The Crest Theater hosted the 2011 Reina Fiestas Patrias. The event was presented by the Mexican Cultural Center of Northern California (MCCNC). Ten contestants vied to win the beauty and talent competition and become the Patriot Queen of Festivities for the Mexican Independence holidays. The gala event brought hundreds of supporters to the Crest Theatre to witness an evening full of music, dance, tradition, folklore and a lively beauty competition. Each year the committee puts on this event to celebrate the beauty of Mexico and to showcase its culture, art and traditions. The emcees for the evening were Angelica Marquez and Luis Enrique Garcia. Garcia started off the event by welcoming

One hundred and fifty planes from across the Unites States and Canada will be wowing crowds expected to be upward of 150,000 this weekend according to California Capital Airshow Executive Director Darcy Brewer. The sixth annual airshow – and biggest show to date – will be honoring the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the 100th anniversary of naval aviation and the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11. The 2011 California Capital Airshow will take place from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Mather Airport, 3745 Whitehead St. in Mather. People came from seven different countries last year to see the show, and Brewer said they are expecting those numbers to continue to grow. “It really is a

The Rancho Murieta training facility was a disaster scene this past week. Firefighters collaborated on an Urban Search and Rescue mission to carefully extract victims stranded in cars crushed under debris. The victims in this case, mannequins, were successfully removed from the wreckage. Firefighters treat this simulation as an actual disaster so they will be prepared when they get the call. For the past four years, firefighters from all over California have been gathering in the Sacramento area for a heavy equipment and rigging training course that culminated this past Wednesday. L.A. City, L.A. County, Oakland, Elk Grove, Roseville, Sacramento City and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire