Art met environmentalism Thursday at the Crest Theater when the first annual "Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival" made a one-night stop. This version of the "Wild and Scenic" is an extension of the original film festival that is in its eighth year in Nevada City. The event is sponsored by the South Yuba River Citizens League. The condensed festival in Sacramento also was sponsored by the S.O.S. Cranes, Habitat 2020, the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) and several other local environmental activist groups. It was made possible by a grant from Patagonia as well as donations from other organizations, including Clif Bar, Tom's of Maine, Osprey Packs and Sierra Nevada Brewi

More than 95 regional artists and craftspeople will offer their unique gift items during the Crocker Art Museum’s Holiday Art & Craft Festival at the Scottish Rite Center, located across from the main entrance of California State University, Sacramento, at 6151 H Street. Visitors will support the Crocker and local artists while they shop for everyone on their holiday list with an array of gift items and price ranges. The artist’s creations for sale include jewelry, ceramics, paintings, gourmet food, a variety of unique holiday items and more. You can also capture the holiday season by having photos taken with a Victorian Santa Claus in the front lobby. Attendees will also enjoy free parki

This weekend, more than 250 artisans from throughout the country will display more than 24,000 arts and crafts at Cal Expo. From Nov. 20 - 22, the Sacramento Harvest Festival will offer the community shopping and entertainment. "We have people that come specifically for a vendor," said Liz Stigge, festival communications officer. "It's great to have that community interaction." The Sacramento Harvest Festival began 37 years ago in San Francisco. According to Stigge, individual artists, who were part of a national crafting movement in the 1970s, created the festival as forum to collectively display their work and interact with the community. Since then, the festival has expanded to e

"So what do you mean by noise?" That's probably the #1 question about the Noisefest, except maybe "Do you have any earplugs?" The answer to the latter question is simple (yes, we do) but the first question is more complex. People know what noise is in the general sense, but not very many know what noise is in the musical sense. In some ways, the Norcal Noisefest is intended to answer that question by showing people what noise is, instead of simply telling them. The 2009 Norcal Noisefest, formerly known as the Northern California Experimental Music Festival, is the thirteenth festival in a series orignally started in 1995 here in Sacramento, intended to bring noise music to the public ear

It’s tough to tell if Prince Ludwig and his wife Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen would approve of a dueling beer bong performance at the 199th anniversary of their wedding, but the first night of a two-day Oktoberfest party at the Turn Verein in Sacramento was home to this unlikely of concerts. For 42 years Sacramento's German community has been celebrating its heritage with anybody who wants to join in. The $10 admission allowed attendees to partake in traditional German music, dancing and great company. Food and beverages were distributed using tickets, with one dollar buying a single meal ticket. Beer and sausage were just three tickets, potato salad was two, and some of the l

Come join us in celebrating 22 years of the Hoes Down Harvest Celebration in the Capay Valley (Yolo County).  This celebration will promote agricultural arts and sustainable rural living through two fun-filled days of workshops and events.  Located within two hours of San Francisco and Sacramento’s busy metropolitan areas, the rural Capay Valley region is home to many small farms that supply Northern California’s families, restaurants, and neighborhood grocery stores with fresh organic produce.  The Celebration will offer the public a special chance to enjoy rural life and deepen their understanding and connection to the local food system. On Saturday, October 3rd, the Harvest Festival at

High energy and fun brought Old Sacramento to life at the Second Annual Sacramento World Music and Dance Festival.  The two-day festival kicked off Saturday at the Benvenuti Performing Arts Center, which featured Angentine tango champions Miriam and Leonardo.  Festivities continued Sunday in Old Sacramento. Both days were a celebration of international cultures through ethnic dancing, musical performances, historical storytelling and traditional reenactments of stories and folktales from all over the world. Despite the sweltering Sacramento heat, close to 5,000 attendees managed to stay cool under the shade of large tents and trees, and with the aid of popsicles and cold drinks sold by s

This Saturday, September 12, Rubicon Brewery and the Northern California Brewers Guild will present the 4th annual Midtown Community Festival to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento. "This will be a fun-filled day of food, music and games where attendees will get a great feeling of being part of our community," Rubicon owner Glynn Phillips said. "I'm hoping everyone comes out for a plate of ribs and a pint of beer to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento." The festival will include live performances by four local bands, fun games and activities for kids including a climbing wall and a jump house, raffle prizes and a walk-a-thon. There will be a wide variet

Terry Sidie, founder of the Rainbow Festival (in cowboy hat), strikes a pose with volunteers and Sterling, the civilized dog. Joe Velez leads Sacramento Women's Chorus through several songs. A Small Difference Choral group entertains the crowd. Cheer SF, Cheer Sacramento and Cheer Sirens do their acrobatic routines. Several individuals and groups sang to the crowd and got them dancing. Photos (Joe Velez & Sacramento Women's Chorus | Launa Cornwell Photos | Kati Garner    

Beginning Saturday, Cesar Chavez Park will host the first inaugural Sacramento Outdoor Film Festival, produced by Creative Projection Services and its subsidiary, Sacramento Outdoor Movies. Starting at 5 p.m. and running every Saturday in August, the festival will provide food, fun and games for all those attending, with a movie at 9 p.m. to close out the night. This week's featured film is Rebel Without a Cause, the 1950s classic drama starring James Dean and Natalie Wood. Other festivities include various sponsor booths for home theater supplies and computer games, a video game competition, and Sacramento's Hoppy Brewing Co. will host a beer garden with food and drinks for the event.

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, the Sacramento Film and Music Festival opens its doors again Friday night at the Crest Theatre on 1013 K st. The 10-day event features films of all topics ranging from amateur to professional quality created by people from and outside the city of Sacramento. "It's not seen as a particular type of film festival, such as the gay and lesbian festival or the French festival," said Sid Heberger, manager of the Crest Theatre. "It encompasses all types of films and genres from horror to documentaries, to short films and features and competitions specifically for this festival." Founded in 2000 by current co-director Nate Schmel and now Los Angeles film edit

Winning a Grammy was not the defining career moment for Indigo Girls band member, Amy Ray. Working closely with R.E.M. didn't make the mark either. It was opening for the Grateful Dead. Ray described the unforgettable memory that stands out most from her 30-year music career. "It was a moment of playing this huge stadium [with] 30,000 people, and we were sure nobody would be listening to us. But that's not what happened." Adds Ray, "People really clapped and they loved us, and it felt like we kind of made our mark in some way, and were able to do something, just, really hard." The Grammy-award-winning duo, which also includes singer/songwriter Emily Saliers, will be playing at this yea

60 years ago, Land Park resident Walt Bennett, was a die-hard steelhead fly fisherman, something that doesn’t sound very impressive until you’ve seen the new documentary film Rivers of a Lost Coast. From the 1940s to the early 80s California’s remote north coast was host to a culture of consumed anglers that mirrored the dedication and passion of Hawaii’s earliest big wave surfing pioneers. Complete with a cast of superbly talented anglers, egos-to-boot and a camaraderie that resembles an armed forces unit, Walt Bennett will tell you California’s north coast fly fishing community was something else in its day. Local filmmakers Justin Coupe and Palmer Taylor spent 4-years producing a docume

I'm unsure where my deep and abiding appreciation for food, wine and the culinary arts was born.  As a third-generation Italian-American (with a smidgen of German thrown in from dad's side), one would assume that growing up,  good food and wine were the staples of our everyday culture, present and accounted for at the family table at every meal.  Any prowess I may have demonstrated ala cucina must  certainly be attributed to the genetic code of my Italian heritage, passed along from a long line of incredibly domesticated mammas and nonnas, right?  Picture a small girl of 8, perched atop a worn kitchen stool, watching as momma carefully rolls out the pasta dough, her small hands helping t

Ahhh, yes, it's that time of the month again folks. Second Saturday weekend that is! Although there are great things going on all month long throughout Sacramento, many locals will argue that the second weekend of the month in Sacramento is their favorite time to venture out on the town. In addition to the Art Walk on Saturday, this weekend has a plethora of cool things to check out. And for Sactown, mid-July is looking to bring us some relatively mild weather to boot! Take a look to see if any of these events can lure you to venture out...try something different this week! Thursday 7.9 Food & Wine: California Grape & Gourmet -- $50 ($70 day of) Where: Sacramento Convention Center When:

This will be a big, varied book week in Sacramento, with events ranging from a volunteer chapbook-making workshop to a Second Saturday reception for local art-book author Doug Biggert.  Monday, July 6, 8:00 p.m. The Moody Blues Poetry Series. A Taste of Laguna Southern Cuisine. Weekly poetry reading hosted by Ms. La-Rue, with music by DJ Barney B. $5. A Taste of Laguna. 9080 Laguna, Elk Grove 95758, (916) 691-663 Tuesday, July 7, 7:30 p.m Poets’ Workshop. Sacramento Poetry Center. Weekly workshop moderated by Danyen Powell. Bring 15 copies of your one page poem to be read and critiqued. Free. Hart Senior Center. 915 27th Street, Sacramento 95816, (916) 264-5462 or (530) 756-6228. Wednes

Summertime is here and Sacramento is stepping up to the plate! Sounds like it's going to be a scorching weekend at upwards of 100 degrees but the music and entertainment events are equally as sizzling! With a nice mix of free and low cost things to do as well as a few splurges, June is going out with a jam packed weekend! Browse this list to find plenty of opportunities to laugh, feast & learn along with local talent & tons of live music. It's sure to keep you and yours entertained all weekend long... Thursday 6.25 Theatre: Hedwig and the Angry Inch -- $25 Where: Artisan Theatre (1901 Del Paso Blvd) When: 8pm (also showing Fri & Sat nights this week) Why: This is the last weekend to see

It’s 9:43 a.m. Saturday, June 20, and the participants of the 2009 Sacramento Pride Parade are still stationary; onlookers begin to gather on L Street alongside Capitol Park. Winding her way through the various spectators, Sacramento native Rose Brun passes out flowers. “I’ve been doing this since 1974,” she says, doling out a cala lily, “When I was younger, friends lost their jobs by being gay, but every year it gets better. Stuff like this brings us together. We need to break down barriers. ” Breaking down barriers—a lot of balloons, music, dancing and good vibrations—seemed to be one of the parade’s objectives as it made its way from L Street through the downtown district to Sacrament

Here are some moments captured during Pride Festival. To see photos of the parade, please visit:  http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/9675/Scenes_from_Sac_Pride_parade Photos | Kati Garner  

Here are some shots from today's Pride parade. Please watch for another titled Scenes from Sac Pride Festival. Photos | Kati Garner