As part of Black History Month, volunteer members from MatrixArts recently conducted a workshop on making Paper Beads at the Arden-Dimick library on Watt Avenue. Paper beads are made using strips of colorful paper, wound tightly into a shaped cylinder, glazed, and then strung into creative jewelry pieces. Any type of paper can be used, from magazine pages & newspaper to old wallpaper sample books. Heavy papers will produce larger beads, while the thinner papers will produce smaller, more delicate beads. While paper beads were a popular artform in Victorian England, more recently the craft has grown popular in Uganda, where women make beads from recycled paper. The craft has caught the

  Back in the 1950’s, Folsom Lake was created to provide water sequestration and flood control for the greater Sacramento Valley. Below the lake that now provides a venue for water skiing, fishing, and swimming, lies the confluence of the North and South forks of the American River. Also under the lake are the former mining settlements of Salmon Falls and Mormon Island.  When the lake was flooded, their history was flooded also; except during low water years like this one, when bits of their history re-appear.  After the discovery of gold on the south fork of the American River at Coloma, small settlements formed along the lower stretches of both forks of the American River by settlers i

It’s Polar Express time again in Old Sacramento. If you have been anywhere near Old Sacramento lately, you may have been surprised to see children of all ages roaming the streets dressed in their pajamas. It’s the annual running of the Polar Express, in Old Sacramento. Every year, the volunteer docents of the State Railroad Museum conduct special one-hour train rides from Old Sacramento down the river side tracks to the North Pole. Along the way, songs are sung, hot cocoa is served, and each passenger gets a small gift from Santa. It’s a perennial treat, and with only 19,000 tickets available, they sell out in a few hours. So, even though you can’t get tickets to ride the train, it’s wor

Travis Air Force Base is hosting a free, two-day community appreciation open house and “Skies Over Solano” air show featuring the USAF Thunderbirds and the Wings of Blue parachute team from the USAF Academy. The base will be open to the public from 10 am to 4 pm each day; gates open at 8:30 am. The Thunderbirds are the air demonstration squadron for the USAF, based out of Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada. The squadron performs precision aerobatic formation and solo flying using F-16 Fighting Falcons. The elite crew of 12 Thunderbirds Officers are selected as the most advanced and respected airmen in the USAF, and serve a two year term on the Thunderbirds team. Media were invited to attend

The new modified schedule for Second Saturday, with earlier hours of 4 pm to 8 pm, drew out crowds that welcomed families. The Sacramento Police Department mounted patrol were especially popular with kids, as the officers handed out sheriff badge stickers.