Their opening game Saturday night at Hornet Stadium was a night of record-making, but that did not help the Mountain Lions as they suffered a loss at the hand of the Las Vegas Locomotives 23-17. The night was warm and the game was a sell-out as over 20,000 fans watched the game, making it the biggest United Football League (UFL) attendance at an opening game and beating last year by over 10,000. Yet despite the overwhelming attendance and inspirational rendition of the National Anthem by Pauletta Pearson Washington (Mrs. Denzel Washington), the game was ominous from the get-go for the Sacramento Mountain Lions when the Locos won the coin toss. After that it was a constant battle. Mounta

The California State Fair at Cal Expo runs until July 31, and if this past weekend is any indication of its popularity, the fair will be well attended. There is so much to see and do that you either have to start early and spend the whole day or make more than one trip to the annual fair. The State Fair offers a season pass that includes unlimited admission to the fair and the Raging Waters park. Summer concerts, special events, featured attractions, activities just for kids, competitions, agricultural exhibits, food, wine, beer, shopping, rides, slides and “big fun” are many of the activities visitors can experience. For over a century and a half, the California State Fair has brough

Just to maintain a little perspective - while our "summer" weather thus far has been a little abnormal and certainly not conducive to our usual late Spring ballyhoo , we really can't complain that much, can we? That said, the unseasonably late rains of 2011 have claimed another victim, and it is tonight's Friday Night Concert in the Park at Cesar Chavez Plaza, which has been cancelled due to inclimate weather, according to a news release from Downtown Sacramento Partnership. Fear not, revelers! Tonight's bill, which was to feature venerable local festival act Mick Martin & the Blues Rockers, Tess & the Hip Trash and Kyle Rowland, has been rescheduled for Friday, August 19. That just mean

 Looking for an explosive way to spend your Fourth of July? Well, look no further. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best Fourth of July events in the Sacramento area. Sacramento Cal Expo will once again host an Independence Day Celebration sponsored by Coca-Cola and Miller Lite at the Miller Lite Grandstand near the East Gate entrance. The festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a performance from Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers. State Fair mascot Poppy will also be there to entertain the crowds. Cal Expo’s media partner, radio station 107.9 The End, will provide music to the spectacular fireworks show, starting at 9:30 p.m. Parking for the event is $10, and general admission to

(Click on image above to see a larger view) Warmer weather welcomed the thousands of guests at the 37th annual Sacramento Jazz Festival and Jubliee this weekend. Sponsored by the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society, the Festival brings together a variety of musical styles, including traditional jazz, Zydeco, blues, Latin jazz and swing music. Over 2,200 volunteers work together to support the Festival. Photos by Ron Nabity

Snapshots from Saturday and Sunday at the 37th Annual Sacramento Jazz Festival & Jubilee   Sam Rocha, string bass and tuba,  Blue Street Jazz Band  accompanies the group as they played gospel music Sunday morning.   Sacramento's MICK MARTIN and THE BLUES ROCKERS Mick Martin, vocals and harmonica Jimmy Pailer, guitar Kyle Roland (above and below)  Drummer Bruce Pressley tunes his drums as a fan blows cool air. Kyle Roland was discovered by Mick Martin at the Jubilee four years ago at the ripe old age of ten as he was playing along on his harp during one of Mick's shows. Mick heard him and had him come up on stage to play along and was taken aback not just at his ability to p

Emilio Castillo had no idea his band would last 40 years. "I idolized The Spyders, a local [Oakland] soul band. They got hired to go to Sacramento and play a topless bar for a week. We were like, 'Wow, man, they're going on the road. If we could only get to Sacramento and play a topless bar, we would have made it.' " "My vision was [only] that far," added Tower of Power's co-founder and leader. "I had no idea what I could do. I just knew I loved it, and I would do it until I dropped. I far surpassed my wildest dreams." Saturday night, audiences can get a taste of the Oakland-based 10-piece band when it headlines the 17th annual Bump City Dance Party at the Radisson. Sammie-award-winning