Author: Stickie

Witchapalooza

This weekend, Cal Expo gets a head start on the Halloween season with the inaugural Witchapalooza. Music, street entertainers, celebrities, inflatable rides and, of course, spooky things abound to support several local charities. The best news is the bargain price for family fun — admission is only $5 and kids 12 and younger are free. Many of the attractions are geared towards fans of fantasy fiction, so if you have a kid, or are a kid of any age who loves to read about wizards, vampires or ghosts, you’ll find something at Witchapalooza to tickle your fancy.

Check their website for all the details, but some intriguing features include appearances by film legend Malcolm McDowell, the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer Kristy Swanson, and paranormal romance author and lycanthropy expert Eva Gordon. Awesome shopping opportunities are available from dozens of vendors, including costumes from Badger’s Den, one of the best suppliers of historical reenactment and fantasy supplies in the US, and Whimsic Alley, a recreation of numerous shops from the world of Harry Potter. Several contests have prizes, including a costume contest for both kids and adults, and patrons will have the opportunity to win $500 in cash. Steampunk culture will also be featured, including demonstrations of strange and fantastic gizmos.

Congrats local brewers!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVIL BEER!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVIL BEER!
The Great American Beer Festival was this weekend in Denver, CO. Beer lovers from around the world converge annually as this event is beer heaven, with 2100 beers from 457 breweries across America served over three days. The only people happier than the attendees are the brewers who get to pow-wow with their brethren and sistren (sistern?) brewers and, hopefully, bring hope some accolades.

This year, Sacramento has two winning breweries at GABF. Rubicon Brewing brought home the Silver Medal for their multi-award winning Winter Wheatwine in the Strong Beer category. Sacramento Brewing Company won the Bronze for their Collaborative Evil in the Belgian and French Style category. This is currently on tap sold out but coming back in the future at SacBrew and is delicious.
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SF Mime Troupe in town this weekend

Michael Gene Sullivan performs a song from Too Big to Fail
Michael Gene Sullivan performs a song from Too Big to Fail
The fantastically awesome San Francisco Mime Troupe will have their annual free Sacramento area performances this weekend. For those who are unfamiliar, these are not the creepy non-speaking Marcel Marceau-type mimes with the white painted faces, trapped in a box, walking against the wind, pulling the invisible rope… you know, the ones you want to whack with an olive loaf. No, these are revolutionary mimes that perform physical comedy and feats of agility, talk and sing, and educate their audiences about complicated political realities that affect us all.

This year, which is the 50th anniversary of the SFMT, they have written a wacky comedy about the economic crisis. Titled Too Big To Fail, the show concerns a goat herder and his struggles to build his small business enough to support his family, make his village proud and keep a home for his favorite goat named Bamusa. As he becomes a goat kingpin, he encounters bankers, lenders, mortgage brokers, Wall Street tycoons and ponzi-scheming scalawags. The story is presented in the style of the West African Griots, who have an famed oral storytelling tradition and are known for their talented traveling bards.
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Thrill the World!

Thrill the World with your zombie bad self!
Thrill the World with your zombie bad self!

Since 2006, a strange worldwide phenomenon has been growing. Once a year, people around the world perform the Thriller dance to benefit charities for kids and to break the World Record for largest simultaneous dance. Some dress like zombies, others might actually be zombies. Last year, more than 4000 dancers in 72 cities in 10 countries broke their own record and are shooting for even more this year. The 2009 Thrill the World has additional poignancy because of MJ’s passing earlier this year and has turned into a “tribute” to MJ’s music and his love of children.

So, Sacramento, are you ready to Thrill the World? Rehearsals are already happening every Monday night, 7:30 PM at the Southside Park Bandshell. There is a local website set up by Event Manager Donna Fultineer, who has designated the Meadowview Family Resource Center as the local charity. Organizers emphasize that the only requirement is a soul for getting down and that people of all ages and physical ability participate. To join in on the fun, check out the website or simply show up on Monday! If you want a head start, there is a tutorial video to help you out.

All About Walken

The Cast of All About Walken
The Cast of All About Walken
The longest running comedy show in LA is coming to Sacramento for only one night. All About Walken, which plays at the Guild Theater this Saturday, features seven Christopher Walken impersonators, including St. Francis alumnus Amy Kelly. The show is not traditional theater, but an interactive experience that tells the life story of Walken through audience participation, crazy hair, music, improvisation, multimedia and, of course, dancing. Tickets are $20 at www.brownpapertickets.com, call (888) 227-2285 for info.

All About Walken: Conceived and directed by Patrick O’Sullivan. Starring O’Sullivan, Kelly, Kyle Cadman, Kenzo Lee, Dionysio Basco, Joe Dallo, & Aryiel Hartman.

Cal Brewers Fest ’09

Sacramento’s two largest brewfests coincide with the coming and going of summer. The West Coast Brew Fest always seems to be on that first 100 degree weekend of the year, and the California Brewers Festival is always on the freshly moistened ground of the first rains of the coming Autumn.

This Saturday is the 15th annual California Brewers Festival hosted by the Point West Rotary Club. It is held every September to coincide with the beginning of school, as the beneficiaries of your $30 donation is Operation School Bell, a project of the Assistance League of Sacramento. Children in 34 schools throughout the Sacramento area will have new clothes for school thanks to this program and Sunday’s 4,000 swollen livers.
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Centro’s 15th Anniversary Fiesta

Try some fine tequila from El Tesoro at Centro
Try some fine tequila from El Tesoro at Centro's 15th Anniversary
After attending the Midtown Community Festival, wander over to Centro for their 15th anniversary extravaganza! Centro is Midtown’s premiere tequila bar, with more than 150 selections, most of which are 100% agave. In case you are wondering, tequila that is not 100% agave is not suitable for human consumption, regardless of the numerous attempts to do so that regularly occur across America. For tequila neophytes, try a flight of a single brand’s three most common styles, their plata, reposado and anejo, to learn the differences between them. I recommend Chinaco or El Tesoro. One authentic touch that I appreciate at Centro is the option to sip a fine tequila with a handmade sangrita, a mix of tomato, orange and lime juices with spices. Delicioso. The back parking lot will feature live music, DJs, an art show, a tequila making demonstration, and outdoor bartenders shaking up margaritas made from fresh juice and natural sweeteners, not crappy mixes or sweet and sour.

Oh, yeah, the food is pretty damn good, too.

Midtown Community Festival

I’m glad that Sacramento is getting into the habit of closing more streets for community block parties, and one of the best is this Saturday. Rubicon Brewing is the primary sponsor for this annual fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Sacramento that takes place on Capitol Avenue between 20th and 21st streets from 1pm to 6pm. Admission is free, but you’ll want to check out the beer garden that features Rubicon and about a dozen other NorCal breweries. Beer garden admission is $25, but you can stop by Rubicon before Saturday for a $20 advance ticket. There are plenty of games and fun for the kids, including a cake walk and a walkathon, great BBQ and local bands. If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation to the Boys & Girls Club through their website!

Sacramento brewers best in state, again

28 beers and ciders from Sacramento were recognized at the 2009 California State Fair Commercial Craft Brew Competition.

Sac Brew Master Brewer Peter Hoey is proud of his creations! (photo courtesy of Rick Sellers & Tracy Bethune, Pacific Brew News)
Sac Brew Master Brewer Peter Hoey is proud of his creations! (photo courtesy of Rick Sellers & Tracy Bethune, Pacific Brew News)

The 2009 California State Fair has faded off into fond memory, but you can still enjoy many of the beers that were honored at this year’s Commercial Craft Brew competition. In case you are confused by the judging results, beers (and ciders and meads) are entered into one of 28 categories (and 93 styles), are awarded both a designation of overall quality (gold, silver, bronze) and and an overall ranking in their beer style (1st, 2nd, 3rd). Congrats to our local brewers and thanks for all the great beer!
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