Life and death, side by side in an endless cycle. This juxtaposition was evident at Sunday’s tour of the Historic City Cemetery where native plants live and thrive amid decaying tombstones of the long dead. In the first “Blooms among the Tombs” walk, landscape architect and gardener Cassandra Nguyen Musto led visitors through the California Native Plant Society demonstration garden. Her talk highlighted the society’s restoration work bringing native plants and beauty to graveyard plots. Not only was it a story of bringing new plant life to the cemetery, but it was also the story of the birth-death-rebirth cycle of the cemetery itself. The original city cemetery was located at Alhambra B

I had a picnic at Folsom Lake on Sunday. Who would believe we’re still having sunny days to enjoy our beautiful lake. We walked in at the levee entrance at Sophia Parkway and GreenValley Road in El Dorado Hills and found we weren’t the only ones with the same idea. Boaters, families, individuals with dogs, Whipperwils, Seagulls, Geese and a lone Loon populated the lake. Hikers, Cyclists, Equestrians, and nature enthusiasts alike enjoy the many trails. One of the popular trails leads to Brown’s Ravine in Folsom Lake State Recreation Area that is home to the Folsom Lake Yacht Club and Folsom lake Marina, also located on Green Valley Road in El Dorado Hills. Although only the brave would g

Before gold was discovered in 1848, John Sutter had initially envisioned an agricultural empire and had amassed 10,000 cows, 5,000 sheep, more than 2,500 horse and mules and produced an amazing 50,000 bushel wheat harvest.  Then, just when he was ready to reap the rewards of his hard work, the Gold Rush derailed his plans -- his land was overrun by gold seekers, his crops were trampled or neglected and his livestock stolen or chased away.  Sutter’s diligence eventually prevailed and his dreams of an agricultural bounty were realized.  During the next interactive “Hands on History” event on Saturday, September 17, visitors to Sutter’s Fort will participate in corn shucking contests, thresh

During Gold Rush Days 2011 happening  over Labor Day Weekend, the daytime hours in Old Sacramento are filled with an amazing array of crowd-pleasing and period-appropriate activities -- but the fun doesn’t stop there!   With nearly 50 restaurants/eateries and 75 retail shops, there are plenty of reasons to eat, stay and play in Old Sacramento throughout the day and during the evening hours, too. Listed below is a sampling of a few special Gold Rush Days-related evening activities happening during the holiday weekend, including: Gold Rush Days Preview Reception: Friday, September 2, 5-7:30 p.m. In an effort to kick-off the festivities in 1850s-style, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation

From friendly greeters to crafty artisans and everything in between, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation is now accepting applications for more than 200 volunteer positions during Gold Rush Days 2011 and the deadline to apply is Monday, August 1.   Widely known as Old Sacramento’s annual heritage celebration, Gold Rush Days volunteers are needed over Labor Day weekend (September 3-5) and for a preview “education day” on Friday, September 2, that is set-up primarily for area school children. Gold Rush Days 2011 is free to the public and produced by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Sacramento and California State Parks. Gi

Guests get a feel for life in the Gold Rush era in the new addition to the Old Sacramento underground tour. The basement space beneath the Hall Luhrs & Co. grocery store is small, the lighting over 19th-century artifacts dim. Guests will forget the modern plumbing of the building above and get a glimpse of historical life. The tour, which began Thursday, has guests start at the Sacramento History Museum and go straight to the Hall Luhrs & Co. building, where they learn about the unique part it played in the street-raising project. Guests then finish the tour at the underground space beneath the B.F. Hastings building, located at 128-132 J St., that originally made up the tour. “Sacrament

Free to the public and a favorite Sacramento heritage celebration, Gold Rush Days 2011 promises to be bigger and better than ever before with all the popular period-appropriate attractions plus FREE ADMISSION to all Old Sacramento museums!  Produced by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Sacramento and California State Parks, Gold Rush Days 2011 is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend -- September 3 through 5 -- and will take place throughout the 27-acre historic district in Old Sacramento.   On Friday, September 2, some Gold Rush Days activities will be set-up for a preview “education day” -- primarily for school children -- but mu

Wednesday evening, the Department of Parks and Recreation presented plans to expand Old Sacramento’s excursion train and further explore the underground ruins to provide visitors a more exciting learning experience of the Gold Rush, commerce and river transportation. The preliminary general plan for Old Sacramento State Historic Park would span 20 years. The project is currently set to develop the Front Street area between J and I streets. Capital District Superintendent of Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks Catherine Taylor explained that the project will educate visitors on the Gold Rush era. The underground ruins will feature active archaeological digs and exhibits and

Twenty-eight handmade Gold Rush era miniature building replicas by local artist Tony Quattrociocchi, will be on display from Monday through Sept. 30 at the Sacramento International Airport’s Terminal B. “Each piece was individually made, every brick, every shingle, and I found that really intriguing,” said Lorrie Kempf, Art in Public Places program assistant and gallery curator. Quattrociocchi, 87, is no stranger to the Sacramento area. His miniature replicas have been featured in The Sacramento Bee, displayed at four libraries, Sunrise Mall and the State Fair, according to Quattrociocchi’s niece, Nancy Garrett. “He used to take them to schools, and the kids really, really loved it,” Ga

About 250 formally and historically dressed guests gathered at the L Street Dock on Front Street in support of the preservation and exploration of Sacramento’s historical legacy Friday evening. Under the guidance of the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, party-goers traveled through the 1850s, 1960s and back to the present on the Empress Hornblower along the Sacramento River for the hour-long cruise Casino Royale on the River: Where Old Sacramento Meets Monte Carlo. This was the second year HOSF had hosted the event to raise funds for its educational and interpretive programs, including the historical exhibitions in the Sacramento History Museum on I Street. Last year the event was held

Runners, walkers and outdoor enthusiasts will take to the trails on Saturday, October 8, 2011 when local nonprofit InAlliance hosts the 3rd Annual Gold Rush Fun Run & Walk fundraiser on the El Dorado Trail beginning in Placerville. Participants will weave their way through the Sierra Nevada Foothills in 10 mile, 10K, 5K and 1 mile races along what used to be the Michigan California Lumber Company railway corridor. Following the races, guests will enjoy a Finish Line Celebration featuring refreshments, music, vendors, raffle prizes and awards ceremony. The races will all be chip timed by Synergy Race Timing and all race winners will receive custom medals. The event is an annual benefit for

More than $100 million in rare coins and banknotes will be joining the biggest gold nugget still in existence  ever discovered in California next week as the National Money Show comes to Sacramento. “You’ll never see this much money in one place at any other time,” said Jay Beeton, marketing and education director of the American Numismatic Association, organizers of the National Money Show. Numismatists collect coins, banknotes and precious metals. “You don’t have to be a coin collector to enjoy the show,” he added. “If you have an appreciation of history and you want to spend a day doing something different, this is an opportunity to make this a family day.” In addition to the nearly

In a History of the Sacramento Medical Center, dated April, 1976, it is stated that, "On October 6, 1849 1949 , Drs. W. Deal and J. S. Martin opened Sutter’s Fort Hospital - within the fort."  We know that General Sutter had sold the fort to William Bayly in late 1849 1949 and moved to his Hock farm. Another recent article on Sutter’s Fort says that the hospital was in operation during 1849-1850 in the southeast bastion of the fort. The wording “within the fort” must be to distinguish this from a small, separate adobe building used by Sutter as a hospital. In December, 1849, the Sacramento Union newspaper carried the following ad: Sutter’s Fort Hospital Inside the Fort, formerly conduct

Old Sacramento’s streets are once again dirt, and about 150 volunteers are dressed in their best 1850s fashion as the area reverts back to its rich history for Labor Day weekend. Visitors can rumble down the streets in a horse-drawn carriage, refresh themselves at the Stinking Tent Saloon, pan for gold and then gamble away their findings at one of the more lecherous tents in the frontier tent city that sprung up overnight in front of the Sacramento History Museum on First and I streets. “I think it’s really important for people now to know about the history that was happening right here in that time period,” said Janessa West, public programs coordinator for the Historic Old Sacramento F

The Urban Design Alliance's Design Dialogue made two things clear Wednesday night: A consensus is growing, at least among planners, that the time has come to turn the waterfront into a regional destination, but that won't be a quick, easy task for either side of the Sacramento River. Attitudes toward the riverfront have begun to change. It's only been in the last 10 to 15 years that the community has begun to see the waterfront as a desirable place to be, said Rachel Hazelwood, a senior planner with the city of Sacramento. But a fairly negative image of the rivers still presents one of the biggest challenges to change. While the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers is one of

On the corner of J and 2nd Streets, a man with a sheriff's star and gun holster slung around his waist cupped his hands and loudly announced, "Citizens of Sacramento! The mayor of Sacramento has an announcement!" If you were expecting Kevin Johnson to address the growing crowd of bystanders, you were sure to be disappointed. Saturday's Gold Rush Days hosted plenty of important Sacramentans, circa 1850. The free four-day event took over Old Sacramento with 200 tons of dirt and about 200 reenactors in 1850s-style garb. Attendees milled around the Embarcadero Tent City, a field of canvas tents that featured 1850 institutions such as a blacksmith, lace-maker, tinsmith, dentist, Mormon batta

Sacramento gamblers tired of driving to Las Vegas to get their gaming fix can breathe a sigh of relief. The Sacramento History Museum is bringing the games to Old Sac with the first-ever Gold Rush Gambling Day. Although the dealers may be playing Three Card Monte instead of Texas Hold 'Em and the sinning might give way to educational outreach, it still promises to be a fun day. The event, which will be held on Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Sacramento History Museum (101 I St.), is one of the weekend events that the museum holds every second and fourth Saturday. It is expected to last about one hour. The day will begin with a lecture about Gold Rush-era gambling games and life in the typical s

Sacramento's Italian community is known to produce gourmet food, but there's much more to the community than Biba, Sofia's and Hot Italian. With this weekend's Festa Italian opening Saturday and running through Sunday at The Croatian Culture Center, we take a look back at the role Italian immigrants and their descendants played in Sacramento's history. Italian Americans have a long history in the Sacramento area. Agriculture and food processing are just some of the many successes of Italian Americans who settled in the area in the early 1850s, but their successes are hardly limited to that. Early Italian Americans Many of the earliest Gold Rush settlers who migrated in the "Mother Lode

  Gold Rush Ghosts Saga: A Haunting in Arnold By Paul Dale Roberts, General Manager/Ghostwriter Date: October 17, 2008, Friday. Briefing at Paul's Home conducted at 1900 hours. Arrival Time at Arnold Residence: 2200 hours. Time investigation Seance Ended: 0400 hours. Debriefing for the Occupants/Investigators at 0415 hours. Conducted by Lead: Paul Dale Roberts. Arrival time back to Elk Grove: 0530 hours. Nancy Bradley - Celebrity Psychic of Ghost Girls www.ghostgirls.net and Robert Reppert of Gold Rush Ghosts www.goldrushghosts.com receive a phone call from Amy Lynn and Vincent Scotto. A frantic Amy explains to Nancy that her home is haunted. Nancy explains to me what the situation is a