Saturday’s second annual Southside Sessions will bring together people, music and food for an afternoon of memory making. This year’s event is expected to be much bigger than last year’s, said event coordinator Josh Robichaud. “There were some smaller bands and food donations. This one is going to be bigger and better. We want to make it a force to be reckoned with.” Full of musical performances by bands like Prieta, Smirker, O Street Dub, Majesty and Esteban Villa, Southside Sessions will feature skateboarding by amateur riders and art demonstrations by local professionals. Following the day’s activities, there will be a movie night featuring “Monsters vs. Aliens.” Other artists inclu

The new Alta California - Celebrations of Home celebrates the memory of Sacramento Mexicans for more than 40 years with photos, newspaper articles and historical documents. La Raza Galería Posada staff spent nine months building an exhibition full of rare photos and memories from Sacramento residents. La Raza Galeria Posada is a multi-disciplinary cultural center and public space for the Sacramento community by offering Latino/Chicano and Native arts programming as well as art education workshops, according to their website. “(My favorite part) has been (being) able to comb through the Sacramento history and being able to present it all to the public,” said La Raza Galería Posada Educat

From the B Street Theatre comes a story of a fight for love with a sparking sense of humor and a touch of romance, “Old Love.” This two-person play by Norm Foster begins with a very detailed internal monologue from Bud Mitchell, played by David Silberman. Bud is an older fellow who 25 years before fell in love with his boss’ wife, Molly Graham, who is played by Judy Jean Berns. Set in Toronto, “Old Love” presents the idea of love for older, more mature adults and how they feel about it. Molly has recently lost her husband of 34 years when Bud suddenly comes into her life. Meeting at her husband’s funeral, the two interact awkwardly due to Bud’s nervousness. Making the mistake of asking

The second annual LAUNCH showcase hit the Artisan Building Saturday for a night full of music, design, art and fashion. Artists and designers from Sacramento, Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco flocked to LAUNCH to show off their stuff, and the turnout looks even more promising for next year. Designers of clothes and jewelry hung out in the outside venue, presenting handcrafted jewelry, buttons and clothing. Most vendors had mainly vintage jewelry and clothes, some more unique than others. The outdoors also contained several booths from locals who handcraft jewelry and trinkets and sold vintage clothing, as well as live music. “Launch really seemed like a good vibe,” jewelry artist

“The Little Mermaid is Not for Children” premiered at Cosumnes River College’s River Stage, providing an assortment of laughter and entertainment with a witty twist for all ages. The tale of the Milton family begins during the summer in Pennsylvania. The three sisters (Elizabeth played by Lynn Damme, Alicia play by Andee Saenz and Carrie played by Jessica Eichlin) bicker constantly about their mother as well as argue among themselves. The three sisters also play the counterpart mermaid sisters as well, with Carrie as the Little Mermaid. Gloria Milton, played by Claire Lipschultz, is the dying mother of the three sisters and also the reason for most of the family drama. As a former perfo

Sacramento residents meeting at the second session of Community Conversations Tuesday night gave their suggestions for dealing with the current Sacramento budget crisis, with ideas ranging from eliminating parks and recreation programs to more spending on prisons and education. “Budget Cuts: What are we willing to do without and what are we willing to do about the rest?” was the question posed for the second of eight Community Conversations - one in each City Council district - sponsored by The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Region Community Foundation and Capital Public Radio. It was a striking question that produced several different thoughts from members of the Sacramento community. Ten S

Performers from Runaway Stage Productions sang and danced their way into the hearts of many Sacramento residents with their performance of “Curtains” at the 24th Street Theater. The two-act musical comedy is set in Boston, Mass., in 1959. The characters are cast members for a theater troupe, and the play begins during the bows after a performance of “Robbin’ Hood of the Old West,” when leading lady Jessica Crenshaw - played by Amy Jaques-Jones - is murdered. Lt. Frank Cioffi, played by Darryl Strohl, appears the next day to investigate Crenshaw’s murder, though he seems more interested in improving the musical performances by the cast members than solving the murder. As deaths of cast a

Headliner Rihanna with Ke$ha and Travie McCoy blasted through Arco Arena Friday with a laser-filled, glittery performance for the Last Girl on Earth Tour. Opening act McCoy proudly came on stage to roars from the audience of about 9,000 people. The upbeat “Dr. Feelgood” and “Billionaire,” pumped up the crowd. Ke$ha, in all her hot-mess glory, skipped out on stage to “Right Round” by Flo Rida, a song in which she is featured. The pop star stood confidently in front of the bright lights with her gun-shaped guitar before starting right in with “Blah Blah Blah.” Ke$ha’s silly antics and popular rhymes had most of the audience on its feet. To introduce her hit single “Tik Tok,” she walked i

Four student designers went head to head in competition to see who was the top designer at Harlow’s for the first ever Design Vendetta, Wednesday. The designers, Tamika Bellamy, Jules Thor, Yennie Zhou and Faatui Toele, were given an hour to complete an outfit based on the fabric and material they were randomly given. At the end of the hour, two designers were picked for the final round. “The four finalists will be competing tonight for a spot in the fashion show in August,” said Dave Icarangal, the vice president of Tiana Vega. Starting at roughly 8:30 p.m., Rickey Sanchez, the announcer for the evening as well as Couture Connection’s marketing director, asked how excited the audience

The California Museum will present "The Purse and the Person: A Century of Women's Purses," an exhibit dedicated to revealing the change of women's roles throughout history by the use and contents of purses. Beginning Saturday and running through Sept. 26, "The Person and the Person" will be giving another look into the history of women. “Purses provide a peek into history. This exhibit tells the story of what we took with us and why,” said Amanda Meeker, deputy director of The California Museum, located at 1020 O St. This exhibit looks at purses from the contents inside to the outside design of the purses, connecting day-to-day life to the hidden artifacts women keep in their purses, a

Bring your appetite and your camera for the Sacramento Zoo's King of Feasts Wine and Food Luau on Saturday, where the hot summer gets a taste of the jungle. King of Feasts has been running since the 1990s, though it took a hiatus for several years. This event is hosted by members of "Good Day Sacramento" and is a successful fundraiser for Sacramento Zoological Society. "The funds raised benefit zoo improvements, education programs and wildlife conservation, while at the same time providing the community a chance to get together and enjoy an evening at the zoo with good food and drinks," said Lauren Kraft, the zoo's public relations coordinator. This is the first year that the luau theme

The Offstage Actors Group's "Off Balance 6: Freaks, Geeks and Bad Choices" opened Thursday at Clubhouse 24, bringing a new kind of comic relief to real-life and even fairy-tale situations. This two-act performance, broken up into eight total scenes, gives the audience a taste of real life if it had a narrator's voice or a do-over button. With a soundtrack by Brother Dan Palmer, this show kicks off the summer with a cynical twist to how the average person sees oneself. Though "Off Balance 6" isn't directed toward a younger audience due to profanity and mature themes, the comedy sheds a new light on the characteristics of people and how one word or question can change everything. The firs

The Ninth Annual Sacramento French Film Festival launches Friday at the Crest Theatre, premiering a wide range of films from old classics to modern-day comedies. The festival celebrates French culture and history through various genres of cinema. Of the 14 films that are expected to play, four are famous classics, such as "Le Roman d'un tricheur (Story of a Cheat)" and "Le Clan des siciliens (The Sicilian Clan)." The remaining 10 others include "Fais moi plaisir! (Please, Please Me!)" and "Les Beaux Gosses (French Kissers)," along with various short films. Special guest director Stéphanie Vasseur will be presenting her latest short films "Le Petit Marin" and "3ème B, 4ème Gauche." Other

The Secretions will be headlining Friday at Cesar Chavez Plaza for Concerts in the Park, playing alongside three other Sacramento local bands. Concerts in the Park is a free summer concert event for local bands that goes until Aug. 3, every Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. The Secretions will be rocking the stage, along with The Shruggs, The Four Eyes and The Enlows. "I'm definitely excited to play with the other bands on Friday," said Danny Secretion, drummer and vocalist for the Secretions. "Each of the bands don't play shows that often, so to have all three of them playing in one place, it's going to be awesome." The Enlows, The Four Eyes and The Shruggs have all been around since the '90s an