I started attending the Banff Mountain Film Festival screenings in Davis in middle school as a way to relate to my hyperactive dad. I tagged along with him to lots of cool things I didn't fully appreciate. I remember sinking with embarrassment when he whispered loudly at me for texting during a screening of "Touching the Void" at the Crest Theatre. He'd take me to the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Davis, and I'd complain that his old farty mountain friends smelled like body odor. Secretly, I loved every second. The short films and documentaries are fast-paced, shot in the most exotic corners of the world and feature the most compelling, gutsy and mentally strong individuals. The audien

The House of Plight, which provides a refuge for single mothers and their children, opened its doors to the public in a housewarming celebration on March 20, 2010. The program is an extension of Commissioned II Love (C2L) Outreach Ministries and Discipleship Centers Inc., a nondenominational outreach ministry and nonprofit. Startup funding for The House of Plight came from college students at Consumnes River College in Sacramento, Savannah State University in Georgia, and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, where C2L has campus ministry divisions. "The vision came from our pastor, Lardina King, who has a real heart for single mothers" said marketing and public

The organic purist, eco-conscious, thigh-conscious and dietary trendy may rejoice that Rick's Dessert Diner on K Street has a new neighbor with a new selection of baked treats. Sugar Plum Vegan, a vegan and wholesale bakery that offers fair-trade coffee and organic ingredients, has opened its doors for service. The cozy spot, situated below what was True Love Coffeehouse, has just enough capacity to hold five small tables and a very friendly staff, unfazed by transition issues with the ATM and continuous stream of customers placing to-go orders. "We want those that are hard core vegans as well as those who are just curious to feel comfortable here" said Owner and Chef, Melissa Sugar. T

Projecting archival photographs above stacks of albums, Jorae described the familial and political relationships of a generation of children marginalized by two cultures. On Sunday night, a dozen history buffs arrived at Time Tested Books to partake in an informal discussion with local author and educator Wendy Rouse Jorae about the research behind her recently published book, "Children of Chinatown: Growing Up Chinese American in San Francisco, 1850-1920." Jorae wrote her dissertation for the University of California, Davis on the pioneer generation of Chinese Americans in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Her interest in the subject was sparked as a history student in Sacramento where she bec

Saturday, The Smiths/Morrissey cover band This Charming Band (TCB) will be performing at East Sacramento's Blue Lamp. TCB, originally from Los Angeles but now calling San Francisco home, formed in 2005, when front man "Orlandissey," newly aware of his Morrissey-impersonation skills, posted a Craigslist ad seeking fellow The Smiths tribute musicians. "We believe that the music of The Smiths still interests people and brings them together because the words of Morrissey and the music of Johnny, Andy and Mike are timeless" Orlando said. "Morrissey's lyrics transport you into 'his' England where love, acceptance and kindness are lacking and so desired which one could argue is true in our pres

Fairytale Town's second annual Goes Green! event is back this weekend. The family event will feature educational displays, activities and crafts aimed at promoting conservation and environmental awareness. "When the director of Fairytale Town approached me with ideas about hosting an agricultural event, I wanted to tie in a green theme," said Education and Program Manager Sharlene Lal. "But as we developed the event, we realized that going green is a big idea and a movement that needs its own outlet." Several local organizations have partnered with Fairytale Town to provide learning tools. Representatives from Solar Cookers International, the Department of Utilities, the Air Resources B

 In an Access Sacramento office full of high-tech video equipment, timelines circulated Friday morning among representatives of local community organizations working toward Sacramento's first Youth Media Forum For Social Change. The project is aimed at showcasing and supporting the use of digital tools for advocacy and social change as well as establishing a regional network of youth and adults to share and create them. The upcoming forum is supported by The Healthy Youth/Healthy Regions initiative, a partnership between the University of California at Davis Center for Regional Change, Sierra Health Foundation and The California Endowment. Research obtained through the initiative will dic

 The fate of the controversial Curtis Park Village development project will be reviewed by the Planning Commission Thursday. The project has been billed by developer Paul Petrovich as a way to blend nearby housing styles into a new community, but neighbors disagree, arguing that it's a design stuck in the past. “We hope everyone in this city is watching as the 72-acre parcel between Land Park, Sacramento City College and Curtis Park goes to the Planning Commission for review,” said Rosanna Herber, president of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association (SCNA). “Designed the right way, the development could meet the growing need for housing and retail space near the heart of the city and

Jazz enthusiasts should be aware of a new talent in town. If you haven't had the opportunity to catch the very beautiful and very talented Casey Lipka perform, opportunities abound this spring. When did you get into music? Music has always been a focal part of my life. As a kid, I would belt out pop songs, often along with my younger sister, in the car as we drove to school. My dad is a huge Beatles fan and plays guitar, so I was fortunate to grow up with live music in the house. My elementary school in Santa Monica, Calif., had a strong music and performing arts program, and it put on school-wide musicals each year. I was also exposed to Haitian music as one of the parents was from Ha

After months of delay, officials say the K Street renovation project is on course for completion. The streetscape renovation includes the installation of intersection and gateway elements, lighting, landscaping and benches through the 700 block of K Street. According to project details posted by the city's Economic Development Department, the project is aimed to enhance the aesthetics and safety of the block, as well as provide for better pedestrian accessibility and increased connectivity. The makeover, a joint undertaking of the city and Sacramento Regional Transit, was projected to be completed in November, in time for the holidays. However, construction delays forced the Midtown B

Beatnik Studios was graced Thursday with performances by local jam band CFR and Oklahoma-based postmodern jazz band Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (JFJO). Beatnik Studios hosted the benefit show for the Music Never Stops Foundation, as part of an ongoing Winter Jazz Concert Series running through April. The collaborative photography studio, off Broadway on 17th Street, has become a space for community engagement and a venue for the jazz series, band launches, a music school and local craft fair, to name a few. There was a real sense of community to the evening as supporters danced to the music of CFR, which has performed at Second Saturday and other local venues and has many loyal Sacramento

Chances are you’ve heard of Etsy. It’s the world’s most expansive marketplace for handmade and vintage items. With neighborhood networks and a shop-local function, Etsy is revolutionizing the way people shop online. I spoke to artist and team leader of SactoMetro Etsy Street Team, Marianne Bland, about her team of local artists and craftsmen representing the Sacramento area on Etsy.com   Tell me about Sacramento’s Etsy Team SactoMetro Etsy Street Team has soap makers, painters, people making spiritual items, fine art…just a huge variety of items. We have people doing it to supplement jobs, full-timers, mothers at home school… It's an interesting group of people trying to help each other

The Pixies are touring in 2010 … in Australia and Antwerp, Belgium.   If you don’t intend to be in those places and still are kicking yourself for missing the West Coast leg of the Pixies’ 20th anniversary “Doolittle” Tour last in November, all is not lost.   Pixies front man, Charles Thompson a.k.a. Black Francis, will be showing off the growl behind epic hits “Where Is My Mind?” and “Debaser” in a solo acoustic show at the Blue Lamp this weekend.   Black Francis’ music is characterized by recurring biblical references and a folksy country sound. He cites Iggy Pop, Husker Du, The Beach Boys and The Velvet Underground as major influences.   Black Francis, formerly Frank Black, rele

Navigating a newspaper is tricky. I avoid reading state government news early in the morning so as not to start my day feeling hopeless and impotent. Bring on the funnies. Who is accountable for state governance? Thursday night marked a new voice in state news and a new set of eyes narrowed on the Capitol. About fifty people gathered at Pyramid Ale House to celebrated the launch of CalWatchdog.com, a new journalism venture with a mission of “holding the government accountable for its spending and regulatory programs by exposing government waste, fraud and abuses of power.” I sat down with Steven Greenhut,, CalWatchdog editor in chief, amid beer, rain and power suits. Q: What inspired

Break out the yarmulkes. It is time to celebrate the Sacramento Jewish Film Festival's Bar Mitzvah year with its 13th annual Crest Theatre screening. In 1997, volunteer coordinator Margi Park-Landau teamed up with Crest Theatre manager Sid Heberger to institute the first screening. The turnout was overwhelming. According to Heberger, now co-director of the festival, the range of this year’s selections were chosen to represent the diversity of Jewish culture. “The selection process involves looking at other Jewish film festivals from around the globe," she said. "We accept submissions and we also receive titles from film companies around the world including several out of Israel.” “We

Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner. If you also have a crotchety dog who bites your friends, a television with a butt, or an aversion to sharing your beer, check out some of these spots on game day. Hilltop Tavern (4757 Folsom Blvd.) is hosting its second annual Super Bowl Sunday Mac-and-Cheese-Off, where local contestants will be bringing their best dishes to the bar for sampling. INK Eats & Drinks (2730 N St.) is offering 25-cent wings, $1 Pabst Blue Ribbon beers and $3 drafts. Mikuni's (1530 J St.) is offering a Super Bowl Sunday prize raffle and all-you-can-eat sushi buffet. Adult tickets cost $30, senior tickets (+55) cost $20. Old Tavern (1510 20th St.) is hosting a Supe

Get an inside glimpse of what's to come in the Sacramento Ballet's season by attending one of the company's "Red Hot Valentine Nights," featuring excerpts from Second Before the Ground, Nine Sinatra Songs and Frankie & Johnny. You'll enjoy a studio show experience more intimate than on the stage followed by tango lessons with the help of the dancers themselves. Friday night, two movements were showcased from Trey McIntyre's Second Before the Ground (a lighthearted energetic dance set to the music of the Kronos Quartet). In excerpts from Michael Smuin's Frankie and Johnny, dancers performed a mambo, incorporating a makeshift bar to give the audience a sense of the party. The dancers esp

The Shack restaurant in East Sacramento was packed Saturday, the overflow filling the patio. So many people turned up for the book launch of photographer Tom Myers’ “Postcard History Series: Sacramento,” that he sold the 65 copies he'd brought in little over an hour.   The book is a visual history of Sacramento, taken from Myers’ collection of vintage postcards and supplemented with specific descriptions and historical details.   Myers began collecting postcards about six years ago as an extension of his interest in the history of the Sacramento area. His collection has grown to more than 680 postcards, most of them spanning the years 1905 to 1940.   The introduction to the book was

Thursday morning, the Federal Department of Transportation is expected to announce it’s decision on how roughly $8 billion of federal stimulus funding will be allocated. California hopefully awaits a response to it's application for $4.7 billion of the stimulus funds in order to proceed with a high-speed rail project that has long awaited realization. California High-Speed Rail Authority Board Chairman Curt Pringle believes California is a strong contender. “We can double the value of the federal government’s dollars by matching them with state bond funds approved by California voters last year.” He said. By this, he referred to the narrow passage in November 2008 of Proposition 1A, al

For people sick of hearing about "Avatar," the Mondavi Center at UC Davis provides low-cost alternative screenings with it's Focus on Film series held this winter and spring. Mondavi Center Executive Director Don Roth opened the series up to the public in 2008 with three nights of Ingmar Bergman retrospectives followed by three nights of films representing "Perspectives of War in Cinema." "We get a good mix of members of the community and students to these screenings," he said. For this installment, the series is broken into the themes of Replay and Graphic Novel. Roth described the films chosen for the Replay portion as representative of "two films based on the same story." Films fea