dance of celebration…. do do dooooo)

The Co-op Celebration is from 10-7 on Saturday and includes a street fair filled with local farmers, cooking demonstrations, music, education and a lot of great food at the Harvest Tasting Fair. Mind X and Jon Merriman will perform. Since Co-op means it is “cooperatively owned” by its patrons, they will have a membership drive with prizes through November. Join the Co-op!

Rubicon Brewing Company will wrap up their Hoptober celebrations on October 31 and November 1st by offering 21 of the hoppiest IPAs they could find in California (and one that snuck in across the border from Nevada). Pacific Brew News has the taplist here.

Dust off your pop-culture, literary, or costumed-hero themed costumes and let your freak flag fly tomorrow in Midtown:

On Saturday, October 25 from 11a.m. to 3p.m., the MBA and many local Midtown businesses will participate in a community Safe Halloween Walk along the J Street corridor from 16th to 29th and the surrounding streets.

Get your costumes and candy bags ready for this fun, safe, and FREE daytime event– visit the participating businesses to trick-or-treat for candy and share in the local Halloween spirit!

Meet up at the Relles Florist parking lot on J and 24th. On-street parking will be free on J Street between 16th and 26th, and on 16th Street to 29th Street between J and K.

It may not be economic
but it’s definitely stimulus.

Here’s another one for the “things are not as bad as they seem” file.

For all you midtown Peetniks, a new Peets has opened up at the southeast corner of Capitol and Alhambra. You’ll be happy to know there is yet another caffeine option in the area.

So, even though times are tough, apparently the fundamentals of our coffee are strong.

That’s it, fight back, kids!

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus takes to the rings at Arco Arena Thursday. Tickets are actually pretty cheap, lower level tickets are going for $11.50 and kids under 2 are free.

Though the real circus did away with the freak show long ago, this weekend midtown will also be home to the “2nd Annual Circus Show & Other Atrocities,” an art show “juxtaposing the dark, painful lives of performing animals with the fun, amusing atmosphere of a carnival.” Here are some photos from last year’s event. (Is that Hellboy himself Ron Perlman? I know it’s not, but that would be a sweet get, bigger than Dan Piraro, creator of comic strip Bizarro, who’ll be headlining this year. Although that is a pretty neat get.)

Continue reading “The Circus is in town!” »

Another blog to track in the Sac blogosphere, from Midtown Monthly. A few posts are up already, from Heckasac’s Beckler; HK, who must be music writer Heather Klinger; and founders Tim Foster and Liv Moe. Building on Midtown’s arts-food-music-life coverage with a blog seems like a great addition and I wish them luck!

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks will be performing tonight at Harlow’s. Malkmus was the primary songwriter for Sac-Joaquin Valley 90’s legends Pavement, and has fronted the Portland-based Jicks since 2000. The band will be supporting their new release Real Emotional Trash, his 4th album post-Pavement, and is the first major tour for the act in several years as Malkmus is a recent parent.

Attendees can expect hipsters enjoying butt-bouncingly infectious tunes accompanied by witty lyrical poetry and blistering psychedelic guitar solos. Don’t miss out on a great band that happens to include two indie-rock luminaries, SM and former Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss.

Today, Rubicon Brewing shows their love for the ladies by featuring 11 beers brewed by women to raise funds for WEAVE. If you did not know, women brewers in the industry are rare, but are increasing in both numbers and prominence (just take a look at the trophy case for Denise Jones, head brewer at Moylan’s in Novato). Come show your support by lifting a glass (or 11 small samples), purchasing raffle tickets for great prizes or picking up a limited edition Women in Brewing T-shirt which is available in any color as long as it is black.