18 minute read
Out & About
Sustainable Sustainable Station Station
Sacramento Valley Station will include residential spaces, hotels and offi ces.
PLAN TURNS HISTORIC TRAIN DEPOT INTO ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY HUB
The City Council recently approved the Sacramento Valley Station Area Plan, which will turn Sacramento’s historic train station at 401 I St. into one of the most sustainable public places in California.
“This plan is more than four years in the making,” says project manager Greg Taylor. “The plan positions Sacramento as a regional center for sustainable transportation and a leader in sustainable design technologies, which will help combat climate change.”
The plan has already earned the prestigious Living Community Challenge Vision Plan Certifi cation for environmental innovation, making Sacramento the fi rst city in the world to receive the designation.
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By Jessica Laskey Out & About
The plan is designed to connect pedestrians and transit users to infi ll development areas within the central city that include residential spaces, hotels and offi ces. All the buildings within the development will run on 100-percent renewable energy. The city hopes to begin construction by 2026.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The City Council recently voted to commit $10 million to a new affordable housing complex on Stockton Boulevard. It’s the fi rst expenditure from the $31.5 million housing fund created in the mid-year budget at the request of Mayor Darrell Steinberg that will come from the general fund and Measure U dollars.
The planned 220 affordable apartments and townhomes will help fulfi ll the city’s commitment to invest at least $50 million in affordable housing along the Stockton Boulevard corridor to prevent displacement that might occur as a result of the new Aggie Square innovation district.
Seventy-fi ve percent of the units will be reserved for low-, very low- and extremely low-income tenants. Another
The book contains 43 essays and short stories written by Northern California and guest authors, including Karen Bender, Anita Felicelli, Joan Frank, Debra Gwartney, Sands Hall, Pamela Houston, Vanessa Hua, Joshua Mohr and Peter Orner.
Join SOSS on Friday, July 23, at 5 p.m. on Zoom for a book launch and readings by professional actors. On Wednesday, Aug. 11, from 1–4 p.m., SOSS hosts an in-person book launch reception at Capital Books on K Street.
Sales from the anthology will support the nonprofi t’s ongoing programming, including paying authors and actors for their work. For more information, visit storiesonstagesacramento.org.
25 percent will be priced for those with moderate incomes (up to $60,410 for a family of four).
In addition to the $10 million from the city, another $5 million from the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency will round out a $15 million loan to Mercy Housing to build the complex.
“This investment is the fi rst of many housing commitments made to neighborhoods surrounding the Aggie Square project and communities around Stockton Boulevard,” says District 6 Councilmember Eric Guerra. “Addressing the housing crisis head-on and offering job opportunities is the only way we can help our neighbors fi nd economic freedom and help them realize their dreams in this city.”
TWENTY TWENTY
The award-winning nonprofi t literary performance series, Stories on Stage Sacramento, is celebrating the publication of its fi rst anthology, “Twenty Twenty: A Stories on Stage Sacramento Anthology,” inspired by a year like no other.
EAST SAC IN BLOOM
Have you noticed “East Sac in Bloom” signs scattered throughout the neighborhood and wondered what they were about? Well, you’re in good company!
East Sac in Bloom is a new neighborhood event celebrating beautiful front yard spaces. Sponsored by Friends of East Sacramento, Inside
An English cottage garden is one of the winners in East Sac in Bloom. Photo by Linda Smolek.
Sacramento and East Sacramento Realtor Ann Vuletich, the event is in its fi rst year.
Inspired by similar events in other cities, Vuletich created the contest to celebrate East Sac’s beautiful front yards and promote local businesses. “While we have an annual backyard garden tour, we didn’t have anything similar for our front yards. So I decided to create one,” she says.
Neighbors nominated 13 yards for an award. Winners were “announced” May 1 when they spotted a sign in their front yard and found a canvas tote bag on their front porch fi lled with goodies, including the Inside Sacramento coffee table book, a gift card from Archival Gallery and a bouquet of fl owers grown by local fl oral designer Mary Kuyper.
Three judges evaluated each yard on fi ve criteria: color, creativity, design, water-wise and “fi t” with the architectural style of the home. Judges, all avid gardeners, were Kuyper, Vuletich and Tamara Engel.
One of the winning gardens, surrounded by a short wooden fence, is a 3-year-old English cottage garden near the McKinley Rose Garden. The homeowner worked with Kathleen Harvey of Browerbird Landscapes and Sam Alongi with Alongi Yardscapes to create and install the inviting garden.
Alongi re-scaped approximately 3,000 square feet of lawn and installed a low-water-use garden that feeds both people and pollinators. The homeowner sits on a daybed on her second story and gazes out over her garden, enjoying its colorful exuberance.
Plans for next year include expanding the contest to recognize a public garden space, holding a tour to meet the winners and get gardening tips, and adding a new category for “most inviting front porch space.” Send other ideas for next year to info@ eastsacinbloom.com.
25 MILLION STITCHES
Verge Center for the Arts is the fi rst stop for “25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee,” a traveling fi ber art project showcasing 2,200 handsewn panels. The tapestry installation will be on display through Aug. 22. Created by Verge resident multi-media artist Jennifer Kim Sohn, the project is designed to bring awareness to the approximately 25 million people “Twenty Twenty: A Stories on Stage Sacramento Anthology” contains essays and short stories by Northern California authors. across the globe who have been forced to fl ee their homelands as a consequence of genocide, war, poverty, natural disasters, targeted violence and other grave threats. Each panel is the result of hours of handstitched labor by participants from 49 states and 36 countries across six continents. For more information, visit 25millionstitches.com or vergeart.com.
The Sacramento History Museum— which now has more followers on TikTok than any other museum in the world—has reopened for indoor visitation and resumed its most popular activities.
Old Sacramento Underground Tour provides guests with the unique opportunity to explore what has been hidden beneath the city for more than 150 years. With the help of entertaining tour guides, guests explore excavated foundations, enclosed pathways and interesting archaeology exhibits, while hearing the sounds of 1860 street life. Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for kids 6–17 and free for children 5 and younger.
In Gold Fever!, participants take on historical personas to relive Sacramento’s early days of the Gold Rush and discover if they’ve successfully escaped fl oods, lost their gold dust to gambling, and survived fi res, disease and the occasional steamboat explosion. Tickets are $12 per person. Kids 5 and younger are free.
All tour tickets include complimentary admission to the Sacramento History Museum. For more information and an updated schedule, visit sachistorymuseum.org.
EMPOWERING WOMEN
Women’s Empowerment is celebrating its 20th year providing paid job training, child care and support services to women and children to help break the cycle of homelessness.
The nonprofi t recently received a $25,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente Northern California Community Benefi t Programs and a $20,000 grant from State Farm.
“This is a milestone year for Women’s Empowerment, and we would not be here without the generous funding of local companies and foundations that are committed to ending homelessness for women and children in Sacramento,” says Lisa Culp, founding executive director of Women’s Empowerment. For more information, visit womensempowerment.org.
LOANER LIFE VESTS
When you go out on the waterways this summer, make sure you’re wearing a life jacket. Don’t have one? Fire stations throughout the region offer life jackets on loan for the day or the weekend.
More than 2,000 panels comprise “25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee.”
Old Sacramento Underground Tour explores excavated foundations and enclosed pathways.
“Lower (water) levels, like we are experiencing this year, can lead to exposed debris, as well as deceptive currents,” says Daniel Bowers, director of the city’s Offi ce of Emergency Management. “Awareness of these conditions and the proper preparation— including the wearing of a life jacket— can literally be the difference between life and death.”
For a list of fi re stations offering life jackets, visit cityofsacramento.org/fi re/ prevention, under “Safety Tips,” then “Water Safety.”
Loaner life vests also are available through the county’s “Kids Don’t’ Float” program, which features numerous life vest borrowing stations along the American River Parkway. Borrow one for your child and return it when you are done. For a list of stations, visit regionalparks.saccounty. net, under “Activities,” then “Water Safety.”
DINOSAUR PLAY
District 6 Councilmember Eric Guerra and local community residents recently gathered at the city’s oldest existing playground in Oki Park, located in the College Glenn neighborhood, to celebrate recent renovations.
One of 175 park playgrounds overseen by the city of Sacramento, the Oki Park playground was installed in 1992. The new playground has a dinosaur-exploration theme that includes a fl ying Pterodactyl and T-Rex head, life-size dinosaur bones, skulls and eggs, an exploration vehicle, stepping boulders and more.
For more information on Oki Park amenities and the playground renovation, visit cityofsacramento.org/ parksandrec, under “Parks.”
WATER WISE
Our region is expected to experience an extremely dry year, according to the Regional Water Authority. What can you do to help conserve water—and save money at the same time?
The city offers a variety of rebates to help residents become more effi cient with their water usage through turf conversions, irrigation upgrades, smart controllers, rain barrels, laundryto-landscape, high-effi ciency toilets, washing machines and water fi xtures.
Customers can schedule a free virtual “Water Wise” house call by calling the city’s water conservation team at (916) 808-5605. There are also a variety of resources available at epa. gov/watersense, beyondthedrought.com, bewatersmart.info, saveourwater.com and through the city’s SAC311 mobile
(From left) Anaiah Morris, Devin Gates and Tiara Abraham are fi rst-place winners in Scholarship for Young Choral Singers.
app, which allows you to make nonemergency service requests or report water misuse.
County residents can report water waste, get drought information and learn water-saving tips at sacramentocounty.net/ waterconservation.
SCHOLAR SINGERS
Sacramento Master Singers has announced the winners of its annual Scholarship for Young Choral Singers to support the musical growth of local students.
Winners for ages 20–22 are: fi rst place, Anaiah Morris, Cosumnes River College; second place, Andrea Chea, Cosumnes River College; third place, Dayed Amituanai, Cosumnes River College. Winners for ages 17–19 are: fi rst place, Devin Gates, Folsom Lake College; second place, Shawntell Livingston, Bear Creek High School; third place, Sarah Levy, Davis Senior High School. Winners for ages 14–16 are: fi rst place, Tiara Abraham, UC Davis; second place, Kathryn Kasten, Saint Francis Catholic High School; third place, Raquel Lewis, Bradshaw Christian High School.
Sacramento Master Singers also has been busy recording a series of digital performances to celebrate the changing seasons. Check it out on the YouTube channel or at mastersingers.org.
DOWNTOWN LIVE!
The Downtown Sacramento Partnership is seeking local musicians and artists for its new entertainment series, Downtown LIVE!, featuring live music and art activations on fi ve pop-up stages through Aug. 28.
Entertainment is scheduled for Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m. and 4–6 p.m. Locations are 12th and K; Ali Youssefi Square, 7th and K; Pony Express at the Old Sacramento Waterfront, 2nd and J; Bishop Gallegos Square, 11th between K and L; and the Embarcadero at the Old Sacramento Waterfront.
Musicians and artists will be paid for their performances. For more information or to sign up as an entertainer for a two-hour time slot, visit godowntownsac.com.
BURNETT AWARDS
The Sacramento History Alliance has presented the 2021 Burnett Awards to fi ve honorees—The Sacramento Observer, Shasta Linen Supply, Iceland Ice Skating Rink, HUB International (formerly John O. Bronson Co.) and Taylor’s Market.
The Burnett Awards are named in honor of the late Burnett Miller, a native Sacramentan, former mayor, community icon, philanthropist, business leader and one of the city’s most prominent history enthusiasts. Each year, the Sacramento History Alliance honors local legacy businesses that have stood the test of time and contributed to the community culture in the Sacramento region.
Funds raised from award ceremony tickets help support the Sacramento History Museum and Center for Sacramento History. For more information, visit sachistorymuseum. org, under “Events.”
INCLUSIVITY TRAINING
Starting this month, the Midtown Association—in partnership with WEAVE, Sacramento LGBT Community Center, Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce, Faces Nightclub and Outword Media—presents “PRIDE, Pronouns & Progress: Gender Inclusion Training,” a new grant program and educational workshops.
The hourlong virtual inclusivity training sessions are offered for free to Midtown and central city businesses, and focus on three primary topics: educating businesses about gender identities, gender rights in the workplace and beyond, and the importance of pronouns.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe and seen when they come to work, patronize a business or walk through the streets of Midtown Sacramento,” says Beth Hassett, CEO of WEAVE. “When we all encourage people to show up as their true selves and make it easier to navigate their lives, it increases the chance that they will reach out for help if they need it and that the right help will be there for them.”
Businesses can apply to participate at exploremidtown.org/midtownpride.
CAPITOL MALL MARKET
The seasonal Certifi ed Farmers Market has returned to 6th Street and Capitol Mall, and is open Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
With more than 25 vendors, the weekly market also provides hot lunch options from Sacramento’s most popular food vendors, including Yolanda’s Tamales, Nash & Proper, Rosa’s Portuguese Bakery and What’s Poppin’ Kettle Corn.
SUTTER FORT MOVIES
The Midtown Association’s popular “Movies at the Fort” has returned to Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park. The fun, free, open-air movie program features family-friendly fi lms played on the fort’s historic exterior walls at the corner of 26th and L streets.
On Saturday, July 10, enjoy “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” On Saturday, Aug. 14, watch “Up.” The community is invited to arrive at 7 p.m. with movies starting at approximately 8:45 p.m.
Blankets and lawn chairs are welcome. Guests are asked to sit in physically distanced family units in line with all current guidelines. Tickets must be reserved in advance at exploremidtown.org.
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CALIFORNIA STAGE
California Stage continues its exciting Social Distance Theater outdoor programming. This month’s “Music in the Courtyard Concert” features singer/ songwriter Jessica Malone on Saturday, July 3. The event opens at 7 p.m. with music from 8–10 p.m. Tickets are $15.
As part of Second Saturday, July 10, enjoy an exhibition in the Courtyard Gallery from 4–7 p.m. The show features Jermaine Tilson’s vibrant paintings, Roy Tatman’s colorful wooden sculptures, and Gerry Mamola’s totems and wall pieces.
California Stage is at 1719 25th St. For more information, visit calstage.org.
STAGE NINE
To celebrate 30 years of retail success, Stage Nine Entertainment at the Old Sacramento Waterfront has installed inside the store a 13-foot, 500-pound replica of the iconic Warner Bros. water tower.
Represented artists include Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, William Merritt Chase, John Singer Sargent, Richard Estes, Lois Dodd, Andrew Wyeth, Maxfi eld Parrish, Cecilia Beaux, Wayne Thiebaud, Charles White and others.
Looking for fun this summer? The Crocker also has tons of in-person and virtual art experiences for all ages. Visit crockerart.org/calendar for a complete list of offerings.
“Mother Courage II” by Charles White is part of “For America” exhibit at Crocker Art Museum. Image by Google© The Charles White Archives. Courtesy of American Federation of Arts
Founded by Troy Carlson in the early ‘90s, the Stage Nine retail empire started as a small 500-squarefoot gift shop—then known as Old Sacramento Giftique —that specialized in model railroad products, souvenirs, Sacramento-themed apparel and unique gifts.
Today, Stage Nine has expanded into an elaborate fi ve-store, 8,000-squarefoot premier entertainment retail destination specializing in pop culture toys, gifts, games and more. For more information, visit stagenine.com.
WATER VAULT
Construction of the McKinley Water Vault at McKinley Park is nearing completion. The FILL phase is done. The ENHANCE phase has started and is anticipated to be fi nished this summer.
Over the next few months, expect temporary sidewalk and street closures, and pedestrian and jogging path detours, as irrigation and jogging paths are enhanced. For more information, visit cityofsacramento.org/ mckinleywatervault.
FOR AMERICA
The Crocker Art Museum presents “For America: Paintings from the National Academy of Design” from July 3 through Oct. 3.
Featuring 100 paintings created between 1809 and the present, this exhibition documents the history of American painting through the lens of the National Academy. Since its founding in 1825, the academy has required all academicians to donate a representative work to its collection.
TOYROOM ODYSSEY
Toyroom Gallery celebrates its 20th anniversary with the exhibition “Toyroom’s Odyssey—A 20-Year Art Trip” at the Russ Room, upstairs in Solomon’s Deli at 730 K St. Opening receptions are July 16 and 17 from 6–9 p.m. The art will be on display through Sept. 12.
Artists include Shaunna Peterson, John Berger, Kim Scott, Robert Bowen, Carrie Cottini, Jack Howe, Bruce Gossett, Chuck Sperry, Shepard Fairey, Skinner, Charles Glaubitz, Kepi Ghoulie and Dennis Larkins.
Founded by co-owners Craig Maclaine and John Soldano in 2001 in an unnamed alley in a building without an address, the gallery started as a way of “optimistically bringing popsurrealist and low-brow art to a public eagerly looking for brighter and more colorful times,” Maclaine says.
The gallery was eventually named Toyroom and relocated to a space on K Street, where it lived until the 2008 recession forced it to move online. This exhibition marks its return to an inperson retail space.
“Though many (artists) are missing from the saga, we feel this is a good representation of Toyroom’s odyssey,”
“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” by Carrie Cottini is shown at Toyroom Gallery.
Maclaine says. For more information, visit toyroomgallery.com.
3-ARTIST SHOW
Archival Gallery presents Davy Fiveash, Sean Royal and Richard Stein in a three-person exhibition July 6–31.
The grouping promises interesting interplay among three very different artistic styles: Fiveash’s traditional still-life fl orals and collage; Royal’s contemporary textured wood and spray paint landscapes; and Stein’s graphic regional landscapes in bright colors.
The gallery will be open for a Second Saturday reception July 10 at 5 p.m. Visitors also are welcome during normal business hours with no appointment needed, but masks or face coverings are required when indoors.
HUMBLE SKY
Veteran PR professional Stuart Greenbaum just released his fi rst work of fi ction, “Humble Sky,” a novella about the beauty of letting your imagination run wild.
Through the life stories of protagonists Henry Bakersfeld, an ingenious old man living with dementia, and Sherman, a curious young boy living in the Bronx, readers learn to appreciate the intersection of cosmology and philosophy, curiosity, humility and the range of ages of the uninhibited mind.
Greenbaum has written and edited several nonfi ction books, and directed numerous statewide and national initiatives to infl uence public behavior on social concerns involving health, education, environment, safety and longevity. He recently concluded his second term as a governor’s appointee to the California Commission on Aging.
Purchase “Humble Sky” for $10 at book.humblesky.net.
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SAC MOTORCYCLING
This month, native Sacramentan, retired educator and writer Kimberly Reed Edwards is celebrating the publication of her book, “Sacramento Motorcycling: A Capital City Tradition.”
The book, published by The History Press, covers the fi rst 50 years, 1910–1960, of what Edwards calls “the greatest sport in the world” right here in Sacramento.
“I wanted to learn about the people and their habits, infl uenced by the roaring two-wheeler that came to town,” says Edwards, whose father was a motorcycle dealer at 1520 16th St. in the 1950s. “This is our history—the pathfi nders, many of whom we’ve never heard about but who played important roles in the retail community, the chamber of commerce, civic positions, the police department—even the judicial system.”
The book includes a deep dive on Sacramento’s history as a motorcycle hub, as well as more than 100 photos and fascinating narratives of the fi gures who were active in the area at the time.
A presentation on the motorcycle pioneers of Sacramento and a book signing by Edwards is set for Saturday, July 17, from 2–4 p.m. at the California Automobile Museum. The book can be purchased at most online retailers.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n
