Beating human hearts and artistically painted hearts in all forms filled the Alex Bult Gallery to raise funds to help kick off the Any Given Child program. Sacramento was chosen by the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC as the very first site in the country to pilot the Any Given Child program which seeks to ensure that every child in every K-8 school has access to quality arts experiences.  17 pieces were auctioned off by David Soborn Auctions. A silent auction followed. According to their FaceBook page this morning "Hearts for the Arts was a smashing success last night! Amazing art, music, food and a live art auction with lots of creative friends all partying together - and supporting

Recently I made my first visit to Marilyn's on K St. The show was Lube & Roses: A Night of Bare Bellies and Drag, a fundraiser for The Gender Health Center (GHC) in Sacramento. Information about The Gender Health Center follows the photos of the fundraising evening. The show ran the gamut from silly to raunchy: "GHC is a non-profit agency that provides counseling/therapy services to anyone who expresses the need, as well as anyone who self- identifies or is perceived, to be gender variant," Ben Hudson explains. Their services are accessible to the most underserved communities, including the LGBTQQI ( Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning,

As I left McKinley Library around 2pm today, my eyes were drawn to the backlighting of the inland seagulls as they flitted here and there around the pond. As I was snapping away more people gathered around tossing food to the fowl, which was a good thing. I ended up catching the backlighting effect in a few of the shots. Here's the best out of 360 shots: After awhile it became monotonous!

The Capital City Bonsai Association and the Sacramento Bonsai Club hosted the Commemoration of the Introduction of the USPS Forever® Bonsai Stamps at the Iva Gard Shepard Garden and Arts Center. These five new stamps are forever equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.. The event was packed for the unveiling. Art Director and stamp designer Ethel Kessler worked with artist John D. Dawson on the Bonsai stamps. Dawson's art has been featured on previous year's stamps. He was unable to attend the ceremony. Five common styles of bonsai are featured on these new stamps: 1) a Sierra Juniper in semi-cascade style: (2) a Trident Maple in informal upright style: (3) a Bl

In the spirit of the historic anthem Lift Every Voice and Sing, the Crocker presented a music-infused celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The Crocker was filled. Lots of different activities happened: Hands-on Art Workshop: Quilt for the Dream, African American Artists in the Crocker Collection Tours and Art Chats. Music featuring: • Theresa Keene and Leslie Sandefur • Faith Fellowship Community Church Choir • Genesis Church Choir • Spiritual Life Center Choir Not in Our Town film screening, sponsored by Mort and Marcy Friedman, featured the PBS documentary that has sparked a national movement to highlight communities working to stop hate. Susie Wong of the Sacramento Regi

The fire Dr. Martin Luther King stoked still burns. Today over 20,000 people in Sacramento marched to honor him. Across the nation, perhaps millions. Honoring King with the 31st annual March for the Dream, a diverse group of US citizens, from points near and far, joined each other in Sacramento as they marched simultaneously from Grant High School in north Sacramento and from Oak Park's Community Center to Sacramento Convention Center for a community celebration. People jumped into the march from Land Park and Del Paso Blvd. as the march moved forward. Bands played, marchers sported banners, signs and balloons. Two young girls rode a horse. Here are some images from today:

"The Biggest, Baddest Bike Show In North America" fills Sacramento streets this weekend. It proclaims to be "all about amazing motorcycles- Americans and metrics, revived classics to tricked out customs, and from some of the worlds top bike builders to enthusiasts restoring or building bad ass bikes out of their garage." The show includes motorcycle and motorsports manufacturers' exhibits and their reps to answer questions, live music, the Purrfect Angels, and vendors. And the opportunity to meet Chibs and Lyla from Sons of Anarchy, a drama on the American TV network FX.  This afternoon I happened upon the event. Driving on J St in front of the Convention Center I gawked at the bikes fi

  Two bills were on bikers’ minds Monday as they rallied at the Capitol. Hundreds of California motorcyclists, drivers and passengers, showed up for the yearly motorcycle rally sponsored by the American Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education (ABATE) Monday morning. They gathered on the Capitol building’s south-side in support of two bills that would change the state’s helmet law and throw out the motorcycle-only checkpoints. Legislators were scheduled to vote Monday afternoon after rally.  For results, CLICK HERE>>>

Most are familiar with the saying "Dogs have masters, Cats have staff." At the cat show Jazzy Cats - Mardi Gras Madness today, the two-legged staff of all the adorable balls of fluff were scurrying to get their favorite felines to their judging stations. Sponsored by The International Cat Show (TICA) it continues through tomorrow from 10am - 4pm  at the DoubleTree Hotel across from Arden Fair Mall. I discovered today it's a popular show. The big ballroom was packed with cats, their accessories and staff, plus plenty of cat lovers. Here are some photos from today:

Thanks to an extended New Years holiday weekend folks were enjoying their freedom. Being footloose and fancy-free myself, I took a gander to Folsom Lake and spotted folks on bicycles, horses and boats, hiking and flying a model airplane. Here's some shots:

Over 100 children were the happy recipients of Pillow Pets delivered by Sacramento Metro Fire Dept. The fire department assisted Pillow Pets for Life founder Kara Kateley with the delivery of 350 pillow pets to the UC Davis Children’s Hospital for current and future patients. July 2011, Metro Fire announced a partnership with Pillow Pets for Life, a non-profit organization focused on bringing comfort to hospitalized children. Since July, the public has been able to drop off pillow pets at any Metro fire station. "We are very honored to visit the patients and deliver them a bit of joy during what might be a difficult time while they are in the hospital’, said Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum

In about 20 minutes you can have a no-stress, peaceful Christmas experience and no-long-lines for-Santa-photos with the kids. This is the sixth year of the "Old Fashioned Christmas" presented by The Elk Grove Historical Society in the Hotel and Stage Stop just a hop off Hwy 99 in Elk Grove's Heritage Park. Three rooms upstairs and four down are lavishly decorated, and donated by the designers, in the fashion of Christmas spirit past. Ladies Parlor Ambience in the Ladies Parlor just inside the front door was decorated by Michelle O'Leary, Design FX Home Staging and Redesign,  and Teresa Smedley, Staging 4 All Occasions. Men's Parlor A 1900's version of the "man cave" was designed/dec

Tonight the Governor and First Lady Anne Gust Brown joined Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson for the 80th Annual Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the West Steps of the State Capitol. The  40-foot-tall white fir tree is decorated with 900 hand-crafted ornaments created by children and adults with developmental disabilities who receive services and support from the state’s development centers and 21 nonprofit regional centers. It's illuminated by 10,000 ultra-low wattage LED lights. Six-year-old Makayla Jones, of Visalia, assisted the Governor and First Lady in lighting the Capitol Christmas tree. Kitty O'Neal, of KFBK Radio, was emcee of the ceremony. There were performances by

Communities across the globe observed World Aids Day to reflect on the catastrophic toll HIV/AIDS has created. World Aids Day was honored in Sacramento thanks to the partnership of The Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center and St. John's Lutheran Church. The theme of this year's World AIDS Day memorial is "Never Forget," highlighting the still continuing struggle of HIV/AIDS in our Sacramento community, said Ken Pierce, Equality Action NOW - Chairman of the Board - Communications Director. Yesterday The Center hosted a participatory and interactive memorial in the Panepento Family Main Room at the Center from noon to 6pm. Community members came in, writing messages honoring those lost to

The beauty of fog is that it creates a haze of the things we normally see sharp, clear and with strong colors. No blue sky or the sun's rays beaming upon us. Colors are muted. Our world is more quiet thanks to water droplets in the air. Building tops seem to disappear into the sky. That describes today's blanket of fog over Sacramento:

Over 4,000 of us Christmas enthusiasts crowded together  on K St in Old Sac tonight for the third annual Theatre of Lights. Mayor Johnson lit the Christmas tree. A beautiful 60-foot white fir is poised on Front St near the Delta King Riverboat. Turned on, it's like a chameleon, changing colors and design.Two white-haired gentlemen made an appearance - Mark Twain and, of course, Santa Claus.Twain narrated "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from a balcony of one of the lit up buildings.A chorus comprised of volunteers from Old Sac Living History sang tunes with Father Christmas (above and below).   Over About 50,000 visitors experienced the show last year. The light show continues through

Right now Sacramento is full of "Kodak moments." This afternoon I stalked Downtown and Midtown for those moments. There was something around every corner. The Grid in Technicolor:

Early evening light brightens fall color-turned leaves along El Macero Dr. near the country club. The 18-hole El Macero Country Club in El Macero, CA, southeast of Davis, is a private golf course that opened in 1961.

With Veterans Day landing on a Friday this year it was conducive for many events honoring those who have served. Somewhat under the radar, Old City Cemetery (OCC)  gave visitors a tour of a few of the grave sites of Military Medal recipients  fought in the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Spanish-American War. Amongst them they were recognized with these medals:     •     2 - Medal of Honor     •     2 - Distinguished Flying Cross     •     6 - Silver Star     •    23 - Bronze Star     •     5 - Air Medal     •    44 - Purple Heart. Three volunteer tour guides took turns telling the stories of the circumstances surrounding the dead soldiers. . As we started walking we were to

Last night the California Coalition for Youth staff and volunteers met on the west steps of our Capitol building recognizing November is Runaway & Homeless Youth month. This year, to raise awareness throughout the state, they lit the State Capitol GREEN! They shared ways we can all help: Visit a homeless youth program in the community. To find the programs go to the Resources & Tools page ca-rhymonth.org. Volunteer for the California Youth Crisis Line. Call 1-800-843-5200 or send email to cycl@calyouth.org. Write a letter to the editor at your local newspaper sharing your thoughts about youth homelessness. Tell your friends about California Runaway & Homeless Month and the resources