Want to get in on the leading edge of a hot new trend in Sacramento? Then join one of the new bocce ball clubs in town. Not only will you be in vogue but you will also be joining a long lineage of bocce players, such as Galileo, da Vinci, Emperor Augustus and the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. The Sacramento Sport & Social Club hosted its first Bocce Ball Tournament Sunday at Sutter’s Landing Park. Fourteen two-player teams competed on the sand-over-asphalt bocce courts. Creative team names, including “Invasion of the Bocce Snatchers,” “The Big LaBocce” and “Erin Go Bocce” added to the casual and fun vibe of the event. Club commissioner Brad Satterwhite says the club has officially been i

Nearly seven months after a large stand of cottonwood trees were mistakenly removed from a former landfill site at Sutter’s Landing, the City Council approved a $200,000 plan to replace trees and vegetation to restore the site. “This was a bunch of lemons, and we really tried to make lemonade out of it,” City Councilman Kevin McCarty said just before the council voted unanimously to approve the plan. Nearly 200 cottonwood trees were removed from the city’s closed 28th Street landfill facility in September, disturbing the habitat of more than 100 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians that made their home in the area. The cost of replanting and restoring the site will top $11

With a beautiful late winter Saturday afternoon to fill, I decided to take my two boys out for a walk by the river.  I like the area by Sutters' Landing at 28th/B for it's accessibility and the proximity of the skateboard/bocce/dog parks. The water level is very low and all the tracks and trails were available for wandering. I took along my two cameras - the new, a Nikon D90 and the old, an Olympus OM4Ti with a 24mm lens. I haven't used the Olympus in a while and wanted to do a comparison by taking some side-by-side images. Also to check if the light seals were still intact  - seven years of storage can make them rot. It was perfect weather for a stroll, the ground was dry, the sun not t

On a rainy, windy night the City’s Park Planning and Development department held a public community meeting about Conergy’s proposed Sutter's Landing Solar Farm. If Conergy is able to negotiate city requirements and neighborhood concerns, they will break ground in spring 2012. Sacramento has a rare opportunity with this project to earn national recognition. If we can build a world class solar farm and maintain wildlife habitats, we will be the go-to city for infill green projects that preserve and sustain neighborhoods and open spaces. The question is: can we seize the day? Councilmember Steve Cohn reviewed the city’s concept to build the project on the former 28th street landfill. In 19

Residents gathered Wednesday evening at the Hart Senior Center to find a new home for the Sacramento Zoo. After 83 years, the zoo is looking to ditch its current Land Park location in order to gain more space. The two most probable locations are Sutter’s Landing and the Natomas area. Merely 14 acres in size, the current zoo doesn’t allow for expansion. Many of the animals—including elephants, rhinos, polar bears and cheetahs—had to be relocated to different zoos because of the small size of the enclosures in Sacramento. In order to keep their accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the zoo has to keep up with the changing standards of the association by continuously upda

Adventure-seeking canines will be the stars at Saturday’s grand opening of the Sutter’s Landing dog park. Sutter’s Landing Regional Park, once a city landfill, is already a top spot to take Midtown dogs due to its setting on the American River. The three-acre dog park offers chihuahuas, labradors and St. Bernards a new leash-free place to play with their companions. The park includes shade canopies and trees, a dog drinking fountain, fencing and separate areas for large and small dogs. The park is covered with decomposed granite and recycled mulch, which the city estimates will save thousands of gallons of water each year. Staff from the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation and Ci

... I pitched an idea for an event that celebrates the arrival of John Sutter and the subsequent founding of the city of Sacramento. While Old Sacramento annually hosts Gold Rush Days around the Labor Day weekend, I am not aware of an event that celebrates the city's founder and his fort. Is he too controversial? I hope not. A city should be able to celebrate its history and events such as this help promote civic pride and a sense of community.  Proposal A celebration of the founding of the city of Sacramento that highlights the lower American river and Sutter’s Fort and encourages folks to come out for the day and participate in period attire. A family event commemorating the landing of