William Land Park hosted this year’s banana festival. Thousands attended the event that promoted health and community awareness. The festival celebrated everything having to do with bananas and it was a great family event. Cultures that traditionally use bananas were also celebrated. These included Central and Eastern Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Pacific Islands and other countries. Vendors sold delicious international food specializing in banana recipes. Two stages were set up to accommodate all the acts performing on August 13 and 14. One of the stages was the children’s corner and a large play area with carnival rides and games was available for children. Su

Families were able to enjoy the company of neighbors, family and friends as they gathered to celebrate the 5th annual “Celebrate Oak Park” event. McClatchy Park, located at 35th Street and 5th Avenue, hosted the event and there was much to do for all members of the family. The theme of this year’s festivity was "Celebrating Diversity". It featured music, food, games, a kid zone and resource tables from agencies and organizations that serve the Oak Park community. Building Empowerment Skills Today (BEST) had a table set up to give information about their program. BEST is a neighborhood beautification organization that teaches 12 to 18 year olds about home maintenance and life skills. BEST

The R Street improvements currently under construction from 10th to 13th streets are getting a few more amenities, as construction left extra funds in an approximately $1 million $1.5 million federal grant allocated to the project. The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to approve 13 more pedestrian benches, 13 banners affixed to streetlights and a decorative arch that spans R Street at 10th Street and a pedestrian arch over the sidewalk on 12th Street and R Street, to be constructed by Teichert Construction, the main contractor for the project. “This will be the icing on the cake to R street and will make the area more pedestrian-friendly,” Sacramento Department of Transportation sp

The Sacramento City Council on Tuesday approved a $290,000 redesign of the downtown railroad track relocation. Work on the $68 million railroad track relocation project was delayed after bids came in $12 million over budget in May and developer Thomas Enterprises defaulted in June on more than $187 million in private loans, used to buy the 244-acre historic railyards in 2006. The project, which includes construction of the Fifth and Sixth street bridges, makes up the first phase of the new regional transportation center to be built adjacent to the Sacramento Valley Station downtown. The council approved funding to redesign the track relocation portion of the project, budgeted at $45 mil

Members of the public now have a rare opportunity to contribute to a community work of art that will be on display in the expanded Crocker Art Museum which opens October 10, 2010. The Hang at the Crocker community art project is one of the many ways the New Crocker will offer residents and friends of the Museum a way to participate and come together as a diverse and creative community. The Crocker has commissioned Rachel Clarke to create a new media animated collage composed of four-by-six-inch, two-dimensional creations submitted by community members. Submissions can be a work of art, a photo of loved ones, a collage or other creation. The mosaic will be choreographed to music composed b

 The fate of the controversial Curtis Park Village development project will be reviewed by the Planning Commission Thursday. The project has been billed by developer Paul Petrovich as a way to blend nearby housing styles into a new community, but neighbors disagree, arguing that it's a design stuck in the past. “We hope everyone in this city is watching as the 72-acre parcel between Land Park, Sacramento City College and Curtis Park goes to the Planning Commission for review,” said Rosanna Herber, president of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association (SCNA). “Designed the right way, the development could meet the growing need for housing and retail space near the heart of the city and

As most of us know, Sacramento is a City that continues to expand and display its talents through many avenues. Whether it may be through local artwork, musical artists, or the film industry, many Sacramentoian’s, are continuing to bring the spot light to the Capital City. With this topic in mind, I wanted to share a recent story from a local music production company from our very own City of Sacramento. Grind Hard Entertainment (G.H.E.) is a company that was created by Jose “Flowmatic” Jimenez, after the disconnected feeling he experienced while being a part of a music company that did not allow him to voice his ideas and took control of his desired projects. This is commonly seen in the

 Have you ever been to the part of the Sacramento River sandwiched between Capital City Freeway and Old Sac? This particular area, dubbed "The Docks," is certainly not the most attractive place to hold a riverside picnic.  It is desolate and barren where dirt grows like grass and old generating plants and reservoirs go to die. However, that will change as the city readies itself once again for the Docks Area Project.  On September 30, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed AB 2026, a bill allowing the Department of Parks and Recreation to transfer surplus properties through sale or exchange. This means that the city can now acquire the last three parcels of land it needs to begin Phase I of the proje