Author: CoolDMZ

"X-ray vision to see in between / Where's my kimono and my time machine?"

Nineteenth-century graffitti at Sutter’s Fort uncovered

Fun tidbit in this Bee article today about the facelift at the Central Building at Sutter’s Fort.

Clearing out the historic building has also resulted in some pleasant surprises, [Tim Gellinck, a restoration works specialist]added.

“We always knew that there was historic graffiti from the 1840s up in the attic of the building, but there was so much clutter up there that we couldn’t get to it,” Gellinck said. “Once the clutter was removed and the shingles were taken off, the light exposed quite a bit of graffiti that we didn’t realize was there.”

The crews found one particular inscription reading: “The Industrial Army Camped Here,” that was dated May 4, 1894. The Industrial Army Movement was apparently a roving populist group of unemployed laborers agitating on behalf of workers hurt by the bad economy of the time. #OccupySuttersFort!

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival begins announcing lineup

Bettye Lavette (unconfirmed)

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the unique San Francisco music fest featuring country/bluegrass/Americana bands playing free concerts every October, is set to announce confirmed artists for this year’s fest October 4-6. As in previous years, the bands are announced via medleys that encourage fans to guess the invited artists. After the artists are correctly guessed by the fans, the official announcements are made.

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Death Grips no show at Lollapalooza, fans trash equipment

Local experimental hip hop group Death Grips caused some kind of stir by failing to appear at their scheduled gig at a Chicago club a part of Lollapalooza.

The fans reportedly responded by trashing the band’s equipment that had been set up onstage, including a drum kit.

The drum kit would be owned by acclaimed experimental percussionist Zach Hill.

New McKinley Park playground opening today

The new structure

Rebuild McKinley, the group created to build a new playground to replace the one destroyed in a fire last year, is having a grand opening event today to celebrate the creation of the new structure. The new structure is amazing, with major elements sharing an East Sacramento theme (continuing some of the designs in the previous structure). It also appears to be surrounded by a fence, which to me is a tremendous upgrade as the place is huge. Lots of local organizations worked on this project, and to get it done so quickly is a real accomplishment.

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“Hackathon” this weekend

Photo of last year's event
Photo of last year’s event

Hacker Lab, a Silicon valley-style tech startup incubator located in Midtown, is hosting “Cereal Hack 3” this weekend. The event will feature teams who will work together over 30 hours to create a hardware or software product. The best teams win cash prizes and you gotta think probably some attention from the Nor Cal startup scene. Oh, and I think there might be free breakfast cereals.

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Wallpaper. has the summer hit of the year with “RRiR”

From the band's Facebook page
From the band’s Facebook page

Oakland based Wallpaper’s new album “Ricky Reed is Real” dropped yesterday (on frontman Ricky Reed’s birthday) and if this isn’t the album that makes this genre-defying act a household name, then I just don’t know what. (Well, houses that like super fun chopped and screwed party pop music, at least.)

Wallpaper, which also features “The Public Access Show” star Arjun Singh, are out rocking America on the Van’s Warped Tour. The album is available on iTunes and Amazon.
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Sac’s pro soccer club: Sacramento Republic FC

The club’s crest

It was unveiled live at the event this evening, so it’s all over the Twitterpages, but Sac’s new pro soccer club is now officially Sacramento Republic FC. The club’s crest, featuring a brown shield, red star and the California bear, was also announced. It’s a pretty cool look! Also, I would drink that beer.

And it looks like the event tonight got a big crowd out to Raley Field. Urbs Indomita! (The Indomitable City!)

More honors for Sac Library system

The "Read & Feed" garden at Colonial Heights Library
The “Read & Feed” garden at Colonial Heights Library

This time it’s Colonial Heights branch in the spotlight, being named by the Urban Libraries Council as one of the Top 10 Innovators of 2013. Specifically, the branch was recognized for “Sustainability” for its “Read & Feed Garden”:

The library and garden are located in an underprivileged South Sacramento neighborhood where one quarter of the population is at the poverty level and seven out of ten neighborhood children are eligible for free or reduced-cost lunches. The area is referred to as a “food desert” because of the lack of access to fresh produce.

I have been to some events in the library, and enjoyed some fresh fruit harvested there. It’s a really special thing.

Continue reading “More honors for Sac Library system”

Tip 1: Stay indoors

Jenkinson Lake was a good way to cool off over the weekend
Jenkinson Lake was a good way to cool off over the weekend

If you have been conscious for the last week or so, you are aware that it is hot out there. As I have spent the better part of my 37 years in Sacramento, I am mostly immune to it at this point, though I have to remind myself that almost half of that has been spent in an air conditioned office from 9 to 5 every weekday.

Local news is all about pointing out the heat, and they all don their Captain Obvious costumes and present lists of how to beat the heat. KCRA’s craptacular slideshow features a tip of wearing “loose fitting clothing” accompanied by a photo of a girl wearing pants and a sweater. I could not make that up. Thanks a lot geniuses! News10 goes cutesy with photos of cold things. SacBee.com sticks with the facts and figures.

Continue reading “Tip 1: Stay indoors”

Trailer for Grant High football movie released

The trailer for Give Us This Day, a film about the Grant Pacers, was released today. Down to the local sports radio voice over, the trailer really plays up the “Friday Night Lights” connection well in covering the emotional highs and lows at Grant over the last few years. Can’t wait for a big local opening for this film!

The film follows two seasons inside one of the nation’s top high school football programs. Two years removed from a State Championship, the Grant Pacers are poised to make another run. But fierce opponents, the neighborhood, and a major tragedy all stand in their way.

Hat tip to Chris from North Sac Beat who shared this link on his great blog today.