Che at Sacvibe recently interviewed Terry Cox on his efforts to create Sacramento’s first bike ramp park. Despite tough economic times, we get a new (albeit temporary) addition to McClatchy Park thanks to the resourcefulness and hard work of a few locals. Check out the full story in the video and come to the grand opening this Saturday at Noon!
Can You Spare a Square?
Once a year, the Sacramento nonprofit scene becomes aflutter with talk of a critical matter: toilet paper! That’s right–toilet paper. Like paper clips and copy paper, local nonprofits can’t live without the stuff. But it costs money they’d rather be spending on programs, like saving cuddly kittens or helping homeless women find jobs.
Can you spare a square? If so, today is the official drop-off day for the annual United Way toilet paper drive. Last year they brought in 50,000 rolls (that’s a lot of squares!). This year, they’re challenging the community to help them bring in 60,000.
The drive will take place today (Thursday) until 7 p.m. at the Cal Expo main entrance, 1600 Exposition Boulevard in Sacramento. The rolls will be distributed the following week to United Way’s certified nonprofit partners in Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. For more information, visit www.yourlocalunitedway.org/tp-drive.
New reality show features former Aggie athletes
ABC’s upcoming Mark Burnett reality show “EXPEDITION IMPOSSIBLE” features 12 teams in a sort of Fantastic Race across Morocco, and when the show premieres it will count 3 former UC Davis female athletes among the teams vying for the Amazing title.
The beauties from Team California Girls not only carry the burden of being both gorgeous and smart, they also happen to be talented athletes. Christina, Brittany and Natalie met at UC Davis, where they were all recruited to compete for the Aggies. These ladies are always up for adventure and aren’t afraid to get a little dirty.
We all have our burdens. The show, which premieres June 23, will be hosted by Dave Salmoni, otherwise known as that idiot who bangs a stick to taunt wild lions. (The Huffington Post is still a thing?)
Award-Winning Documentary Showing Tomorrow
At the heart of Sacramento’s contemporary arts scene is an outstanding start-up nonprofit called Verge Center for the Arts. It’s where all the cool kids convene, and some of this town’s hippest entertainment takes place there.
One of Verge’s best-kept secrets is its Film Series. It’s a mere $7 to watch one of their award-winning picture shows.  Tomorrow (Thursday) at 7:30 p.m., they’re showing “Marwencol,” a film that won the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the South by Southwest Film Festival (talk about cool!), Best Documentary of the Year from the Boston Society of Film Critics and Rotten Tomatoes, and two Independent Spirit Awards. New York Magazine reviewed the film and raved, “About as fascinating as a documentary can get.” Fancy film!
The documentary features the life of Mark Hogancamp, who is beaten into a brain-damaging coma by five teens outside a bar–and lives to tell about it. Continue reading “Award-Winning Documentary Showing Tomorrow”
Sacramento joins list of worst
We usually can’t go more than a few months without learning of a list Sacramento has made. Yesterday, I came across this list from usnews.com (I’m behind, it’s from May) letting me know that Sacramento “topped” a list along with Riverside and Las Vegas. There is one thing I know about cities in the United States and that is you never want to be mentioned with Riverside or Las Vegas. This particular list, of course, has us placing as the third worst city for job seekers in America.
Unemployment rate: 12.7 percent…Unemployed people per job posting: 3.10…Construction employment in Sacramento was down 8.8 percent in April from one year prior. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector also continues to shed jobs.
We were grouped in as “Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville” though which means, well, I’m not sure what it means other than we share the honor with another city and a census-designated place. Which is, as everyone knows, a principal locality of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Take that, Rancho Cordova!
Swim season starts today
Swim season at the City’s pools, such as they are, opens today with hours at Doyle and Johnston pools and the Mama Marks and Robertson Park play pools. Clunie, McClatchy, Pannell Meadowview and Sim pools open next week. With only 6 pools open for 4 hours weekdays and a little more on the weekends, I suppose it is the best they could do. The pools that will remain open are basically open every day. It seems like they will be so crowded that you’ll wish you had just let the kids open a hose in the front yard, but what are you gonna do.
Summer Parks and Rec catalog [PDF] (Sadly, no picture of Andy and April on the cover)
Restaurant Mikuni sponsors street fair
Restaurant Mikuni sponsors street fair
This Thursday in Roseville, Mikuni Restaurants will be sponsoring the aptly named “1st Annual Mikuni Japanese Street Festival” at The Fountains lifestyle center to celebrate the opening of its newest location.
“We wanted to do something different in the community to generate awareness of our newest location, Mikuni Kaizen,†said Jeanne Mabry, Vice President of Marketing. “The atmosphere of The Fountains is perfect for an event for all ages to include an evening of Japanese themed entertainment and activities to kick off the summer.â€
I suppose if we’re treating The Fountains as a neighborhood, then a restaurant grand opening is the equivalent of a street fair. Oh and by the way Mikuni Kaizen will be open for “normal business hours” during the event and will be open until 9:30 PM.
Takedown is coming!
Surewest warns subscriber not to torrent Game of Thrones
A local pirate warns (via email-he must have 3G on his ship):
So I got a notice from Surewest that they had detected that I downloaded, specifically, Game of Thrones over bit torrent and they advised that they would monitor for copyright infringement and would terminate service for anyone that is caught abusing the service in perpetuating copyright infringement. Just an FYI. I don’t know what makes GoT special as opposed to all the other shows, but just be careful. No more pay channel torrents for me.
The other local angle to this is that Ashwin Navin, a co-founder of BitTorrent Inc., is totally from Sacramento.
The Center for Sacramento History’s mystery image
A photo of the “blight” in Sacramento
I was browsing the Center for Sacramento History’s website this morning when I came across this mystery image they would like your help in identifying.
Please assist Center for Sacramento History staff in helping to identify this mystery image. Any information you can provide about the image context – or the who, what, when, where, and why is appreciated. This image is from the Theodore Leonard Collection donated in 2001. The 35mm black and white negative was taken to document the “blight” in Sacramento as part of Mr. Leonard’s work with the Sacramento Redevelopment Agency and likely dates c.1955.
Say what?
While I’m on the topic, my son’s 4-H group recently toured the Archives and loved it. It’s a local treasure, for sure.
And speaking of mystery images, where was the Ghetto Grotto Drive-in?
Woz Cup Challenge comes to Folsom
Upright handlebars ergonomically designed to maximize loss of dignity
The Folsom Telegraph brings us news that Prairie City Stadium at Folsom High will host the sixth annual Segway Polo Woz Challenge Cup 2011. I’ve read this article 3 or 4 times now and I still can’t figure out if it’s an Onion story or what.
The Segway Polo Woz Challenge Cup is basically polo on Segways, rather than on horses. Five players make up a team; two forwards, two midfielders and a goalie. Players ride their Segways, which max-out at 12 ½ miles per hour, and swing padded mallets at the equivalent of a Nerf soccer ball toward a goal 8-feet wide and 5-feet tall.
Well, I’ll be. Twelve teams from around the world will compete for the Woz Cup, the perpetual trophy named after Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc.
In a short amount of time in a sport that few know about, Ross, fellow Rotarian and Folsom resident Bob Quinlan and a handful of others have put together quite an event with the city’s support. “We’re going to bring hundreds of thousands of dollars to the city and Sutter Street businesses,†Ross said.
Like 100s of 1000s? Whoa. Well, good on you then. Learn more at wozcup2011.com.
How many of you immediately thought of GOB riding his Segway when you read this post?
The Sac Rag 