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December 20, 2018 | www.valcomnews.com

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East Sac Goldendoodle lands on Ellen Degeneres website; looking to become therapy dog at Shriner’s see page 2

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East Sac Goldendoodle lands on Ellen Degeneres website; looking to become therapy dog at Shriner’s

By Monica Stark

Local realtors Jeanine Roza and Sindy Kirsch are moms to Rockit, a 2-yearold Goldendoodle who they dream of becoming a therapy dog at Shriner’s Hospital for Children and with the Lend-A-Heart animal assisted program.

Even though Rockit doesn’t have his official therapy dog certificate yet, he has been a therapy dog in many ways and soon to be an official one, Roza says.

“Rockit is our happy place and brings us so much joy and all we want to do is share it and him,” Roza says. She tells the story of how he landed a spot on the Ellen Degeneres website when he was just a wee puppy who was taken by a hammock in the yard.

Without any prompting, the little pup got into the hammock and Roza started filming and uploaded a clip to EllenTube thinking the talk show host might get a kick out of it. “One night, Sindy and I received a text from a friend asking, ‘Did you upload a video to Ellen?’ We said, ‘Yes, why?’ She said, ‘Well, Ellen

just personally tweeted that this was her kind go hammock and it’s Rockit!’ Sure enough, Rockit was on the first page of Ellen’s website as a hot video and later selected as part of her favorites compilation later that year and ended up getting 53,000 likes.”

Named after Jeanine’s father Richard Roza, whose nickname was Rockit, and who as a matter-of-fact was a huge dog lover himself, Rockit the Goldendoodle, became his personal therapy dog. “When my dad was battling lung cancer Sindy and I decided to add a furry baby to our home. When we told my dad that we were going to get a puppy, he was fixated on what we were going to call him. He would call, text, or email long lists of names. He was fixated on the name and so excited to participate. Well participate he did along with my mom, brother, nephew Chase who has cerebral palsy and loves dogs, Sindy’s daughter Rachel and her fiancé Daniel.”

The entire crew traveled hours to meet a litter of Goldendoodles. Notify-

East Sacramento News w w w. va l c o m n e w s . c o m

E-mail stories & photos to: editor@valcomnews.com Editorial questions: (916) 267-8992 East Sacramento News is published on the first and third Thursday of the month in the area bounded by Business 80 on the west, the American River on the north and east and Highway 50 on the south.

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Vol. XXVII • No. 24 1109 Markham Way Sacramento, CA 95818 t: (916) 429-9901 f: (916) 429-9906

has come to town!

Editor............................................................................... Monica Stark Art Director...........................................................Annin Greenhalgh Graphic Designer..................................................Annin Greenhalgh Advertising Director................................................... Jim O’Donnell

Cover photo by: Jeanine Roza

Advertising Executives:.............. Melissa Andrews, Linda Pohl Copyright 2018 by Valley Community Newspapers Inc. All rights reserved.

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East Sacramento News • December 20, 2018 • www.valcomnews.com

look for the East Sac Santa

ing the breeder in advance about the co-dependent dog picking group, Jeanine said the breeder was wonderful and welcomed them with open arms. “We placed a chair in the middle of the room with puppies dancing around (Richard’s) feet.

The puppies were all adorable, but there was one little guy that stole our heart. We put the puppy in my dad’s arms and his face beamed with happiness and love. He asked, ‘So what are you going to name him?’ We then placed a leather collar with the name Rockit burned into it with a tag with a rocket ship on it. He welled up and tears of happiness streamed down his face and the family crew and breeder burst into tears too. He said, ‘with that name he is going to be one good dog!’”

So, from day one, Rockit was a personal therapy dog to Richard Roza and Chase.

Richard’s cancer was inoperable and the hope was that Rockit could accompany him to his chemo treatments and spread sunshine.

Unfortunately, Richard passed away shortly before Rockit’s first birthday.

“However, he will continue on and be a light of love for those out there facing similar challenges or just need some furry sunshine. We would be honored,” Roza said.

Rockit has attended training at Albree Dog Training in Tahoe Park with Alan and Renee Miller. “We had been hearing so much great feedback about their training and once we experienced their positive feedback training we knew we had the perfect fit for Rockit and us, too.” Alan paid some see Goldendoodle page 3 Valley Community Newspapers, Inc.

Goldendoodle: continued from page 2

home visits so they could proactively gain some training tips for Rockit in their own home. Immediately, Rockit responded to the positive reinforcement combined and the furry group training of all sizes provided the excellent social experience he needed at his age.

“Socializing was fun for us too. Hanging out with fellow dog lovers is our ultimate happy place.”

The dog moms’ dream is to give back and the ultimate goal is for Rockit to be a therapy dog in some capacity, for them all to be a part of a “furry giveback team.”

When Alan came to their home for private training,

they shared with him that they would love to visit senior centers, hospitals, and libraries where children can read to dogs, etc. Even at such a young age Rockit has had the disposition that is required for interacting with people in various situations. They even call him their “Zen Puppy.”

Rockit facts Furry dog moms: Jeanine Roza and Sindy Kirsch How long have they had him: He has been our furry baby since 10 weeks old.

Favorite Vet Hospital: Sacramento Animal Hospital on 57th and H streets I N S TA G R A M : TailingRockit On Ellen: https://www. ellentube.com/video/hammock-time -has- gone -tothe-dogs.html

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www.valcomnews.com • December 20, 2018 • East Sacramento News

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East Sacramento poet Brad Buchanan’s latest book chronicles his quest to survive cancer

By Scott Weiss

the alphabet once scattered through my blood has metastasized producing a poem —from “The Differential Diagnosis” The quotation above opens the second poem in East Sacramento resident Brad Buchanan’s third collection of poetry, The Scars Aligned: A Cancer Narrative, set for publication in early 2019 from Finishing Line Press.

These early lines announce the importance of language in Buchanan’s quest to understand the onset of cancer and its impact on his life and family.

A professor of English at Sacramento State and active in the Sacramento poetry community, Buchanan remains sidelined from the university classroom by his bout with lymphoma, which has, however, drawn him into the thick of the action as a poet.

Having studied under Buchanan at Sac State, I befriended him through a monthly poetry

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East Sacramento News • December 20, 2018 • www.valcomnews.com

workshop we helped co-found.

Naturally, I was stunned by the news of his cancer diagnosis and anxiously followed news of his treatment and recovery.

Recently, the opportunity arose to ask Buchanan about his new book for this article. My first question focused on the title.

He said that “the title is a pun on the phrase ‘the stars aligned,’ which suggests an astrological position that precipitates or allows some earthly event.”

Of substituting “scars” for “stars,” Buchanan said, “the reference is to the poems in the book, which are like the scar tissue left behind by all the procedures, tests, treatments, and injuries incurred because of my physical encounter (some might call it a battle) with cancer.”

The pieces in this collection “were written at various points over the 2-year period from my pre-diagnosis suspicions (or paranoia) about my having lymphoma to my slow recovery from the stem-cell transplant,” he said, adding that the poems “have been ‘aligned’ into as linear and logical a narrative as I could manage.”

But this book is no mere journaling of events, as we embark on a compelling journey filled with emotion and suspense. “I wanted the book to read like a kind of medical thriller,” Buchanan said, “with all the key elements of a good plot: background, exposition, rising action, climax, and dénouement, with a coda at the final poem.”

We accompany Buchanan through tests and procedures aimed at finding answers or a cure. But in bringing his writing to bear upon his illness, he seems to be running tests of his own, from one poem to the next, poking and prodding back at cancer and all of its fallout.

When asked about this observation, Buchanan said that “each poem in the book could indeed

be seen as a kind of self-diagnosis, a sort of emotional temperature-taking to see how all of the twists and turns are landing on me and my family.”

Emotion at times runs high, as Buchanan writes his way through matters of mortality in revealing scenes that lay bare cancer’s impact upon him and his relationships.

Another compelling feature of this book is Buchanan’s collaboration with poets like John Keats and William Butler Yeats, alternating lines of poetry from their works with his own. He sees “an experimental side to the interlinear poems,” adding that they provide “a sort of litmus test for my own writing.”

Buchanan also imitates his poetic forebears in pieces that “try to answer questions like, ‘How would Wallace Stevens handle saying goodbye to his daughter before leaving for a necessary but lengthy and potentially fatal medical procedure?’” He admits, “I’m not sure my answers really tell us anything about these earlier, amazing poets, but they enabled me to say what I needed to say, somehow.”

As one who lost both parents to cancer, the personal experiences of cancer patients have been unknown territory for me. But Buchanan’s poems seem to guide us to a better understanding of this frightening underworld.

When asked about comparing his role as poet to that of Virgil, Dante’s poet-guide in Inferno, Buchanan said, “if I am functioning as a guide like Virgil, my message would be something like this: However bad it gets, keep writing about it. The strength you gain from taking that literary distance from your body’s weakness might just be what saves you.”

Readers can preorder The Scars, Aligned: A Cancer Narrative at https://www.finishinglinepress.com.

Valley Community Newspapers, Inc.

Local open mic rings in the ‘bells that still can ring’

By Autumn Sky Hall Special to Valley Community Newspapers

A month or so ago, it was really smokey. Historically smokey. Apocalyptically smokey. Four generations of my family’s houses in Paradise, from the past and current times, hd burned down along with the town in the now-infamous Camp Fire.

My grandpa lost his house.

Our family friend and her daughter lost their house. Our cousin was missing for two days and located in a Chico hospital. My two childhood homes burned down. It was such an enormous loss that it didn’t feel real. It still doesn’t.

I don’t know if that kind of thing ever feels real, and maybe that’s good in a way. It helps to push you forward when there’s nothing you can do to change anything. Sometimes the only good option is just to keep going, so as the smoke poured down the hill, I carried on.

We were all instructed to stay indoors as much as could be helped, but it was the third day in a row of that for me already and the idea of staying inside another day sounded like torture. I’m prone to being hermetic, and staying at home too much really exacerbates that. I know myself well enough to know when a good thing starts to turn into a bad thing, so I push myself to get into the world as much as possible. Still, the smoke was so bad that day. I knew it would be unhealthy to go for my usual walk. But still, I was restless.

I struck a compromise: I put on my mask, grabbed my computer and drove a few blocks to a neighborhood cafe, where I could sit inside and work without feeling too cooped up. I’ve always loved doing that. There are some days where I’m out there and I don’t talk to anyone, but somehow it feels less bad because there were people there Valley Community Newspapers, Inc.

with me the whole time. Plus, seeing everyone working on their own projects makes me feel more motivated to work on my own. The energy is productive.

I sat down that day after talking with friends working behind the counter, then immediately threw myself into doing some marketing for the open mic I was hosting at Sactown Union Brewery.

Then, a fellow sits down in the chair beside me and begins to work on a list. He was wearing a straw hat. Looked kind of like a surfer. Maybe originally from the beaches of the coast.

He turns to me after some time and goes, “I’m in town for the week and trying to play some music. Do you know where any good open mics are?”

It couldn’t have been more well-timed, more full-circle.

Of all the gin joints in the world, you know? Of course, I had my recommendations.

It meant so much to me to him writing down that list, because to most musicians and performers, open mics are the birthplace for everything.

I began my foray into playing music at the open mics around town when I was about seventeen. I’d gotten a guitar for my fifteenth birthday from my mom. It was a Yamaha, probably only twenty dollars. She found it at a thrift store and I proceeded to immediately decoupage it when she gifted it to me (which I’m sure strikes horror into the heart of any guitar tone aficionado. My sincerest apologies.)

After two years of (tearfully) working on getting effective calluses on my fingers (they protect your hand from the otherwise very painful strings,) I’d just been playing for my youth group open mic occasionally. I’d been working on original little pieces just for fun. No set genre, no real

stylistic voice yet. Just nods to other artists I liked at the time, or pieces meant to challenge me into learning new chords I was trying to master. I listened to Dolly Parton, June Carter Cash, Regina Spektor, Conor Oberst, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits,The Decembrists, Death Cab For Cutie, Rilo Kiley, Radiohead. I soaked them like a sponge, hoping they’d eventually permeate enough to give me my own creative process someday.

The only thing I didn’t feel confident in was, ironically, confidence. I had terrible stage fright and social anxiety. It would be like I couldn’t remember how to talk sometimes, and would feel embarrassed. So I decided I would immerse myself into music as much as possible and hoped desperately that through repetition, I would learn to not feel like I was going to pee my pants anytime I tried to perform. I decided that immersing myself in more official open mics would really help me.

I threw open a phone book and called around town to places listed. I would ask people for their suggestions if there wasn’t one at the place I called. I wrote them all down on a big list, an open mic listed on every night. Monday, Fox and Goose. Tuesday, True Love. Wednesday, Old Ironsides. Thursday, Coffee Garden. Fridays there were jam band events you could pop in on at private houses. More open mics were at Butch N’ Nellies, up in Auburn at Club Car. Open mics in Davis, El Dorado Hills and Folsom.

There were weekend open mics from time to time, too.

Then I began going.

To every single one.

Every single week.

For three years.

I went to hundreds, eventually, and the jitters eventually fell from me like rain from a

Photo courtesy

Local musician Autumn Sky Hall currently hosts Monday open mic night at Sactown Union Brewery in East Sac area.

roof into a gutter. I finally began to feel at home with myself, with my relationship with music, and with the people around me.

There were some open mics that weren’t all ages when I was still under 21, and my mom would come with me and wait outside with me until it was time to play. We’d set an alarm and nap until my time slot, and then the sweet people inside, who knew me by then, would come outside and wave to let me know the last act was just about to finish.

It became a little community effort on a lot of people’s

parts to make sure I was safe when I was out late at night, and that makes me so happy to think about now.

The community really tries to look out for one another and did the same for me.

Even though I was a baby compared to the most of the people out there who’d , say, been in the bluegrass circuit for up to fifty years, or in an indie band for the last twenty. I was still included in their world.

Now, as an adult, and finally on the other side of the sound board, nothing brings me more joy than seeing othsee Open mic page 15

www.valcomnews.com • December 20, 2018 • East Sacramento News

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1. Who was the last Cleveland Indian before Jose Ramirez in 2017 to have five extra-base hits in a game?

2. Rhys Hoskins of the Philadelphia Phillies set a record in 2017 for hitting his first 10 major-league home runs faster than anyone in history. How many games did it take him?

3. When was the last time the Detroit Lions won a playoff game on the road?

4. Name the last time before 2018 that the Houston Cougars men’s basketball team won an NCAA Tournament game?

5. Between 2000-2018, three defensemen were selected No. 1 overall in the NHL Entry Draft. Name two of them.

6. Of Bobby and Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Lee and Richard Petty, who was the only pair to finish in the top two spots at a Daytona 500?

7. Who was the first men’s tennis player to claim all nine ATP Masters 1000 events?

Solutions on page 15 Answers East Shoppach, SacramentoinNews 6 1. Kelly 2008.• December 20, 2018 • www.valcomnews.com 2. Seventeen games.

3. It was 1957.

4. It was 1984.

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CLUES ACROSS 1. A great lunch 4. German composer 8. Expresses pleasure 10. Unit of energy 11. Genus of beetles 12. Type of respect 13. City in Netherlands 15. Showing lack of skill 16. Irish surname 17. Exaggerated or affected sentiment 18. Diversion 21. Journalist Tarbell 22. Wrath 23. Current unit

December 17, 2018

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24. Sixers’ Simmons 25. Makes honey 26. Tributary of the Rhine 27. Once home to a notorious wall 34. Gets back 35. She was beheaded in France 36. Cheer 37. Tropical Asian palm 38. Darker 39. Figures 40. Old World trees 41. Protects a broken bone 42. Dried-up 43. An enclosure for swine

CLUES DOWN 1. Blab 2. __ Bacall, actress 3. Declaration of an intention to inflict harm 4. The most direct route 5. Affirm to be true or correct 6. Rift 7. Oil company 9. Alphabetic character 10. Large marsh bird 12. Hollywood event 14. Scottish port 15. French river 17. Something frustrating (abbr.)

19. More in time 20. Payroll company 23. Pokes holes in 24. A way to steal 25. Blacken with dirt 26. Autonomic nervous system 27. A lab tech’s tool 28. A place to stay 29. UK school 30. Moroccan 31. Where rockers work 32. Most friendly 33. In a state of turbulence 34.“Bridget Jones” actress 36. Hebrew liquid units Solutions on page 15

Valley Community Newspapers, Inc.

St. Francis High School runners bring home awards from CIF State Champs The St. Francis cross country team finished eighth overall in the girls Division II race at the CIF State Championships, recording their seventh consecutive Top 10 state championship finish.

Junior Isabella Fauria led the team at the state championships and placed 10 overall in the individual standings (seventh among the team scorers) with a time of 18:05.

It was her second career top10 finish at the CIF State Championships (2016).

St. Francis won their third consecutive title at the SacJoaquin Section Championships. The Troubadours scored 27 points, placing their top five among the top 10 to out-score Whitney (68) and Rio Americano (106) in the

Division II race. It was the 12th section title in school history.

Fauria became the third individual in school history to win the individual section title, joining Kolleen Kassis (1987) and Cybelle McFadden (1990, 1991).

St. Francis won their second consecutive Delta League title at the Reservoir Hills course.

The Troubadours placed six runners on the top 10 and all seven in the top 15 to score 29 points for the win. Freshman Cate Joaquin was the first Troubadour across the line for St. Francis, finishing the 2.87 mile course in 17:45.

Fauria was second on the team and fifth overall in 17:59.

Six Troubadours earned All-Delta League honors by

virtue of the top 10 finish at the league championships.

Sophie DeBenedetti earned her fourth career all-league honor, while Silva, Hekkanen and Fauria earned the status for the second time in their careers. It was the first all-league nod for Tatiana Cornejo and Joaquin.

Coach Aaron Rios was named the Delta League Coach of the Year as voted by the league coaches.

St. Francis won team titles at the Oakmont Invitational, Ed Sias Invitational, Capital Cross Challenge and Delta League meet during the regular season, while finishing seventh at the Woodbridge Invitational and second at the Clovis Invitational.

Individual Honors All-Delta League Isabella Fauria Sophie DeBenedetti Tatiana Cornejo Haley Silva Cate Joaquin Hanna Hekkanen Delta League Sportsmanship Award Audrey Reyes

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www.valcomnews.com • December 20, 2018 • East Sacramento News

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Holiday sing-along concert Photos by Stephen Crowley

A holiday sing-along concert featuring Singers with Hart (with special guest Manitos) was held at the Hart Senior Center on 915 27th St. on Friday, Dec. 14. see Concert page 9

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East Sacramento News • December 20, 2018 • www.valcomnews.com

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www.valcomnews.com • December 20, 2018 • East Sacramento News

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with Pat Lynch

Last year about a week before Christmas I took a walk in the Fab Forties. A man approached, striding purposefully, almost marching. We made eye contact. His forehead immediately furrowed and he shouted grimly, “Merry Christmas.” I knew in an instant. He was yelling Merry Christmas to show his allegiance to Fox News and its annual flap about a War on Christmas. If I didn’t say Merry Christmas in return it would show that I was an anti-Christian leftist who said Happy Holidays, thereby revealing an attachment to godlessness, cultural diversity and contempt for traditional values. I didn’t want to anger him by saying Happy Holidays,

but I saw a woman watching from her porch, and I didn’t want her to think I was a Fox Christmas screecher. So I said heartily to the man, and with a smile, “You too.” It seemed to satisfy him and he strode on.

When I mentioned this encounter people said things like, “Don’t worry about what others think,” “Say what’s in your heart,” “Be your own person,” and so forth. One said, “Own your truth,” whatever that means. A neighbor said stoutly that she, for one, would never stop saying Merry Christmas. The implication here was that I lacked authenticity, which was sadly true. I couldn’t satisfactorily explain how much I dread-

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East Sacramento News • December 20, 2018 • www.valcomnews.com

ed being mistaken for a Fox Christmas warrior enlisted to defend Christmas from whatever the rest of us were doing to it.

So I did some research.

Turns out there WAS a war on Christmas, but it was started by the Puritans, not Democrats. Puritans disapproved of the singing, drinking, feasting, decorating and merriment the holiday brought, scowled upon the celebrants and even tried to cancel it altogether.

They scorned Christmas festivities in England and got them outlawed. And when they came here they imported their dreary notions. It can’t have been too much fun living amongst that bunch with their long black outfits and somber faces. Imagine being a kid and having to visit your Puritan aunt during the season. You’d have to sit on cold stick furniture and talk about brimstone. No songs. No treats. No fun.

Those were bleak times, when one religion dominated large parts of the land. In the Massachusetts Colony you were fined five shillings if you were caught singing a Christmas song. In those days the song was possibly In Dulce Jublio (Good Christian Men, Rejoice.) composed in the 13th century. I wonder if it was a toe tapper.

But finally, by 1870, our growing pluralism had improved things. Immigrants with happier traditions had arrived and assimilated and Christmas became a legally recognized federal holiday.

This made for a much jollier country.

When I was growing up, before Fox News descended on us like an angry UFO, there was a furor over Big Business.

In my Catholic school, the nuns said that “certain businessmen” were trying to secularize Christmas and drive Christ out. How were they doing this? By saying, “Happy Holidays.” By advertisements emphasizing Santa, presents, and new cars. “It’s

greed, greed, greed, girls,” Sister Roberta intoned. She said “they” only wanted to celebrate the pagan element that came from Nordic myths and polluted the Christian truth of Baby Jesus. Because the pagan element led to profit and they would do anything for profit. Greed, greed, greed.

But I liked the greedy pagan part of Christmas, liked buying gifts, liked the cheery Christmas tunes in the mall, liked seeing the little kids in line to see Santa, got a nice, uplifting vibe from the whole scene. When many of us became young political radicals we too disdained the commercialization of America and that included Christmas. But I (and others) secretly went shopping and looked forward to going home on Christmas week. We wanted it both ways—we were not religious now but wanted the nostalgic comforts of the hymns and the traditions. And we wanted to make our parents happy.

We wanted those snug yuletide get-togethers with kin.

Then in 1977, the American Family Association arrived to monitor Christmas behavior. Rachel Schnepper from the New York Times reported that the “American Family Association called for boycotting Old Navy and The Gap for not using the term “Christmas” in their holiday advertising.” The AFA also “criticized schools for giving equal time to Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.” But what is the American Family Association? Turns out it is a Christian fundamentalist organization that was designated a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. What is the AFA’s hate mission? “Using demonizing propaganda” against gay people, says Wikipedia. So now we have a hate group defending the true spirit of Christian love. But wait. It gets weirder.

Twenty years later Fox landed and launched its thunderous war against our

non-existent war on Christmas. Fox, always dreaming of a white person Christmas, targeted those who didn’t use the word, Christmas, in their seasonal greetings, bad people who sent cards saying, “Have a Peaceful Holiday.” Bill O’Reilly roared, “Stop terrorizing people who like Christmas.” But who was terrorizing? The teacher who explained Kwanzaa?

The Gap? Does the Gap terrorize you? I didn’t think so.

(O’Reilly’s pious rages are heard no more because four women brought sexual assault charges against him and Fox had to cut him loose).

I saw on TV that Trump is now going around bellowing Merry Christmas at his crowds and bragging that he resurrected the phrase. He did this last year too. But I recall Obama saying Merry Christmas every one of his eight years. Yet the very next year, 2017, Trump said, “People are proud to be saying Merry Christmas again,” as if the Puritans had returned and banned it, and he, like a twinkling angel had floated down and re-lit all the darkened trees and lifted the ban. Trump—the Christmas miracle.

So now, if I say “Merry Christmas,” I worry that people will think I’m for Trump. That’s really too much to risk. I guess I could wear a big Harris/Beto button, and then say, “Merry Christmas,” but what if people don’t know who Harris and Beto are? So it’s a dilemma. And please don’t say,”Be true to yourself,” because that’s off the table.

As for those who’ve read this, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Have a wonderful holiday. Have a Happy Hanukkah. Have a Happy Kwanzaa. Rock the Winter Solstice. And if you celebrate something that hasn’t gone mainstream yet, have a happy whatever it is. Cheers to all.

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Sacramento residents unveiled new sustainable product business at local elementary school winter faire

By Monica Stark editor@valcomnews.com

In the spirit of gift giving and shopping locally, the Alice Birney School community came together in support of one another at the annual Winter Faire, held on Saturday, Dec. 1.

The line was long, at times, for the children’s shop to open at 3:45 p.m. But unlike a Black Friday line of anxious shoppers, yelling, “open, open,” the young ones waited, oh so patiently, for a chance to enter the fairy forest themed boutique. No adult shoppers were allowed inside that room, as the littles exchanged tickets for gifts they kept secret from their parents.

In other classrooms, artsy parents sold crafts and wares with proceeds set aside for their children’s classes, while in others, outside vendors sold handmade and sustainable goods to support their livelihood.

The winter faire has become an important school fundraiser, bringing in about $10,000 toward the Waldorf-inspired public school’s fundraising goals. And it also, to a T, encourages community and support of the local economy.

For two AB parents, Nick and Alisha Lee, the event was an opportunity to unveil their sustainable product business among a supportive flow of customers and a push to get their website live.

Taking shop in Room 10 near the blackboard, the Lees displayed some products they’ve made and some they’ve curated, for their business aptly named, Nudge Minimal Waste Shop. “(The name’s) a gentle nudge towards sustainability – sustainable choices, sustainable products,” Nick explained, as Alisha kept customers’ interests, during an Valley Community Newspapers, Inc.

on-the-spot interview with this publication. Trying to source as locally and sustainably as possible, Nick said the business is years in the making with lofty goals of one day opening a brick and mortar location.

While curating the products, Nick tries to find businesses as local as possible to source. “The definition of sustainability can be defined in so many different ways, and I think one of the things we want to define ours is local.”

While the products may seem mundane – toothbrushes, band aids, pot scrapers, Bento boxes, copper cleaning cloths, lip balm, laundry dryer balls – their very ingredients support their business’s mission of sustainability. As one might ask him, why bamboo toothbrushes? Nick’s response is ecological: “Every plastic toothbrush ever made is still in existence today and will be for hundreds or thousands of years and bamboo toothbrushes will decompose and become part of the earth again.”

Meanwhile, the only-madein Australia biodegradable and compostable band aids come in varieties such as the soothing aloe vera or the charcoal, that draws out impurities and repairs minor abrasions.

Also among their curated items include Californiamade Knotty Picks – cornstarch-based, bamboo-coated flossing picks with activated charcoal that helps whiten teeth. They also sell dryer balls with which you infuse a few drops of essential oils and throw into the dryer, giving clothes a bit of a fluff without the waste that comes with dryer sheets.

Alisha has come to make her own versions of items she’s been inspired by. A seamstress

in her free time, she has sewn Furoshiki Bento wraps, which are traditional (and fashionable) Japanese wrapping cloths that hold your lunch and fold out into a place setting. She’s also made various lip balms under the guidance of Jolie Adam of Jolie’s Herbals, whose products are available at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op. “I called her and said this is what we’re doing. I’m not somebody who makes my own products, so I’d like to see what you have to offer.’ And she said, ‘I’d love to help you. And she came over and she had advice and recipes.”

That sense of community support of giving and receiving is indicative of their success thus far. Naturally, the husband-wife team has come together in launching the business. Nick – the curator, researcher, the marketer – gives credit to Alisha as being the “brains behind the operation” with a community-mindset. “If I say, ‘I want to have organic bamboo cutlery, she says, ‘If we build a kit that means a stay-at-home mom can build this kit and we can build that community together.”

An “amazingly successful” first day in business, Nick said there’s “a lot of energy, a lot of really positive energy, really good vibes from people, a lot of good feedback. I learned some things from customers that I hadn’t thought of.” One customer suggested they sell copper tongue scrapers for their antibacterial properties, rather than the metal ones that were for sale. Pointing to the copper cleaning clothes on the table, he said, “That’s why they’re copper – they’re antimicrobial. It makes sense to have that for your tongue too, and that didn’t even cross my mind.”

That goes to why the Lees want to bring the community together to curate these products. “Yes, I’ve done a lot of research,” Nick said, “I have a masters in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, but that doesn’t teach you how to curate and find the

best goods. There’s lots of definitions of what sustainability is. And we all have a different definition of it. As a community, I think, if we come together, we can make more sustainable choices.”

For more information, visit NudgeEcoStore.com or email sales@nudgeecostore.com

COME AND JOIN US TO CELEBRATE ADVENT SEASON IN OUR BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED SANCTUARY

Christmas Caroling, Friday, December 21st at 5pm (Soup Supper followed by Caroling)

Christmas Sunday, December 23rd at 10:30am (A Special Christmas Story Presentation by our Children/Youth and Music Teams)

Christmas Eve Worship, Monday, December 24th at 6pm (A Candlelight Service with Carols and Scripture)

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES BEGIN AT 10:30AM FAITH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

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What’s NEW SACRAMENTO AREA ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE: Great news for those who live relatively close to central Sacramento! The Sacramento Country Dance Society is adding a second monthly English Country Dance, on the third Sunday afternoon of each month beginning October 21. Lovely hall and floor, easy parking, and on the American River Bike Trail. Come join us at Camp Pollock, just 5 minutes from downtown/midtown Sacramento, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Each dance is preceded at 1:30 pm by an Introductory Workshop for newcomers. This is in addition to our long-running dance in Roseville that continues on the first Sunday afternoon of each month. Beginners welcome, no partners necessary, always live music. Details about both dances, including callers, music, locations, and date changes, can be found on our Web site: sactocds.org/ english-country-dance/ GARDENS GONE NATIVE TOUR: The Sacramento Chapter of the California Native Plant Society is in the planning stage for our Ninth Annual Gardens Gone Native Tour. Every year we feature 25 to 30 local residential gardens which feature substantial plantings of California Native plants. Many of our Hosts show their garden several years in a row, others take a break, and we’re always on the lookout for new gardens to feature. Do you have a love of sharing your garden, and have half or more as natives? The Tour is in late April (April 27th), but we are trying to settle on gardens within the Sacramento and Yolo area that somewhat group together for the convenience of the tour-goers. If you are interested, contact us at gardensgonenative at gmail dot com, or contact Colene Rauh at 916-717-5517.

FRIDAY, DEC. 21 FIT4MOM | Fab 40s Christmas Lights Walk: Friday at 5:30 PM northwestsacramento.fit4mom.com. **Official meeting location TBD** Bundle up for this family event as we walk through the Fab 40s to enjoy the Christmas

happening lights! Meet at 5:30 and stay as long as you’d like. Learn more about FIT4MOM and our amazing village at @fit4momnorthwestsac Disclaimer: this is not the Fab 40s Home Tour, and is not associated with East Sacramento or the Fab 40s events.

SATURDAY, DEC. 22 4SR DEC HOLIDAY RIDE - FAB 40’S Saturday at 4 PM – 9 PM 601 Alhambra Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95816 Hosted by 4th Saturday All Bike Ride Come ride the Fab 40’s with us, enjoy the lights and the Christmas spirit. Bring your family, friends, bikes đ&#x;š˛ and lights so we can enjoy the night in the Fab 40’s. This ride will be accepting donations for the Foster Children, Food Bank and Homeless. Foster Children - Please donate toys for boys/ girls ages 5-15. Wrapped up and marked either for a boy or girl and the age group.

Food Bank - Please donate can goods and non perishable items. Homeless: - Please donate socks, blankets, jackets or non perishable foods. Let’s come together and Help our Community and Ride. Bike Life we are all Family on these streets. Route will be posted later.

ANNUAL FAB 40S HOLIDAY LIGHTS WALK - Public ¡ Hosted by Trainer In Your Back Pocket Saturday at 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM t at Starbucks) 3815 J St, Sacramento, CA 95816-5520, United States Hosted by Trainer In Your Back Pocket Join the annual Holiday Lights walk as we dress up in holiday cheer and walk up and down the streets of the Fab 40s in Sacramento! This tradition began in 2009 and continues each year! We begin at Starbucks (meet just before 5:30pm if you wish to get a drink to walk with), and we will leave at 5:45pm to enjoy the holiday lights!

Wear your favorite holiday sweaters and attire! Kids and pets welcome, just make sure they are visible with reflectors, since it will be dark out.

Join us for Christmas Eve Worship Monday, December 24 5:30 pm & 11:00 pm Traditional Christmas Services With Carols & Lessons

Historic Pioneer Church 2700 L Street, Sacramento Across from Sutter’s Fort

14

East Sacramento News • December 20, 2018 • www.valcomnews.com

East Sacramento?

FRIDAY, JAN. 4 TWEEN COMICS CLUB – Join us for this free, fun program. We will have snacks, discuss a comic book, do a craft, and have a trivia contest with the chance to win a prize!

This month’s book: Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol. Copies of this month’s book will be available at the front desk in December.

Recommended for ages 9-13. Friday, January 4 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. at McKinley Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd, Sacramento.

FRIDAY, JAN. 11 LEGO MANIA! – Like building with LEGO bricks? Join us for our monthly free-play afternoon! LEGO and DUPLO LEGO bricks will be provided for this free, family program. Friday, January 11 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. at McKinley Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd, Sacramento.

FRIDAY, JAN. 18 ELECTRIC GREETING CARDS - Join this free hands-on SMUD workshop and learn how to make electronic greeting cards with LED lights! Create fun, light-up cards and learn the concepts of drawing schematics, parallel and series circuits and basic electronics. Recommended for ages 8 – 12.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Registration required. Friday, January 18 from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. at McKinley Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd, Sacramento.

2019 JAN. 1 NEW YEAR’S GATHERING: Friends of the Riverbanks invites you to this monthly event, which generally meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. (note there are exceptions so check the calendar), at Sutter’s Landing Park at the VERY end of 28th Street in Sacramento. Bring water and sunblock, and a change of clothes for young ones who are sure to get sandy, muddy, and wet. Children under 13 must wear life jackets if they go into the water, per law.

Leave your dogs at home and please bike, walk, or carpool if you can to keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. Directions: Head north on 28th Street, cross C Street and then the railroad tracks. Continue to the last parking lot where the park abuts the American River Parkway.

FRIDAY, JAN. 11 COMMUNITY VISITATION DAYS AT THEODORE JUDAH: STARTING AT 8:30 A.M.: There is no need to RSVP if you are planning to attend one a community visitation day. Please enter campus through the main entrance on McKinley Blvd. and report to the library to sign in.

Please arrange for child care for younger siblings as is feasible. For families who are not

able to attend on one of the community visitation days, the school also offers tours on Fridays beginning at 9am. Tours last approximately 30 minutes. If you are planning to attend a Friday tour, RSVP in advance by calling the school office at 395-4790 so the school knows to expect you. Please arrange child care for younger siblings as is feasible. When entering campus for a Friday tour, please come through the main entrance on McKinley Blvd. and report directly to the office to sign in. Mr. Holding, the principal, will join you to conduct the tour.

3919 McKinley Blvd, Sacramento, California 95819. Getting ready for kindergarten?

Come visit Theodore Judah School during one of our community visitation days. Arrive at 8:30 am and meet Principal Holding and tour the school. Best to leave the kiddos at home. Orientation and tour will begin at 8:30 am and end at approx 11:30 am.

For more information: https://www.theodorejudahelementary.org/post/school-tourinformation.

SATURDAY, JAN. 12 SACRAMENTO POTTERS GROUP: ART BY FIRE’S ANNUAL SECONDS SALE: Shepard Garden and Art Center 3330 McKinley Blvd, Sacramento; Saturday, January 12, 2019, 10am-2pm A very special sale of less than perfect pottery, glass, metal & clay work at perfectly affordable prices! Treat yourself to an after-holiday present! Shop EARLY for best selection ‌ www.artbyfire.org

SATURDAY, FEB. 2 DREAM VARIATIONS: A SYMPHONIC CELEBRATION OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The Sacramento Youth Symphony presents a major community concert event celebrating the ongoing contributions by African-Americans to our country’s artistic landscape.

Musical selections will include celebrated works by Duke Ellington, William Grant Still, Emmy Award-winning composer John Wineglass, and much more. An impressive roster of special guests will join the orchestra on-stage for this special event. Some of our guests include: Emcee-Omari Tau; Speaker-Courtney Dempsey; Guest Artists-Jay Mason, Chase Spruill 4th, Indigo Moore, Julian Dixon, Leslie Sandefur, & Sheryl Counter. Tickets: General $25, Students/Children/Seniors $20. For more information, visit www.sacramentoyouthsymphony.org

SATURDAY, FEB. 9 SACCIRQUE PRESENTS: AFTER INFINITY: Is excited to bring together a wide variety of artistic media to showcase a new level of circus theatrics for our community at the HIstoric Colonial Theatre, 3522 Stockton Blvd. from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

What would you do if you outlived the collapse of the universe? Who would you be if

you were there to experience the Big Bang that followed? Imagine this played out for an endless amount of time. After Infinity brings you 1 piece of a 6 part series exploring entropy as the key orchestrator of the collapse and rebirths of our universe. The characters of After Infinity struggle to discover that through the flow of creativity and unity, we may have a chance to stop the universes endless cycle. After Infinity is going to be a one of a kind experience. Expect to see fire dancing, acrobatics, aerial, never before seen props, and many soon to be announced innovative acts, brought together for a night of circus magic. Join us February 9th as we launch SacCirque into its first full size theatrical experience at the Historic Colonial Theatre!!!

ONGOING WOMEN WITH GOOD SPIRITS¡MONTHLY MEETING: Women With Good Spirits is a women’s social group that meets once a month. A local non-profit or charity is invited to speak.

Currently, monthly meetings are held at Selland’s Market CafÊ (915 Broadway, Sacramento) on the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. There is a requested minimum donation of $5 -- 100% of the donations go to the non-profit or charity. Past groups have included the Sacramento Ballet, 916INK, Chako Pit Bull Rescue, Soil Born Farms, Front Street Animal Shelter. Questions, email Monica Stark at editor@valcomnews.com.

SACTOWN UNION BREWERY MONDAY OPEN MIC: Mondays from 630 to 10 p.m. at Sactown Union Brewery 1210 66th Street, Unit B, Sacramento, California 95819. Host Autumn Sky brings you a weekly open-mic night to express yourself and be apart of a unique, supportive community! Sign ups at 6:30 p.m., open mic begins at 7 p.m. and it’s all ages until 8 p.m. A house guitar is provided (Autumn’s own!) to play if bringing yours is difficult. There’s beer, pizza next door that delivers to the open mic, and they welcome well behaved dogs. Comedy, DJing, spoken word, poetry, instrumental performance, songwriters, cover heroes and rappers are all welcome.

CORN - HOLE EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT AT SACTOWN UNION BREWERY: Be a part of the Sports Social Club. XOSO Sports Host Corn - Hole League Every Thursday Night from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Sactown Union Brewery, 1210 66th St. VISIT www.xososports.com to register. Because even adults need recess.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF SURVIVORS SUPPORT GROUP: Every first Monday of the month from 6 to 7 p.m. Location: Sacramento. Call 916-428-3271 for exact location. Description: Is your friend or family member in a domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking situation?

This free, drop-in group is for you. Learn how to support your loved one, and receive Valley Community Newspapers, Inc.

What’s some support yourself among people who are in the same situation. Feel free to call My Sister’s House for more information: 916-428-3271.

Open mic: continued from page 5

er people get to grow in their art.

It makes me feel wonderful that this culmination I’ve had in my head of the best parts of all these open mics I’ve been to, I can now implement. Certain places really knew how to do their sound. Certain places just had the most reverent, prayer-like silence when people would play that hearkened back to the folk scene in the 60’s which took its musical poets very seriously. Certain places had the most beautiful

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© 2018 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

1. Who was the last Cleveland Indian before Jose Ramirez in 2017 to have five extra-base hits in a game?

2. Rhys Hoskins of the Philadelphia

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION IS SEEKING LOCAL HOST FAMILIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL EXCHANGE STUDENTS: ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE), in cooperation with your community high school, is looking for local families to host boys and girls between the ages of 15 to 18 from a variety of countries: Norway, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Japan, to name a few. ASSE students are enthusiastic and excited to experience American culture while they practice their English. They also love to share their own culture and language with their host families. Host families welcome these students into their family, not as a guest, but as a family member, giving everyone involved a rich cultural experience. The exchange students have pocket money for personal expenses and full health, accident and liability insurance. ASSE students are selected based on academics and personality, and host families can choose their student from a wide variety of backgrounds, countries and personal interests. To become an

nity. The people are what we are here for, and the music is just the cherry on the sundae.

Music is this healing, cleansing, meaningful experience for so many people, and we all need to be healed, listeners and performers alike. So we give our time to these people, and hold space for their performance, like we’d want them to hold space for us.

Just like these dark and smokey days that I’ve been walking through these past two weeks, the world is a

ASSE Host Family or to find out how to become involved with ASSE in your community, please call the ASSE Western Regional Office at 1-800-733-2773 or go to www.host.asse.com to begin your host family application. Students are eager to learn about their American host family, so begin the process of welcoming your new son or daughter today!

KNITTING CIRCLE AT MCKINLEY LIBRARY – Any adult interested in knitting — even an absolute beginner — is invited to join. Participants can learn to knit, or get help on current projects and advice from expert knitters. Don’t forget to bring your knitting needles and yarn. Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at McKinley Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd, Sacramento.

TEEN SPACE AT MCKINLEY LIBRARY – Looking for something fun to do after school? Need a place where you’re free to hang out with your friends and have a snack? Come to the McKinley Library Teen Space, Wednesdays from 3p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at McKinley Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd, Sacramento.

harrowing place. People deal with so much unseen pain. If we can create a place of sunshine, even for a few hours, that’s worth doing and talking about. It’s worth making art about. Maybe even singing about.

My favorite quote, from Leonard Cohen (ever the poet,) sums it up neatly: “Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in.”

King Features We

E-mail us, editor@valcomnews.com

Phillies set a record in 2017 for hitting his first 10 major-league home runs atmosphere (looking at you, thing anyone needs, I’m your than anyone in history. How magical Coffee Garden.) Nowfasterhuman. many games did itthe takefihim? it’s finally myself who can give Secondly, rst person to 3.

When was the last time the Detroit people whose art I really en- play gets to play extra songs. won a playoff on the road?or joy a platform. It’s finally my-LionsEveryone elsegame gets two, 4.

Name the last time before self who can put energy into three if it’s a slow night. 2018 Houston Cougars men’s basfostering the kinds of com-that theTh irdly, and most imporketball team won an NCAA Tournamunity that meant so much tantly, I believe that if it’s mentnot game? to me personally. possible for you to supBefore the Monday open 5. port the event through monBetween 2000-2018, three mic I host starts, I’ve beendefensemen etary means, our time the were selected No. 1 isovergiving a rough little speechall inbest thingEntry we can to oththe NHL Draft.give Name two before we start: er people. There is no compeof them.

If you’re here on a Monday 6. tition.

Everyone’ s art isAllison, just as Of Bobby and Davey night, you’re at the SactownDaleimportant as everyone else’s.

Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Union Brewery open micJr., and We’re not here to crown Lee and Richard Petty, whoa (where the rules are made upwas winner, to finish get excited for the only but pair to in the top and the points don’t matter.)two spots people as they learn and fl ourat a Daytona 500?

Firstly, I’m Autumn, your ish in the art that they love so 7.

Who the part first of men’s tennis sound person. If there’s any- much.was We’re a commuplayer to claim all nine ATP Masters 1000 events?

Answers 1. Kelly Shoppach, in 2008.

2. Seventeen games.

3. It was 1957.

4. It was 1984.

5. Erik Johnson (St. Louis; 2006), Aaron Ekblad (Florida; 2014) and Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo; 2018).

6. The Allisons, in 1988.

7. Novak Djokovic, in 2018.

from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. All Austen fans are welcome. 2112 22nd St.

December 17, 2018

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ship category of their choice per year and SAC UNIFIED POETRY SLAM: Jenny will be evaluated based on academics, comLynn and Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged munity service, quality of essay and recpresent The Sac Unified Poetry Slam evommendation. Top scholarship winners ery third Friday at Luna’s, 1414 16th St., in select categories may be invited to comstarting at 7:30 p.m. The show is unpredictpete for the $5,000 Ironstone Concours able. The special guests and judges won’t be Foundation Scholarship Scholarships are known until they sign up. The slam is three not renewable; however, students may rerounds. This is a FREE show with purchase apply each year as long as they continat the cafe, donations are encouraged to covue to meet the eligibility criteria. The er PSI venue dues and show staffing. $5 Friends of the California State Fair Scholto slam (except youth 18 and under) winarship Program is a collaboration between ner takes the whole pot. Luna’s Cafe will be the Friends of the California State Fair, serving the freshest juices and licuados in the California Exposition & State Fair, town, nothing frozen or concentrated. The the California State Fair Agricultural Admenu also includes sandwiches, salads, our visory Council, the Ironstone Concours famous quesadilla, fresh-ground coffee, moFoundation, Blue Diamond Growers and chas, and other espresso drinks. A nice seWestern Fairs Association. Internationlection of beer and wine is also offered. Enal Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. joy it all in the comfortable atmosphere of (ISTS), an independent scholarship manLuna’s, one of this area’s original cafe galleragement company, hosts the online apies. Supporting artists of all kinds for over plication process and disburses awards 30 years. for the program. The deadline to apply is March 2, 2018. Learn more at CAStateJANE AUSTEN READING GROUP AT 1. Who was the last Cleveland IndiFair.org/scholarship. For questions about ELLA K. MCCLATCHY LIBRARY: This an before Ramirez in of2017 to the Friends of the California State Fair monthly Jose group reads the works Jane AusScholarship Program, please email schol-haveten andextra-base meets the third of each five hitsSaturday in a game? arship@calexpo.com. month Hoskins in the Ella K. library 2. Rhys ofMcClatchy the Philadelphia

King Features Weekly Service

STATE FAIR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS ANNOUNCED: The Friends of the California State Fair Scholarship Program is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2018 - 2019 academic year.

The program offers 14 categories of scholarships ranging from $1,000 - $2,500 each with varying eligibility requirements. Categories include: agriculture, art, academic excellence, business, culinary/hospitality/ event management, education, international relations, trade school, viticulture and enology. Applicants may apply for one scholar-

east sacramento?

December 17, 2018

#METOO SUPPORT GROUP: Every third Monday of the month from 6 to 7 p.m. Location: Sacramento. Call 916-4283271 for exact location. Description: This drop-in support group is free, confidential, open to all genders, and available to sexual assault survivors at any point in their healing. Feel free to call My Sister’s House for more information: 916-428-3271.

happening

www.valcomnews.com • December 20, 2018 • East Sacramento News

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