Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "museums"

Sacramento's Patrick Mulvaney to Serve as Celebrity Chef at California Nut Festival in Chico - 4/21

2012-02-08T18:23:45Z

Get your taste buds ready! With a focus on locally grown foods from the North Valley, the third annual California Nut Festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 21, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each year, this popular culinary event showcases plentiful gourmet food offerings, wine and beer sampling, nut-inspired cooking demonstrations, live musical entertainment on two outdoor stages, an inspiring art show featuring talented local artists and much, much more. Tickets go on sale March 1 for the 2012 California Nut Festival that takes place outdoors on the historic grounds of the Patrick Ranch Museum in Chico, California.

Locally grown nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pecans and pistachios take center stage during crowd-pleasing cooking demonstrations happening throughout the day. To showcase the locally grown edible treasures, the organizers of the California Nut Festival are proud to host two celebrity chefs at the festival this year -- nationally recognized chef and “healthy eating” cookbook author Holly Clegg from Louisiana and highly acclaimed chef Patrick Mulvaney whose Sacramento restaurant Mulvaney’s B&L was recently highlighted in the Zagat Survey annual guidebook as one of the country's top places to eat.

The goal of the vibrant, entertaining and fun annual festival is to celebrate the culinary delights grown and produced in California while paying tribute to the region’s strong farming heritage and providing festival guests with an opportunity to connect with local farmers and growers.

“With exciting new offerings and returning favorites, we look forward to dazzling, delighting and impressing both the local community and guests from near and far during the festival this year,” explains Kathy Chance, lead organizer of the 2012 California Nut Festival. “In addition, we take great pride in supporting the Patrick Ranch Museum, which is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the rich agricultural history of the area.”

Located in Sacramento’s North Valley 90 miles north of Sacramento, Chico boasts a rich agricultural history. To make the festival a weekend getaway, guests can fly directly into Chico via a short 45-minute flight from San Francisco. Sacramento International Airport is the closest major airport and offers shuttle services and rental car options. Visit the Chico Chamber of Commerce at www.ChicoChamber.com (click on Visitor Information/Places to Stay) for numerous local hotel and bed and breakfast accommodations.

A dedicated committee of local volunteers -- that include many farmers and local business people -- coordinate the vibrant one-day festival, which benefits the Patrick Ranch Museum, a newly restored mansion and working farm managed by the Far West Heritage Association.

The California Nut Festival is presented by the Butte County Farm Bureau, Tri Counties Bank and the Farmer’s Circle, and is sponsored by Enloe Medical Center, PG&E and various other farmers and local businesses.

For more information about the California Nut Festival, visit the official website at www.CaliforniaNutFestival.com or call 530-519-1882.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout Northern California including the California Nut Festival.

Experience Sacramento Museum Day this Saturday

2012-02-02T00:17:59Z

Want to check out some of Sacramento’s wonderful museums but have not yet had the time or budget to do so? Mark your calendars for this Saturday and head out to the 14th Annual Sacramento Museum Day.

A record 28 museums are participating this year, including newcomers the Center for Contemporary Art and the Sacramento Children’s Museum. 26 participating museums are offering free admission all day (10am-5pm; last admission at 4pm), and the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town are offering half-price admission in order to offset parking control and security costs.

Sacramento has a wide variety of Museums featuring everything from art, science, and history to children’s exhibits, wildlife, and more.

If you’re having a difficult time narrowing down the options, take these suggestions into consideration:

In order to have sufficient time at each spot, it is recommended to visit no more than two or three Museums for the day
Many of the Museums are within walking distance of one another so, if you plan accordingly, you can park only once and still make your way to two or three spots. Check out the map.
If you will be taking your car, be sure to read over the Parking Suggestions to make sure your day goes smoothly and you avoid any tickets or fines.
If you don’t want to drive, but don’t live within walking distance, consider taking Regional Transit! A great way to avoid the hassle of parking on a crowded day.
Keep in mind that Sacramento Museum Day is a very popular event and that, due to safety reasons, some museums need to limit the number of admissions.
Consider attending Museums that are less well known to avoid crowds at some of the more popular spots (such as the Sacramento Zoo, Railroad Museum, and Fairytale Town) and to check out something you may not otherwise have gone to see!

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Find more detail on this event along with many more at Sacramento365.com, the year-round source for Sacramento events.

Disclosure: Rachael Lankford is the Managing Calendar Editor for Sacramento365.com, the year-round source for Sacramento events.

Railroad Museum Celebrates Black History Month By Exploring the Role of Railroads in African American History on February 18

2012-01-30T19:04:28Z

In celebration of Black History Month, the California State Railroad Museum is proud to present two special guest presentations and book signing opportunities with Professor Theodore Kornweibel, Jr., author of Railroads in the African American Experience: A Photographic Journey. After 30 years of research and work in the field of black history, Kornweibel will share his thoughts and findings during two special illustrated presentations on Saturday, February 18, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., each to be followed by book signing opportunities.

His photographic book is a captivating, illustrated tour of the black railroad experience from slavery to Amtrak. It includes nearly 200 compelling images, many of which have never before been published. In the book, Kornweibel examines how the history of American railroads is deeply intertwined with African American history. This industry, America’s first “big business,” provided industrial jobs for blacks who were instrumental in the daily operation and success of America’s railroads.

While there is no cost to attend these special presentations, regular Museum admission fees apply. The book Railroads in the African American Experience: A Photographic Journey is also available for purchase in the Museum Store.

In addition, Kornweibel has generously donated his research notes from his book to the Museum which can now be accessed through the Museum Library. For more information about this special presentation, accessing information from the Museum Library or about other activities, events and exhibits on display at the Museum, visit www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org or call (916) 445-6645.

Special Note: In cooperation with the Museum, there will be an additional opportunity to meet Kornweibel at Underground Books, 2814 35th Street in Sacramento, on Friday evening, February 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. At this venue, guests can talk with Kornweibel informally, purchase his book and have it signed by the author.

About the California State Railroad Museum
Operated by California State Parks with financial assistance from the non-profit California State Railroad Museum Foundation, the California State Railroad Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Widely regarded as North America’s finest and most popular railroad museum, the complex of facilities includes the 100,000-square foot Railroad History Museum plus the reconstructed Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station and Freight Depot, 1849 Eagle Theatre, and Big Four and Dingley Spice Mill commercial buildings in Old Sacramento. For 24-hour information, visit www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org or call (916) 445-6645.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the California State Railroad Museum.

Don't Miss "Sacramento Museum Day" on February 4!

2012-01-23T18:57:59Z

After a record-breaking attendance of more than 115,000 visitors last year, 28 Sacramento area museums will offer free or half-priced admission all day on Saturday, February 4, 2012, during the 14th Annual Sacramento Museum Day. New this year, 26 of the 28 museums will offer free admission whereas two destinations located in residential areas -- the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town -- will offer half-priced admission to offset parking control and security costs. This hugely popular community event is presented by the Sacramento Association of Museums (SAM) and proudly supported by Umpqua Bank. Sacramento Museum event hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with the last guests admitted at 4 p.m.).

Sacramento Museum Day, a popular Sacramento cultural tradition, is designed to encourage all members of the community to experience the Capital City’s incredible wealth of art, history, science and wildlife -- at little or no cost.

And while shuttle busses will not be operating this year, several museums are within walking distance of each other and easily accessible via public transportation. Guests are encouraged to download a Sacramento Museum Day guide and map available online or at any participating Museum. Event coordinators also suggest that guests plan to visit no more than two or three different museums on this day in order to allow adequate time to enjoy the experience and to travel between individual sites.

As an added treat on Sacramento Museum Day, free ice cream will be provided by Umpqua Bank volunteers (while supplies last) at three locations as follows: 10 a.m. at Fairytale Town, noon at the California State Railroad Museum and 2 p.m. at the Aerospace Museum of California.

“After our record-breaking attendance last year, the momentum continues as more and more community members are discovering the amazing array of arts, culture and museum offerings available in the Sacramento region,” said Sacramento Association of Museums Chair Roxanne Yonn. “Due to the overwhelming popularity of Sacramento Museum Day, we’ve made some changes this year that we hope will encourage visitors to explore a museum they haven’t been before to gain a new perspective and appreciation for what our diverse and rich community has to offer.”

While admission is free at 26 of the participating museums during Sacramento Museum Day, admission to two destinations located in residential areas are half-priced as follows: Sacramento Zoo is $5.50 for adults, $3.50 for children ages 2-11 and free for children under two; Fairytale Town is $2.25 for everyone and free for children under two years of age.

Due to the popularity of Sacramento Museum Day, some locations must limit the number of admissions for safety reasons. More detailed information about participating museums, limitations, suggested parking and public transit options is available at www.sacmuseums.org (click on “Events”), or by calling the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau at (916) 808-7777.

Sacramento Museum Day 2012 is proudly supported by active and engaged community partners. In addition to title sponsor Umpqua Bank, other sponsors include FOX40, KSEG 96.9 FM, Outword Magazine, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, Sacramento Regional Transit and STAR 106.5 FM.

Participating Museums for Sacramento Museum Day 2012:
Aerospace Museum of California – California Automobile Museum - California Foundry History Museum – California State Military Museum – California State Capitol Museum – The California Museum – California State Indian Museum – California State Railroad Museum – Center for Contemporary Art – Crocker Art Museum – Discovery Museum Science and Space Center – Don & June Salvatori California Pharmacy Museum – Fairytale Town – Folsom History Museum – Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park – Heidrick Ag History Center (Woodland) – Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park – Museum of Medical History – Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum – Old Sacramento State Historic Park – Sacramento Children’s Museum – Sacramento Zoo – Sacramento Historic City Cemetery – Sacramento History Museum – Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum – Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park – Wells Fargo History Museum (Capitol Mall) – Wells Fargo History Museum (Old Sacramento)

About the Sacramento Association of Museums (SAM)
Comprised of 28 greater Sacramento area museums working in partnership with the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, SAM’s mission is to raise awareness of local museums by giving the community the opportunity to discover California’s fine art, history, science and wildlife treasures. SAM achieves its mission through implementing cooperative promotions and developing strategic marketing alliances, by encouraging sharing of knowledge and resources among its partner institutions, and by conducting Sacramento Museum Day each year.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Sacramento Association of Museums (SAM).

It's “Singles Night at the Sacramento History Museum!” - February 9!

2012-01-19T17:49:01Z

No Valentine this year? No worries!

Sacramento area singles looking for a fun new way to meet interesting people won’t want to miss the one-night-only “Singles Night at the Sacramento History Museum” in Old Sacramento on Thursday evening, February 9.

The special festivities include tasty appetizers and wine sampling at the Sacramento History Museum starting at 5 p.m., an evening Old Sacramento Underground tour at 5:30 p.m. led by the crowd-favorite Miss Odessa, followed by a fun and friendly museum scavenger hunt. Then, for those who have worked up an appetite, the popular Rio City Café is offering a 15 percent discount on dinner for everyone with a valid “Singles Night at the Sacramento History Museum” event ticket.

Due to the limited availability, advance tickets are highly recommended and can be purchased online at www.HistoricOldSac.org or by calling 916-808-7059. The check-in for the special “Singles Night at the Sacramento History Museum” is at the Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Note that all Old Sacramento Underground tour visitors need to be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces in areas that have low ceilings and in occasional small spaces.

The “Singles Night at the Sacramento History Museum” is presented by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF).

About the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation
The Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) is a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation. Old Sacramento is a living historic district. The mission of HOSF is to convey the importance of historic Sacramento as a place that connects our past to our present and future through engaging and entertaining events, activities and programs. More information is available at www.historicoldsac.org.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Call Out for Railroad Museum Volunteers!

2012-01-16T17:29:36Z

Fascinated by railroading history? Interested in working on a train? Enjoy working with visitors, children and school groups? The California State Railroad Museum and Old Sacramento State Historic Park (SHP) are now recruiting adults (18 or older) who are interested in volunteering in early 2012 to help communicate the West’s fascinating heritage of railroading and the California Gold Rush. The volunteer orientation will begin on Saturday, February 25, but interested volunteers must apply and be interviewed in advance. Volunteer applications are being accepted now through Monday, February 6. Community members are encouraged to get involved in this worthwhile program that offers an opportunity to support the local community while learning more about California’s rich history, meeting new people and developing friendships with those who share similar interests.

Anyone who has ever visited the California State Railroad Museum and Old Sacramento SHP has undoubtedly crossed paths with a docent. Dressed in railroad garb or other period attire, these trained volunteers answer questions and discuss history with guests. There are many other volunteers, too. Each year, approximately 600 men and women volunteer for the California State Railroad Museum’s programs -- including weekend steam train operations, track construction, restoration and maintenance, even clerical work. Since the Museum’s 1976 inception, volunteers have contributed more than two million hours of service.

As part of their training, candidates are encouraged to consider participating in one or more Museum programs. For example, volunteers may choose to serve as docents and Museum tour guides; participate in hands-on, interactive educational programs for school groups; or become involved with train operations on the Sacramento Southern Railroad. Volunteer training represents a serious commitment of 84 volunteer hours annually, but the hours are flexible and the rewards can be tremendous.

A background in history is not required. In fact, most of the volunteers began with little knowledge of railroads or the Gold Rush. As they become more familiar with the Museum’s varied and frequent programs, many volunteers take on additional responsibilities, such as conducting research or giving talks to community organizations about the Museum. Perks for active volunteers include free parking while on duty, invitation to an annual Volunteer Recognition Banquet, complimentary Museum membership and the chance to meet new and interesting people.

Interested volunteers are encouraged can download a volunteer application at www.parks.ca.gov/CapitalDistrict or contact the Museum’s Volunteer Training Coordinator at (916) 324-7593.

About the California State Railroad Museum
Operated by California State Parks with financial assistance from the non-profit California State Railroad Museum Foundation, the California State Railroad Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Widely regarded as North America’s finest and most popular railroad museum, the complex of facilities includes the 100,000-square foot Railroad History Museum plus the reconstructed Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station and Freight Depot, 1849 Eagle Theatre, and Big Four and Dingley Spice Mill commercial buildings in Old Sacramento. For 24-hour information, visit www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org or call (916) 445-6645.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District Museums and Historic Parks.

Sutter's Fort Presents "Hands on History: Trappers, Trades & Treaties" on 1/21!

2012-01-09T22:10:10Z

Launching an exciting new season of interactive and fun “Hands on History” activities, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park presents a special “Hands on History: Trappers, Trades, and Treaties” event on Saturday, January 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visitors to the Fort will step back in time to the 1840s to learn why trappers were considered “jacks of many trades” and experience how they lived, worked, explored new territory and traded with local Native Americans. Docents will treat Fort visitors to musket demonstrations and share examples of many fascinating aspects in the life of a trapper. Fort visitors will have the hands-on opportunity to examine fur pelts, create documents with a quill pen and oak gall ink, and even string trade beads to take home.

For more information about this “Hands on History” event, or other events and activities at Sutter’s Fort, call 916-445-4422 or visit www.suttersfort.org

About Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park
Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park is operated by California State Parks with financial assistance from the nonprofit Friends of Sutter’s Fort. As of January 1, 2012, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Located in midtown Sacramento on L Street between 26th and 28th Streets, the Fort offers monthly “Hands on History” activities and special events throughout the year. Established in 1839 by Swiss immigrant John Augustus Sutter, Sutter’s Fort was at the center of a flourishing agricultural empire named New Helvetia (New Switzerland.) This empire established Sacramento’s earliest settlement and the first European settlement in California’s Central Valley. For more information, call (916) 445-4422 or visit www.suttersfort.org

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District Museums and Historic Parks.

Mark Your Calendar - “Sacramento Museum Day” Returns February 4!

2012-01-05T22:50:56Z

After a record-breaking attendance of more than 115,000 visitors last year, 28 Sacramento area museums will offer free or half-priced admission all day on Saturday, February 4, 2012, during the 14th Annual Sacramento Museum Day. New this year, 26 of the 28 museums will offer free admission whereas two destinations located in residential areas -- the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town -- will offer half-priced admission to offset parking control and security costs. This hugely popular community event is presented by the Sacramento Association of Museums (SAM) and proudly supported by Umpqua Bank. Sacramento Museum event hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with the last guests admitted at 4 p.m.).

Sacramento Museum Day, a popular Sacramento cultural tradition, is designed to encourage all members of the community to experience the Capital City’s incredible wealth of art, history, science and wildlife -- at little or no cost.

“After our record-breaking attendance last year, the momentum continues as more and more community members are discovering the amazing array of arts, culture and museum offerings available in the Sacramento region,” said Sacramento Association of Museums Chair Roxanne Yonn. “Due to the overwhelming popularity of Sacramento Museum Day, we’ve made some changes this year that we hope will encourage visitors to explore a museum they haven’t been before to gain a new perspective and appreciation for what our diverse and rich community has to offer.”

Event coordinators suggest that guests plan to visit no more than two or three different museums on this day in order to allow adequate time to enjoy the experience and to travel between individual sites. And, since some museums must limit the number of admissions for safety reasons, guests are asked to check out detailed Sacramento Museum Day information online at www.sacmuseums.org prior to the event.

More detailed information about participating museums, suggested parking and public transit options is available at www.sacmuseums.org (click on “Events”), or by calling the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau at (916) 808-7777.

Sacramento Museum Day 2012 is proudly supported by active and engaged community partners. In addition to title sponsor Umpqua Bank, other sponsors include FOX40, KSEG 96.9 FM, Outword Magazine, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, Sacramento Regional Transit and STAR 106.5 FM.

Participating Museums for Sacramento Museum Day 2012:
Aerospace Museum of California – California Automobile Museum - California Foundry History Museum – California State Military Museum – California State Capitol Museum – The California Museum – California State Indian Museum – California State Railroad Museum – Center for Contemporary Art – Crocker Art Museum – Discovery Museum Science and Space Center – Don & June Salvatori California Pharmacy Museum – Fairytale Town – Folsom History Museum – Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park – Heidrick Ag History Center (Woodland) – Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park – Museum of Medical History – Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum – Old Sacramento State Historic Park – Sacramento Children’s Museum – Sacramento Zoo – Sacramento Historic City Cemetery – Sacramento History Museum – Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum – Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park – Wells Fargo History Museum (Capitol Mall) – Wells Fargo History Museum (Old Sacramento)

About the Sacramento Association of Museums (SAM):
Comprised of 28 greater Sacramento area museums working in partnership with the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, SAM’s mission is to raise awareness of local museums by giving the community the opportunity to discover California’s fine art, history, science and wildlife treasures. SAM achieves its mission through implementing cooperative promotions and developing strategic marketing alliances, by encouraging sharing of knowledge and resources among its partner institutions, and by conducting Sacramento Museum Day each year.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Sacramento Association of Museums.

Sacramento Area Museums Offer Lots of Ways to Celebrate in January!

2011-12-26T21:14:55Z

In addition to its fascinating Gold Rush past, the Sacramento area is rich with an amazing array of state-of-the-art museums and historic sites that offer visitors the chance to explore California’s fine art, history, science, and wildlife treasures all year long. With 28 active partners, the Sacramento Association of Museums (SAM) is proud to showcase a variety of uplifting special events, activities and exhibits in January, including:

“California Hall of Fame” Exhibit at The California Museum -- through October 31, 2012
Honoring individuals from the Golden State who have made their own mark on history and the world, the new exhibit features the personal artifacts of the 2011 California Hall of Fame inductees, including items such as Buzz Aldrin's Apollo 11 spacesuit, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn's Nobel prize, Carlos Santana's guitar, Amy Tan's handwritten journal and much, much more!

“MLK Day: Lift Every Voice” at the Crocker Art Museum - January 16
Visitors to the Crocker Art Museum will enjoy free Museum admission as well as performances by regional choirs and a screening of the PBS documentary “Not in Our Town: Light in the Darkness.” A post-screening panel discussion will explore the issues raised by the film and the connections to the ideals of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.

Chinese New Year Special Display at the Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum - January 23
Nestled in the Capital City's historic Old Sacramento district, the Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum will celebrate the Chinese New Year with a special display that includes souvenirs honoring the “Year of the Dragon.”

“Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America” Exhibit at The California Museum - opens January 24 through June 3, 2012
As the last stop of the national touring exhibition, "Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America" reveals the often overlooked history of a group of independent American women who helped shape both the state and the nation's cultural landscape over the last 300 years. For The California Museum’s showing, additional artifacts highlighting California sisters has been added.

For more information about SAM, its partners and/or these and other events and activities, visit www.sacmuseums.org

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Sacramento Association of Museums.

Sutter's Fort Presents "Hands on History: A Simple Emigrant Christmas" 12/10!

2011-12-05T18:17:05Z

Step back in time to holidays past with festive, hands-on activities such as stringing popcorn and cranberries, candle dipping and crafting paper cut-out ornaments when Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park presents “Hands on History: A Simple Emigrant Christmas” on Saturday, December 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friends and families are encouraged to visit the Fort to enjoy docents in period attire as they interpret and demonstrate a variety of early holiday traditions and cultural activities similar to what early emigrants did in the 1840s. For instance, docents will help demonstrate and share holiday traditions from Germany, Scandinavia, Mexican California, England, and Russia. In fact, Sutter’s Fort was one of California’s early gathering places where people from around the world passed through the gates and shared differing holiday traditions, many of which are still celebrated today. Don’t miss the special “A Simple Emigrant Christmas” for one day only this December. For more information please call 916-445-4422 or visit www.parks.ca.gov/suttersfort

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Governor's Mansion Presents "Christmas Memories" 12/3 & 10!

2011-12-02T22:02:15Z

Get ready to experience lavishly re-created period décor, an impressive array of live holiday music and captivating storytellers during two upcoming special “Christmas Memories” events at the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park on Saturday, December 3 & 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Surrounded by docents in period costume, Mansion visitors will be transported back in time to the very place where thirteen of California’s early governors and their families lived, spent Christmas seasons and shared holiday traditions. In fact, then-Governor Edmund G. Brown and his family were the last first-family to celebrate Christmas in the stately mansion. And, to add to the festive activities, Mr. and Mrs. Claus will make special visits to the Mansion to meet excited little ones and be available for holiday photographs. For more information, call (916) 323-5916 www.parks.ca.gov/governorsmansion

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Sacramento Association of Museums Members Offer Lots to Do in December!

2011-12-01T11:05:41Z

In addition to its fascinating Gold Rush past, the Sacramento area is rich with an amazing array of state-of-the-art museums and historic sites that offer visitors the chance to explore California’s fine art, history, science, and wildlife treasures during the holidays and all year long. With 28 active partners, the Sacramento Association of Museums (SAM) is proud to showcase a diverse sampling of holiday-related events and activities happening in December, including:

Gingerbread Holiday at the Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum - December 2-21
For 20 years and counting, the Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum is gearing up for their festive and fun gingerbread house decorating contest! Kids and adults interested in participating are encouraged to bring their decorated masterpieces to the Museum on December 2 or 3 for judging. Winners will be announced on December 10 and the houses will be on display through December 21. Afterward, many of the gingerbread houses will be donated to children’s homes and hospitals.

Christmas Memories at the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park - December 3 & 10
For two Saturdays in December, visitors to the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park will delight in lavishly re-created period décor, an impressive array of live holiday music and captivating storytellers during special “Christmas Memories” events. Surrounded by docents in period costume, Mansion visitors will be transported back in time to the very place where thirteen of California’s early governors and their families lived, spent Christmas seasons and shared holiday traditions.

PJ Party Christmas Eve at the Sacramento Zoo - December 24
The Sacramento Zoo invites local residents to get in the spirit of the holiday while wearing their favorite pajamas! On Christmas Eve, admission is free and visitors are invited to join the annual PJ Party in their best pajamas while watching how the amazing animals, birds and reptiles celebrate the holiday. Visitors are encouraged to get there early as the Sacramento Zoo opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 1:30 p.m. that day.

Kwanzaa Celebration at the Sojourner Truth Multicultural Museum - December 31
Visitors to the Sojourner Truth Multicultural Art Museum will enjoy special Kwanzaa Celebration activities on December 31 from 4 to 7 p.m. to honor universal African American heritage and culture. Embracing creativity and supporting the exchange of of cultural ideas, the Museum is dedicated to presenting artistic displays from every corner of our globe.

For more information about SAM, its partners and/or these and other events and activities, visit www.sacmuseums.org

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Sacramento Association of Museums.

Free Holiday Music Presented by the California State Capitol Museum Begins 12/1

2011-11-28T18:56:41Z

Get ready for some holiday fun on your next visit to the California State Capitol Museum! To set a festive stage and spread holiday cheer, visitors to the State Capitol will enjoy free holiday music daily from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. December 1 through 23, 2011. Beautiful vintage decorations create a lovely backdrop for a variety of diverse and amazing live holiday musical performances in the Capitol Rotunda each day. Visitors will enjoy live musical entertainment that includes a Salvation Army brass quintet, a Cal-Trans choir (made up of a spirited group of state workers), trombone jazz, world and baroque music, bell-ringers, a harp circle, a youth violinist, a number of talented school choirs and many more. This special holiday experience is made possible by the State Capitol Museum and California State Parks in association with the California State Legislature Joint Rules Committee, the Governor’s Office and the Department of General Services who have worked collaboratively to preserve holiday traditions inside the Capitol. For more information about scheduled performances, call (916) 324-0333 or visit www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Railroad Museum to Showcase a “Small Train Holiday” on 11/25 & 26!

2011-11-18T16:43:55Z

Widely known as North America’s most popular railroad museum, the California State Railroad Museum has exciting plans to dazzle, delight and engage post-Thanksgiving visitors with a special “Small Train Holiday” focus on November 25 and 26. Expanded holiday offerings inside the Museum include fun interpretive handcar rides, crowd pleasing scale models and toy train displays, story time with Mrs. Claus, period-appropriate holiday decor and much more.

In addition to these new activities, the “Small Train Holiday” focus includes other fun favorites such as amazing scale models and toy train layouts on display throughout the Museum, a Polar Express model train running on the “Small Wonders” toy train layout, a discovery-filled scavenger hunt and even a whimsical Toy Train movie where the viewer’s eye-level perspective provides a unique experience that explores the magical world of vintage toy trains.

With all the fun and festive activities happening inside the Museum, there’s plenty to do outdoors in Old Sacramento State Historic Park as well. Of course, Santa Claus will be available in the Eagle Theatre from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for those interested in visiting with him; professional photo opportunities are also available. And, the dazzling Old Sacramento Theatre of Lights will brighten the evening skies with a nightly symphony of lights, sounds and visual effects at 6:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. beginning Thursday and continuing through Sunday.

All “Small Train Holiday” activities happening inside the California State Railroad Museum are included with the cost of admission. More information about events, exhibits and activities happening at the California State Railroad Museum is available at www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org.

Operated by California State Parks with assistance from the nonprofit CSRM Foundation, the California State Railroad Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Widely regarded as North America’s finest and most-visited railroad museum, the complex of facilities includes the 100,000-sq. ft. Railroad History Museum plus the reconstructed Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station and Freight Depot, 1849 Eagle Theatre, and Big Four and Dingley Spice Mill buildings in Old Sacramento. 24-hour info: (916) 445-6645 or www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Sacramento History Museum Celebrates Veteran’s Day With FREE Museum Admission and Discounted Underground Tours for Military Personnel & Their Families

2011-11-07T23:45:39Z

In celebration of the Veteran’s Day holiday, the Sacramento History Museum is offering FREE Museum admission for military personnel and their families on Friday, November 11. In addition, and with an expanded holiday schedule, discounted Old Sacramento Underground tours are available on Friday, November 11, for military personnel as well as for their entire families. To receive free Museum admission and/or discounted underground tours, military personnel must present a valid military ID.

With visually exciting and educational exhibits and artifacts on display plus interactive offerings and special hands-on activities on weekends, the Sacramento History Museum offers visitors a chance to explore the region’s rich history from the days before the Gold Rush to the present. The Museum also offers the perfect starting point for exploring Old Sacramento State Historic Park and for understanding how the area developed and grew to the vibrant community it is today.

In fact, the Sacramento History Museum is the starting point and check-in for the popular Old Sacramento Underground tour program. For the Veteran’s Day holiday on Friday, November 11, an expanded underground tour schedule is available with a total of six tours offered at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Underground tours are also available on Veteran’s Day for the general public at the regular prices. Underground visitors will need to be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces in areas that have low ceilings and in occasional small spaces. After the Veteran’s Day holiday, the regular underground tour schedule resumes through November 27, 2011.

The Sacramento History Museum is located at located at 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. More information about the Museum or Old Sacramento Underground Tours is available by visiting www.historicoldsac.org by calling 916-808-7059.

About the Sacramento History Museum
Supported by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento History Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (except on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day) and is located at 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Admission is $5 for adults; $4 for youths ages 6-17 and free for children five and under. For more information, call (916) 808-7059 or visit www.historicoldsac.org.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Sutter's Fort Offers Tours by Candle Light - November 19!

2011-10-31T20:43:52Z

Darkness lends a bit of mystery to the Fort and an evening’s romantic aura can often disguise the harsh reality of both early pioneer life and today’s urban concerns. See the Sutter’s Fort in a new light—candlelight! Providing an alluring new perspective for visitors, Sutter’s Fort offers just a once a year, evening tours by candle light on Saturday, November 19 from 6:30 - 9 p.m. Guides will lead small groups of visitors into the Fort’s more intimate rooms for intriguing glimpses into the private lives of those who uprooted their families for a better life in early California. Overhear conversations such as families discussing opportunity or possible devastation in their new homes, husbands debating with wives, mothers re-assuring their children about life in rough and tumble Sacramento, tradesmen negotiating business, all surrounded by the night sky allowing visitors to travel back in time as city lights fade from view. For more information please call 916-323-7626 or visit www.suttersfort.org.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

State Indian Museum Offers Special Lecture & Book Signing - 11/19!

2011-10-26T20:39:17Z

The State Indian Museum is proud to host Anthony Platt, Author and Professor Emeritus at California State University, Sacramento, for a special lecture and book signing event on Saturday, November 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. In his engaging and informative style, Platt will thoughtfully explain the history and long-term consequences of more than 200 years of collecting and looting the sacred grave sites of California Indians. In addition, Platt will be on-hand to sign copies of his recently released book titled Grave Matters: Excavating California’s Buried Past, that will also be available for purchase on-site that day. There is no cost for this special lecture and book signing although regular admission prices do apply. For more information about this special event or other activities and events happening at the State Indian Museum, visit www.parks.ca.gov/indianmuseum.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Attention Toy Train & Scale Model Railroad Enthusiasts!

2011-10-21T19:17:37Z

To the delight of rail enthusiasts of all ages, the California State Railroad Museum will debut a new exhibit titled “Common Diversions: Toy Trains and Scale Model Railroads” on November 3, 2011. While the items on special display will all be miniature in size, the goal of the exhibit is to clearly distinguish the big differences between scale models and toy trains, both of which have unique characteristics and avid collectors.

In addition to the Railroad Museum’s popular “Small Wonders: The Magic of Toy Trains” exhibit and in contrast to the impressive collection of 21 full-size meticulously restored locomotives and cars on display throughout the Museum, visitors will soon have a unique opportunity to learn more about the decidedly smaller end of the spectrum. As guests will learn, the difference between model trains and toy trains has to do with scale.

“Model trains are built to scale with a specific size relationship between the model and its real life prototype,” explained the late Thomas W. Sefton in a descriptive publication titled Sefton American Collections. “Toy trains, in contrast, are not made to scale. They are crafted with color and imagination rather than an attempt at perfect realism.” (Mr. Sefton collected more than 7,000 toy trains during his lifetime; many are displayed at the Museum today in the “Small Wonders” exhibit.)

Toy trains are miniature versions of their bigger counterparts that were designed as toys for children. Today, many participants in this hobby are interested in building layouts or collecting treasured playthings. One popular line of accessories, “Plasticville,” is a line of snap-together toys introduced the late 1940s and both an early village scene and a rural scene -- complete with cars, people and animals -- will be on display as part of the exhibit. Conversely, model railroad enthusiasts tend to be keenly focused on the accuracy of virtually all details of their models. Visitors will see and appreciate a selection of brass scale model locomotives and cars, showcased on mirrored pedestals that accentuate their jewel-like qualities and intricate details.

“Common Diversions: Toy Trains and Scale Model Railroads” will remain on special display in the Museum’s Lobby Gallery through September 14, 2012. For more information about “Common Diversions,” visit www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org or call (916) 445-6645.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Sacramento Association of Museums Members Offer Lots to Do, See & Experience!

2011-10-18T16:01:16Z

Check it out! In addition to its fascinating Gold Rush past, the Sacramento area is rich with an amazing array of state-of-the-art museums and historic sites that offer visitors the chance to explore California’s fine art, history, science, and wildlife treasures all year long. With 28 active partners, the Sacramento Association of Museums (SAM) is proud to showcase a diverse sampling of upcoming events and activities happening in November, including:

Sweet Exchange at the (new) Sacramento Children’s Museum - November 1-5
The first-ever Sweet Exchange activity gives kids plenty of incentives to surrender their sugar-saturated Halloween candy in exchange for a fun-filled goodie bag that also promotes dental health. All exchanged candy will be donated to troops overseas.

Superbugs-Not Your Ordinary Germs at the Discovery Museum Science & Space Center - November 5-6
In the last 10 years, superbugs have appeared with greater frequency then ever before. These dangerous critters evade modern medicine and are a hot topic in the medical community. Visitors to the Discovery Museum will learn about these dangerous microscopic germs and kids will build a superbug of their own to take home as a souvenir.

Vettes for Vets Car Show at the California Automobile Museum - November 5
Hosted by the California Automobile Museum and Just for Corvettes, the eye-catching Car Show for Corvettes benefits various veteran's groups throughout Northern California with the sales of raffle tickets, vendors, veteran displays, and music. There will also be an extraordinary exhibit of six generations of Corvettes on display at the Museum during November as well as at the car show that is sure to thrill spectators of all ages!

Archaeology Activity Day at the Sacramento History Museum - November 12
Ready to dig in to a new adventure? Families are encouraged to sign up for the first-ever family Archaeology Activity Day. Groups of four may work on a dig to uncover, collect, and dissect just like real archaeologists.

The Art of Disegno: Italian Prints and Drawings from the Georgia Museum of Art at the Crocker Art Museum - begins November 19
Visitors will enjoy viewing this special exhibition from the collections of the Georgia Museum of Art and Giuliano Ceseri that explores the variety and beauty of Italian draughtsmanship through drawings and prints from the 16th through 18th centuries.

For more information about SAM, its partners and/or these and other events and activities, visit www.sacmuseums.org

About the Sacramento Association of Museums (SAM)
Comprised of 28 greater Sacramento area museums working in partnership with the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, SAM’s mission is to raise awareness of local museums by giving the community the opportunity to discover California’s fine art, history, science and wildlife treasures. SAM achieves its mission through implementing cooperative promotions and developing strategic marketing alliances, by encouraging sharing of knowledge and resources among its partner institutions.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Sacramento Association of Museums.

Women’s Vote in California - 100-Year Anniversary Living History Day!

2011-10-10T20:44:54Z

In conjunction with a compelling new exhibit titled We Won the Vote! 100 Years of Equal Suffrage in California on display inside the State Capitol Museum (Room 105), docents in period attire will present engaging Living History performances on Saturday, October 15, throughout the State Capitol specially designed to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of when women gained full voting rights in California. Interested guests should meet in the First Floor Rotunda to view the series of performances (guided by docents) that leave every 15 minutes between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Visitors of all ages will encounter politicians and key women suffragists from an earlier time as docents re-enact several episodes that led to the historic achievement for California women. For more information, call 916-324-0333 or visit www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Above Ground Walking Tours in Old Sac Extended Thru October!

2011-10-03T20:24:49Z

Due to continued public interest in “above ground” walking tours, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation has extended the touring season to include two educational yet entertaining tours each weekend through October.   On Saturday at
1 p.m., the Sacramento City: California’s Gold Rush Legacy Tour is offered. Then on Sunday at 1 p.m., the From Canvas to Brick: Old Sacramento Architectural Tour is available.

For the Gold Rush Legacy Tours, docents in historically appropriate attire take guests on a journey back to the 1850s using original and reconstructed Gold Rush-era buildings as a compelling backdrop to describe what the town was like during that fascinating period in California’s history.

For the Old Sacramento Architectural Tours, guests are guided through Old Sacramento to see how the architecture of the buildings silently but assuredly reflects the compelling history of how Sacramento was transformed from a water-logged tent city -- with floods, fires and the Gold Rush along the way -- to a firmly established city and the state’s capital.

These Old Sacramento walking tours last approximately one hour in length and guests are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces. Walking tours begin and end at the Sacramento History Museum located at 101 I Street in Old Sacramento.   Above ground walking tours cost $7 for adults and $5 for youths, and can be purchased in advance at www.historicoldsac.org or in person the day of the walking tour (if space is available).

The above ground and underground tour programs are coordinated by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) and in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses.

About the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation
The Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) is a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation. Old Sacramento is a living historic district.   The mission of HOSF is to convey the importance of historic Sacramento as a place that connects our past to our present and future through engaging and entertaining events, activities and programs. More information is available at www.historicoldsac.org or by calling 916-808-7059.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

FREE Sacramento Archives Crawl This Saturday!

2011-09-28T16:48:18Z

Come one, come all! In celebration of National Archives Month, archives and special collections libraries from throughout the region will showcase their rarely seen holdings for the public in the first ever “Explore History: Sacramento Archives Crawl” this Saturday, October 1. Historic treasures from twenty-one Northern California institutions will be on display at four downtown host locations – the California State Archives, the California State Library, the Center for Sacramento History, and the Sacramento Public Library. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is free and open to the public.

Participants will “crawl” between four host locations, all located within downtown Sacramento. At the four locations, the public can view archival collections on display and take behind-the-scenes tours. A sampling of the items on special display for the event include a double elephant folio set of Audubon’s Birds of America; the papers of Nathaniel S. Colley, Sacramento’s nationally known civil rights attorney; and ephemera documenting California’s women’s suffrage movement.

California Department of Transportation Library and History Center
California State Parks Archives
California State Railroad Museum Library
California State University, Chico – Meriam Library Special Collections
California State University, Sacramento – Special Collections and University Archives
El Dorado County Historical Museum
Lavender Library, Archives and Cultural Exchange
Little People of America Archive
National Archives at San Francisco
Placer County Museums Archives & Research Center
Root Cellar – Sacramento Genealogical Society Library
Sacramento City College Library Special Collections
Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Archives
Society of California Archivists
Temple/Congregation B'nai Israel Archives
University of California, Davis – Shields Library, Special Collections
Yolo County Archives

Archives Crawl Passports will be given to guests as they visit the host institutions. The passport provides a map of the event and information about the participating archives and special collection libraries. Event attendees who get their passport stamped at three of the four host sites will be given a set of limited-edition commemorative coasters. The coasters honor the pub crawl theme by featuring reproductions of the city’s former Buffalo Brewing Company and its advertising campaigns.

The California State Archives is located at 1020 O Street; the California State Library is located at 900 N Street; the Center for Sacramento History is located at 551 Sequoia Pacific Boulevard; and the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento Public Library is located at 828 I Street. Crawl participants may begin at any of the four locations.

This event was made possible by financial support from the Sacramento History Foundation, the California State Library Foundation, and the Gordon-Goldstein Foundation. For more information about the crawl, visit www.sacarchivescrawl.blogspot.com.

The Sacramento Archives Crawl is part of Archives Month, a nationwide celebration held each October to raise awareness of the value of archives and to recognize the archivists who bring the past to the present. For information about other events in California, visit www.calarchivesmonth.org.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Center for Sacramento History.

Historic Parks Offer Lots of Hallween-Related Walking Tours!

2011-09-23T21:34:24Z

Some of Sacramento’s most popular historic sites and museums are daring to get into the Halloween spirit with unique walking tours this October. In the spirit of Halloween fun, the special activities feature spooky ghosts from the past, animated storytellers with lively tales of California’s early governors and even docents relating creepy details of unusual deaths of early pioneers. Entertaining, but with a focus on interpreting California’s rich history, all of the Halloween-related activities are family-friendly with age recommendations noted below.

Living History “Ghost Tours” offered by Historic Old Sacramento Foundation - October 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29
Visitors are invited to journey back in time through the streets of Old Sacramento on guided ghostly Living History tours. Entertaining and knowledgeable guides share California’s spooky history and provide intriguing tales that date back to the 19th century. Tours are offered every 30 minutes between 6:30 - 9 p.m. and cost $15 for adults, $10 for youth ages 6-17 and are free for children five and under. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.HistoricOldSac.org or by calling 916-808-7059. Not appropriate for very small children.

“The Mansion After Dark” at Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park - October 22 & 29
Dimly lit with darkened rooms and “coffin corners,” the Mansion will be a decked out in Halloween decor for guests to see the historic site in a whole new light as part of the special “Mansion After Dark” open house activities. With costumed characters and scary music to set the mood, storytellers will captivate visitors with tales of the past lives of governors and fortune tellers will share predictions about interesting futures. Self-guided walking tours are available from 6 - 9 p.m. and cost $6 for adults, $4 for youth ages 6-17 and are free for children five and under. More information is available at www.parks.ca.gov/governorsmansion or by calling 916-323-5916. Appropriate for all ages.

“The Haunted Fort” at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park - October 28 & 29
Daring guests can venture to Sacramento’s oldest establishment for a fascinating and popular Halloween-related event called “The Haunted Fort.” Amid the glow of firelight, historical characters will take Fort visitors on 45-minute guided tours through the various darkened rooms, many of which are said to be haunted by past inhabitants. Along the path shared by weary visitors from the 1800s, guests will learn about the creepy and melancholy ways in which some of our early pioneers perished throughout history. Walking tours depart every 10 minutes between 6:30 - 9 p.m. and cost $6 for adults, $4 for youths ages 6-17 and are free for children five and under. More information is available at www.suttersfort.org or by calling 916-323-7626. Not appropriate for very small children.

All tours are available rain or shine.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Old Sac Underground Adds Adult-Only "Date Night" Tours!

2011-09-20T21:21:44Z

Well into its second full season, the popular Old Sacramento Underground tour program is now redefining “Date Night” with special adult-only evening tours being offered for a limited time. In fact, six special “Date Night” underground tours are available on the following evenings departing at 6 p.m.: 9/29, 9/30, 10/6, 10/7, 10/13 and 10/14. Available for guests ages 18 and over, the special “Date Night” Underground Tours last approximately 90 minutes and will include tales of devastation, perseverance, and determination that led to California’s only successful street-raising project, but will also include lots of shady stories and decidedly adult tales about colorful characters from Sacramento’s past.

In addition, two of Old Sacramento’s most popular restaurants are offering dining discounts for interested “Date Night” underground tour participants. The special evening tours will end at Ten22 Restaurant on Thursdays and at Fat City on Fridays.

Due to the limited availability, advance reservations are strongly encouraged for the “Date Night” underground tours as they are expected to sell out quickly. The check-in for all underground tours is located at the Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.HistoricOldSacramento.org or by calling 916-808-7059. If available, tickets can be purchased at the door on the day of the tour with cash or check only (no credit card transactions can be made at the door). “Date Night” tours are for adults ages 18 and over only (no exceptions). Underground visitors will need to be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces in areas that have low ceilings and in occasional small spaces.

The Old Sacramento Underground tour program is coordinated by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) and in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

We Won the Vote! Exhibit Opens at Capitol Museum October 1

2011-09-19T21:34:24Z

Young women today may take their right to vote for granted but it took a major equal suffrage movement 100 years ago for women to gain full voting rights in California. Not long after, and with the help of mounting political pressure and momentum from new voters in the West and in California, the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution awarded women across America the right to vote in 1920.

And to chronicle this feat -- that was monumental in its place and time -- the State Capitol Museum will proudly display the exhibition titled We Won the Vote! 100 Years of Equal Suffrage in California for a full year beginnin on October 1, 2011.

Visitors of all ages will have the opportunity to see and hear the interactive displays, historical photographs, period campaign materials, clothing worn during the campaign and oral histories that led to the historically significant triumph in California. For more information, call 916-324-0333 or visit www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

“Spookomotive” Train to Haunt Old Sacramento in October

2011-09-15T21:13:07Z

All aboard for Halloween fun! For three weekends beginning in mid-October, the California State Railroad Museum will once again offer engaging and entertaining rides aboard its popular “Spookomotive” train this fall season. “Spookomotive” trains operate Saturdays and Sundays beginning the weekend of October 15-16 and continuing the weekends of October 22-23 and October 29-30.

For these three weekends only, “Spookomotive” trains depart on-the-hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., departing at the Central Pacific Railroad Freight Depot at Front and “K” Streets in Old Sacramento. The diesel-powered “Spookomotive” pulls the whimsically decorated train, crawling with spiders, cobwebs and cornstalks and staffed by a “skeleton crew.” Visitors are encouraged to climb aboard for a fun-filled, 40-minute, six-mile roundtrip ride along the Sacramento River.

In addition to “Spookomotive” train rides, Old Sacramento will be crawling with other activities during October including Ghost Tours and trick-or-treating. For more information about Old Sacramento activities, visit www.oldsacramento.com. For more about “Spookomotive” train rides or other California State Railroad Museum events and activities, visit www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org or call (916) 445-6645.

About the California State Railroad Museum
Operated by California State Parks with financial assistance from the non-profit California State Railroad Museum Foundation, the California State Railroad Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Widely regarded as North America’s finest and most popular railroad museum, the complex of facilities includes the 100,000-square foot Railroad History Museum plus the reconstructed Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station and Freight Depot, 1849 Eagle Theatre, and Big Four and Dingley Spice Mill commercial buildings in Old Sacramento. For 24-hour information, visit www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org or call (916) 445-6645.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Watercolors Hiking in historic Locke and Delta Meadows State Park

2011-09-13T10:47:13Z

A Watercolors and Hiking event will be held in Locke, Calif. on Thursday, September 15, 2011 starting at 10:00 a.m. The hike will be led by Martha Esch. Bring the kids and the grandparents; everyone is welcome! Well-behaved dogs on leashes, okay. This is a mostly level 1.5 mile hike apart from one 20 foot long, somewhat steep, narrow path up a levee hill and some optional off-path routes along the way that are prickly and narrow.

Locke artist and art teacher, Martha Esch, will demonstrate easy techniques to painting a quick, lovely, loose watercolor postcard of scenic spots along the hike. Next, participants will begin using watercolor kits, blank postcards and brushes that will be passed out to all who'd like to paint their own scenes. (There will be a $5 art supply fee.)

Pack your own brown bag lunch, your own beverage and maybe some small snacks to share with others. The group will gather in front of Al the Wop's famous bar and steakhouse, located in the middle of Main Street in Locke, Calif.

If you arrive late, just follow the wooden walkway next to Al's to the back of Locke and the walking path past the community gardens, up the levee to the Meadows State Park to catch up. At the top of that levee, the first of two postcard watercolor paintings will take place overlooking the beautiful lagoon called Railroad Slough.

After 15 minutes, the group will stop painting and hike about 1/2 mile to a scenic overlook along Snodgrass Slough where they'll pause to paint their second15-minute postcards.

Lunch will take place at the Snodgrass Slough as well before the hike back to town where the 90 to 120 minute tour winds up back on Main Street.

Everyone in the hiking group will be welcome to sneak a peek at Esch’s paintings, some in progress, at "The Shack," her art and music studio located at the top end of Main Street at Levee Road.

The Delta Meadows State Park is a beautiful, secret gem and the town of Locke is a fun, historic place that you'll want to soon return to with your out-of-state guests. Visitors are free to visit antique and gift shops, museums and the town’s two restaurants, Al the Wops and the Locke Garden Chinese Restaurant.

Visitors should be sure to shop at Lisa Kirk's fun store called Strange Cargo, located next to Al the Wop's. If you have some muscle strain after your hike and want some acupuncture, Diane Thomas is the one to visit at Locke Chinese Medicine a few doors north of Lisa's shop.

Call Martha Esch at (916) 776-1000 with questions. Hope you can join!

To get to the meeting place in Locke from I-5, take the Twin Cities Road exit west toward the tall radio towers. When you hit the road along the Sacramento River, turn left (south) and go one mile to Locke and turn left into the tiny town. When you enter Locke, park in the free parking lot, straight ahead, next to the public restrooms. Entry codes are: Men 3535/ Women 3434.. Gather in front of famous Al the Wop's, located at 13943 Main Street, Locke CA 95690.

Disclosure: Aricle author, Martha Esch teaches private, small and large group art classes in watercolors, oils, and acrylic painting as well as clay classes to all skill levels and ages. For more, visit her blog at www.marthaesch.blogspot.com

Call Out for Railroad Museum Volunteers this Fall!

2011-09-08T20:28:21Z

The California State Railroad Museum and Old Sacramento State Historic Park (SHP) are now recruiting adults (18 or older) who are interested in volunteering this fall to help communicate the West’s fascinating heritage of railroading and the California Gold Rush. The volunteer orientation will begin on Saturday, September 24, but interested volunteers must apply and be interviewed in advance. Volunteer applications are being accepted now through Monday, September 12, and involved community members are encouraged to get involved in this worthwhile program.

Anyone who has ever visited the California State Railroad Museum and Old Sacramento SHP has undoubtedly crossed paths with a docent. Dressed in railroad garb or other period attire, these trained volunteers answer questions and discuss history with guests. There are many other volunteers, too. Each year, approximately 600 men and women volunteer for the California State Railroad Museum’s programs—including weekend steam train operations, track construction, restoration and maintenance, even clerical work. Since the Museum’s 1976 inception, volunteers have contributed well over two million hours of service.

As part of their training, candidates are encouraged to consider participating in one or more Museum programs. For example, volunteers may choose to serve as docents and Museum tour guides; participate in hands-on, interactive educational programs for school groups; or become involved with train operations on the Sacramento Southern Railroad. Volunteer training represents a serious commitment of 84 volunteer hours annually, but the hours are flexible and the rewards can be tremendous.

A background in history is not required. In fact, most of the volunteers began with little knowledge of railroads or the Gold Rush. As they become more familiar with the Museum’s varied and frequent programs, many volunteers take on additional responsibilities, such as conducting research or giving talks to community organizations about the Museum. Perks for active volunteers include free parking while on duty, invitation to an annual Volunteer Recognition Banquet, complimentary Museum membership and the chance to meet new and interesting people.

Interested volunteers are encouraged can download a volunteer application at www.parks.ca.gov/CapitalDistrict or contact the Museum’s Volunteer Training Coordinator at (916) 324-7593.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Railroad Museum Rolls Out Collection of California Depot Sketches

2011-08-31T16:46:48Z

The California State Railroad Museum will debut a fascinating documentary-style exhibit titled “Wedlock’s Gift: California Railroad Depot Images in Ink” in two phases with the first set of 26 sketches beginning on September 1, 2011 and continuing through February 2012. Then, in August 2012, the second set of 26 sketches will debut and continue through December 2012. Following the completion of his quest to interpret many of California’s disappearing historic railroad depots in brush and ink, commercial artist Walter J. Wedlock gifted the complete set of 52 drawings and one watercolor to the California State Railroad Museum in 1985 after seeing the collection together for the first time during a special exhibit.

Wedlock’s quest began in the 1970s, when he realized historic railroad depots that had once dotted the rail lines of California were in danger of being demolished due to the decline of passenger train travel. Racing against time and the wrecking ball, Wedlock sketched his compelling images on-the-spot after tracking down various depots built primarily between the 1880s and the late 1930s. Wedlock did not concentrate on any one architectural style, railroad company or structure, but instead focused on capturing the unique personality of each historic railroad depot, many of which had been the center of their communities at an earlier time. While more than a third of the depots sketched by Wedlock have been demolished, many communities subsequently launched successful efforts to save their endangered depots. Today, many house museums or have changed to some other adaptive reuse. Happily, several are once again busy transportation centers for the communities they serve.

Each drawing in the “Wedlock’s Gift: California Railroad Depot Images in Ink” exhibit will include information about the structure’s heritage including the date it was built, the architectural style and building materials used, the railroad company with which it was associated, and whether the station still exists today and, if so, its current use.

For more information about “Wedlock’s Gift: California Depot Images in Ink” exhibit or other exhibits on display at the Museum, visit www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org or call (916) 445-6645.

About the California State Railroad Museum
Operated by California State Parks with financial assistance from the non-profit California State Railroad Museum Foundation, the California State Railroad Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Widely regarded as North America’s finest and most popular railroad museum, the complex of facilities includes the 100,000-square foot Railroad History Museum plus the reconstructed Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station and Freight Depot, 1849 Eagle Theatre, and Big Four and Dingley Spice Mill commercial buildings in Old Sacramento. For 24-hour information, visit www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org or call (916) 445-6645.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Call Out for Volunteers at State Indian Museum This Fall!

2011-08-24T17:45:33Z

For the upcoming fall season, the State Indian Museum needs positive and enthusiastic community volunteers to embark on an exciting and educational journey as State Park docents. The State Indian Museum is located on the grounds of Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park. Applications are now being accepted for volunteer positions and comprehensive training is provided. Interested volunteers must apply and be interviewed in advance. Once selected, the qualified applicants will participate in a seven-week training series that begins in October.

A background in Native California culture is not required and a variety of volunteer positions are currently available, both on weekdays and weekends. Volunteer docents will have the opportunity to learn about and share the fascinating California Native history with Museum visitors. Docent training at the State Indian Museum includes a comprehensive look at the enduring California Native culture as well as in-depth study of the art of interpretation.

All training is free to qualified applicants and there are many benefits to the rewarding experience, including a Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks pass for volunteers who complete 84 hours annually and a State-wide Parks pass for volunteers who complete 200 hours or more each year.

The deadline to apply to become a volunteer docent at the State Indian Museum is September 18. To download a volunteer application, go to www.parks.ca.gov/CapitalDistrict or call Volunteer Coordinator 916-324-8112 for more information.

About the California State Indian Museum
The California State Indian Museum is operated by California State Parks and supported by the California Indian Heritage Foundation. Open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for self-guided tours and school group visits, the museum is located in midtown Sacramento at 2618 K Street on the grounds of Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park. Current exhibits include traditional basketry, beadwork, ceremonial regalia and hunting & fishing items associated with many of the tribes of California, as well as contemporary artwork. For more details please call (916) 324-0971 or visit www.parks.ca.gov/indianmuseum.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

First Ever “Sacramento Archives Crawl” Debuts October 1

2011-08-22T19:05:44Z

In celebration of National Archives Month, archives and special collections libraries from throughout the region will showcase their rarely seen holdings for the public in the first ever “Explore History: Sacramento Archives Crawl” on Saturday, October 1. Historic treasures from twenty-one Northern California institutions will be on display at four downtown host locations – the California State Archives, the California State Library, the Center for Sacramento History, and the Sacramento Public Library. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is free and open to the public.

In addition, representatives from other archives and special collections libraries will be at the host locations to discuss their archival collections - historic photographs, rare books, historic artifacts - and answer questions about how to connect with local history resources. Participating institutions include the following:
California Department of Transportation Library and History Center
California State Parks Archives
California State Railroad Museum Library
California State University, Chico – Meriam Library Special Collections
California State University, Sacramento – Special Collections and University Archives
El Dorado County Historical Museum
Lavender Library, Archives and Cultural Exchange
Little People of America Archive
National Archives at San Francisco
Placer County Museums Archives & Research Center
Root Cellar – Sacramento Genealogical Society Library
Sacramento City College Library Special Collections
Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Archives
Society of California Archivists
Temple/Congregation B'nai Israel Archives
University of California, Davis – Shields Library, Special Collections
Yolo County Archives

Archives Crawl Passports will be given to guests as they visit the host institutions. The passport provides a map of the event and information about the participating archives and special collection libraries. Event attendees who get their passport stamped at three of the four host sites will be given a set of limited-edition commemorative coasters. The coasters honor the pub crawl theme by featuring reproductions of the city’s former Buffalo Brewing Company and its advertising campaigns.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Center for Sacramento History

Native American Day Celebrating Honored Elders on September 22

2011-08-19T21:53:55Z

Sponsored by the State Tribal Liaisons of California, the Department of Justice, the State Indian Museum and California State Parks, the 44th Annual Native American Day Celebrating Honored Elders event on Thursday, September 22 has been combined with the State Indian Museum’s Honored Elders Day for 2011.

The free event will take place on the south steps of the State Capitol from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is devoted to honoring the Elders who maintain Native culture, including stories, languages, and traditions for today and for future generations. Guests will enjoy cultural demonstrations, compelling guest speakers, the Tule River Color Guard, traditional games, music and dancing, artisans showcasing their wares, informative booths, including an update on the exciting new California Indian Heritage Center project and much more.

Then, following the fun and lively event, it’s a perfect day to stop by the State Indian Museum (located on the grounds of Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park) to learn and explore even more about Native culture. While the event at the State Capitol is free that day, normal Museum hours and admission prices apply.

For more information about the Native American Day Celebrating Honored Elders event, contact the State Indian Museum at 916-324-0971 or visit www.parks.ca.gov/indianmuseum.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Sutter's Fort "Hands on History: Harvest Time" Event on Septemer 17!

2011-08-19T21:41:16Z

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, threshing, winnowing and grinding wheat and watch demonstrations of goat milking, spinning and weaving wool, lassoing and property branding.

For more information about this fun and engaging “Hands on History” event, or other events and activities at Sutter’s Fort SHP, call 916-445-4422 or visit www.parks.ca.govsuttersfort

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Free Admission Day Celebration at State Capitol - September 9!

2011-08-19T21:35:24Z

Californians deserve a day to celebrate their great state and on Friday, September 9 at 11:30 a.m. (on the north steps of the State Capitol), the public is invited to a special -- and free -- event in honor of California’s 161st year of statehood!

Visitors will enjoy patriotic live music, birthday cake and ice cream provided by California State Parks, the State Capitol Museum and with support from the California State Capitol Museum Volunteer Association. Come one, come all and be sure to stop by the California State Capitol Museum located inside the Capitol that offers free admission all year long.

For more information about the special Admission Day Celebration or other events and activities happening at the California State Capitol Museum, please call 916-324-0333 or visit www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Special Photo Opportunity & Lighting Seminar at Railroad Museum!

2011-08-12T18:01:07Z

Lights, Camera, Action! The California State Railroad Museum is proud to host a unique “Trains & Tripods Photo Opportunity & Lighting Seminar" on Friday evening, September 16 and Saturday morning, September 17.

The two-part program includes an optional seminar on existing light photography and a photographers-only photo session inside the visually-enticing museum before it opens to the public for the day. Amateur photographers of all skill levels can choose to attend one or both of the activities. Conducted by former Sacramento Bee photographer and Canon USA consultant Dave Henry, the fast-paced and information-packed lighting seminar is scheduled for Friday evening with the “bring your own tripod” photography opportunity scheduled for Saturday morning.

Space is limited to 50 participants and advance registration for “Trains & Tripods” is required. All photographers are required to sign a release of liability and a “not for commercial use” clause. For more information or to register, interested photographers are encouraged to visit www.csrmf.org/events-exhibits/whats-new or call 916-445-7373.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the Sacramento area including the California State Railroad Museum.

Evening Activities Galore in Old Sacramento During Gold Rush Days!

2011-08-12T15:45:04Z

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 is coordinating a special Gold Rush Days Preview Reception in the Passenger Station in Old Sacramento State Historic Park on Friday evening. The fundraising event will include refreshments and appetizers, live period-appropriate entertainment, the opportunity to preview a new Old Sacramento welcome video narrated by Timothy Busfield, and the chance to mix and mingle with Gold Rush Days dedicated staff and lively entertainers. Tickets for the Gold Rush Days Preview Reception are available at www.historicoldsac.org/goldrushdays.

Gold Rush Days Beer Crawl: Friday, September 2, 6 p.m.-midnight
A number of popular bars in Old Sacramento are participating in a fun Gold Rush Days-inspired beer crawl where guests (ages 21 and older) will receive a six to nine-ounce draft beer at each participating establishment. At last count, nine bars are participating but more are sure to follow. Beer crawl participants are encouraged to dress up like gold miners, saloon girls, etc. A limited number of tickets are available by calling 916-524-5275 or visiting www.oldsacramentobars.com.

Discounted Dining: Friday, September 2, dinner is served 4-10 p.m.
To help guests get in the Gold Rush spirit, Ten22 is offering a 15 percent discount on food menu items for diners sporting cowboy hats and/or cowboy boots on Friday evening. Boasting they have a larger selection of beers on tap than any other Sacramento area restaurant, Ten22 opened in 2009 and offers a casual-chic dining experience with a beautiful outdoor patio and boardwalk dining.

Live Music: Evenings on Friday, September 2 through Monday September 5
During Gold Rush Days 2011, a variety of live bands playing many different genres will be available in the popular Save Mart BBQ Patio & Farmers’ Market during the daytime and also extending into the evening hours. The Save Mart stage is located in the Firehouse Restaurant parking lot and is always a favorite place to sit back, relax and enjoy Gold Rush Days.

Silent Movie Festival: Saturday, September 3, 7 p.m.
As part of the lively and interactive Time Travel Weekends program, Old Sacramento visitors won’t want to miss the season finale of the Silent Movie Festival effort happening in the Eagle Theatre on Saturday night beginning at 7 p.m. With song slides that encourage audience involvement and sing-along, movies from 1900-1929 will be showcased and presented by the Excelsior Company in association with Red Barn Productions. In addition, talented period performers will delight and amuse the audience with engaging and entertaining songs, mini skits and comedic acts as the silent movies play. Beer and wine will be available for purchase for guests 21 and over (and sarsaparilla for the little ones). For more information, visit www.historicoldsac.org/timetravel.

Gold Rush Days 2011 is produced by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Sacramento and California State Parks with cooperation from the Old Sacramento Business Association. Presented by Save Mart Supermarkets and Wells Fargo Bank, admission to Gold Rush Days 2011 is free with historic programming offered from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days. New this year, admission to the five museums in Old Sacramento is also free to the public for the three days and includes the California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento History Museum, California State Military Museum, Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum and the Wells Fargo History Museum. On Friday, September 2, some Gold Rush Days activities will be set-up for a preview “education day” -- primarily for school children -- but museum entrance will not be free to the general public on that day.

For a complete listing of activities or more information about Gold Rush Days, visit www.historicoldsac.org/goldrushdays or call 916-808-7059.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the Sacramento region including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Railroad Museum to Debut Exhibition of Award-Winning Photography

2011-08-09T21:42:49Z

As part of a special exhibition debuting on August 26, the California State Railroad Museum is proud to showcase award-winning photographs from the prestigious Center for Railroad Photography & Art’s 2011 Creative Photography Awards Program.

With submissions received from all over the world, the theme of this year’s competition was “A Story in Three Photographs,” which challenged photographers to tell a story through three images that depicted an event or a day unfolding, illustrated a span of time, or was a creative interpretation of a single subject.

The top prize in the Center’s 2011 Creative Photography Awards Program went to Miško Kranjec of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Second place went to Stephen Hussar of Reading, Massachusetts, and third place went to Patrick J. Cashin of Brooklyn, New York. Judged by Joseph Elliott, Professor of Art (Photography) and Head of the Department at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, felt the top three sets of entries were all outstanding in different ways and said “If it was up to me, I would say they should share first place in a three-way tie.”

This special photography exhibit will remain on display at the California State Railroad Museum through June 2012, joining the Museum’s regular lineup of permanent and changing exhibitions, along with special events. In addition to being showcased in the special exhibit at the Railroad Museum, the award-winning photographs will be featured in an upcoming issue of Railfan & Railroad magazine and the Center’s journal, Railroad Heritage.

More information about the competition and the Center for Railroad Photography & Art can be found at www.railphoto-art.org, and more information about the California State Railroad Museum is available at www.csrmf.org or by calling (916) 445-6645.

About the California State Railroad Museum
Operated by California State Parks with financial assistance from the non-profit California State Railroad Museum Foundation, the California State Railroad Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Widely regarded as North America’s finest and most popular railroad museum, the complex of facilities includes the 100,000-square foot Railroad History Museum plus the reconstructed Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station and Freight Depot, 1849 Eagle Theatre, and Big Four and Dingley Spice Mill commercial buildings in Old Sacramento. For 24-hour information, visit www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org or call (916) 445-6645.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento region including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Old Sac Underground Tours on Mondays thru Labor Day!

2011-08-04T18:11:38Z

Dig it!

Responding to the demand for more Old Sacramento Underground tour availability, tours are now available on Mondays through Labor Day. On most Mondays, four tours have been added and are offered from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Then, on Labor Day (Monday, September 5), an expanded tour schedule is available with tours departing every half hour from 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. With schedules that fluctuate with the seasons, Old Sacramento Underground tours continue through Sunday, November 27.   Interested tour participants are encouraged to check the website -- www.historicoldsac.org -- for tour dates, times and availability.

“For a variety of reasons, possibly long weekends or hold-over stays during conventions, visitors to Old Sacramento have been asking for underground tours on Mondays,” said Marcia Eymann, Executive Director of the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation. “We are pleased to be able to respond accordingly with Monday tours at least for the next four weeks.”

Old Sacramento has the distinction of being the only city in California to raise its streets in the 1860s through the 1870s to protect the city from devastating flooding. Tour participants explore excavated foundations, an open archeological site and enclosed pathways all while entertaining and knowledgeable tour guides recount the tales of the devastation, perseverance, and determination that led to California’s only successful street-raising project.

The Old Sacramento Underground tour program is coordinated by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) and in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses.

Tours of the underground last approximately one hour in length Tour check-in is located at the Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Underground visitors will need to be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces in areas that have low ceilings and in occasional small spaces. Box office questions can be sent via email to scox@cityofsacramento.org and more information about Foundation membership is available by calling 916-808-7059.

About the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation
The Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) is a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation. Old Sacramento is a living historic district.   The mission of HOSF is to convey the importance of historic Sacramento as a place that connects our past to our present and future through engaging and entertaining events, activities and programs. More information is available at www.historicoldsac.org.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Volunteers & Artisans Needed During Gold Rush Days - Monday Deadline!

2011-07-28T14:25:27Z

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.

Given the sheer magnitude of the large-scale community event that transforms Old Sacramento into a scene straight out of the 1850s, a large number of volunteers are needed to help with the Gold Rush Days information booth, hospitality tent, first aid station, security booth, children’s activity areas, and much, much more. Some, but not all, positions require period appropriate attire that will be provided. Additionally, interested artisans are encouraged to submit applications to participate in a new “Artisan Alley” happening this year in the Freight Depot -- candle dippers, soap tanners, gold panning experts, dyed wool makers, basket weavers, leather makers, silver smiths and barrel makers are just a few of the artisan opportunities during the three-day community event. Those chosen to participate in the period appropriate “Artisan Alley” will be asked to demonstrate their craft to Gold Rush Days visitors and can also sell their wares at the event.

While the crowd pleasing Gold Rush Days event is scheduled for Labor Day weekend, interested volunteers are encouraged to apply now.
Orientation workshops are scheduled to take place on Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20. Volunteer/artisan applications can be downloaded at www.historicoldsac.org/goldrushdays and more information is available at 916-808-7059.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Sutter's Fort Calls Out to Food Lovers & History Enthusiasts!

2011-07-25T15:26:46Z

After a successful inaugural effort in 2010, Friends of Sutter’s Fort in association with Slow Food Sacramento proudly present the second annual “A Taste of History” fundraising event on Saturday evening, September 24. “A Taste of History” offers guests a unique culinary experience that includes a four-course, sit-down dinner amid a beautiful setting inside the walls of Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park (SHP). The highlight of the memorable event is a specially designed menu designed to showcase meals reminiscent of those enjoyed when John Sutter founded Sutter’s Fort in 1839. Many historic recipes will be re-invented with today’s innovative techniques and vibrant local ingredients.

When they first arrive, “A Taste of History” guests will be treated to scrumptious appetizers while enjoying local wine and beer tastings. New this year, guests will have the opportunity to watch and interact with chefs as they prepare their culinary creations in period facilities such as outdoor fire pits or in the historic kitchens and on-site bakery. With local wines and beer paired with the various courses, the inspired dishes will be created by chefs from popular restaurants such as Café Vinoteca, Ella Dining Room and Bar/The Kitchen, Mulvaney’s B&L, Spataro and Ten22 Restaurant. In addition, the meals will be served by talented volunteers from Plates Cafe & Catering, a special endeavor launched by St. John’s Shelter Program for Women & Children.

With an international flair representative of the types of music enjoyed by emigrants who first came to Sutter’s Fort, live acoustic music will entertain guests and set a lively and festive mood throughout the culinary experience and silent auction. At the close of the evening, each participant will each receive a goodie bag that includes a keepsake program with the historic recipes and today’s adapted recipes.

“A Taste of History” is a fundraising event that benefits Sutter’s Fort SHP and would not be possible without the generous contributions provided by the following businesses and organizations: Bogle Vineyards, Boeger Winery, Café Vinoteca, California State Parks, Ella Dining Room and Bar/The Kitchen Restaurant, Midtown Business Association, Mulvaney’s B&L, Plates Café & Catering, Rail Bridge Cellars, River City Brewing Company, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Slow Food Sacramento, Spataro, Ten22 Restaurant, The Sutter District and Whole Foods Market.

For information about donating silent auction items or purchasing tickets to “A Taste of History,” visit www.suttersfort.org or call 916-323-7626.

About Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park
Operated by California State Parks with financial assistance from the nonprofit Friends of Sutter’s Fort, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Located in midtown Sacramento on L Street between 26th and 28th Streets, the Fort offers special events, Living History and Demonstration Days programs throughout the year. Established in 1839 by Swiss immigrant John Augustus Sutter, Sutter’s Fort was at the center of a flourishing agricultural empire named New Helvetia (New Switzerland.) This empire established Sacramento’s earliest settlement and the first European settlement in California’s Central Valley. For more information, call (916) 445-4422 or visit www.parks.ca.gov/SuttersFort

About Slow Food Sacramento
Slow Food Sacramento is the Sacramento region’s chapter of Slow Food USA. The active organization hosts a wide range of educational and convivial events throughout the year to showcase producers and creators of some of the region’s outstanding foods, farms and restaurants in an effort to champion locally and sustainably produced vegetables, fruits, wines, meats and cheeses. For more information, visit www.slowfoodsacramento.com

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

It's Gold Fever at Sutter's Fort -- August 20!

2011-07-19T18:32:06Z

Eureka!! There’s gold in them thar hills!

On Saturday, August 20, visitors to Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park (SHP) will have the opportunity to experience the thrill and excitement felt by early pioneers after gold was discovered in 1849. During a special “Hands on History: Gold Fever!” event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors will learn how the single discovery sparked a sweeping “gold fever” throughout the nation which dramatically impacted the area, changed the lives of early pioneers and shaped the future of California.

With hands-on activities like gold panning, pioneer bowling and listening to engaging tales of big gold nuggets, visitors will get a feel for how the passionate quest for gold and riches became a powerful force that led to changes, sparked heated debates and inspired lasting dreams of the golden land.

For more information about this fun and engaging “Hands on History” event, or other events and activities at Sutter’s Fort SHP, call 916-445-4422 or visit www.parks.ca.gov/suttersfort

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations in the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Call Out Now for Volunteers & Artisans During Gold Rush Days!

2011-07-05T20:13:51Z

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. 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.

Given the sheer magnitude of the large-scale community event that transforms Old Sacramento into a scene straight out of the 1850s, a large number of volunteers are needed to help with the Gold Rush Days information booth, hospitality tent, first aid station, security booth, children’s activity areas, and much, much more. Some, but not all, positions require period appropriate attire that will be provided. Additionally, interested artisans are encouraged to submit applications to participate in a new “Artisan Alley” happening this year in the Freight Depot -- candle dippers, soap tanners, gold panning experts, dyed wool makers, basket weavers, leather makers, silver smiths and barrel makers are just a few of the artisan opportunities during the three-day community event. Those chosen to participate in the period appropriate “Artisan Alley” will be asked to demonstrate their craft to Gold Rush Days visitors and can also sell their wares at the event.

While the crowd pleasing Gold Rush Days event is scheduled for Labor Day weekend, interested volunteers are encouraged to apply now. The deadline to apply to become a Gold Rush Days volunteer or participate as an artisan at the event is Monday, August 1.

Orientation workshops are scheduled to take place on Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20. Volunteer/artisan applications can be downloaded at www.historicoldsac.org/goldrushdays and more information is available at 916-808-7059.

Disclaimer: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations located throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Gold Rush Days 2011 -- Bigger & Better Than Ever Over Labor Day Weekend!

2011-07-05T20:08:14Z

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 museum entrance will not be free to the general public on that day.

With 200 tons of dirt to help turn back time to the 1850s, the unique three-day event will feature crowd-favorite cannon firings, wagon, pony and train rides, historic re-enactments, lively entertainment and dancing to Gold Rush era music, period games and re-creations, hands-on children’s activities, gold panning, and the popular Embarcadero Tent City depicting daily life during the Gold Rush.   New this year, an Artisan Alley will be set up in the Freight Depot with local artisans -- such as candle dippers, soap tanners and silver smiths -- demonstrating their craft-making skills and showcasing their wares.

A favorite stop with lots of hands-on crafts and activities, the traditional Embarcadero Tent City in Old Sacramento State Historic Park offers a mercantile, boarding house, millinery, hardware store, bank, various saloons, the first theater, and even an old time doctor and pharmacist. In addition, visitors can pan for gold, sample real sarsaparilla, meet an old miner and his burro, discover lace making, hat making and embroidery, or simply enjoy dancing and music.

Of course, an impressive and varied line-up of free, live entertainment will be available on various stages throughout Old Sacramento, including a variety of bands playing many different genres in the popular Save Mart BBQ Patio & Farmers’ Market.

Presented by Save Mart Supermarkets and Wells Fargo Bank, admission to Gold Rush Days 2011 is free and event hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days.    New this year, admission to the five museums in Old Sacramento is also free to the public, including the California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento History Museum, California State Military Museum, Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum and the Wells Fargo History Museum. For a complete listing of activities or more information about Gold Rush Days, visit www.historicoldsac.org/goldrushdays or call 916-808-7059.

About Gold Rush Days
Gold Rush Days is Sacramento’s annual heritage celebration and is produced by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Sacramento and California State Parks.

Disclaimer: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a variety of businesses and organizations located in the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Silent Movies Make a Comeback in Old Sacramento!

2011-07-01T19:31:53Z

Starting July 2 and contuning Saturday evenings through August, Old Sacramento visitors will be treated to something quite novel in this day and age -- silent films in the Eagle Theatre every Saturday night! The showings begin at 7 p.m. in the Eagle Theatre in Old Sacramento State Historic Park.

With song slides that encourage audience involvement and sing-along, movies from 1900-1929 will be showcased and presented by the Excelsior Company in association with Red Barn Productions. In addition, talented period performers will delight and amuse the audience with engaging and entertaining songs, mini skits and comedic acts as the silent movies play. Every Saturday night will offer something different and special -- early dramas, comedies, fantasies, and more! All movies and spirited performances will be presented in period appropriate style and Old Sacramento guests are encouraged to travel back in time and dress in the fun and sometimes lavish fashions of the day.

Don’t miss the Saturday night Silent Movie Festival coming to Old Sacramento this summer!

For more information, call 916-808-7059 or visit www.oldsacramento.org/timetravel.

Disclaimer: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Railroad Technology Museum Project Consultant Begins July 1

2011-06-30T15:56:36Z

Railroad expert Peter Hansen has been named as project consultant for the Railroad Technology Museum, an expansion of the popular California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento which is part of California State Parks. His position, which is effective July 1, 2011, has been added by the California State Railroad Museum Foundation to assist California State Parks in the development of the project.

Hansen has a long and impressive background as a rail historian, exhibit curator, lecturer and writer. His extensive work history includes serving as editor and publisher of Railroad History -- the journal of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society -- for the past four years, and also as a correspondent for Trains magazine. In addition, he has 14 years of experience and progressive project management responsibility with Sprint, which culminated in the construction of a $25 million, 20,000-square foot briefing center at the corporate headquarters of this telecommunications firm.

“Peter Hansen brings an accomplished resume of business experience, along with a grasp of history and museum audience psychology that we believe will be extremely useful as the Railroad Technology Museum project moves forward,” said Catherine Taylor, District Superintendent for Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks. “California State Parks is delighted that the Railroad Museum Foundation has selected such a qualified candidate to help lead the development efforts of this noteworthy museum development project.”

“For over a decade, the Railroad Technology Museum has been planned to occupy two historic structures in the Downtown Sacramento Railyards,” said Robert Slobe, Board Chairman for the CSRM Foundation. “With the project poised to move forward this year, the Railroad Museum Foundation Board has made a bold decision. This is an important project for all of California and the United States, and one that is critical to the future of the Downtown Sacramento Railyards and the preservation legacy of the Capital City as well.”

The Railroad Technology Museum Project Consultant position is funded by the non-profit California State Railroad Museum Foundation, organized in the late 1980s to raise and manage funds and assist California State Parks in the operation of the California State Railroad Museum, widely regarded as North America’s most popular railroad museum. Included in the original 1970s master plan for the California State Railroad Museum, the Railroad Technology Museum -- when completed -- is expected to increase visitation at the California State Railroad Museum complex to nearly one million annually.

The present-day California State Railroad Museum is home to 21 meticulously restored locomotives and cars and numerous exhibits that illustrate how railroads have shaped people's lives, the economy, and the unique culture of California and the West. The Railroad Technology Museum will add a whole new set of experiences and dimensions, showcasing the ingenuity, science and engineering of the railroad. Housed in some of the West’s most significant industrial heritage structures, this new museum will combine the hands-on interactive experiences of a science museum with a factory tour unlike any other, and look not just at the past but also to the future of railroads and high-speed rail in tomorrow’s world.

As the Railroad Technology Museum project progresses, new information will be available at www.californistaterailroadmuseum.org.

Disclaimer: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations in the greater Sacramento area including the California State Railroad Museum.

Lively & Interactive “Time Travel Weekends” Resume in Old Sacramento on July 2

2011-06-20T23:43:50Z

The past will mingle with the present once again when the popular “Time Travel Weekends” program resumes in Old Sacramento on Saturday, July 2. The free street theater program debuted in 2010 and was an immediate crowd pleaser.   Designed to delight, entertain and engage Old Sacramento visitors with good, old-fashioned fun reminiscent of the Gold Rush era, “Time Travel Weekends” are offered weekends July through August from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with expanded performances during Gold Rush Days over Labor Day weekend). The “Time Travel Weekends” program is presented by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses.

The centerpiece to this free and highly interactive program includes a series of Old West stage shows -- including the much acclaimed Golden Melodeon Review -- performed by teams of talented actors and actresses in period attire. Weekend performances with rotating themes are scheduled on four stages located throughout Old Sacramento including in the Eagle Theatre, Passenger Station, Pioneer Park and Waterfront Park. Additionally, the talented performers will roam the streets of Old Sacramento throughout the scheduled weekends, putting on spontaneous and often-elaborate skits and performances so visitors can step back in time to the 1850s, 1860s and 1870s.

The “Time Travel Weekends” program is also showcased by historic re-enactments complete with wagons, wild characters that include heroes and villains, children’s pioneer craft activities, historic gambling, bowling, juggling, singing, dancing and other forms of musical mastery, military encampments, mining camps, parades, historic events, medicine shows and even Civil War cannon firings. Old Sacramento visitors may also meet 19th century shopkeepers, blacksmiths and railroad engineers as they stroll along the historic streets.

The continuing program is designed to bring a lively and theatrical flair to the streets of Old Sacramento reflecting the exciting atmosphere and character of the early gold mining period.   For a complete and updated performance schedule, visit www.historicoldsac.org/timetravel.

About the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation
The Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) is a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation. Old Sacramento is a living historic district.   The mission of HOSF is to convey the importance of historic Sacramento as a place that connects our past to our present and future through engaging and entertaining events, activities and programs. More information is available at www.historicoldsac.org.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Old Sac Launch Site for New Postage Stamp Honoring Mark Twain

2011-06-20T23:38:23Z

Old Sacramento State Historic Park has been selected by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as the site to help launch a new postage stamp that honors Mark Twain. With the historic site as a backdrop and amidst a spirited rehearsal for the “Time Travel Weekends” program, a stamp dedication and presentation by an engaging Mark Twain re-enactor will take place on Saturday, June 25, at 1 p.m. in the historic Passenger Station in Old Sacramento State Historic Park.

The activities are open to the public and the community is invited to attend the stamp dedication that will also include a performance by a local Boy Scout Color Guard. The United States Post Office will be on-hand to provide an opportunity for interested community members to be among the first to purchase the new Mark Twain anniversary postage stamp soon after its public release.

Additionally, the public is encouraged to stay and watch one of the final and highly entertaining theatrical rehearsals for the “Time Travel Weekend” program -- featuring Mark Twain -- that debuts the following weekend.   Designed to delight, entertain and engage Old Sacramento visitors with good, old-fashioned fun reminiscent of the Gold Rush era, “Time Travel Weekends” are offered weekends July through August from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with expanded performances during Gold Rush Days over Labor Day weekend). The “Time Travel Weekends” program is presented by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses.

For more information about the new Mark Twain postage stamp, visit www.usps.com/shop
and for more information about the “Time Travel Weekends” program and other summertime fun activities in Old Sacramento, visit www.historicoldsac.org/timetravel.

About the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation
The Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) is a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation. Old Sacramento is a living historic district.   The mission of HOSF is to convey the importance of historic Sacramento as a place that connects our past to our present and future through engaging and entertaining events, activities and programs. More information is available at www.historicoldsac.org.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Sutter's Fort Presents "Hands on History: Mining the Miners" on July 16!

2011-06-20T21:47:31Z

Eureka!

With a continued effort to provide more interactive, hands-on opportunities than ever before, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park presents “Hands on History: Mining the Miners” on Saturday, July 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fort visitors will experience how California’s early pioneers often participated in high-stakes games of chance while trying to strike it rich -- as if daily life on the frontier wasn’t enough of a gamble!

“Mining the Miners” offers a fun day of games as well as the opportunity to experience the “buyer beware” culture of the Gold Rush era. Poker and roulette are familiar to us today, but have you played Faro, three-card monte, or chuck-a-luck? You’ll be able to pan for gold to get a “stake” and some local currency. Keep in mind, one bad poker hand could wipe out the dreams for prosperity and happiness. In addition, children will create hand-made crafts they can take home as keepsakes provided by the Friends of Sutter’s Fort.

For more information about this fun and engaging “Hands on History” event, or other events and activities at Sutter’s Fort SHP, call 916-445-4422 or visit www.parks.ca.gov/suttersfort

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento region including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Community Call Out -- California Questers Forming New Chapter in Sacramento!

2011-06-06T18:30:40Z

California Questers invites interested participants to attend an informational meeting on Saturday, June 11, at 11:00 a.m. at the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park, 1526 H Street in Sacramento. With the intent of starting a Questers chapter in the Sacramento area, the meeting will highlight the organization’s interest in educating members by research, the study of antiques as well as donating funds for the preservation and restoration of artifacts, memorials, historic buildings, landmarks, and educational projects.

Questers chapters work on defined projects often working with local historical society’s preservation and restoration projects including preservation of lighthouses, historic homes, monuments and artifacts in museums and missions. They donate their time, raise funds and do research to accomplish these goals.

This year the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park has been the benefactor of the efforts of the California Questers. Questers representative, Claragene Rainey, works with the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park staff to identify acquisition needs. This has led to a series of projects, each of which contributes to the restoration of this state historic park and Sacramento landmark.

Projects specific to the mansion include replacing curtains, commissioning painting reproductions and acquiring the silverware to complete the set once used in the family dining room at the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park. Earlier this year, California Questers restored an Eastlake style billiard table for the mansion’s third floor billiard room including a donation a matching cue rack by the restoration firm.

Questers is an international nonprofit organization, founded in 1944 by Jessie Elizabeth Bardens, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its major objectives are to stimulate an appreciation of antiques and to encourage the preservation and restoration of historical landmarks. With a strong desire to see that the best of American heritage preserved for future generations, Questers sponsor graduate level scholarships at Columbia University as well as a fellowship at Winterthur/University of Delaware. Questers’ chapters number 800 and 13,000 members in 43 states and two provinces. In California, there are 35 chapters with more than 500 members.

Prior to the its work with the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park, California Questers restored the statue of the Pioneer Mother and its base in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The Pioneer Mother was designed by Charles Grafly for the Pan Pacific Exposition of 1915.

For more information about the upcoming June 11 meeting, please contact Sylvia Rathbun at 408-267-3879 or visit www.calquest.com.

Special note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents numerous businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

History Museum Offers Free Summer Admission to Military Personnel and Their Families!

2011-05-27T17:44:47Z

The Sacramento History Museum announced its participation in Blue Star Museums -- a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and more than 1,300 museums across America -- to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2011. Last summer, an estimated 300,000 military families visited partner museums as part of the Blue Star Museum program.

“We are proud to participate in the Blue Star Museums program for the first time this year,” said Historic Old Sacramento Foundation Deputy Director Kristina Swanson. “It is our way of giving back to military families who sacrifice so much.”

This year, more than 1,324 (and counting) museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa are taking part in the initiative, including more than 500 new museums this year.

The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard), National Guard and Reserve members and up to five immediate family members.

About the Sacramento History Museum
Supported by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, the Sacramento History Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (except on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day) and is located at 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Admission is $5 for adults; $4 for youths ages 6-17 and free for children five and under. For more information, call (916) 808-7059 or visit www.historicoldsac.org.

About Blue Star Museums
Blue Star Museums runs from Memorial Day, May 30, 2011 through to Labor Day, September 5, 2011. The free admission program is available to active-duty military and their immediate family members (military ID holder and five immediate family members). Active duty military include Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and active duty National Guard and active duty Reserve members. Some special or limited-time museum exhibits may not be included in this free admission program. For questions on particular exhibits or museums, please contact the museum directly. To find out which museums are participating, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

Special note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento region including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

State Capitol Museum to Unveil Special World War I Exhibit - June 14

2011-05-27T17:32:50Z

Through compelling letters and prized artifacts on display as part of an upcoming new (and free!) exhibit at the California State Capitol Museum titled “Californians Over There! California’s Role in the First World War,” visitors will gain an understanding of what families endured during World War I when soldiers were “over there” and separated by thousands of miles.

This new exhibit features the letters of the Bates family from Alameda, California, that include vivid descriptions of wartime experiences written by their son Edward, who fought on the front lines in France. In addition, other key items on display include an army uniform, gas mask, helmet and weapons which provide an overall view of the life of a California “doughboy.” Also, three colorful flags carried by California divisions overseas will be featured in the exhibit. And, 11 medals -- including the prestigious Medal of Honor -- earned by Colonel Nelson Holderman, also from California, will also be on special display. Holderman survived six terrible days surrounded by the Germans in France’s Argonne Forest and many consider him to be the most decorated soldier of World War I.

For more information about this special exhibit or about upcoming events and activities, please call 916-324-0333 or visit www.capitolmuseum.org.

Special note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

100 Years Later...We Won the Vote! Exhibition Debuts at Sacramento History Museum

2011-05-16T19:33:02Z

Nearly 100 years ago in a special election on October 10, 1911, women successfully won the right to vote in California. Now, two museums in Sacramento will celebrate the hard-earned victory for full voting rights for women with the compelling exhibition We Won the Vote! 100 Years of Equal Suffrage in California.

Produced jointly by The Center for Sacramento History and California State Parks, the exhibition will officially premiere at the Sacramento History Museum in Old Sacramento on Thursday, June 16, 2011. After a three-month display period at the Sacramento History Museum, the exhibition will move to the State Capitol Museum (located inside the State Capitol building) with an opening on October 1, 2011. The We Won the Vote! exhibition will remain at the State Capitol Museum through September 30, 2012.

The We Won the Vote! exhibition will showcase interactive displays, historical photographs, period campaign materials, clothing worn during the campaign, and oral histories designed to guide guests through the tumultuous history of the movement that resulted in a successful resolution in 1911. The Capital City was the stage where legislative and lobbying efforts culminated 100 years ago amid changing political, economic and social conditions. Triumphs in the West and in California -- the sixth western state to grant women the right to vote -- helped to build much needed electoral power and political support in the nation’s capital to ensure passage of the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that awarded women across America the right to vote in 1920.

Note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento region including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Sutter’s Fort Launches Evening Event “Twilight: Return to the Fort” -- June 4

2011-05-02T22:37:08Z

This summer, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park (SHP) has reason to celebrate.   After 35 successful years of the Environmental Living Program (which provides California fourth graders an opportunity to “live” history), the Fort is inviting alumni and the community at large to celebrate the longevity of the fun and interactive program during a special evening event “Twilight: Return to the Fort” on Saturday, June 4, 2011.

After the Fort’s daytime activities have ended on Saturday, June 4, the Fort will re-open at 6 p.m. and come alive for an evening celebration complete with a grand cannon fire welcome, a scrumptious pioneer dinner, Gold Rush-era live entertainment by the Amazing Harmonatras, dancing, hands-on craft activities, storytelling by docents who will recite adventures of California’s early pioneers and much more!    Tickets are available now at www.suttersfort.org. A fundraising event for the non-profit Friends of Sutter’s Fort, “Twilight: Return to the Fort” tickets include dinner, live entertainment and take-home keepsake items hand-crafted at the event.

Over the years, it is estimated that more than 1,800 school tour groups -- or 90,000 school children -- have visited the Fort and experienced the pioneer life as part of the amazingly popular Environmental Living Program.   The program is open to all fourth graders including those in public or private schools as well as home school environments, and schools are selected via a random drawing after an application process. Classes prepare for a visit to Sutter’s Fort SHP several months in advance, incorporating their adventure into the standard California fourth grade curriculum. Then the students, along with their teacher and trained parent helpers, spend 24 hours portraying characters of 1840's California and partake in the various trade activities and entertainment of the era. The learning experience includes cooking like pioneers, participating in pioneer crafts, doing the jobs of pioneers such as blacksmith, spinning, weaving, candle dipping, packing a covered wagon, cooking in the period kitchen, banjo music and square dancing, and sleeping under the stars.

For more information about “Twilight: Return to the Fort,” the Environmental Living Program or other activities happening at Sutter’s Fort SHP, please call call (916) 445-4422 or visit www.suttersfort.org.

Special note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations in the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

State Indian Museum Celebrates Native California Heritage With Free Community Day!

2011-05-02T22:34:17Z

In an effort to honor and commemorate California’s Native Elders, the State Indian Museum will host the 34th annual “Gathering of Honored Elders” on Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. During this special event each year, the State Indian Museum and California Indian community honor the Elders—the keepers of the traditions—for their role in passing down the important history and culture of Native California people.

In addition to complimentary admission for the special “Community Day,” a sponsored lunch will be provided to the tribal Elders—which will include the ever-popular authentic Indian tacos—and is also available for purchase by Museum visitors. Native American dancers, community service organizations, and arts and crafts vendors will be on hand to enrich the experience. An official proclamation from the Governor’s office in celebration of the contributions of California’s Indian people will be shared by Larry Myers of the Native American Heritage Commission. Also, the event will include door prize drawings for unique, native-made arts and crafts.

The Gathering of Honored Elders event is co-sponsored by California State Parks, the California Indian Heritage Center Foundation, the Sacramento Native American Health Center, Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Barona Band of Mission Indians, Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk, and Elk Valley Rancheria.

For more information, call 916-324-0971 or visit www.parks.ca.gov/indianmuseum.

Special note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations in the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Above-Ground Walking Tours Now Available in Old Sac!

2011-04-28T20:19:57Z

Above or below? That is the question.

In addition to the popular Old Sacramento Underground tour program already underway for the season, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation is adding to the fun with intriguing “above ground” walking tours as well. On weekends beginning in May and continuing through August, two informative walking tours will be offered that include the following: Sacramento City: California’s Gold Rush Legacy Tour and From Canvas to Brick: Old Sacramento Architectural Tour.

For the Gold Rush Legacy Tours, docents in historically appropriate attire take guests on a journey back to the 1850s using original and reconstructed Gold Rush-era buildings as a compelling backdrop to describe what the town was like during that fascinating period in California’s history.

For the Old Sacramento Architectural Tours, guests are guided through Old Sacramento to see how the architecture of the buildings silently but assuredly reflects the compelling history of how Sacramento was transformed from a water-logged tent city -- with floods, fires and the Gold Rush along the way -- to a firmly established city and the state’s capital.

Beginning on May 1 and continuing all month, there is one above ground walking tour available each day starting at 11 a.m. On Saturday, the Sacramento City: California’s Gold Rush Legacy Tour is offered and on Sunday the From Canvas to Brick: Old Sacramento Architectural Tour is offered. Then, beginning in June and continuing through August, two tours are available each day and are scheduled as follows: Sacramento City: California’s Gold Rush Legacy Tour at 11 a.m. then the From Canvas to Brick: Old Sacramento Architectural Tour at 12:30 p.m.

All Old Sacramento walking tours last approximately one hour in length and guests are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces. Walking tours begin and end at the Sacramento History Museum located at 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Above ground walking tours can be purchased in advance at www.historicoldsac.org or in person the day of the walking tour (if space is available).

The above ground and underground tour programs are coordinated by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) and in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses.

Note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations in the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Interactive & Fun "Hands on History" Event at Sutter's Fort - 5/14

2011-04-19T18:52:34Z

It’s “game on” at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park!

With a concerted effort to provide more interactive, hands-on opportunities than ever before, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park will present a special “Hands on History: Spring Has Sprung! Fun on the Frontier” event on Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Enthusiastic docents will guide Fort visitors in learning to play fun and interactive pioneer games and contests that went a long way in lifting spirits, easing tensions and nurturing a sense of community. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to participate in fun and friendly games such as barrel hoop races, the game of Graces, tug-of-war, jump rope, old fashioned marbles and even parlor games. Plus, all children who participate in the games will take home a keepsake item provided by the Friends of Sutter’s Fort.

For more information about this fun and engaging “Hands on History” event, or other events and activities at Sutter’s Fort SHP, call 916-445-4422 or visit www.parks.ca.gov/suttersfort

Special Note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations in the Greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums & Historic Parks.

Learn from California's Past - 1906 Earthquake Living History Day

2011-04-19T18:47:21Z

With a renewed focus on their devastating power, major earthquakes are a timely topic throughout the world today.

And now, as part of an annual program, the California State Capitol Museum (located inside the State Capitol) invites the local community to step back in time to experience a re-enactment of California’s 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. Don’t miss the special opportunity to revisit the moving experience and learn from the past.

Visitors will be surrounded by docents in period attire re-creating the emotional scenes and moments of the recovery efforts that include local dignitaries providing assistance to refugees -- many of whom camped out on the Capitol grounds or at Sutter’s Fort -- and also as Sacramento women provide assistance to Bay Area families in need of meal tickets, clothing and blankets. In addition, guests will be close-at-hand when then-California Governor George Pardee receives a telegram -- not a text or email -- from President Theodore Roosevelt offering a staggering sum of $1 million for disaster relief.

This free event serves to remind Californians about our earthquake history as the world continues to grasp and deal with the latest devastation. For more, call 916-324-0333 or visit www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov.

Special note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations in the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Editorial note: The date of this event is April 30, 2011.

Calling All Artists...State Indian Museum to Host Special "Plein Air Day"!

2011-03-30T17:12:43Z

Hobby artists and painters from near and far are invited to attend a free “Plein Air Day” on Saturday, May 14, presented by the State Indian Museum and California State Parks. First offered in 2010, the special event will take place on the grounds of Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park (where the State Indian Museum is located) and is designed to provide interested participants an opportunity to join other artists in a hands-on community event that embraces nature and celebrates the beauty of the landscape, historic structures and park-like setting.

While there is no cost to participate in “Plein Air Day,” interested artists are encouraged to register early. Participating artists are encouraged to bring and use whatever painting or sketching materials they choose -- easels, sketch pads, oil paints, watercolors, charcoal, etc. -- to best capture the imagery. To register, interested artists are encouraged to call 916-324-0971 on or before Friday, May 6. The first 25 artists to register will receive a special gift courtesy of the State Indian Museum.

In addition, the community at large is invited to stroll through the outdoor grounds to watch and appreciate the experience as talented artists create their individual works of art amid the historic setting.

Note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of organizations throughout the greater Sacramento region including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

State Indian Museum to Offer Compelling Native Peoples Lecture & Book Signing on April 30

2011-03-25T18:01:23Z

The State Indian Museum (located in mid-town Sacramento adjacent to Sutter's Fort State Historic Park) is proud to offer a compelling lecture and book signing event on Saturday, April 30, 2011, with Dr. Alan P. Garfinkel, who co-authored the recently-released Handbook of the Kawaiisu with Harold Williams, Kawaiisu elder. For more than 30 years, Dr. Garfinkel has been focused on researching and understanding the rich and complex archaeological record, artifacts, native peoples and cultures of the far Southern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Mountains and western Mojave Desert regions. His insightful lecture will begin at 11 a.m. with a question and answer session and book signing opportunity immediately following.

During the lecture, Dr. Garfinkel will guide the audience through the remarkable story and legacy of the little-known Kawaiisu people. The sourcebook he co-authored provides a fascinating and history-rich guide to the Native Peoples indigenous to the region and whose tribal members cooperated fully during the research for and development of the book. In fact, Handbook of the Kawaiisu may be the most detailed and comprehensive guide to the Native Peoples that have an amazing history dating back more than 1500 years.

The upcoming lecture and book signing is a special program presented by the Museum and is being offered free with the price of Museum admission. Due to seating limitations, advance reservations are recommended by calling 916-324-0971.

The Handbook of the Kawaiisu will be available for purchase at the State Indian Museum at the lecture and book signing on April 30 only. More information about the book is available online at: http://web.me.com/kerikns/kawaiisu/Handbook_of_the_Kawaiisu.html

About the California State Indian Museum
The California State Indian Museum is operated by California State Parks and supported by the California Indian Heritage Foundation. Open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for self-guided tours and school group visits, the museum is located in midtown Sacramento at 2618 K Street on the grounds of Sutter’s Fort State. Current exhibits include traditional basketry, beadwork, ceremonial regalia and hunting & fishing items associated with many of the tribes of California, as well as contemporary artwork. For more details please call (916) 324-0971 or visit www.parks.ca.gov/indianmuseum.

Note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a variety of organizations in the greater Sacramento area including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

How Low Can You Go? Old Sac Underground Tours Resume April 2!

2011-03-24T16:17:07Z

After a very successful inaugural year in 2010, tickets for the second season of Old Sacramento Underground tours are on sale now with a limited number still available for opening weekend on April 2 and 3, 2011.   With tour schedules fluctuating with the seasons, Old Sacramento Underground tours will continue through Sunday, November 27.   Interested tour participants are encouraged to check the website -- www.historicoldsac.org -- for tour dates, times and availability.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response to the underground tour program thus far,” said Marcia Eymann, Executive Director of the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation. “We look forward to another successful year and encourage both new and returning visitors to check out this unique, educational and entertaining experience in Old Sacramento.”

In fact, Old Sacramento has the distinction of being the only city in California to raise its streets in the 1860s through the 1870s to protect the city from devastating flooding. Tour participants explore excavated foundations and enclosed pathways while entertaining and knowledgeable tour guides recount the tales of the devastation, perseverance, and determination that led to California’s only successful street-raising project.

The Old Sacramento Underground tour program is coordinated by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) and in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses.   While tour dates and times will be expanded in the summer months, the initial underground tour schedule as of April 2, 2011, is as follows: tours depart every 30 minutes from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through May.

Tours of the underground last approximately one hour in length and check-in is located at the Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Underground visitors will need to be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces in areas that have low ceilings and in occasional small spaces. Box office questions can be sent via email to scox@cityofsacramento.org and more information about Foundation membership is available by calling 916-808-7059.

About the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation
The Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) is a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation. Old Sacramento is a living historic district.   The mission of HOSF is to convey the importance of historic Sacramento as a place that connects our past to our present and future through engaging and entertaining events, activities and programs. More information is available at www.historicoldsac.org.

Note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of organizations in the greater Sacramento region including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Old Sacramento Springs Into Action on April 2!

2011-03-02T17:23:02Z

With a special “Family Fun Day” and crowd-pleasing favorites such as the always popular steam-powered excursion train rides on the Sacramento Southern Railroad and the coveted second season of the intriguing underground tours, Old Sacramento bursts into spring full steam ahead on Saturday, April 2. With so much to do, guests to Old Sacramento are encouraged to spend the day exploring old favorites and unearthing new discoveries. Check it out:

“Pick Me! Family Fun Day” at the California State Railroad Museum - April 2 ONLY
In celebration of the new and visually exciting “Pick Me! Fruit Crate Art & the California Dream” exhibit, the California State Railroad Museum invites the community to a special “Family Fun Day” on Saturday, April 2, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free with admission to North America’s most popular train museum, guests will be treated to fun-filled activities such as hand-car rides inside the Museum, a produce-inspired scavenger hunt, kid-friendly Museum programs, create-your-own fruit labels, “California Grown” activity books, games puzzles and giveaways and more! For Museum admission information, go to www.csrmf.org.

Steam-Powered Excursion Train Rides - Start April 2
The California State Railroad Museum’s popular excursion railroad--the Sacramento Southern Railroad--officially returns to operation for the 28th consecutive season on Saturday, April 2, and will continue on weekends through September. Weekend excursion trains depart every hour on-the-hour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and online tickets will soon be available at www.csrmf.org. Guests are treated to a six-mile, 40-minute roundtrip excursion along the levees of the Sacramento River. The train features a combination of vintage closed coaches with comfortable seats, and open-air “gondolas” with bench style seating.

Old Sacramento Underground Tours - Start April 2
After a very successful inaugural year with more than 10,000 underground tour tickets sold in 2010, Old Sacramento Underground tours will resume for a second season on Saturday, April 2, and continue through November. While tour dates will be expanded in the summer months, the initial underground tour schedule as of April 2 is as follows: on Saturdays and Sundays, tours depart every 30 minutes from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. through the month of May. Starting in June and continuing through August, tours will be available Thursdays through Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. departing every 30 minutes. Tour times change again in September and interested guests are encouraged to check the website for updated tour times and information.

Tours of the underground last approximately one hour in length and check-in is located at the Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Underground visitors will need to be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces in areas that have low ceilings and in occasional small spaces. Coordinated by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) and in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses, advance tickets for underground tours are available now for online purchase at www.historicoldsac.org.

With so much to do beginning on April 2, it's all in a day's play in Old Sacramento!

Note: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents various organizations and businesses in Sacramento including the Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks.

Museum Mayhem

2011-02-08T01:45:21Z

You know what's better than a museum? A free museum.

You know what's better than a free museum? Twenty-six free museums.

Saturday, two baker’s dozen of the best museums in Sacramento swung open their doors and let in every Tom, Dick and Harry, free of charge. Gratis. Complimentary. On the house. Floated.

Now, my motto has always been "If it's free, I'll take three," so I fought through a wicked head cold and really bad sniffles (I know, I know. Maybe I did take the Waaaaaaaambulance. So what?), and headed down to Old Sac to take my reward. And I took my reward.

I may have to change my motto to the far less catchy, but way more accurate, "if it's free, I'll take six."

The lucky half dozen, in chronological order: The California State Military Museum, Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum, Sacramento History Museum, California State Railroad Museum, California State Capitol Museum and The California Museum.

California State Military Museum-
My first stop on this beautiful Saturday morning, it was heavily guarded by a variety of military vehicles parked out front. One of them appeared to be a military fire truck. Be still my beating heart.

I ventured inside and was pleased to be greeted by guns, guns and more guns. For my money, as far as weaponry goes, there may be nothing cooler than the multi barrel machine gun. Maxim guns, battery guns, they have a plethora of these mean looking SOBs on display therein. I wanted to call them all Gatling guns, but it turns out I was mistaken. Volunteer Tom Burke was happy to explain the difference.
The Gatling gun is hand-operated, and the Maxim is self-powered – using the energy from the recoil to eject the spent cartridges. The Gatling gun can fire up to 200 rounds a minute. The Maxim, 600. A multi-barrel gun with an outside power source? 3,000. Dang.
Have you ever seen a .50 caliber machine gun? I have. Have you ever held a Russian submachine gun? Ditto. Thanks to the California Military Museum.

The Schoolhouse Museum-
Whereas the military museum had been well-peopled, the schoolhouse was packed, mostly with children (makes sense, if you think about it). They seemed to all be having a good time, which is something of a coup, considering they were in a schoolhouse on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I think the free cake may have had something to do with it. The volunteers, all schoolmarmed-out, were exceedingly friendly. They had a peach basket set up on the wall in the corner where a few kids were shooting hoops. I didn't see any of them make it. I'll be honest, I was in and out like a jewelry heist. I like kids fine, but not 30 at a time. God bless those schoolmarms.

The Sacramento History Museum-
Next, I walked across Old Sac to the History Museum, stopping only to grab a free sample of saltwater taffy at the candy store. I'd also stopped there on the way to the schoolhouse. Like I said, if it's free...

I passed the greedy hordes out front panning for gold and entered the museum. I was struck immediately by the old-time printing press to the right of the entrance. There is a certain magic to the care with which the printed word used to be created. What is now so simple was once so labor-intensive (typesetting!). I spent a few minutes watching the old fellows work in the print shop before venturing into the museum proper.

Probably my favorite part of the museum was the section with the old farm tools, like the "Sure Pop Almond Huller" and the "Simpson Butter Cutter." (If you're like me, next time you go up to Apple Hill, be sure to check out the Larsen Pioneer Farm Museum. It's fantastic.)

I also really enjoyed the exhibit on Sacramento landmark Dunlap's D ining Room. . . they just don't make places like that anymore, and it's a shame.

By the time I left, the museum had reached capacity, and a small line had formed out front.

California State Railroad Museum-
A couple of my most vivid early childhood memories involve trains: playing with my grandfather’s train sets in the attic of their home in Portsmouth Ohio; and a family train ride I took from New York City to Ohio, during which we played canasta and I saw a man open a beer bottle using his eye socket.

I also used to take the train up to school in Eugene, Ore. I love trains. If it were economically and logistically feasible, I would do all of my traveling by rail. It's really the only way to travel.

Of all the museums I visited, I was probably most excited to visit the Railroad Museum.

It did not disappoint. I even really enjoyed the educational film that plays on the half hour, at the end of which the screen rises to unveil a massive steam engine, barreling through a tunnel blown through solid rock. Pretty dramatic.

I could, and one day will, spend hours meandering through the myriad railroad-related exhibits, but on this day, and in my weakened state, the museum was a bit too crowded for me to fully enjoy it.

Many of the train walk-through exhibits had good-sized lines to get in, and once inside, the people were packed in shoulder-to-shoulder. Neither of these situations was very appealing to me, so I chose to fight another day, and did only a cursory walkthrough, consciously not looking at anything too thoroughly so as to save it for next time. Man, that is nerdy.

I'll be back soon.

State Captiol Museum-
I'll admit it, I was just padding my stats here. I was walking to the California Museum, and this was en route. I spent maybe 10 minutes inside. I was hoping it would be a shortcut, but the doors on the south end weren't open. Doh. Don't get me wrong, it's well worth the visit, but I'd been there fairly recently with some friends from out of town.

The California Museum-
With the Railroad Museum, this was my co-favorite of the museums I visited. The California Hall of Fame is very cool and eclectic (James Cameron, Charles Schultz, Merle Haggard, Barbara Streisand and Mark Zuckerberg are all in the 2010 club. The California Hall of Fame makes for strange bedfellows, apparently.), but my favorite exhibits were the "Uprooted! The Japanese Americans during WWII" and the "Psychedelic Poster Art 1965-1975."

Both exhibits are awesome.

The Japanese Internment during World War II is one of the more embarrassing acts in American history, and it is an episode that is oft-overlooked or glossed over. I remember it being discussed very briefly, maybe in a sixth grade American History class, but we certainly didn't dedicate an entire class period to it, or even a large portion of one. I think, in our history books, we had maybe one secondary paragraph devoted to the internment, set aside in the corner of a page with a different color background.

The exhibit does a great job of showing what internment was like from a Japanese-American perspective, and the volunteers like Sacramento native Mas Hatano, who spent three of his teenage years in Tuli Lake Internment Camp on the Oregon border, do even better.

Said the still spry and extremely sharp Hatano: "The more people know about this, the less likely it is to happen again." It's hard to believe that something like this could have happened here such a short time ago, but a lot less so when speaking with a man who lived through it. I wish I'd had an opportunity to visit such an exhibit, and speak with such a man, when I was a sixth grader.

The Psychedelic Poster Art Exhibit was awesome... ’cause it's psychedelic poster art. I mean, a poster for The First Annual Sacramento Pop Festival, Oct. 15, 1967 featuring Jefferson Airplane and Strawberry Alarm Clock at Hughes Stadium? "Donation $3.00 in advance, $3.50 at the stadium Box off. Come and go as you please, visit psychedelic shops at the festival." Don't mind if I do. If you don't get a kick out of that, I'm not sure we should hang out anymore.

Six museums in just under five hours: I absolutely owned Free Museum Day. And so did many of you: The Sacramento History Museum had 3,233 visitors on Saturday, up from an average Saturday attendance of around 200. The California Museum had approximately 4,000 visitors, up from the same Saturday average of around 200. And the Railroad Museum, which brings in somewhere between 800 and 1,000 visitors on an average Saturday, pulled in 13,742.

As Paul Hammond, museum director for the Sacramento History and Railroad Sector, put it: "This event is a wonderful opportunity for the spotlight to shine on museums in the region. There are so many museums right here in the greater Sacramento area, and this event gives the community an opportunity to sample the many possibilities and become more familiar with them."

And sample we did, voraciously.

Consider my appetite whetted.

Unique Holiday Gifts Waiting to be Discovered at Local Museums!

2010-11-29T16:22:38Z

When searching for holiday gifts, local shoppers often think of malls and neighborhood retailers. However, hidden treasures and unique items are available at various museums and historic parks throughout the Sacramento area as well. Outlined below is a gift guide sampling of some of the unique, quality items waiting to be discovered at a few favorite historic destinations around town.

California State Railroad Museum

California Poppy Necklaces & Earrings -- Made exclusively for the Railroad Museum Store, fashion necklaces and earrings are available that showcase an elegant floral design taken from the Santa Fe Railway's "California Poppy" china pattern. This china pattern was used for decades on many Santa Fe passenger trains traveling to and from California. The necklace comes with a 30" chain that can be shortened. The earring wires are hypo-allergenic.
Polar Express Merchandise -- Of course, the Museum Store sells difficult-to-find and crowd-pleasing Polar Express merchandise, all officially licensed. Gift items include water globes, picture frames, throw blankets, mugs and holiday ornaments.
Gift Memberships -- The gift of membership to the California State Railroad Museum makes a wonderful gift with many benefits such as free entrance into the museum, free excursion train rides, special discounts, invitations to members-only events and much, much more!

Huntington & Hopkins Hardward Store (located next to Railroad Museum)

Wooden Toys & Puzzles -- Reminiscent of an earlier time, wooden puzzles and time-tested toys spur imagination and hands-on creativity for kids of all ages.
Local History Books -- Wonderful and thought-provoking books are available about Sacramento's role in the Gold Rush and the Pony Express.

Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park

California or State Parks Branded Merchandise -- Perfect for California lovers, the Governor’s Mansion SHP store has California branded merchandise such as mini flags, California bear mugs, t-shirts, books, pins and more. Plus, a variety of State Parks branded merchandise is available, too.
Period Popular Jewelry -- Affordable yet tasteful costume jewelry (that represents the period of interpretation 1903-1967) is available in the Mansion store and includes necklaces, bracelets, brooches, pins and earrings. Great conversation pieces!

Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park

Books About 19th Century Life -- Appropriate for the restored Mansion, two popular books are available at the on-site store, titled "Essential Handbook of Victorian Entertaining" and "Essential Handbook of Victorian Etiquette.” Both books provide guidance for properly conducting oneself in an era where social norms differed materially from those we are familiar with today.

State Indian Museum

Native American Artwork -- Unique and original artwork made by talented Native American artisans from all over California is available in the Museum Store.
Soapstone Kits -- Wonderful for children with active imaginations who love to explore and enjoy hands-on activities, soapstone carving kits are available in a variety of figurines such as a bear, wolf, sun disk or dolphin.

Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park

Corn Husk Doll Angels -- Traditional corn husk dolls bring the magic of Christmas as charming angel ornaments. Available handmade by the artisans at Sutter's Fort or as “do-it-yourself” kits.
Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candles & Pine Cones -- Made on-site, Sutter’s Fort SHP has its very own line of beeswax candles and pine cones that range in shapes, sizes, scents and prices. Beeswax candles lit the night during the cold winter of 1846. Now everyone can enjoy the beauty and scent of hand-dipped candles.

The items listed above are merely a sampling of holiday gift items available now at the various museums and historic parks. No admission fee is necessary to browse through the various on-site stores. More information and hours for the various sites is available online at www.parks.ca.gov/CapitalDistrict.

THE CHURCH SERIES

2010-09-29T16:46:21Z

The “Church Series” a Project by Fred Dalkey

The church takes up the corner of 23rd and K in downtown Sacramento. Painted white and stripped of any religious insignia, the large, solid stucco building is still clearly identifiable as to its previous use. The inside is much the same. The great hall, with its eighteen-foot ceiling, is thirty by forty feet, with a raised stage and proscenium at the north end. The tall, narrow, frosted windows reach almost to the ceiling, bathing the hall, and the air inside the hall, with pearlescent light. This room, like the outside of the building, has been cleansed of ornament. All of the furniture has been removed, and the entire floor is covered with neutral grey carpet. White paint covers the walls and ceiling, further reflecting the constant interior light.

In the southeast corner of this empty room sits a wooden chair, an easel, and a painting table with a white glass top on which sits a ceramic vase full of brushes. They face the first window, its panes, like all of the windows in the hall are translucent, covered with sheets of plastic frosting. In front of this window, not quite reaching the height of the sill is a small wooden table. In the center of the tabletop sit two plain vases, glazed dark brown, almost black. They are unremarkable, one a little larger than the other, with wide bases, flaring out to the shoulder and finishing with wide necks and mouths, each of which could have been sealed with a large cork.

Fred Dalkey has been sitting in the chair facing the window and table and the two small vases and has been making paintings for the greater part of the year. He often arrives at the church in the late morning when the light entering the east-facing window is its most intense, and paints as the sun moves up and over the roof. The frosted window obscures any view from outside, and softens the transition of the light as it changes through the morning and into the afternoon. But to say that he has been painting the vases, or even the light flooding over the vases would not be quite accurate.

Modern painting has given us a century of closely observed, finely modulated paintings, carried out as extended series: Monet’s great series of haystacks, poplar trees, and the Cathedral at Rouen captured the often minute-by-minute fluctuation of light as the day or season progressed. Each painting was a snapshot of a specific situational instant, frozen in time, where the light-infused air presented a saturated color image of the chosen scene. Giorgio Morandi’s ecstatically simple still-life paintings, carried out over decades, presented us with transcendental miniature dramas featuring the same small cast of characters as they arrange and re-arranged themselves with and against each other and the encroaching space that surrounded their table.

Dalkey’s project is different. He is painting exactly the same scene at essentially the same time, repeatedly engaging the same situation with a highly developed painter’s eye. Even though the light varies through the day and across the seasons, the huge reflective interior space of the church and the vertical expanse of the window keep the quality of the light remarkably consistent. He is fundamentally stopping time. These vases on the table, this intense filtered light sits suspended across the days and through the weeks and months. Dalkey is extending his gaze. Through this act of existential artistic contemplation, he is shifting the content of the paintings from the objects on the table to the observation of those objects. Even though the scene doesn’t move, the artist’s perception is now engaged. This sense of sight is the subject of these paintings done in the church on K Street.

This shift of subject from the object to the observer changes the rules of the game. In the hands of an observational painter with the developed technical skills of Fred Dalkey, the subtle variations of color and emphasis that are essentially optical, (that is, the information generated by the observer’s eye while in concentrated viewing of an unchanging scene) becomes a rich and uncharted territory for investigation. While we usually filter out the changes in our perception brought on by excitement, or fatigue, or too much coffee, they are identifiable, and sometimes profound. The act of engaged looking makes the observer aware of the relationship between the physiological perception afforded by the optical sensors of the eyes, and the smoothing cognitive powers of the brain. Sight is slightly pixilated, granular, given to us by the sensitive cells in our eyes; the rods that pick up variations of light and dark, and the far fewer cones that assess color. It is momentary and effervescent, a constantly changing landscape.

While this would be fertile ground for any like-minded painter, it is particularly prescient for Dalkey.

His recent previous work can roughly be broken into categories: one would be closely observed value-sensitive, almost classically realistic renderings, and another would be the more expressionist figure studies. Until now, his still-lifes would be entirely found in the first category. Considered and calm, the small collections of discrete objects (occasionally containing one of the vessels in these new paintings) create finely attuned compositions, and the textures, reflections, and cast shadows exist perfectly within even and steady illumination. On the other hand, the almost frantic figure paintings of the last few years attempt to capture an entire person and environment in a single sitting. Even though the figure within is usually at rest, the paintings are slashed with color. Slabs of purple, red, yellow or green create a torso, an arm, the side of a face bathed in the light from an equally aggressive source. This is painting as contact sport. The potential for failure is equal to the possibility of success.

These new paintings are a culmination of all this attention and practice. They are observational and situational. They are more than paintings of two vases; they are an attempt to capture the flowing quality of sight itself. Each one of these scenes is the record of a specific optical occurrence. It is as if the church on K Street was designed as an optical laboratory with its high white walls and infused bright light to afford an ideal environment for this intensified observation. The energized brushwork utilized to capture the light as it surrounded the model in the figure paintings is now used to identify the fleeting essence of color at a precise moment. Using the nominal subject of the vases, painted over the course of a year, Dalkey has been able to concentrate his attention on the perceived surface of vision.

If the paintings seem to us to be exercises of emotional expression, it may be that emotions can literally affect the way we see. The power of these paintings goes beyond the fact that they are an artist’s attempt to capture an almost impossibly fleeting occurrence. They are able to elicit emotion through the resonance of shared experience. They may feel familiar because at one level, we all live in this same visual world.

The Church Series is currently on exhibit at THE CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, SACRAMENTO, located at 1519 19th Street, Sacramento, Ca, 95811. The exhibition is free. CCAS is open Wednesday by appointment andThurusday thru Sunday from noon to 5:00PM. This exhibition will run from September 23, 2010 thru October 23, 2010.

-Chris Daubert

New Custom Electric Vehicle Featured in "Going Green" exhibit

2010-04-21T17:15:57Z

Sacramento, CA – Just in time for Earth Day, one of the California Automobile Museum's newest editions to the Going Green exhibit is the “Quiet 1” – a custom 3 wheel, 2 passenger, electric vehicle designed and built completely at home. This home-built electric car serves as a great example of what environmentally-conscious car enthusiasts can do.

The California Automobile Museum’s Going Green exhibit opened Earth Day 2009 and showcases vehicles spanning the 20th to the early years of the 21st century that personify the low-polluting, environmentally advanced cars dotting California’s highways. The exhibit features one of only 12 surviving models of the EV-1, an all-electric prototype manufactured by General Motors between 1991 and 2003, and a 1913 Rauch and Lang, an electric vehicle widely available at the turn of the century.

About the California Automobile Museum: Formerly the Towe Auto Museum, this spacious 72,000 square foot museum is home to over 150 vehicles of various makes and models, ranging from the early 1900s to alternative power vehicles of the future. Exhibits recreate the love affair we have with automobiles and provide historical information about the automotive industry. The Museum’s mission is to educate and entertain while preserving and promoting the automobile and its influence on our lives. The Museum is located at 2200 Front Street, between Broadway and Old Sacramento with ample free parking. The Museum is open daily from 10am to 6pm, taking the last admission at 5pm and stays open until 9pm every third Thursday. For more information visit www.CalAutoMuseum.org or call (916) 442-6802.

Another group of California's finest honored at the Hall of Fame

2009-12-03T05:14:51Z

It must have been a surreal experience for those on the RT at 10th and O streets to spot the likes of John Madden, Carol Burnett and George Lucas walking down the red carpet in their awards-show best at the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

Anyone who actually got off at the stop may have caught Burnett's signature Tarzan call or had a chance for Lucas to sign any surface capable to be written on. Dozens of others, however, thought ahead and brought glossy “Star Wars,” “Terminator” and sports stills for Lucas, Gov. Schwarzenegger and Madden to sign, respectively.

The occasion for this "who’s who" of California’s best, 13 in all, was their induction into the state’s Hall of Fame (Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver were hosting, not being inducted). Before the evening’s ceremony, the honorees received a justified red carpet treatment for their accomplishments.

Bestselling author Danielle Steel’s gold jewelry glowed in contrast to her simple, black outfit. Burnett was just as warm and funny off camera as she has been since the mid-1960s, even taking time to joke with a group of young girls carrying signs reading “I love Carol."

General Chuck Yeager, being one of the bravest American men in history, was remarkably down-to-Earth considering he’s spent so much of his life thousands of feet above it. Though Andy Grove looks like any other conservatively dressed businessman downtown, he is responsible for every major advancement in computing and technology in the past half century with his invention of the silicon-based chip.

Rafer Johnson could have easily beaten his fellow inductees down the carpet in a footrace, but instead chose to saunter along with the confidence that can only come with being one of the greatest Olympic athletes in history.

Lucas brought massive amounts of cheers from both the journalists lined behind the press area to get pictures and rows of fans, including a kid on his dad’s shoulders holding a lightsaber. Madden was even bigger in person than on his numerous television gigs, with a broad smile stretched across his face amidst the camera flashes.

A few of the inductees were honored posthumously, with a relative or someone knowledgeable about their body of work accepting the award on their behalf. Joan Kroc’s daughter, Linda Ardell Wendfelt; Harvey Milk’s nephew, Stuart Milk, and numerous California pro gay rights politicians; Fritz Scholder’s sister, Sondra Clark; state historian and expert on Hiram Johnson Dr. Kevin Starr; and Henry J. Kaiser’s granddaughter, Carlyn Kaiser Stark represented their corresponding person of honor.

Once inside the museum’s auditorium, the people of the evening took their seats onstage.

“When I first moved to California my parents thought I had lost my mind,” Shriver said, opening the ceremony. “They thought nothing serious happened here, but I made the Hall of Fame to show everyone that amazing things are done here. This is where people can dream big and imaginations can run wild."

Shriver’s husband was next, appropriately introducing the first inductee of the evening, bodybuilding guru, Joe Weider.

“We don’t give up and we don’t give in,” said Gov. Schwarzenegger. “That is what I love about Californians. This man gave me the opportunity to come over to America when I was 21 and he is the reason I am here today."

Shriver spoke about Joan Kroc, whose philanthropy helped numerous organizations.

“Joan made sure my mother’s work with the Special Olympics would continue with her generous contributions,” Shriver said.

Each inductee got a chance to speak about another person before hanging a medal around the recipient’s neck.

Madden delivered his speech on General Yeager in his trademark rambling game-calling style.

“Only in California can a guy who doesn’t fly induct the greatest pilot ever,” said Madden. “He famously popped in a piece of Beeman’s gum before he took off when he broke the sound barrier in his jet. I mean, here’s a guy who is about to be the first person to travel faster than the speed of sound, and all he needs is a stick of gum."

Yeager himself spoke of why he did his best work in California, saying, “I flew there the most because they didn’t have airfields in West Virginia, where I was raised."

George Lucas spoke about Andy Grove, giving him his respect for his effect on modern technology.

“The cell phone, video games, computers, TVs, modern automobiles and anything else that operates with a processor, he made it all possible,” Lucas said. “Of course this means that expressions such as 'lol,' 'btw' and 'ttyl' are all partially his fault. He became successful by thinking big, creating small and bringing people together."

Burnett was honored by Stuart Milk, who spoke of the legendary entertainer’s influence on his adolescence.

“My Saturday nights as a young gay man questioning himself were brightened by her,” Milk said of Burnett. “Even though many male entertainment stars played one on TV, there was now an actual woman in their realm. She was the first queen of variety television."

Burnett closed the evening by speaking about her own experiences as a struggling actress working in a movie theater in Hollywood.

“I was a good usherette,” Burnett joked in her patented comedic delivery. “It was the manager who was nuts! But when it came time to place my star on the Walk of Fame, guess which building I decided to put it in front of?"

California Hall of Fame to honor its fourth group of inductees

2009-11-30T03:40:49Z

For the fourth year, the California Hall of Fame will induct a group of individuals who have changed the state for the better. The ceremony will be held on Tuesday at the California Museum, the site of the hall of fame. The 13 inductees are:

Carol Burnett (comedienne and actress)

Andy Grove (former chairman and chief executive officer of Intel Corp.)

Hiram Johnson (California governor and U.S. senator)

Rafer Johnson (Olympic gold medalist in decathlon)

Henry J. Kaiser (industrialist and founder of Kaiser Permanente and the Kaiser Family Foundation)

Joan Kroc (philanthropist and widow of the founder of McDonald's)

George Lucas (director and producer)

John Madden (NFL player, coach and commentator)

Harvey Milk (politician and gay rights activist)

Fritz Scholder (Native American artist)

Danielle Steel (New York Times bestselling author)

Joe Weider (body builder and founder of numerous fitness magazines, competitions and organizations)

General Chuck Yeager (test pilot, and first to break the sound barrier)

“The inductees don’t necessarily have to be born in California,” said Ashley Robinson, curator and press liaison at the museum California History Museum, 1020 O St. “They do have to have been successful in their careers or done their best work here."

The hall of fame was founded by Maria Shriver, wife of the current governor and a former journalist, in 2006 to honor remarkable achievements of people in California.

“When Gov. Schwarzenegger was elected in 2003, she began a mission to tell the story of our state,” Robinson said.

The museum inducts about a dozen people each year, and “generally shoots for less to make it more special," she added.

Possible inductees are nominated by the public in January and voted on by a special committee over the next few months.

“We start with a list of about 20 and whittle it down, and then Gov. Schwarzenegger and Mrs. Shriver vote on the final choices,” Robinson said.

Shriver will talk at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and the ceremony will start at 6 p.m.

An exhibit honoring each person will be on display at the museum for a year, displaying artifacts and items related to the inductees’ work. Examples include costumes and memorabilia from “Star Wars” for Lucas, artwork by Scholder and documents related to Milk’s work in San Francisco.

These pieces aren't always easy to come by.

“It’s tough to put some of those exhibits together,” Robinson said. “A few of our honorees don’t have any living relatives, and for others it was difficult to find some of the items we have on display."

The State Archives to Offer Free Open House Saturday

2009-10-01T05:30:41Z

October marks Archives Month in most of the states in the union, and for the sixth consecutive year, California will be participating. To celebrate, the State Archives will be hosting an open house at 1020 O Street on Saturday, Oct. 3, starting at 4 p.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m.

Stephanie Hamashin, an archivist who will be working the event, spoke about what attendees can expect.

"The most important part of the exhibit will be both of California's constitutions," Hamashin said. "We haven't had the 1849 one on display in five years, and the one from 1879 is about the same. What is major is that both have never been shown simultaneously."

Due to the fragile nature of the documents, special lighting will be used to show them in their protective cases. A California Highway Patrol officer will guard the room. Both are written on animal hide, allegedly from goat, according to Hamashin.

"Our archivists will be here to answer questions about the artifacts and documents," Hamashin said. "They include students, interns and actual archivists."

Twelve organizations will be at the archives showing pieces from their collections.

"People from repositories like the Society of California Archivists, U.C. Davis and Sac State will be there," Hamashin said.

Hamashin said an added bonus is that anyone interested can get a behind-the-scenes tour where they will see where the documents are stored and how the displays are cared for.

"Dr. Thomas Clark, who is a professor at Sac State, will speak about the history of the constitutions at 5:45 p.m.," Hamashin said. "They are vital documents to our history because they represent the birth of the state itself."

Oct. 10 will see another major event for the archives, Family History Day.

"That day we will be showing people how to do research about their lineage and genealogy from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.," said Hamashin. "Both of these Saturdays are the biggest exhibits of the year for us."

Entrance to the State Archives is free on both days, as is parking around the building. More information on the archives can be found here. You can also call the archives at (916) 653-7715.

Christmas rolls into Old Sac on Disney train

2009-06-19T04:10:56Z

Despite the sweltering temperatures, it will be Christmas in June this weekend in Old Sacramento.

On a 40-city interactive train tour,"Disney's A Christmas Carol" train will be pulling into Old Sacramento Friday through Sunday as a promotion for the upcoming "Disney's A Christmas Carol," which is scheduled to open in November and stars Jim Carrey.

Carolers, Christmas decorations and fake snow will transform the train tracks near the California State Railroad Museum into a winter wonderland for families and children of all ages.

Those who hop aboard the train will be treated to several different exhibit cars highlighting the making of the movie and featuring props and costumes from the film. A sneak preview of the film will be shown in the "3D Tent," and visitors will have the chance to pay a virtual visit to the Charles Dickens Museum in London and see actual artifacts from the museum.

Children can morph their own faces to look like characters from the movie and have the chance to win prizes from Disney and Hewlett Packard, which is providing the technology for the train.

The tour, which began on Memorial Day Weekend in Los Angeles, will come to an end in November at New York's Grand Central Terminal when the film will be shown in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D across the United States.

Visiting the train is free to the public, and for those who wish to visit the museum afterward, the admission box in front will be offering coupons good for two-for-one admissions.

The California State Railroad Museum is located at 111 I St. in Old Sacramento.

The Railroad Museum will have extended hours through the weekend. Hours are 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Sunday.

To follow the train's tour, click here

Crocker Announces Summer Art Classes for Children, Teens & Adults

2009-04-23T18:14:15Z

This summer let the Crocker Art Museum’s world-class art collection be your source for exploration, instruction and inspiration. The Crocker presents more than 20 educational opportunities this summer for children, teens and adults interested in expanding and exercising their artistic awareness and abilities. All classes are taught by highly skilled teaching artists and are designed to encourage students to unleash their imaginations while receiving formal lessons in color, line, texture and a variety of media.

Summer Art Classes for children range from two-day workshops to week-long sessions, and this year marks the first series of Summer Art Classes for Adults. The Crocker’s Teen Action Team has also planned three half-day workshops and events for teens. Each session is designed for a particular age group and taught by local artists using artwork from the Crocker collection and changing exhibitions for inspiration.

Registration is now open and Crocker members receive discounts. Session fees range from $40 to $145 per student and include class materials and refreshments.

Classes and workshops vary by location. Due to construction for the Museum’s expansion, most summer classes for children are held offsite at the West Sacramento Civic Center Galleria, located at 1110 West Capitol Avenue, approximately five minutes from the Crocker.
For more information, contact the Education Department at (916) 808-1182 or education@crockerartmuseum.org. Download a registration form at crockerartmuseum.org/summer.

The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of California, European and Asian artworks. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in Downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday; Thursday until 9 p.m. Admission is free on Sundays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

The Sacramento Children's Museum & Rancho Cordova Join Forces

2009-04-21T21:39:24Z

The City of Rancho Cordova and the board of the new Sacramento Children’s Museum have announced that a site in Rancho Cordova has been selected to be the home of the region’s newest family-oriented attraction. The Sacramento Children’s Museum (SCM), a hands-on, interactive center will be located at 2701 Prospect Park Drive in Rancho Cordova, next to City Hall. The Museum is scheduled to open in January 2010.

“We are pleased and proud to be a partner in this outstanding endeavor that will be a destination attraction, not only for our City but for the entire Sacramento region,” said Rancho Cordova Mayor Dan Skoglund after the SCM board gave a presentation at the April 20th City Council meeting. The City and the Museum have been negotiating for almost a year, developing the partnership that gave life to the vision of having a children’s museum in Rancho Cordova. “Many people have been involved in the creation of what will be a gem for our community,” commented Skoglund. “They are to be congratulated for their creativity and tenacity.”

The SCM will feature various exhibit areas that will encourage children’s imaginations and prompt them to test, tinker, laugh, and wonder. Special shows, programs, and speakers will complement the exhibits. The exhibits will change several times a year. Although the Museum will appeal to visitors of all ages, it will be designed primarily for younger children up to about age eight.

The founders have developed seven distinct areas in the new museum:

· Waterways will promote wet activities such as building boats, creating whirlpools, and experimenting with water flow.

· My Neighborhood will include a gigantic “story tree” and activities that celebrate the region’s cultural diversity.

· World Market will offer fun role-playing to develop knowledge about nutrition, sorting, measuring, and counting.

· Art Studio will provide opportunities for self-expression and creativity, using a variety of materials.

· Baby Bloomers will offer safe exploration activities for babies and toddlers.

· Resource Center will be a source of parenting and child development information for parents, childcare providers, and other care givers.

· Party Room will be an area that can be rented for birthday and holiday celebrations.

Display areas planned for the future include Raceways, Airways, a Garden, and a café.

The idea for a children’s museum began with two area teachers who saw a need for inspiring learning through interactivity. They started SCM, a non-profit corporation, and soon received support from local businesses, educators, librarians, professionals, children’s advocates, and the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau. In 2006, the Junior League of Sacramento adopted the Children’s Museum as its signature project and established a committee to work with the SCM board in planning and designing exhibits and programs, raising funds, doing community outreach and public relations, and supplying a large volunteer base of professional and talented women to support the Museum.

“It is fitting that the Sacramento Children’s Museum has formed a partnership with the City of Rancho Cordova as the Museum has made it a priority to celebrate cultural diversity as part of its focus and Rancho Cordova encompasses more cultural diversity than almost anywhere else in the greater Sacramento area,” said Kathleen Palley, SCM President. “It takes people from a variety of backgrounds with unique life experiences to make a difference in our community!”

She continued that the Children’s Museum will be “a place where imaginations can roam, confidence can grow, and families can experience the power of play in a safe and welcoming environment.”

For information about the SCM, membership packets, and/or partnership opportunities, please contact Sheri Graciano, Sacramento Children’s Museum Marketing Director, at (916) 203-1814.

“Rancho Cordova is a new City – we just celebrated our 5th anniversary last July - so we identify with being ‘young’ and we are excited to be the home of this new Sacramento Children’s Museum. We welcome the opportunity to grow and mature with the Museum through the coming years,” concluded Mayor Skoglund.

Week 11: 7 Days, 7 Things to do

2009-03-17T21:47:06Z

And so begins the eleventh week of 2009. Sacramento continues to surprise us with great events all week long!

Week 11: March 17-24, Check out:

Tuesday: Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

There is a day full of festivities in celebration of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. Don your green garb and join the fun! 100.5 The Zone will be broadcasting live at Brew it Up on 14th and H Street. Enjoy Celtic & Irish music all day with dining & drinks specials starting at 11:00am. Live music by Mother Mayhem will begin at 9:00pm and you may even catch a glimpse of the Jameson and SoCo girls while you're there! Be sure to head down to Old Sacramento for the 13th Annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Old Sacramento. The parade starts at 6:00pm but check out the pre-parade entertainment starting at 4:00pm. Then, Get Your Irish Up! with a block party at De Vere's Irish Pub and MIX downtown. L Street will be closed between 15th and 16th Streets. This is an all day event starting at 10:00am featuring: Irish bagpipes, Gaelic dancers, classic Irish food, full bars serving fine Irish whiskey, and over 30 beers on tap. Music by Tainted Love will begin at 8:00pm. Get your tickets today for $20 at De Vere's or MiX. Call (916) 231-9947 for more info. There will also be plenty of specials and entertainment around town. Some participants include: Streets of London, Golden Bear, Marilyn's on K, Capitol Dawg, Cosmo Cafe, Bistro 33 Midtown and many others!

Wednesday: Broker's London Dry Gin Mixology Competition

Come to the Lounge on 20 to witness this bartending showdown! Ten of the Sacramento's most creative and talented mixologists (aka bartenders) will be competing to make the "Best" cocktail. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 winners. Onlookers and fellow cocktail connaisseurs can enjoy a specialty priced cocktail menu all night (including $5 Broker's Gin cocktails) along with a Broker's Gin tasting table. The doors open at 5:00 and the competition begins at 6:00pm so get there early! Lounge on 20 is located at: 1050 20th Street, Suite 100 (20th & K). (916) 443-6620

Thursday: Crocker Cinematique: The Cup

Explore your understanding of Buddhism with this special evening! Sponsored by the Crocker Art Museum, the Cinematique program features films reflective of current exhibits at the museum. The most current exhibit is Buddha which runs through April 19th. The Cup is a film about the challenges of the Lama, head of the monastery, in teaching the word of Buddha in a rapidly changing world. Dr. Maria Jaoudi, Professor of Humanities and Religious Studies at Sacramento State, will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterward on the spiritual dimensions, concerns and values of Buddhism portrayed in the film. Held at the Sierra 2 Center, Curtis Hall at 2791 24th Street. Free with admission to the Museum. Call (916) 808-1182 for reservations (required). If you haven't seen the exhibit yet, pre-screening tours of Buddha will begin at 5:45pm at the Crocker Art Museum.

Friday: Sacramento State Festival of the Arts

Sponsored by the Sacramento State School of the Arts, this event features various media and artists showcasing their talents. There will be performances and shows to include jazz, theater and dance, poetry and lectures. The event begins Wednesday, March 18 and continues through Saturday, the 21st. Many of the events are free, others range from $8-$15. On Friday, Check out: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A satire of big business and all it holds sacred, put on by the Department of Theatre and Dance. Show starts at 8pm and costs $15 General Admission, $12 Students/Seniors, $10 Children (although recommended for teens and up). Held in the Capistrano Hall at Sac State, 6000 J Street. (916) 278-5155

Saturday: Journee de la Francophonie

French language isn’t just for Parisians! The Alliance Française de Sacramento is hosting this fun filled day to celebrate the languange and culture of the French speaking peoples across the globe. Take a trip around the world in one day with dancing, movies and lectures for the whole family to enjoy. $5 for non-members, $2 for members, children 14 and under are free. The Alliance Francaise de Sacramento is located at 1721 25th Street. (916) 453-1723

Sunday: Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

If you are one of those people who never really understood the notoriety of the prose and productions of William Shakespeare, the Sacramento Theatre Company has got the play for you. This abridged version of Shakespearian works is performed by three actors who humorously perform all 37 of Shakespeare's plays in less than 2 hours! Acclaimed as “wildly funny” by the Los Angeles Times and “the funniest show you are likely to see in your entire lifetime” by the Montreal Gazette. Lovers of Shakespeare alike will undoubtedly find this show equally entertaining. Prices range from $15-$46. Sacramento Theatre Company is located at 1419 H Street. For tickets visit the box office or call (916) 443-6722.

Monday: Strong Women, Powerful Financial Strategies Seminar

In honor of Womens History month, Ameriprise Financial is holding this special financial workshop geared towards women at Borders Bookstore of Sacramento. As per their website, "The rules of financial planning are different for women. This informative seminar will focus on how you can: Gain control over your finances, make informed financial decisions and protect the people and things you love the most." This is a free event. The seminar begins at 7:00pm so get there early to reserve your space! Located at 2339 Fair Oaks Boulevard.

Find these events and many more Sacramento events at Sacramento365.com.

Sacramento Museum Day Returns February 7

2009-02-03T22:29:19Z

Twenty-six greater Sacramento area museums will be offering free admission, all day long, during the 11th Annual Sacramento Museum Day. This event is presented by the Sacramento Association of Museums, and proudly supported by Umpqua Bank. Sacramento Museum Day takes place Saturday, February 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All participating museums close at 5 p.m., with the last guests admitted at 4 p.m.

Museum Day, a Sacramento cultural tradition, invites all members of the community to experience the Capital City’s incredible wealth of art, history, science and wildlife at numerous participating museums at no cost. Twenty-six museums in all will be participating in Museum Day for 2009, the largest number ever! Several participating museums also offer special programming during Sacramento Museum Day, in addition to regular exhibitions.

“The Sacramento region boasts dozens of museums, many of them relatively unknown to local residents,” said Sacramento Association of Museums Chairman Paul Hammond. “Sacramento Museum Day is a great opportunity to sample these institutions and, in the process, to learn about our region, our state, and our world.” Nearly 55,000 people enjoyed the Capital City’s museums during Sacramento Museum Day 2008; since the event’s inception, well over one-half million people have enjoyed Sacramento Museum Day.

Event coordinators suggest that guests plan to see no more than two or three different museums this day, to allow adequate time to enjoy the experience and to travel between individual sites. Also, since some museums must limit the number of admissions this day for safety reasons, guests are asked to check out detailed Museum Day information online at sacmuseums.org, prior to February 7. “And whatever you do,” says Museum Day Coordinator Delta Pick Mello, “consider visiting museums that you’ve never been to—or perhaps have never even heard of. That’s what this event is all about: discovering the many different museums that are right here in our own backyard!”

Sacramento Museum Day 2009 is proudly supported by Umpqua Bank. Media sponsors include KVIE Public Television, Capital Public Radio, Outword magazine, and News10’s Sacramento & Co. Free shuttle buses will operate throughout the day with stopping points located adjacent to most—but not all—participating museums. The California Museum, at 10th and ‘O’ Streets, serves as the central transfer point for the five different shuttle routes in operation during Sacramento Museum Day. Volunteer “step-on” tour guides will be on-board to assist riders and narrate the route, courtesy of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau and California State University, Sacramento. Riders with special needs will be accommodated courtesy of Cerebral Palsy Transport.

Detailed information about participating museums, suggested parking, public transit options, and free event shuttle routes is available at sacmuseums.org (click on “Museum Day”), or by calling the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau at (916) 808-7777.

PARTICIPATING MUSEUMS FOR SACRAMENTO MUSEUM DAY 2009:
Aerospace Museum of California – California Foundry History Museum – California State Military Museum – California State Capitol Museum – The California Museum – California State Indian Museum – California State Railroad Museum – Crocker Art Museum* – Discovery Museum Science and Space Center – Don and June Salvatori California Pharmacy Museum – Explorit Science Center (Davis) – Fairytale Town – Folsom History Museum – Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park – Heidrick Ag History Center (Woodland) – Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park – Museum of Medical History – Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum – Old Sacramento State Historic Park – Sacramento Zoo – Sacramento Historic City Cemetery – Sacramento History Museum (formerly Discovery Museum History Center) -- Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum – Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park – Towe Auto Museum – Wells Fargo History Museum (Old Sacramento location only).

*Please note that the Crocker Art Museum is under construction for its major expansion. Parking and gallery access will be limited, and shuttle service will not be offered to the Crocker Art Museum during Sacramento Museum Day 2009.

Comprised of 27 greater Sacramento area museums working in partnership with the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Sacramento Association of Museum's mission is to raise awareness of local museums by giving the community the opportunity to discover California’s fine art, history, science and wildlife treasures. SAM achieves its mission through implementing cooperative promotions and developing strategic marketing alliances, by encouraging sharing of knowledge and resources among its partner institutions, and by conducting Sacramento Museum Day each year.