Sutter's Fort Living History and Pioneer Demonstration Days return to the year 1846, the year California became a U.S. territory. Park docents and volunteers re-create the everyday life and times at "Fort New Helvetia," Sutter’s original name for the Fort. Men dressed in heavy buckskin loading their flintlock rifles. Soldiers from the 1840s perform drills, while the blacksmith makes horseshoes at a hot forge. Women scrub clothes on a washboard and prepare stews over cooking fires. Docent Mark DeLong holds a cannonball as he explains Sutter had the cannon in the Southeast bastion of the original fort until 1846, when the guns were removed and it was used for storage. Then the bastion wa

There are very few known details about the closing of the Hard Rock Café downtown. Manager Kim Templeton deferred answering questions to a public relations firm. That firm would not answer phone calls. According to a Sacramento Bee article, it will close March 27, but is that before or after the private event listed the same day on the Hard Rock website as "Morgan's Bat Mitzvah?"  One thing is for sure. With the Hard Rock closing, Sacramento is losing several important things: a restaurant, a music venue, a 36-foot guitar with neon highlights and a small museum chock full of Rock 'n' Roll memorabilia. Not to mention an employer. The following is a photo essay depicting some of Hard Rock

  WELL KNOWN ROCKLIN COSMETIC DENTIST GIVES BACK A SMILE FOR MOTHER'S DAY PURE Dentistry, the family cosmetic dental practice of Darce Slate DDS, is the hub of great activity as it accepts nominations for a smile makeover that will change the life of one Sacramento area mother forever. “Project Smile Again Sacramento-Mother’s Day is another piece of the pro bono work I have been doing quietly for years,” said Dr. Slate. “A healthy smile radiates openness, confidence and joy. Without that ability, people tend to feel shame and have lower self esteem. At PURE Dentistry, we have chosen to celebrate Mother’s Day in our way by allowing the community to be involved in selecting one great mom

Tim Castleman had a big response to the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. He felt so sad, disappointed and angry that he changed his life. He started developing a hemp-based biofuel system and fought for legalization of hemp in Arizona to help end U.S. dependence on fossil fuels. He began a national "Drive 55" campaign to lower Americans' gas consumption and reduce carbon emissions — an effort turned into a documentary. And he organized two "Peace Trains" to Washington, D.C., to promote rail travel. "My interest in biofuels led me to understand the real problem isn't that we need another source of fuel. We need another source of energy," said Castleman, 51. "The real problem is we

Sacramento usually sees large crowds on Second Saturday. But Wednesday, it looked more like Dublin as thousands of green-clad Sacramentans attended block parties, drank green beer and celebrated everything even remotely Irish. The following is a photo essay, depicting some of the Wednesday evening festivities. The first seven photos are from the de Vere's St. Patrick's Day Block Party. Outside the de Vere's St. Patrick's Day Block Party on L Street, this dog dressed for the occasion in a green sweater. The party drew thousands of people to the 1500s block of L Street. Kings mascot Slamson showed up to the block party on stilts and showed off his shamrock-covered blazer. He was a cro

RED CROSS DAY AT THE CAPITOL In honor of March being Red Cross Month, representatives from the American Red Cross offered free workshops to Capitol workers on how to "Be Red Cross Ready". Disasters strike at any time and without warning - so it's important to learn how you can prepare your workplace or home for any disaster. Displays of various Red Cross services, including Pet First Aid, Wilderness Training and CPR and AED training were located on the west steps of the Capitol. Abigail Capano, a Red Cross volunteer, demonstrated how to perform CPR on a dog, using a stuffed toy animal.   In addition, several disaster response vehicles were parked along 10th Street and available to

Everyone looked Irish at the block party on L Street celebrating St. Patrick's Day:       SacPress Photos | Kati Garner    

A new bookstore concept is coming to Midtown. Entrepreneur Kevin Standfield and a partner are turning a former office space into a used bookstore and wine bar at 1330 21st St. The establishment will also sell cheese, beer, dessert and coffee. "My two favorite things in the world are to sip port and read a book," Standfield said. "I like the idea of our customers being able to sit down and hang out and read a book." To come up with a name, Standfield stuck with a theme he likes. He's calling it Book Monkey, like the Yogurt Monkey shop he and a partner opened on Fair Oaks Boulevard. "I'm in a monkey thing right now. I don't know why," he said. Boxes of books sat under plastic Wednesday

The fourth annual Green California Summit and Exhibition wrapped up today at the Sacramento Convention Center, giving attendees a look at new green technology that provided a glimpse into what the world could look like in the near future. The summit featured keynote presentations from four speakers: 15-year-old Alec Loorz, founder of Kids vs. Global Warming; Noel Perry, Next 10 founder; David Roland-Holst, director of the University of California at Berkeley's Center for Energy, Resources and Economic Sustainability; and Fran Pavley, the state senator who authored Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. The summit also offered classes on green building codes, new media

Sacramento companies have significant opportunities to grow their revenues by landing federal contracts. There are over 27 different vertical markets in the United States Federal Government.  For 2010 alone, the budget for information technology is over $80 billion. Although rumors abound about purchases of $1000 hammers and toilet seats, the U.S Federal Government is one of the smartest buyers of goods and services. If your company is engaged in commercial and/or state business, there is a way to leverage what your company already does now, here in California, into a federal contract. SARTA, the Sacramento region's high tech business accelerator, knows that dealing with government contr