In an effort to help children diagnosed with cancer, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation kicked off its 2012 Sacramento St. Baldrick’s fundraising event on Monday. About 185 people volunteered to have their heads shaven in an effort to raise funds for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The event, held to raise funds for childhood cancer research, took place at Sacramento’s de Vere’s Irish Pub. Family and friends showed up to support the shavees, de Vere’s and the Foundation. Over 200 events have already taken place and another 780 events have been scheduled in March. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation indicates there will be over 30,000 registered volunteers who will have their head shaven worldwide.

St. Patrick’s Day is a day synonymous with leprechauns, green beer and socially acceptable pinching. Whether the luck of the Irish courses through you or not, St. Patty’s Day is coming up. For some, it’s a holiday worth going all out for, especially since this year it falls on a Saturday. For others, however, it’s a day like any other with the exception of avoiding driving downtown and throwing on a green article of clothing. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, The Sacramento Press went to the streets to ask Sacramentans, “What are you doing for St. Patrick’s Day?” Nick James, a 28-year-old barista from Auburn, said that although he is scheduled to work, he will still partake in s

Roller derby is a sport that has recently gained attention through films and television and its popularity is growing, as Sacramento is the home to two roller derby leagues – the Sac City Rollers and the Sacred City Derby Girls. The Sacramento Press met with some of the derby girls at a recent practice. The Sac City Rollers, which formed in 2006, are preparing for the first bout of the season this Friday. Roller derby is defined by one derby girl – “H.N. Icy” – as football on skates, but without a ball. She’s known as Jennifer Madrigal outside of derby, and is a lab technician. While some derby girls are in law enforcement or construction, the Sac City Rollers have teachers and a librar

As St. Patrick's is celebrated on March 17, here are some photos celebrating the St. Patrick's Parade in Old Sacramento and St. Baldrick's at de Vere's. Above is Father Dan Madigan Grand Marshall of the St. Patrick's Parade Below, Mayor Kevin Johnson who also made an apperance at St. Baldrick's.       ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Not everyone was happy about giving up their locks Above and below, before and after photos More St. Patrick's Photos More St. Baldrick's Photos

Hair clippings were scattered along the sidewalk in front of de Vere’s Irish Pub Monday, which hosted the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser benefiting childhood cancer research organizations Keaton Raphael Memorial and St. Baldrick’s. An estimated more than 200 participants showed up to shave their heads, and it wasn’t just men going under the clippers. Women and children were also a part of the mix. St. Baldrick's is an international foundation dedicated to raising funds to find cures for childhood cancers. Located in Monrovia, Calif., it stands as a larger umbrella organization that partners with smaller groups. Keaton Raphael Memorial is one of these groups. Keaton Raphael Memorial is a nonp

St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, and if you’re still undecided about how to spend it, The Sacramento Press has just the list for you. Whether you’re looking to stick to your New Year’s resolution of losing weight by running a half-marathon, or donate to a good cause, or eat some traditional corned beef and cabbage, you’re sure to find something to get you in the Irish spirit below. 15th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival Saturday, March 12 Old Sacramento Festival at noon Parade at 1 p.m. The parade will start at Second and L streets and has more than 60 entries with about 1,000 participants. “It’s very family-oriented in Old Sacramento,” said Nancy Mallory, the parade’s coordinato

Hundreds of people will gather to shave their hair off on Monday, March 14, for the St. Baldrick’s Day event at de Vere’s Irish Pub. The event raises awareness of childhood cancer and raises money for research. Robyn Raphael, 46, the CEO of Keaton Raphael Memorial and the mother of Keaton Raphael, who passed away from cancer in 1998, will be hosting the event. “I was challenged in 2003 to shave my hair when I met the founders in Washington,” Raphael said. “I shaved my head in honor of my son, Keaton, then I came back and rallied the Sacramento community to raise money, and we raised a little over $30,000.” The event will take place at de Vere’s at 1521 L St. from 5 - 8 p.m. Last year,

Chocolate Fish Coffee on 400 P Street hosted a St. Baldrick's event. At around 2:00 o’clock there had been 20 volunteers that had volunteered to have their heads shaven to raise money for cancer research. The St. Baldrick's event has been held , in various places, for 10 years now. The name is partly based on the fact that the first event was on March 17, 2000 which was St. Patrick’s Day on that year. St. Baldrick’s was started in an effort to benefit kids with cancer. The 2000 St. Baldrick’s event raised more than $104,000 and last year St. Baldrick’s events raised close to $17 million in 630 events. Today’s St. Baldrick’s event was organized by Edia Baker who is also one of the owners o

Every 3 and a half minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. Despite some advances in research, childhood cancer still remains the # 1 disease killer of our children in the U.S. Thanks to the efforts of quite a few good people in Sacramento, we at de Vere's Irish Pub will be hosting over 100 shavees on Monday, March 15th. People from every walk of life will be shaving for a cure and raising money for childhood cancer research. We are proud to be hosting this event and are so excited at all the community members who stepped up to get involved. On behalf of our family, the Keaton Raphael Memorial, and St. Baldrick's, we can't thank you enough for getting involved. Exciting News: Michael Au

deVere's Irish Pub has become a local favorite, a place to unwind after work and grab a pint! Well did you know that owners, Mark, Simon and Henry are son's of UC Davis Cancer Center Director, Ralph deVere White?  The quest to find a cure is not a new cause for the boys who grew up watching their dad fight this disease on the front lines as a cancer surgeon.  So what does a popular pub and childhood cancer have in common? deVere's will host a St. Baldrick's head-shaving celebration on Monday, March 15 from 5-8pm! The challenge is to BE Brave and GO Bald! Pledges are raised and in exchange those brave souls will shorn! All to raise life-saving research dollars for Childhood Cancer. Keaton

It is with excitement that I am here to announce that the biggest St. Patrick's Day celebration in Sacramento is going to happen again. That's right folks, last year we did the undoable. We closed L Street between 16th & 15th for a St. Patrick's day block party like no other. Nearly 7000 people showed up, but it remained a festive and safe community event. We had no incidents, thanks to great security and great people who came to have a good time. This year, we're projecting attendance at 8,000 and I want to get everyone involved. We are working with The Sacramento Press to get the community involved and I'm going to keep everyone posted on the event as it develops right here. So join the