Tag: Events

The Circus is in town!

fight back!
That’s it, fight back, kids!

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus takes to the rings at Arco Arena Thursday. Tickets are actually pretty cheap, lower level tickets are going for $11.50 and kids under 2 are free.

Though the real circus did away with the freak show long ago, this weekend midtown will also be home to the “2nd Annual Circus Show & Other Atrocities,” an art show “juxtaposing the dark, painful lives of performing animals with the fun, amusing atmosphere of a carnival.” Here are some photos from last year’s event. (Is that Hellboy himself Ron Perlman? I know it’s not, but that would be a sweet get, bigger than Dan Piraro, creator of comic strip Bizarro, who’ll be headlining this year. Although that is a pretty neat get.)

Continue reading “The Circus is in town!”

The Ancient Sons CD release party tonight at Old Ironsides

the ancient sonsThe release party for the Sammies winners The Ancient Sons’ debut album “The Dark Gospel” is tonight at Old Ironsides. Also on the bill are Pets, Them Hills, and Phantom Floats. That’s a pretty solid lineup, at least judging by the songs I have listened to. I don’t go out much. Read on to download a solid track from “The Dark Gospel”…

Continue reading “The Ancient Sons CD release party tonight at Old Ironsides”

State Fair – Closing Weekend!

Ah, how time flies. This year, the California State Fair had a shorter run than in past years, so we’ve had to pack in our allotment of free concerts, fried food and big fun into only two weeks. As usual, the Fair closes after Labor Day, so make the most of the weekend if you are in town!

There are a few more attractions that I wanted to point out in case you have not had a chance to catch them.

Arial plants a wet one on TracyThe Sea Lion Encounter gives you the chance to play with, take a photo with, and get kissed by a California Sea Lion. All proceeds are for charity, so go take the rare opportunity to smell a little fishy, but in a good way. This exhibit is next to the track, where thoroughbred racing continues all weekend.

The Stars of the Peking Acrobats show is just damn cool. Don’t miss their breathtaking stunts.

Continue reading “State Fair – Closing Weekend!”

Corporate Carnies

It appears to the casual observer that the carnies at this year’s State Fair are a little cleaner than in past years. To the sharp-eyed snark hound, however, it is an obvious sea change in the modern carnival solutions industry.

That’s right. The midway has gone corporate.

All games, rides, and straight-toothed carnies are now provided for the California State Fair by the Ray Cammack Shows corporation or RCS. Take a look around the midway and you’ll see the RCS logo emblazoned on every skee-ball, pop-a-shot, and shoot-the-water-in-the-clown’s-mouth game. Continue reading “Corporate Carnies”

Stickie’s Report on Big Fun – Part 1

I’ve got a lot of random thoughts after the first weekend of the California State Fair, so forgive me if they are a little haphazard.

It appears that the organizers this year had two goals, which I think are both blue ribbon ideas and successes in their implementation:
1) More public participation
2) Be more funny

If you check out the free Official Program included in every Sacramento News and Review (another stellar idea), you’ll see that there are a lot of audience-involved competitions, including the Fair’s Karaoke Championship on 8/30, the Rock Band (as in the video game) Stage, and the State Fair Star talent contest, among more than a dozen others.

You’ll also see more comedy around the park. Funny attractions range from the educational (Sparx Sound Effects Show, one of the many Hollywood-themed attractions) to the wacky (the Traveling Game Show is hysterical) to the just plain weird (check out the creepy singing robot at the SMUD exhibit). And, as usual, Jeremy the Juggler is back, who I think is damn funny and super-talented, calling him a “kids” attraction is a little insulting, in my opinion. Weird Al also made his second appearance in a row, let’s hope he comes back next year. If you weren’t there, you simply have no clue how great his show is.

Now on to the Booze!
Continue reading “Stickie’s Report on Big Fun – Part 1”

Enjoying the Fair for Less

Spend less dough getting into the fair so you have more to spend on the fried dough inside! Here are some ways that the State Fair folks are saving you money this year:

Today is Tuesday, so that means all children 12 and younger get in for free, and those carnival rides will cost you just $1 each today.I LOVE POPPY This applies to next Tuesday, too.

Today, August 19th, is First Responders Day, so all First Responders (in our out of uniform) with proper identification gain free admission. (OK, so I have a First Responder card from my CPR/AED/First Aid/Bloodborne Pathogens certification — would that get me in? They mean firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, and the like, right?) Continue reading “Enjoying the Fair for Less”

AVOID Elk Grove

With the Fair underway, the Sacramento Bee reminds us that there will be a sobriety checkpoint in Elk Grove tonight. Wait, the Fair is in Sacramento, right? Where lots of folks will be drinking? Ok, cool, Elk Grove it is.

The enforcement is part of the statewide “Avoid” campaign funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Interesting slogan. At any rate, if you follow the link on the Bee story (oh, wait, it’s broken, posted on the 13th, too) you will learn more about the program.

The overall goal of the awareness campaign is to let drivers know about the countywide increased enforcement periods and warn drivers that the only way to “AVOID” the county’s law enforcement officers is to drive sober.

Ah, there it is. I get it now. A press release reminds us that party hosts and families must limit drinks to their guests, and to not serve more than one or two over several hours. Stickie, can you hear me?

Be safe out there.

Fair Food Preview

Click here for more picsRunnergirl, Stickie, and I got a chance to peek around at all the food vendors last night at Cal Expo.  We came away with a few deep-fried nuggets of information that we just have to share.

1.  GELATO-That’s right.  The EYE-talian delicacy makes its way to the food midway.  Trust me you can’t miss it.  Even if the place didn’t offer the “World’s Largest Waffle Cones,” you’d never walk by without noting the flesh colored columns.

2.  NEW DEEP-FRIED TREATS- Chicken Charlie, that fried food innovator has outdone himself this time.  Going back to his roots, especially the concept of deep frying things that started out as totally fattening meals to begin with, Chuck has a new lineup of fried fare for the fair.  New this year are deep-fried White Castle burgers, deep-fried pop tarts, and deep-fried Spam with pineapple sauce.  

3.  BBQ BEEF SANDWICH- It’s still in the same place, on the eastern end of the fairgrounds, across from the petting zoo, on the way to the horse races.  It’s unassuming, with the word “SAUSAGE” most prominently lit on the sign, but trust me, you need to go and get a BBQ beef sandwich on a lard roll with homemade chips this year.  I’m not suggesting, I’m commanding.

State Fair Opens Friday

poppyIf there is one thing you can count on, it is the presence of your old pal Stickie at the California State Fair. I’ll try to keep you updated about cool stuff, but I urge you to check the daily schedule at their website to keep abreast of the hundreds of events.

Wednesday at midnight is the last day to buy discount tickets, including the $36 adult season pass. This weekend features Smashmouth (who have apparently moved to Stockton and have quietly been playing with local acts when not on tour), The Doodlebops (who I find to be a creepy Canadian offspring of The Wiggles and GWAR, but kids seem to dig them) and the fantastic Weird Al, who very amusingly got blamed by local morons for attracting some unsavory elements to last year’s closing weekend because he is a rapper.

JACKPOT @ Blue Lamp Sunday, early show, $5

Having just returned from a massive road trip, I’ve got my favorite local band Jackpot on the brain. For some reason whenever I hit the road in Norcal it makes sense to have Jackpot on the stereo. Something about the mishmash of sounds–on “Shiny Things” and “F+” at least–and Rusty Miller’s creaky voice and memorable lyrics is quintessentially Sacramento to me. So Jackpot was in frequent rotation up through Glenn, Tehama, Siskiyou Counties and into Oregon. (Also: “The House at Pooh Corner” read by British actor Peter Dennis. Melancholy but hilarious.)

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