Newest articles and comments on The Sacramento Press written by Henry Stroud

Gold Rush Gambling

2009-08-20T03:54:18Z

Sacramento gamblers tired of driving to Las Vegas to get their gaming fix can breathe a sigh of relief. The Sacramento History Museum is bringing the games to Old Sac with the first-ever Gold Rush Gambling Day. Although the dealers may be playing Three Card Monte instead of Texas Hold 'Em and the sinning might give way to educational outreach, it still promises to be a fun day.

The event, which will be held on Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Sacramento History Museum (101 I St.), is one of the weekend events that the museum holds every second and fourth Saturday. It is expected to last about one hour.

The day will begin with a lecture about Gold Rush-era gambling games and life in the typical saloon by one of the museum's docents. This will be followed by an opportunity to give the games a try, although the official game list will depend on the day's attendance.

Although this is the first time the museum has had a formal Gold Rush Gambling Day, the museum has held numerous gambling activities.

"We've had classes before, and we've had events at the Gold Rush Days event which is coming up," said Janessa West, a museum educator at the Sacramento History Museum.

Citizens hoping to participate will simply have to pay the normal entrance fee, which is $4 for youth and $5 for adults. But West certainly didn't want the fee to discourage potential attendees. "If you like to gamble, if you like to play cards, then this is a great way to learn the roots of many of the games we play today," she said. Besides, it's a lot cheaper than Vegas.

Henry Stroud on "Fishing in our City"

2009-08-18T00:44:55Z

There are, but it depends on the fish. Mr. Ferreira said the usual limit you'll find in the ponds is five fish.

Fishing in our City

2009-08-16T04:42:18Z

With Sacramento's proximity to both the Sacramento and American Rivers and the abundance of fishermen in both locations, many Sacramentans look no further than the river system to fulfill their fishing needs. However, this would be a mistake - one that the Department of Fish and Game's Fishing in the City program is trying to correct.

The Fishing in the City program stocks fishing ponds in cities throughout California, focusing on parks in the San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento areas. Although workers stock multiple ponds in the Sacramento region, the only two ponds in central Sacramento that are refilled fairly regularly are Southside Park and William Land Park. These ponds are stocked with catfish in the summer months and trout in the winter months.

In order to fulfill their mission of bringing angling to urban environments, program workers do more than just provide fish.

"We provide fishing education and also conservation education," said Sacramento Program Coordinator Joe Ferreira. Ferreira and a group of volunteers, some of whom have been working with with him for as long as 18 years, work with local groups and parks to put on events that promote the program and increase fishing awareness.

One such popular outreach program is the Free Fishing Instruction Clinics. This program not only teaches youngsters the fundamentals of fishing with a half-hour instruction period about safety, ethics and equipment, but also provides them with free rods, bait and tackle. The full schedule for this summer can be found here.

Although the program is still stocking ponds and holding clinics, monetary restrictions have slowed down the number of fish purchased and distributed.

"We're still working on the same budget we had 17 years ago," Ferreira said, "but the price of fish has quadrupled since then, if not more. Ponds that we started stocking back then are only stocked once or twice a year now, if ever."

The last time the ponds were stocked as of press time was in early June, when a new delivery of catfish was planted into the water. However, Ferreira was very hopeful that they would be able to fund a new stocking by Saturday's free fishing clinic in Elk Grove Park.

With the complications and budget concerns of recent years, it would be easy to doubt the point of the program altogether. But Ferreira certainly has seen the benefits from his efforts.

"When the program began, most of the fishing was in only rural areas," he said. Most of the potential urban fishermen Ferreira talked to cited unsafe currents in the river, lack of time to go out to fishing spots, and the difficulty of beginning fishing without education as reasons to not give fishing a try. Ferreira said he sees his program as a good remedy to these problems.

The park ponds he is stocking are safer than the river, more residents can easily access parks for a quicker fishing experience and he provides free education to anyone who needs it.

Hindolo Brima, a media and communications specialist at the Department of Parks and Recreation, is also enthusiastic about the options that the program presents to Sacramento residents. He said he sees the new venues as more advantageous to families.

"Fishing in parks can be good because it gives families more entertainment options," he said. "While one child fishes another could play on the playground while the parents can play Frisbee golf."

Although funding may be hindering the full potential of the Fishing in the City program in Sacramento, much progress has still been made. Both Brima and Ferreira agree that the program has presented a safe, entertaining and viable alternative to fishing in the river.

Henry Stroud on "The Hot Lunch Concert Series"

2009-08-13T22:25:28Z

The food will all come from Hot Italian, but they have paninis, calzones and other options besides pizza.

Henry Stroud on "Harmonica Convention"

2009-08-13T21:32:21Z

Who doesn't love a well played harmonica? Is there an entrance fee or can you just stroll in for free?

Henry Stroud on "Drag Queen Bingo Raises Money for Charity"

2009-08-13T21:21:18Z

Sounds like an entertaining evening. Were the majority of the participants in drag?

Henry Stroud on "Sac parking rates and fines rise"

2009-08-13T21:15:01Z

I've had issues parking in that same spot outside of Big Spoon. Every time I go I drive around for a solid five minutes looking for a spot, but always end up parking illegally. Does anyone have any advice or is it just an unavoidable risk?

Henry Stroud on "It's Time for a Pow Wow"

2009-08-13T16:23:37Z

Sorry about that dud link. This address should work out better. http://docs.google.com/View?id=dhb9jb2c_7c9dcsdjp

The Hot Lunch Concert Series

2009-08-13T05:13:54Z

Sacramento music fans dreading the upcoming end of this season's Concert in the Park Series have a new reason to rejoice. There is a new series in town, and it looks to be a doozy. The Hot Lunch Concert Series, brain child of Hot Italian owner Andrea Lepore and local concert promoter Jerry Perry, begins next Thursday, Aug. 20 in Fremont Park at the corner of 16th and P Streets, and will host an eclectic slew of talented and entertaining bands.

The series, which will take place every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the next six weeks, began with Lepore's dissatisfaction with the under-use of Fremont Park. She saw the series as a "way to promote the park as a venue and as a place for people to come and gather." Encouraged by the results of Sacramento's Concert in the Park Series, she decided that the best way to revitalize the park would be through a similar experience. So she contacted Perry, "the local music guru," and asked for his help in forming a line-up of local talent. Perry delivered, booking a "great line-up" of diverse bands, ranging from country to funky soul.

Although she acknowledges that the concerts will be "on a smaller scale" than the Cesar Chavez concerts, Lepore envisions it as becoming "an annual series." She believes success will come not only from the capable acts, but also from the many other distractions the series has to offer. Chief among these is Hot Italian's new mobile ordering system, "so that people can just go straight to the park and start listening to music and place their orders right from there," she said. "They don't have to waste any of their precious lunch hour."

It may be too soon to compare this series in its infancy with the well-matured Concerts in the Park, but Lepore insists Sacramento will grow to love it. She sees it as a great opportunity to "bring blankets, sit on the grass, hang out with coworkers and friends and have Hot Italian Pizza and live music." Who couldn't use some more of that?

Here is a list of the bands, the dates, a brief description and a link to their websites.

Aug. 20 - Blvd Park - alternative folk

Aug. 27 - Kate Gaffney - country folk blues

Sept. 3 - Richard March - country

Sept. 10 - Ricky Berger - jazz folk

Sept. 17 - Syncro - funky soul

Sept. 24 - Walking Spanish - Americana blues rock

It's Time for a Pow Wow

2009-08-13T04:57:28Z

Practice your Gourd Dance and dust off your drums — it's time for a pow wow. The 15th Annual Sacramento Pow Wow begins Friday, Aug. 14 in O'Neil Park (715 Broadway) and will continue through Aug. 16.

"A pow wow," according to Master of Ceremonies Thomas Phillips, is a "coming together or gathering of our American Indian people for ceremony, song, dance and feasting." Although pow wows were created by the Algonkin tribe as a designated time and place for ceremony, it has evolved into today's meaning. In Phillip's eyes, pow wows now signify "a venue for preserving and maintaining our rich and colorful culture to pass down to the next generation."

University students were the first to recognize that the Native American culture needed rejuvenation, so they reintroduced the pow wow to the mainstream public as a method of education and awareness. "Since then," Phillips states, pow wows have spread "into local tribal and urban Indian communities and finally into Indian Casinos where they could be supported by gaming revenues." Each pow wow is different, as it reflects the work of the Pow Wow Committee that plans the event.

Although this is the 15th Annual Sacramento Pow Wow, it is only the 13th year that it has been funded by a private party. "The state of California discontinued funding for the California Indian Days and Pow Wow at CalExpo," explained Phillips. But instead of simply terminating the program altogether, the committee sought funding to continue the ceremony. This funding was provided by the Hoaglin family, who generated the needed revenue with a traveling taco stand they bring to pow wows throughout the state.

Phillips says he plans to open the first day with the "Smudge Blessing and Prayer (a type of purification ceremony intended to remove negativity) for the grounds and ceremonies followed by California Dance Groups from throughout Northern California." During the three-day ceremony there will be many events, including a Bear Dance, a religious ceremony meant to bring prosperity to the Native American people, and the Gourd Dance, an honor dance performed by the Men's Society of Protectors of the Southern Planes. On both Saturday and Sunday, all ages will compete in a variety of dancing styles, including Fancy Shawl, Jingle Dress, Old Style Traditional for girls and women, and Fancy Feather, Grass and Old Style Traditional for the boys and men. The full schedule is attached below.

One reason for the many different dancing styles featured in this year's pow wow is its inter-tribal nature. Instead of just being a pow wow for one California tribe, many different cultures will be welcomed, including the California Pomo, Wailaki, Concow, Mewuk, Maidu and Wintu.

Although it may appear that a pow wow would be an event held exclusively for Native Americans, Phillips quickly puts this notion to rest, encouraging all of the public to attend. He promises "there will be a lot of attractions and things to do and to see at the Pow Wow. There is a nominal admission fee to enter but it is well worth it." Among these attractions Phillips lists a multitude of arts and crafts vendors and a variety of different food booths, a combination that is sure to entice any Sacramento resident looking for a fun cultural distraction this weekend.

Attached is a flier for the event. The 15th Annual Sacramento Pow Wow

Henry Stroud on "Soaring Voices at the Crocker"

2009-08-12T23:34:33Z

Definitely seems like an interesting exhibit. Have the sacrilegious allegations led to any controversy in Sacramento?

Henry Stroud on "Outdoor movies pop up in Sactown"

2009-08-12T23:25:14Z

Do we know what movies will be playing in advance?

Henry Stroud on "City Council praises plans to develop alleys"

2009-08-12T21:36:32Z

Sounds like a great change to midtown. Do they have any plans as to when the restoration would begin?

Henry Stroud on "KRS-One helps out with Washington Neighborhood Center"

2009-08-11T21:29:15Z

Do we know how much money was made and how much it will help in keeping the Community Center open?

Henry Stroud on "Know your ganja: A tour of local cannabis clubs"

2009-08-06T21:23:48Z

You mentioned that customers were able to bring home their own plants to grow. Are there any legal ramifications to growing weed, even if it is bought with a club card?

Henry Stroud on "In Praise of the Sacramento Film Community - An Open Letter to Mayor Kevin Johnson"

2009-08-06T21:06:53Z

This is an interesting issue, one that many people seem to overlook. What sort of history does Sacramento have with movies?

Henry Stroud on "The Compassion Project"

2009-08-06T20:28:11Z

Interesting story. Has Mr. Donnoe received any of the public support that it sounds like he is aiming for?