photographs by Barry Wisdom It wasn't the glitziest parade on the block, and more ads passed by than during a Talladega Superspeedway Nascar event, but the smiles that beamed from the shoulder-to-shoulder spectators at Sacramento's 2011 Santa Parade are the stuff that Christmas dreams are made of. Presented Dec. 9 by D&H Special Event Management, the capital city's 29th annual holiday tradition once again delighted young and old with an eclectic lineup of merry marching bands, a spate of sports cars, a bunch of Boy Scouts, a gaggle of Girl Scouts and a Santa in a pear tree. (OK – a Santa in a horse-drawn carriage.) Horses aside, chances are if it had an internal-combustion engine, it tr

As a child in Waterford, Ireland, a breezy, often cold yet verdant town where time seems to move at a slower pace, Jim O’Leary often escaped to more exciting locales via movies — especially documentaries. “I always loved the sound of foreign places, I loved geography,” said O’Leary, design director for Waterford Crystal. “I’d even collect the (overseas) stamps that came in the mail.” In 1960, just barely into his teens, he found another escape, however, in the form of a job at the town’s most famous employer, Waterford Crystal.  “We had this wonderful factory that gave employment to the local community,” he said. “At 14, I was good at drawing and was attracted to the company in a very s

The $10 million renovation of 24 Hour Fitness downtown is complete and doors opened early Monday morning for members to take advantage of 50,000 square feet of amenities including new basketball and racquetball courts and state-of-the-art cardio equipment. “This expansion and remodel represents a reinvestment in our members and into the community,” said 24 Hour Fitness CEO Carl Liebert. City officials, local business leaders, health club staff and club members were on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday marking the grand reopening of the facility, which – with 31,000 additional square feet of workout space – is now the largest 24 Hour Fitness location in Sacramento. The newly reno

The downtown 24 Hour Fitness location reopened Friday after a remodel that added approximately 31,000 square feet of floor space, a basketball court and new exercise machines. “(We have) brand-new cardio (machines), strength training machines and free weights,” said downtown Club Manager Ben Ragsac. He added that  full-size basketball court and expanded kids’ club have been added, and a raquetball court is coming, which will be open by October. The gym was closed from 8 p.m., June 17 until Friday at 6 a.m., when the second floor reopened. The full gym, including a lap pool, steam room, sauna, cycle room and other amenities will reopen around October, and more than 200 strength training

Will Westfield Downtown Plaza be put up for sale? According to the Wall Street Journal, Westfield is testing the market for a buyer for the mall, which has been plagued by empty storefronts. In August, when the mall underwent a remodel, General Manager Russell Dougherty said it was only 65 percent occupied. Westfield officials did not return phone calls for comment on their plans for the mall this week. “The Mayor remains committed to working with Westfield and finding ways to make the plaza a viable entity in Sacramento,” said Joaquin McPeek, press secretary for Mayor Kevin Johnson. “At the end of the day, this is such a critical piece of downtown and we’ve all got to work together to

Sacramento needs to build a better image for its downtown, and Downtown Plaza should be “ground zero” for change, urban design experts said Wednesday. City and business leaders often refer to the heart of downtown as the J-K-L Corridor, named for the major streets the area is built on. But referring to downtown that way promotes the idea that it's just an area to move through on the way to somewhere else. The city needs to focus on creating a downtown district that becomes the center of the city, said Betsy Jackson, president of The Urban Agenda Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich. "Stop thinking and speaking of this as a corridor," Jackson said at City Hall during a presentation by a team of urban

Struggling Westfield Downtown Plaza lost another key tenant Wednesday when Z Gallerie closed its furniture and home accessories store after nearly 20 years of business. On Thursday, the store at 545 L St. was empty of everything except wooden shelving units, the sales counter and light fixtures as District Manager Mike Jaeger and staff took care of remaining details. The Southern California-based company decided to close the store when its lease ended because the store wasn't making enough money at that location, Z Gallerie Public Relations Manager Gordon Andahl said. "The decline in sales no longer supported the cost of operating the store," Andahl said, adding that Z Gallerie had "pro

Black Friday may find some shoppers at the Westfield Downtown Plaza surprised when they see cars parked in a store on the main level. It's truly a unique site - Sacramento is apparently the first, and only, city in North America with a car dealership within the walls of a mall. Monday, Nov. 22, the Hyundai Store officially opened for business in the Westfield Downtown Plaza. It's located on the J Street side under the Food Court. I had to see it myself. As far as I could tell, access is the same as for the other mall stores.  SacPress Photo | Kati Garner For more details, please see:http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/41123/A_One_of_a_Kind_in_Sacramento

Sacramento’s holiday lights will shine a little less brightly this season when Westfield Downtown Plaza goes without a giant Christmas tree for the first time in 30 years. Without a tree, the annual day-after-Thanksgiving tree lighting ceremony at the mall's Seventh and K streets entrance also won't be held. However, the plaza is likely to be the only place in Sacramento with a little snow this winter after artificial snow-making machines are set up in a children's play area. Sacramentans can enjoy two other Christmas tree lightings. Old Sacramento will light up its huge tree at 6 p.m. Wednesday at K and Front streets, followed by a light show and more to set the historic district sparkl

The 24 Hour Fitness club in Downtown Plaza will soon be expanding to incorporate a full-size basketball court, racquetball court and other amenities. The 30,000-square-foot-club will grow to 50,000 square feet by the fall of 2011 and also include an indoor lap pool and new group exercise and cardio areas, said Danny Cowan, spokesman for 24 Hour Fitness. “It’s a great situation for the K Street Mall and the city of Sacramento,” said Club Manager Joel Bouchereau. “We are looking forward to offering the Sacramento community an expanded state-of-the art club with the latest amenities and features to help them reach their fitness goals,” said Jim McPhail, 24 Hour Fitness chief development of

Sacramento residents might be wondering what's become of the Hard Rock Cafe's giant guitar. The loss of the 36-foot red and orange six string — taken down when the restaurant closed in late March — has left a big hole at Westfield Downtown Plaza's main entrance. But like Neil Young said, "This old guitar ain't mine to keep. It's only mine for awhile." The neon-lit Gibson Les Paul replica had become a local landmark after being installed at the shopping mall's Seventh Street entrance in 1997. Sacramento was one of the few Hard Rock establishments to get a giant guitar. Out of 163 locations worldwide, only about 20 have exterior guitars that are 30 feet or longer. Las Vegas has two: a 45-

From now on, Doug Koleada will be a law-abiding citizen when he rides his bicycle on the K Street Mall. The city of Sacramento has installed new signs on K Street that list rules for bike riding. Cycling can now commence legally on the Mall from Seventh to 13th Streets and in the tunnel between Second and Fourth Streets. Koleada was riding his bike near the Westfield Downtown Plaza Wednesday afternoon. He readily admitted to biking on K Street in the evenings; his nighttime rides will now be perfectly legal. The Pyramid Alehouse Brewery employee said he knew about the city’s former ban on bicycling on K Street Mall, so he didn’t bike there when police officers were in sight. Koleada al

Prospective developers for a new sports and entertainment complex were questioned by Mayor Kevin Johnson’s volunteer task force Wednesday night. The 12-member task force, which includes real estate, finance and communications executives, asked numerous follow-up questions after listening to presentations by Matt Haines, Doug Tatara and Ali Mackani. Haines, who owns Bistro 33 in Midtown, told the task force about his proposal to build the complex in downtown’s Docks Area. “This would be a direct front-door” to Old Sacramento, he said. Old Sacramento is north of the proposed area. Task force project coordinator Matt Massari wrote earlier that Haines’ Docks Area project would be “adjacent

Sacramento retailers are still feeling the bitter sting of the recession this holiday season. Local merchants selling everything from kids' snowshoes to William Shatner's first album are mostly reporting decreased sales — although some say 2009 holiday sales haven't been as dire as predicted. "I think the holiday season will be a disappointment to most merchants," said Ed Castro, who owns Ed's Threads at 1125 21st St. "I'm not shooting for the moon, so I'm not going to be disappointed." With the country's economy in its third year of recession, retailers operating downtown and throughout the central city are struggling the same as retailers elsewhere. Industry-wide, holiday retail sale

A worker uses a plumb line to make sure Westfield Downtown Plaza's  Christmas tree stands straight. It was delivered by crane early this morning.  The tall tree was lowered into a hole in the concrete in front of the plaza.   Huge planks of wood are used as shims to straighten the trunk. This worker walked the circumference of the tree, using his plumb line from all angles, to ensure the tree stands upright.   This year will be a brighter holiday for Sacramento. The first-ever Carnival of Lights will delight visitors with a dazzling display of lights throughout the Central City from the waterfront through Midtown starting the week of Thanksgiving through January 3. The Carnival of

Westfield Downtown Plaza and a citizens' group lost legal challenges against the Railyards development, developer Thomas Enterprises and the city announced Monday. The lawsuits against the city of Sacramento, the city's Redevelopment Agency and developer Thomas Enterprises argued that the poject's two environmental impact reports (EIRs) were inadequate and did not comply with the California Environmental Quality Act known as CEQA. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connelly ruled in favor of the city and developer on all points raised by the Downtown Plaza and three people represented by attorney Bill Kopper. Those individuals — Robert Castro Jr., Linda Powers and Chris Rich —

Mayor Kevin Johnson has changed his tune on the Westfield Group’s handling of its downtown plaza. After voicing harsh criticism of the company in recent weeks, Johnson told reporters that Westfield worked with the city on Monday. At his press conference on Tuesday, Johnson noted that the company flew four of its representatives from Los Angeles to spend the entire day in Sacramento. During their visit to Sacramento, the company’s representatives attended a community meeting on revamping the Westfield Downtown Plaza and the K Street Mall, Johnson pointed out. The representatives expressed the message that the company is “more committed and focused on Sacramento” than ever before, Johnson

Mayor Kevin Johnson has put it to the owners of the troubled Westfield Downtown Plaza: Either you're in or you're out. The company, Westfield Group, has only another month or so to tell the city whether it will invest in its downtown Sacramento mall the way it's investing in Westfield Galleria at Roseville, Johnson told Westfield representatives and downtown business owners Monday. "If not, we need you to not hold our city hostage anymore. We need you to sell and let the city move forward," he said. "In November or so, we need you to realize if you're in, you're in. If you're not, you're not." For at least 11 years, the city has been negotiating over Downtown Plaza with Westfield, perha

Mayor Kevin Johnson on Tuesday announced two community meetings to exchange ideas on reviving K Street Mall and Westfield Downtown Plaza, shortly before an independent analysis comes out. The mayor will meet with business and property owners next Monday, and then with the rest of the public on Oct. 19, as a way to involve the community in the ongoing effort to develop a new strategy for K Street and the rest of the J-K-L corridor, the core of downtown. "We want to create a new vision," Johnson said in his weekly press conference inside city hall. “We need to re-imagine what downtown looks like.” The issue has vexed other mayors and city councils. The meetings will be the first such comm

The above photo is of another dance team, the Eastern Ways Lion Dance Team It had reached 100 degrees by 4:30 Sunday afternoon, and seven-year-old Caleb Mai disappeared beneath a massive red and black lion headdress the size of his body. Moments later the drums began, and a line of lion dancers appeared on the stage, leaping and shaking beneath their bright costumes. They then each hopped onto the ground and scattered into the audience, standing on chairs and bobbing their oversized lion headdresses up and down. One lady laughed uncontrollably as a dancer shook its grinning masked face in front of her's. Every now and again Mai could be seen as he held the weight of the lion head high ab