Category: Family

Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm

I first took the family out to Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm back in 2006, but we had been itching to go back — so we decided to take off in the afternoon on Furlough Friday and head out to Wheatland. Obviously it is quite a trip out there, so you have to be prepared for that. It’s beautiful country in my opinion, though more and more of it is suburbs. Lincoln is insane with the housing.

Bishop’s is still an awesome experience, from the large goat petting zoo to the long train ride around the family’s “pick your own” flower garden and a patch of ginormous pumpkins. This time around we ate on location, dining on grilled hot dogs and some massive saucy tri-tip sandwiches. It’s average food and it won’t break your bank. For treats they have a “make your own shaved ice” hut with more than a dozen flavors and flavor mixes. And of course there are homemade pies.

So if you still have to grab some gourds and you are up for the drive, Bishops is a great time. I have a few photos after the jump…
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Zombie related scheduling nightmare on Halloween

This year, October 31 not only brings us candy and costumed fun, but it brings us AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” based on the acclaimed graphic novel published by Berkeley’s Image Comics. However, local film series Movies on a Big Screen is showing George A. Romero’s 1968 classic “Night of the Living Dead,” widely considered the finest example of the zombie film genre. So your options are a classic that you have seen a bazillion times but maybe never on the big screen with other fans, or the small screen debut of a more relevant story and a soon-to-be classic.

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Midtown Community Festival

This Saturday from 2-7pm is Sacramento’s best beer festival for families, the 5th Annual Midtown Community Festival. Rubicon Brewing and the Northern California Brewers Guild shut down Capitol between 20th and 21st and fill it with a beer garden, BBQ, bands, and plenty of games, activities and fun for all ages. Proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Sacramento, which provides a safe and positive environment for all kids, but especially at-risk youth, to help them reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. Admission is FREE!!

STAR test results show slow growth

The 2010 California Standardized Testing and Reporting results were released Monday, and overall the picture continues to be grim, though there are mild improvements over last year:

Fifty-two percent of the students are proficient in English, while 48 percent are proficient in math – an increase of two percentage points in each over last year.

Results in Sac City Unified are basically flat, with 1-3% improvements over last year’s summary scores. The “Science End-of-Course” scores went up by 5%, which is a welcome sight for people concerned with the state of science education these days.

Free admission at the zoo today


Creative Commons License photo credit: larry&flo

If your kids are not starting school today and you’re looking for some fun activities, remember that admission to the Sacramento Zoo is free today and next Monday, courtesy of your friends at Target Brands, Inc.

And remember that if you’re there at 11:45am or 2pm you can pay $3 to feed a giraffe. I believe they reimburse you the $3 if the giraffes are not hungry.

Speaking of Target, I was inordinately excited to see the big bullseye logos up on the new super store on 65th last week. I can’t be the only one…

Local schools win Big Lots grant money

Novels
For some reason I want to read a Skippyjon Jones book. Creative Commons License photo credit: amsd2dth

Congratulations to Elk Grove Unified’s Franklin Elementary School and Sheldon High School and Robla School District’s Taylor Street Elementary School, who were 3 of the 45 schools to win “Big Lots Lots2Give” prize money. From the contest website:

We asked participating schools to put their creativity to the test by submitting a short video and brief essay explaining why their school is in need of financial support. Then we turned to the public to select the winners by voting for their favorite video. Cash prizes include one $10,000 grand prize and forty-five $2,000 first prizes.

I know that cynicism gets old, but I am cynical about these big corporate “charity” social networking programs. In addition to Big Lots you’ve got the Pepsi Refresh Project and more locally the Raley’s Reach grants. My skepticism only goes so far, because at the end of the day these are actual charity programs and various groups are actually benefiting from them. Charities that fund public school projects in particular are doing great work, as governments consistently fail these schools. But these programs all leave a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to methodology.

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Destination: Bend, Oregon

I took the family up to Bend, Oregon for our annual all-American family vacation funfest. We seem to have an affinity or the Beaver State, having been to Ashland 2 years ago. What can we say? The call of the beautiful trees, lack of sales tax, and not having to get out of your car to pump gas is too powerful.

Bend is a splendid city, with a river running through it much like our own fair town, but making much more public use of it than we are ever likely to see. Though it is cliche to say it, the town does have a friendly, laid-back attitude that makes for a great vacation spot. Especially if you are into drinking awesome beer.

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To the naughty step you go!

The Clever Way to Calmer Kids
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

While browsing Goore’s recently, I came across this little gem (YouTube video). Apparently, how to handle your misbehaving little one is not has easy as it used to be. The Time Out Pad solves your problems by putting your child in virtual lock down.

The makers (Gro-Group) ask, “How do you monitor a time out when you’ve got so many things to do? And what happens if a child gets up during the time out? How does the child know when the time out is finished?” Their solution: a plastic cushion equipped with a red-yellow-green light, a timer, and congratulatory beeping when their time out is over. Unless your kid bails on their time out, and then an alarm will sound.

You know, unless. I guess this is how electric dog fences were created. Oooh, that gives me an idea!

St. Francis Elem. School to move to Tahoe Park

Sac Bee reports that earthquake retrofit rules will force the St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School to relocate… to the former site of John Paul II School in Tahoe Park.

[St. Francis Principal Laurie] Power said estimates for the retrofitting have come in between $3 million to $5 million.

“We obviously don’t have that kind of money lying around in our checkbooks,” Power said. “It will take a lot of planning.”

Funny, the only reason there is an empty site is that the diocese didn’t have a dime to save John Paul II. I am happy though that the site in Tahoe Park won’t go unused.