After the sign's installation was halted Thursday, it was permitted to go up Friday afternoon.  OakPark, Sacramento, CA Friday, February 12, 2010 The sign installation crew was literally about to drill the mounting holes for the new Old Soul Co. sign in Oak Park Thursday morning when a call came in from the city to halt the installation. Due to the building being historical, there was an issue of placement and electrical connections. (see previous article) Just a little more than twenty four hours later, the installation was approved and the sign was installed around 3 P.M. Friday afternoon, exactly in the spot intended and electrical hooked up to light the sign just as planned. Old Sou

The City of Sacramento halted efforts to mount Old Soul Co. sign Thursday morning. Oak Park, Sacramento, CA February 11, 2010 Excited patrons of the new Old Soul Co. location in Oak Park were eager to see the iconic glistening new sign ready to go up Thursday morning and so was the crew. That eagerness was squelched when a call came to the Alpha Signs' crew, from the city, to halt. The building at 35th and Broadway is a historical building and though the old Starbucks sign was in the same location, the city won't allow the sign installers to drill new holes in the historic bricks nor is the sign allowed to have any exposed electrical cable. Furthermore, the city wants the sign above the

An unoccupied South Oak Park home explodes Sunday morning and the cause is under investigation. An unoccupied home in the South Oak Park area exploded early Sunday morning. Debris from the home blew all the way out to the street. The home was a total loss and while the cause is under investigation, natural gas has not been ruled out. Per Sac City Fire, the home was a total loss and no one was injured. CLICK HERE TO VIEW SCENE VIDEO Visit us at Maverick Photography and SacMav for the action news the News misses  

Old Soul Co opened their third Sacramento location Thursday morning in Oak Park. An old familiar spot has a new face in Oak Park and the community is well pleased. Starbucks shut down its 35th and Broadway location last year, much to the disapointment of many. The location was a community hub where many gathered daily to socialize, conduct business or just relax with a good book and a cup of coffee. Despite many letters from patrons voicing their conerns to Starbucks corporate office of the closure, the doors were finally closed in September of 2009. Knowing the community cenergy the coffee house brought regular goers better known there as "The Usual Suspects" were confident something go

About 60 community members gathered at the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services last night to make the holidays a little bit brighter for Oak Park's children.   The Oak Park Neighborhood Association has collected 300 toys for its Oak Park Toy Give-Away, which began Nov. 22 and will continue until Dec. 18. "Imagine knowing that you may not receive a gift...Kids everywhere look forward to the thrill of opening gifts and we want to make sure that kids in Oak Park get to experience the excitement," said board member Michael Boyd, "Even more importantly, we want them to know they live in a community that cares about them; a community that values them, and a community that will help them."

In preparation for the Toy Give-Away by the Oak Park Neighborhood Association (OPNA), the community is invited to the Gift Wrapping and Pot Luck dinner on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009 from 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services at 3333 3rd Avenue. All are invited to join the festivities, bring some food, maybe a gift and or wrapping and get into the season of sharing. Or just show up and eat some food, meet some new friends, and help with the wrapping. OPNA is collecting and will distribute gifts to Oak Park children for the 5th year. Each year, hundreds of children receive gifts and this year the number is likely to be even greater than previous years. The goal is t

The DIY Network will feature one of Sacramento's very own on the Wednesday, December 3rd episode of House Crashers.  Eli Bob, a bartender and native Sacramentan is the owner of a loft at the 4th Avenue Lofts development in Oak Park which was recently the focus of a "crash".  Eli's loft was inundated with droves of contractors, production crew, friends and host Josh Temple back in October for three days during the remodel.  The upcoming episode entitled, "Rock N Roll Loft Lounge" the shows website describes the crash as follows: A single young bartender transforms his plain loft into a place to mix up drinks, fun and edgy style. With a stone covered wall, mounted stainless fireplace, diamo

On November 21, 2009, the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities collaborative hosted two events in Oak Park and South Sacramento, designed to educate communities on the 10-year Building Healthy Communities (BHC) process. Earlier this year, the California Endowment awarded funding to 14 communities over ten years as part of their Building Healthy Communities program. This effort was designed to infuse at least $10 million into each community to bring about systemic change. The efforts are to be driven by four goals: • Health systems are family-centered and prioritize prevention. • Schools anchor communities, promote healthy behaviors and are a gateway for resources and services. • Human

Old Soul Co. is hosting the "Soul of the Soul" Food Donation Drive on Thanksgiving Day at it's newest location in Oak Park. The local coffee company is slated to open its doors to the neighborhood in early 2010 with it's third retail location.  Old Soul will replace the now closed Starbuck's that once anchored the 40 Acres Art Gallery complex when it was remodeled back in 2003. According to the company's website, One of the guiding principles of Old Soul from the beginning has always been "to be better tomorrow than we are today"; in our minds, this principle includes everything from our own individual self improvement to our overall product improvement. We recognize how these principles

Sister’s United, Inc., Recently Opens The “House of Esther.” Sister’s United, Inc., a local non-profit corporation recently held their grand opening for the “House of Esther” on Friday, October 2, 2009. Many of the attendees marveled at the beauty of the home located at 3334 4th Avenue, in the heart of Oak Park. The House of Esther is the first of many from Sister’s United, Inc., opening in the Sacramento Community, and is more than Board & Care Housing; this home offers upscale living and beautiful décor. Those entering this home participate in a unique Empowerment Program purposefully designed to transform lives, and build strong affective leaders. The unique program focuses on holisti

Built Environment/Green Space Presentation November 10, 2009 5:30pm-7:30pm Sacramento Food Bank 3333 3rd Avenue, Sacramento, CA AGENDA Moderator: Charles L. Mason, Jr., Ubuntu Green Confirmed Panelists: Anya Lawler, Consultant, California State Assembly Committee on Housing Graham Brownstein, ECOS Davida Douglas, Alchemist CDC Brandon Kitagawa, Regional Asthma Management and Prevention, Statewide Coordinator of Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA) Constance Slider, Coalition on Regional Equity Invited Panelists: Paul Zykofsky, Director of Land Use and Transportation, Local Government Commission Randy Rosalex, Green Sacramento Builders Darnell Robinson, Clearinghouse CDFI

Sacramento’s Alchemist Community Development Corporation hosted a party and fundraiser to mark its fifth anniversary Thursday evening, and veggies never seemed so cool. At “Cinco de Alchemist,” about 150 guests enjoyed delightful offerings from local restaurants Mulvaney’s B&L, The Waterboy, Taylor’s Market, Magpie Caterers, Mikuni and more. Live music by Caribbean Jazz and Musical Charis complemented the celebratory mood. Alchemist CDC was founded in 2004 by Wendy Carter, Lisa Nelson and Chris Aguirre to promote equitable community development in Sacramento. The nonprofit group believes that the overall health of the region depends on the health of urban centers, and they are currently

  Continued from part one....read part one here Well, things didn’t quite work out that way. We married then quickly divorced, but not before my husband got his green card; I worked for Wired magazine in San Francisco, then left the magazine after two years to work full time as a freelancer once again. It was a rough life, made even rougher by my crazy landlord of seven years plotting to find “legal” ways to evict me. I was in the midst of fighting her insane legal efforts, when I got word that I had been awarded the Knight International Press Fellowship to Uganda in 2003. I promptly dropped my counter-suit against my loony landlady, Manuela, moved back to Sacramento, met my long-time bo

I am year-and-a-half resident of Oak Park. I have lived here that long, at first very reluctantly, then somewhat ambivalently, and now, finally with great enthusiasm. The initial reluctance I blame more on myself, my circumstances in moving here, and my sluggish, even inert, bare involvement in the actual moving process. My then-boyfriend and I had been served notice by his landlord, that they were selling his townhouse in midtown Sacramento soon; we had very, very little time to find a new, comfortable, and appropriate place to live. We are both underpaid freelancers of a sort; he is a bartender/house painter/will be-something-more-fulfilling later in life. I am an avowed, diehard, almo

Father Dan Madigan founded Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) in the basement of his Oak Park church in 1976. Pained by watching so many people go hungry on the streets of Sacramento, he called together a small cadre of compassionate volunteers to tackle the problem. Over time, the number of facilities, staff and volunteers grew to meet the ever increasing need in Sacramento. His passion for helping individuals and families in need is still alive and well in the wide array of programs and services offered by SFBFS. SFBFS currently operates two large facilities, in Oak Park and in North Sacramento, serving neighborhoods with families experiencing some of the highest rates of po

Rocket, this beautiful German Shepherd, is the unofficial mascot of Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. He plays a key role at the organization. He makes people happy. Almost two years ago, Rocket was diagnosed with Osteocarcoma, a rare form of terminal cancer. In order to keep the disease from spreading, Rocket had one of his legs amputated. Since Rocket’s operation, he has been coming to work with his Mom, Kelly Siefkin, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Service’s Communication and Development Director. Initially Kelly brought Rocket to work with her because she was concerned about him being home alone, now she brings him because it is important to both Rocket and the amazing volunteers

This is the story of Rocket and his journey battling a rare form of cancer called Osteosarcoma. Throughout his diagnosis, surgery and recovery, his Mom, Kelly Siefkin (SFBFS Communication and Development Director) kept her friends and family abreast of his progress. Since his surgery, Rocket has become the unofficial mascot for Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. He has had an amazing impact on this incredible organization. Rocket has over 50 visitors a day. Kelly truly believes this has kept Rocket going. This is a heart-warming story about best friends. Friday 2/8/08 After two visits to the vet to address his persistent, 2-week long limp, Rocket is finally diagnosed with Osteosarc

Old Soul Co., a local roaster, baker and coffeehouse currently operating at two locations in midtown, announced it will be opening its third location at the 40 Acres Art Gallery and Cultural Center in Oak Park. The community and local media are invited to an Open House, where the Mayor and local civic and business leaders help Old Soul Co. celebrate the growth and renewal of a vibrant and vital neighborhood. With a proven track record of investment and commitment to the community they live in, Jason Griest and Tim Jordan are proud to bring the Old Soul Co. brand to another corner of the central city that they love and admire; with renewed investment of time, energy and financial resources

Dear Friends- As you may know, a arson fire was set at my home in the early morning on September 21st. My family and I are safe, and all necessary repairs and clean up, and replacements are being handled by our insurance company. We have had a great response from our neighbors and community leaders, who have organized a vigil tonight in front of our home to signify community strength and unity. If you are in the Northern CA area, we hope you can join us. Vigil Information - 2614 36th Street, Sacramento CA (between 1st and 2nd Avenue). 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. http://www.inmycommunity.com/imc_joomla/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=1243&Itemid=0&year=2009&month=10&d

The green movement is in full swing these days. President Obama and his Administration are talking green jobs every day. The environmental movement is enjoying its day in the sun as the nation embraces green principles. Businesses such as Wal-Mart and Starbucks have implemented some sort of green practices. And, we even have Planet Green, the television station dedicated to teaching America how to live and build green.   Earlier this year, I launched Ubuntu Green www.ubuntugreen.org, a non-profit focused on building sustainable and equitable communities. I was particularly concerned with the impact of the green movement on urban centers, low income families and communities of color. It be