Does your teddy bear need fixing? Maybe your animal friend isn't feeling so well. A stuffed animal veterinarian will be available to help at the Sacramento Zoo's Second Annual Stuffed Animal Veterinary Clinic on May 26. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., children and their families may bring in their stuffed animals for an exam by zoo veterinarians or zookeepers to the Veterinary Hospital Lawn inside. Exams are $3 per stuffed animal. There will be six different stations and a reception area, according to Zoo Education Specialist Brooke Coe. Four of the stations are vet stations, where the stuffed animal will have its physical and check-up. A surgery center will be available for repairing injure

What do you get when you have a European, Asian and American political perspective in the same art museum? Zócalo Public Square’s “Is Democracy Too Slow?” panel discussion hosted at the Crocker Art Museum and co-sponsored by Cal Humanities. Joe Matthews, a contributing writer for the LA Times, moderated a panel discussion on Tuesday evening. Panelists Ezra Vogel, Janice Thomson and Christine Pelosi (Yes, that Pelosi) shared what political lessons we can learn from other countries. Each panelist eluded, in part, to the need for communities of citizens to come together to make a significant difference in government. Dr. Vogel expounded on China’s recent modernization under Deng Xiaoping.

Mother's Day is almost upon us and, while some people think it ends after giving mom breakfast in bed, the fun doesn't have to end there. Treat mom to the whole day by taking advantage of the many activities Sacramento has to offer. Scribner Bend Vineyards Mother's Day Brunch Location: 9051 River Road Event hours: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Scribner Vineyards is opening its doors for a brunch catered by Rayna's Gourmet Catering. There will be three brunch times available: 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Located about 15 minutes from downtown Sacramento, guests get to sit and eat outside, surrounded by grape vines. "It's 15 minutes from downtown, but you feel like you're in a different world. It's got

Everyone knows what a toilet is used for, but in Fair Oaks, racing them is one of the most anticipated events of the year. During the 63rd annual Fair Oaks Fiesta on Saturday over one hundred people of all ages and backgrounds came out to Fair Oaks village to enjoy the race. This year's race included six toilet racers with three-person teams. The rules require one driver, who must sit on the toilet at all times, and two pushers. Two teams represented the Fair Oaks Park and Recreational District, calling themselves the Parks District and Rocky the Rooster. The other four teams were privately owned and called themselves The Royal Flush, Hot Rod Toilet and Porcelain Princess. Contestants c

People of all ages are invited to enter the world of jazz during the kick off pre-festival event at Midtown Village Cafe on Friday at 8 p.m. for Sacramento's fifth annual In the Flow Festival. The preview show will give audiences a taste of the types of music they can expect when attending the In the Flow Festival, which will be held May 9 to the 14th. "(The preview show is) not only for the media, but for fans to wet their appetite. We have local and Oakland based bands coming in to get people excited. It's also an opportunity to meet and greet folks who are coming to some or all of the festival," Publicist Mindy Giles said. A $6 cover charge per person at the door will give fans and m

Filmmakers took 48 hours to incorporate an object, a name, a phrase and a genre into a four- to seven-minute short film last month as part of the Sacramento International Film Festival. Saturday night, the Crocker Art Museum hosted the 26 completed submissions in the three-hour 48 Hour Film Challenge screening event. The following night attendees found out who won during the awards ceremony on the Delta King. As a first-time filmmaker, W. Mark Dendy found the 48 Hour experience harrowing. “It was managing the whole crew and keeping in contact with them,” he said. “I got a text message at 11 on the second night that one of the main supporting actors was pulling out. We were shooting all

Sacramento outfielder Brandon Moss reached the 1,000th minor-league hit in Thursdays 5-1 victory over the Padres. The top of the first inning proved eventful as the Padres' first batter, left fielder Daniel Robertson, was hit by the pitcher in the left shoulder. Second baseman Everth Cabrera was out after lining out to River Cats short stop Adam Rosales. Right fielder Sawyer Carroll hit a fly into a double play, which was caught by right fielder River Cats' Jermaine Mitchell. He then threw to first baseman Chris Carter taking Padres' Robertson out on first. The River Cats also started off with a bang in the bottom of the first as their first hitter, right fielder Jermaine Mitchell, hit a

The Sacramento International Film Festival opened to a packed house this last Saturday at the Crocker Art Museum to the film “A California State of Mind: The legacy of Pat Brown” directed by Sascha Rice. The Sacramento International Film Festival, in its current inception since 2003, has three objectives: serve as a skills incubator for the local film community, bring international films to northern Californians, and provide a forum for conversation between independent filmmakers and industry professionals from Hollywood. W. Mark Bendy is a first time director, who participated in Cine Visionaries and the 48 Hour Film Challenge events, shared some of his experiences last night during the

On Thursday, the Sacramento Press hosted a workshop to help writers get the most out of their interviews by discussing pre-interview techniques, how to create better questions and how to make the subject feel comfortable during the process. Guest Speaker Rick Ele was a DJ and radio host for 17 years for the freeform community radio station KDVS 90.3 FM in Davis. Ele has interviewed over 100 bands, musicians, authors and more. Even though he is no longer a primary DJ and host for the station, he still volunteers to host a show about once a month. "(My goal is) helping people find an ounce of courage to develop a rapport, do the research, which conveys you've put that effort into it and it

It's coming to that time of year again when people reunite with the outdoors, shedding the winter clothes and holiday pounds in a zest for activities under the sun. While some folks prefer to stay inside, others are ready to lather on the sunscreen. The Sacramento Press hit the streets around McKinley Park, William Land Park and surrounding neighborhoods this Easter weekend to hear what locals consider their favorite outdoor activities. Golden 1 Membership-Relationship Specialist Sarah Jones, 25, said she enjoys walking her three dogs with her husband at McKinley Park because of the exercise for both the dogs and her and her husband. "We will usually do two laps or so. It's good for th

Lisa Ling has been lucky. Over her 20-year-long television career, she has been able to tell compelling stories without sacrificing her journalistic integrity. Originally from Carmichael, Ling graduated from Del Campo High School in 1991. She is best known as a co-host on “The View,” host for “National Geographic Explorer,” and currently hosts “Our America” on the Oprah Winfrey Network. On Tuesday, she shared some of those stories with a captive audience for the final presentation of this season’s Sacramento Speaker Series, hosted at the Community Center Theater. She was introduced by Jim Jordan, her former English teacher and yearbook editor, and she made sure to recognize Betsy Burns,

Fairytale Town hosted its fourth annual Fairytale Town Goes Green event Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3p.m. Throughout the day the event brought out over 1,500 guests from the Sacramento area to participate in educational activities. The non-profit park dedicates itself to promoting imagination, creativity and education, so hosting a go-green event had to share the same mantra. Fairytale Town Goes Green promoted the education of parents and children on ecology and the environment through the use of displays and activities located around the park. Activities included Earth collages made from old newspapers, newspaper windmills made from recycled newspaper and My Chia Pet, where children could p

What do a deep sea explorer, a fossil hunter, a New York Times columnist, a CNN correspondent, an education reformer and a former president have in common? They will all be a part of the 2012-2013 season of the Sacramento Speaker Series, managing principal Mitchell S. Ostwald announced Thursday. “I am excited to say that (former President Clinton) will be coming to Sacramento for only our speaking engagement and for no other reason.” Dr. Robert Ballard, Dr. Louise Leakey, Thomas Friedman, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Michelle Rhee and former President Bill Clinton will excite and enthrall audiences beginning next fall. Gupta will start off the season on Oct. 23, followed by Clinton on Dec. 4. Fri

How many miles does Peter Greenberg travel annually? 420,000. On Thursday, March 1, Greenberg shared tips, tricks and insights about the travel industry today to a raucous Sacramento Speaker Series audience. After being introduced by Joyce Terhaar, executive director of the Sacramento Bee, Greenberg shared with the audience the good, the bad and the ugly of travel. What’s the ugly underbelly of travel? Only 31 percent of Americans have passports and only 44 percent of our country’s Legislators own a passport. “So we should all take up a donation tonight, (passports) only cost $100, give them to Congress, then ship them out.” With that, the audience applauded. Travel tip number one, i

Sold-out events and a full lineup of apparel designers are the keys to a successful fashion show. Sacramento Fashion Week accomplished both, capping off events at the Elks Lodge Ballroom Friday and Saturday. Executive Director Duane Ram spearheaded the creation of Sacramento Fashion Week in 2006. “People think it’s easy to just put on a fashion show, especially if they haven’t worked in (one),” he said. Ram credits the area’s collegiate programs with creating an environment rife with talent. He wanted to give students fashion industry experience without having to travel to San Francisco or Los Angeles. “There’s a lot of schools around here, and the best way to (connect them) is to use

The sixth annual Sacramento Fashion Week begins Tuesday night at Mix Downtown, featuring 15 regionally and internationally recognized fashion designers. It is produced by Magnum Opus Enterprises. Dolene Simmalavong, designer and founder of DOLZENROK, will show on Saturday night. “Although it is quite difficult to juggle the process of creating a full line, launching and creating websites, attending promotional events and photo shoots while preparing for a baby simultaneously, it is definitely possible,” she said. “I am eight months (pregnant) and couldn't be more ready to showcase for Sac Fashion Week!” After the launch party at MIX Downtown, free workshops will expose the public to the

It all started with a study of an oak tree in oil paints her senior year at Sacramento State’s studio art program. Now two years later, Kristin Hartman is showing for the first time in Midtown at j27 Gallery, located at 2728 J St., through February 17. “I never thought of myself as a landscape artist,” she said. “I focus on the light.” She concedes that for now she needs slightly more defined shapes to give the light and shadow she loves a stability that more impressionistic interpretations of nature would not provide. When first finding her visual voice, Hartman painted small realistic still life and portraits in acrylic. “I was afraid of color,” she says of that time of artistic deve

People enjoyed musings about the movie business from the Chicago native and Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper Wednesday night at the Community Center Theater for the fourth installment of the Sacramento Speaker Series. He said people often come up to him at parties and say, “I want your job. You get to watch movies all day then talk about them.” What they mean is, “Any idiot can do you job.” After annually reviewing 250 films, many run together, he said. However, the last movie he saw in a theater was the classic 1946 masterpiece “It’s a Wonderful Life.” “Great movies really didn’t have a life beyond the theater or TV,” he said. Today you can find movies three months later on DVD or Bl

As part of the Sacramento Speaker Series, Condoleezza Rice spoke at the Community Center Theater to members of both political parties Wednesday night. She started off with her experiences in office jokingly. “I enjoy getting up, getting my coffee, then reading the newspaper and not being in the newspaper.” Though her talk ranged from 9/11 experiences to international economic prowess, Rice took time to say that, “good education shouldn’t be based on which zip code you live in,” and “even if you come from humble circumstances, you can achieve great things.” Before the talk started attendees wrote in questions to ask Condi during the question and answer session. Nearly 70 questions were r

Walking up to The Porch people are visually enveloped with a crisp white exterior. Upon entering one will be met with warm shades of brown and cream. The more subdued tones of grey and black provide a strong juxtaposition. The focus of The Porch for Dine Downtown is Southern fare. “We offer a specially prepared menu for Dine Downtown,” co-owner Jerry Mitchell said. “The fare we offer here is from Charleston, S.C., injected with California. I just felt it was right for here.” Hungry patrons start off with the Porch salad, a light buttermilk bleu cheese dressing over roasted beets, apples, pecans and mixed greens. In the second course, enjoy buttermilk fried chicken, shrimp and grits or