Sacramento Beer Week kicks off Friday with more than 300 events to celebrate the region’s diverse beer industry. Events include beer tastings, pub crawls and food pairings over 10 days at breweries, bars and restaurants throughout Sacramento Valley. The Sacramento Artists Council, in partnership with Dad’s Kitchen and The Sacramento Press, will host Sacramento’s first Beer and Chili Festival on March 3 from noon - 4 p.m. at Southside Park. Attendees will receive a 5-ounce beer mug for unlimited tastes from 18 breweries from around Sacramento and the state, as well as a cup for chili tastings from several participants in the chili cook-off. Participants are encouraged to make vegetarian a

As Valentine’s Day approaches, Sacramentans may be in search of something sweet to impress that special someone, and The Sacramento Press found just the place to go when a store-bought box of chocolates simply won’t do. Sacramento native Melissa Johnson took her love of all things sweet and launched an online dessert magazine that features what she said are the Web’s most delicious sweet treats. Best Friends for Frosting offers an eclectic collection of recipes and trends that are gathered from the hippest, freshest dessert blogs in a forum that offers bakers one-stop shopping. Johnson said she started baking when she was a little girl and dreamed of opening a bakery. She started a blog

The Old City Cemetery Committee, in conjunction with the Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum in Sacramento, will offer a free tour of the Historic City Cemetery at 10 a.m. on Feb. 18 to honor Sacramento’s black pioneers. “We’ll be featuring a dozen or so fascinating people from Sacramento’s history who were African-American or who affected their experience,” said Dr. Bob LaPerriere, founding member of the Old City Cemetery Committee. Several guest docents from the Sojourner Truth Museum will be positioned along the tour to speak about Sacramento’s black pioneers. Eric Bradner, volunteer docent with the Old City Cemetery Committee, will lead the tour. Among the stories he will featu

For football fans still suffering from the San Francisco 49ers’ devastating loss to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game, the Super Bowl may have lost some of its sparkle. But with Sacramento’s great bar scene, one can’t help but be drawn to the festivities. The Giants face the New England Patriots in Sunday’s game, a rematch of the Super Bowl game four years ago in which the Giants ended the Patriots’ perfect season. The Sacramento Press found these spots to celebrate – or drown your sorrows. BarWest Burgers & Wings 2724 J St. 476-4550 19 flatscreen televisions, one 10-foot projection screen At BarWest, the festivities start at 9 a.m. with an eating contest. The brave can t

Area 1 Neighborhood Advisory Group members cautiously welcomed the new leader of the Midtown Business Association Monday evening at their monthly meeting and took the opportunity to express their frustrations with the organization. About 40 residents, business leaders and presenters attended the meeting – a high turnout, according to Bill Burgua, attendee. Elizabeth Studebaker, the new executive director of the Midtown Business Association, said her first focus is on trash removal, and that aggressive changes will be made. She also addressed concerns about the growing number of bars and restaurants in Midtown. “There’s a very strong perception that the neighborhood has been taken over