Don’t forget, tomorrow is Free Museum Day in Sacramento, where 26 area museums and historical facilities open their doors for free. Perfect day for it with the rain we’re expecting. Will rain make it more or less crowded? I know it’s nice to get some indoor fun, but it can also be a pain getting mobilized when it is raining.
Free Museum Day
Proudly supported by Umpqua Bank
Saturday, February 6, 2010
10 a.m. to 4 p.m
26 participating locations
Looking for something fun to do indoors for a birthday the other week, I bit the bullet (to overcome three things: my hatred of spending money, my aversion to dealing with other people, and my gag reflex at the smell of heat lamp-warmed pizza) and took the family to Sky High Sports in Rancho Cordova. But the results were quite satisfactory!
This Second Saturday, enjoy your art and share it, too. Head over to Raphael Delgado Art Studio, 1018 22nd Street, for a unique pairing of art and the spirit of giving. But don’t show up empty-handed! This party is for the giver, not the Grinch. Bring along some art materials to donate to the Stanford Home for Children’s annual Crayons to Canvas art supply drive.
This drive provides materials for the nonprofit’s art therapy program helping teens from at-risk families. They are specifically in need of art supplies for youth ages 10-18.
With art provisions in tow, Continue reading “This Second Saturday Help Bring Art to At-Risk Kids”
While the Kings may be suffering from the lowest attendance in franchise history it sure was refreshing to learn that, for the third year in a row, the “Polar Express” train ride in Old Sacramento is sold out for the season.
From News10.net:
“We don’t advertise. We do promote ticket sales to our members, but it’s just a word of mouth event over the last three years,” said Mello.
Of course, people have to be people and some have scalped auctioned tickets on eBay (tickets are normally $24 for adults, $16 for children).
At any rate, this is good news for Sacramento and for our otherwise crappy economy.
(For the 2010 Polar Express train ride, members of the California State Railroad Museum will have the opportunity for advance ticket purchase before the general public. For more information on becoming a member, call the Membership Office at (916) 445-5995.)
Shop local. Help school kids. Grab your holiday gift list and head over to the Fine Art & Craft Show benefitting St. Mary’s school. It runs today only from 10:00AM till 7:00PM. Tickets are $5 at the door, which is located at M & 58th Streets.
Visit their Facebook page for a preview of what’s on sale, and to print off a coupon for a free cup of coffee.
If you’ve got any women on your gift list that like hand-made jewelry, or pretty things in general, you’re sure to find something here.
The Hawaiian Chieftain, “a replica of a typical European merchant trader of the turn of the nineteenth century,” has docked in Old Sacramento for Adventure Cruises:
Our three-hour family-oriented Adventure Sail features a living history experience with demonstrations of tall ship handling, sea shanty singing, and maritime storytelling.
Tickets are pricey, but come on, shanty singing.
A Sacramentan’s go-to Halloween guide featuring tips on ghost stories, jack-o-lanterns, costumes, ghostly haunts, and spirits.
Ghost Stories:
No Halloween party is complete without a haunted tale. If your theatrical skills are lacking, or you’ve long forgotten how the story of The Hook ends, I’ve got the answer for you! Professionally-narrated audio ghost stories are available for download from the Sacramento Public Library. Simply download your favorites and turn up the volume. You are no longer limited to the spooky CD of the door creaking or the smash hit “Monster Mash†played on repeat. These ghost stories are sure to send tingles down your spine.
Continue reading “Haunted Sacramento: Your Guide to a Happy Halloween”
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.
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!
The family had missed the other Twilight Concert Series shows at Fairy Tale Town, but we were in attendance last night for the final outing in the series, when local klezmer band The Freilachmakers made with the freilach. Although I love to rock and/or roll as much as the next guy (unless the next guy is Gene Simmons), I always come back to the sounds of traditional music, and the Freilachmakers are experts at their craft. I don’t speak Yiddish, but I do believe the band’s claim that it has “defined what may be called ‘the Sacramento sound’ in klezmer and Sephardic Jewish music.” Who is going to dispute that claim? I hear the klezmer kids in Europe go nuts for that swingin’ Sacramento sound.
Continue reading “Freilachmakers klezmerize the crowd at Fairy Tale Town”
The Sac Rag 