Newest articles and comments on The Sacramento Press written by John Gladding

Folsom Looks For 1,000 Pumpkins Friday

2011-10-25T18:26:09Z

Folsom is hosting its 3rd annual "Night of 1,000 Pumpkins" on Friday, October 28. Residents and visitors alike are encouraged to bring in as many jack-o-lanterns as they can for a festival of pumpkins on Sutter Street.

Anyone who checks in a carved jack-o-lantern will get a raffle ticket to win one of many prizes, including an iPad 2, courtesy of MyFolsom.com. Carving parties are encouraged to get the pumpkin tally up; if you bring in 20 jack-o-lanterns, they'll give you 20 raffle tickets! Tickets will be distributed based on the number of pumpkins brought in.

The event is expected to be a social gathering, as the public checks out the pumpkins, and the kids watch Charlie Brown at 6:30 and Beetlejuice (PG) at 8:00 PM. In between showings, the raffle for the iPad will take place. Trick-or-treating will also be part of the event, and Monster Golf will be selling Monster Ware as well. MyFolsom.com, the founding sponsor of this event, will be on hand selling glow-in-the-dark t-shirts and handing out non-candy goodies to the kids, such as glow sticks and glow-in-the-dark pencils.

This is the third year for this popular event; the first two drew thousands of visitors, but the pumpkin tally was lighter than hoped, with both years around 300 pumpkins total. Organizers are hoping that this year's raffle approach will work, as well as getting local schools to have pumpkin drives as well. Any group or individuals is encouraged to participate in this event.

On Saturday, Sutter Street will also be hosting a craft fair "Fallfest" from 10-4, where dozens of merchants will be on hand to sell their wares. Good food and good shopping is expected!

Night of 1,000 Pumpkins
Friday, October 28, 2011 6 – 9:30 pm
Sutter Street, Folsom
Admission: 1 jack-o-lantern

Sutter Fallfest
Saturday, October 29, 10-4
Sutter Street, Folsom
Admission: FREE

Disclosure: John Gladding is involved in organizing "Night of 1,000 Pumpkins"

John Gladding on "Future of Westfield Downtown Plaza in doubt"

2011-04-29T21:18:40Z

I think K Street and Downtown Plaza keep forgetting a key component to why it's not working - the homeless and undesirables that frequent the area. The first step to any revitalization has to be getting rid of the Greyhound Station and shutting down Hotel Berry. Nobody wants to live with a bunch of bums, prostitutes or crack addicts. Once the work day is over that area is a ghost town.

John Gladding on "The Arena - How It Can Work"

2011-02-02T21:16:08Z

FYI, I asked the Beyonce reference be removed. I had heard it a few times before but I couldn't find an official reference to it. I don't want to be the source for an unsubstantiated rumor!

John Gladding on "The Arena - How It Can Work"

2011-02-01T17:35:32Z

I never factored it in because arena or not, it's a separate issue. It's a loan and the Maloofs have been paying it off. As for Natomas - I think there are many solutions but Natomas shouldn't be throwing roadblocks if it's not in "the plan". They'd have probably 5 years to find a major tenant - theme park, golf course, major employer, etc... my point is that the public needs to be supportive of this project. It's not just Natomas who has a stake in this, all of Sacramento does if it is unsuccessful.

John Gladding on "Bee announces 32 job cuts"

2011-02-01T16:42:06Z

It's the end of an era - My father used to catch up on today's news by grabbing the afternoon edition of the Chronicle on his ride home on BART. Nowadays, people are just reading their smartphones and scanning for breaking news on Twitter. That's reality. The Bee prints stories that are out of date by the time it's printed. If they were smart they'd be investing heavily on a better web and mobile-based model.

John Gladding on "The Arena - How It Can Work"

2011-02-01T07:03:49Z

FYI about the loan to the Kings, the Maloofs have never missed a payment, as set up by the city. People act as if they are trying to avoid it and forget it ever happened. That is not the case.

The Arena - How It Can Work

2011-02-01T00:57:54Z

If you have lived in Sacramento for any length of time, you will know that Arco Arena (excuse me, Power Balance Pavilion) is on borrowed time. Though it is only 25 years old, the arena was built "on the cheap" - a short term solution for the Sacramento Kings while the city could figure out a long-term solution. Well, my friends... that day is here. The City Council is trying to devise a way to pay for a $600 million arena in a faltering economy. No small feat, but it's not impossible.

What's Wrong With Arco
Arco Arena, while acceptable for many fans - is not acceptable by modern standards. Several notable event promoters such as ~~Beyonce and~~ the NCAA March Madness tournament committee have gone as far as tell us they will never play in Sacramento again. The concourse is narrow, luxury suites are few, and simply stated, the place is a barn compared to other cities. Arco is a hard sell to any basketball player who is used to playing in newer facilities - the Maloofs do what they can, but if we want the Kings to attract talent - we have to offer more than the incredible nightlife of Old Sacramento.

Who's Paying: How it Would Work
Estimates at building an arena vary, but $600 million is the most common number to the costs involved. The Maloofs have already stated they will lease for 30 years at $300million. That's half. Naming rights can fetch up to $60million. $240 million can be paid through a tourism tax. Yes... a tax.

Before you put on the brakes, let's take a visit to Orlando. Orlando used to play in a similar arena to Sacramento - it was built in 1989 and just wasn't meeting the needs of today's fans. They passed a tourism tax on hotels and rental cars to help pay for the new arena which was just opened. Taxpayers are technically paying for it - but not those who live there. When you as a Sacramento resident visit Orlando, your vacation dollars help pay for this arena. For Orlando residents, it's practically a free arena.

Think it can't happen in California? Think again. The San Franciso 49ers' new stadium in Santa Clara is being financed through a tourism tax as well. Tourism taxes are quite popular in most cities, yet Sacramento has not capitalized on it.

Who Would Get The Revenue From the Arena?
In Orlando, The City of Orlando collects revenue from non-NBA games, while the Magic get all the NBA games. There's no reason a similar deal can't be struck here. The Maloofs still benefit because they could have a better facility to draw NBA talent and can sell more luxury boxes to corporate sponsors; however the city of Sacramento doesn't lose out on revenue at the other 200 events a year. What's more, a better facility means an instant attendance boost and a major selling point to attracting (and retaining) NBA talent.

Traffic
A new arena downtown in the railyard would be built near light rail and right off the freeway. It's more centrally located for many, including most who live south of the city and on the 50 corridor, where they would drive 10 less minutes than Arco. Traffic was a concern for AT&T Park in San Francisco as well, and they have handled it very well.

The Natomas issue
I realize a new arena downtown will be a major blow to Natomas. Many restaurants in the area rely on this regular traffic to drive business. However this may be our last chance at building an arena. If the Natomas crowd puts up a public fight on the arena, it could kill the whole project - and bring down the Kings with it. Natomas is a strong community… there is no reason they can't concentrate on building a theme park or another large facility on Arco land. Please support the arena, no matter where it's built.

Money that Could Be Spent Elsewhere
I have heard quite a few cries about an arena for billionaires being built, while it could be better spent on homeless, police, or schools. I would argue that without an arena and without the Kings, I honestly doubt Sacramento will magically lose these problems. In fact, without the Arena and the Kings, I would argue this city would be far less desirable for businesses to move to - for the lack of entertainment would make Sacramento undesirable.

I ask all of Sacramento to give this one a shot. If it comes to a tourism tax, what do we have to lose? You may come up with some reason why you don't like it, but you have to see the bigger picture... is it really worth losing the Kings over? Is it really worth not having a major venue for first-class entertainment in Sacramento? Let's not cut off our nose in spite of our face - we have a great opportunity to cement this city for generations. Let's get it done!

John Gladding on "ICON-Taylor team favored to build arena"

2011-01-31T04:56:51Z

Priority 1 is keeping the Kings, period. We don't have the luxury of second opinions at this point - if it's not in Natomas, they need to get on board - else the Kings will be gone, the arena will attract a handful of low-caliber events, and everyone loses. While it's true Arco is a great benefit to Natomas, it has a great opportunity to re-invent itself if there is no arena there. Perhaps they should focus on attracting another major tenant like a theme park - something Sacramento is in dire need of.

John Gladding on "Trio unveils California Northern"

2010-12-09T20:59:23Z

Cool - look forward to it!

John Gladding on "Arena task force meets next week"

2010-11-12T07:40:30Z

An arena in Sacramento would cement the area for years to come... let's hope it happens!

Light Rail Prepares for Zombie Onslaught

2010-10-25T15:37:52Z

Zombie enthusiasts are gearing up for the first-ever "Zombie Train" on Friday - a flashmob on Sacramento Light Rail, capped off by Tainted Love at the Powerhouse Pub.

Folsom is hosting its annual "Night of 1,000 Pumpkins" on October 29, in which they are soliciting the public's help to bring 1,000 jack-o-lanterns to its historic Sutter Street. At 7:23 PM, a trainful of brain-eating zombies is expected to arrive in search or brains and beer. All Zombie enthusiasts are encouraged to come, as well as anyone interested in attending the bar crawl, though organizers ask that the zombies not eat the children. It is unknown how many zombies will show up, though organizers are hopeful that up to 100 zombies will make the journey.

The Zombie Train starts in Midtown at 6:28 at the Sac Valley Light Rail station, and makes its way to Folsom, presumably picking up quite a few undead for an interesting train ride. Organizers are hoping fellow zombies will take pictures and video of their trip and post them on the Facebook page.

Once in Folsom, zombies will be checking out the pumpkins, shops, craft tents, and various bars, which are expected to have drink specials for zombies in attendance. Powerhouse Pub will even be hosting Tainted Love that evening ($15 cover charge) and having a $300 zombie contest. "Throbbing Zombies" will also be on special for the undead in attendance at Powerhouse.

Zombies are advised to find a sober friend to drive or cab it home, as the 7:23 light rail train will be the final Folsom train for the evening. Lake Natoma Inn is also down the street for zombies who can't make it back to their graves by sunrise.

What: The Sacramento Zombie Train
When: Friday, October 29
Where: starts in midtown, ends in Folsom

Train stops:
Sac Valley 6:28p
8th & O 6:34p
16th Street 6:39p
29th St 6:43p
University/65th 6:49p
Watt/Manlove 6:55p
Mather/Mills 7:03p
Sunrise 7:10p
Hazel 7:16p
Folsom 7:23p

John Gladding on "Second Saturday to go the way of Thursday Night Market?"

2010-09-20T21:34:45Z

Perhaps street sweepers could be a cheap solution. Get businesses to chip in for a couple street sweepers to clean up the streets and shoo the kids away. "Too many people, not enough resources" seems to be the problem... Seems to me that if you have that many people you should be able to find a way to fund the resources.

John Gladding on "New gym/wellness facility at CSUS"

2010-07-12T04:29:14Z

conspicuously absent is the basketball arena, which at the time was the cornerstone of the project. Great to see this thing done but that campus sorely needs a real arena for D-1 basketball.

John Gladding on "Final Home Game is One for the Record Books"

2010-04-14T06:01:54Z

beautiful photos in there.

John Gladding on "Natomas Chamber Campaigns To Keep Arena In Natomas"

2010-01-17T19:51:16Z

Unfortunately, though many cities have done this, this is why it's actually more expensive: 1) You can't expand to add another level of luxury boxes (all arenas these days have 2 rows of luxury boxes - they bring in the most revenue) 2) The walls of Arco are only so wide. The already slim concourse around the arena can't possibly be expanded without knocking down 2 walls and a roof. 3) The dressing rooms for entertainers (whether they are Britney Spears of the Kings) are already way small. 4) The pipes for icemaking are laid in concrete and need to be ripped up In essence, you'd have to knock down 2 walls and a roof to do this, and you're basically starting over. The Kings would have to play in Oakland for 3 years or Memorial Auditorium (which seats maybe 3000), which would kill revenue. We don't have the luxury of having old arenas nearby. I'm not sure where people get this "least cost" option. None of this takes in to consideration that you don't want to pay for it either - you'd rather shoot down a great plan that's paid for. As for downtown needing housing - it already has housing. Not sure you have been to downtown on a weekend or weekday night lately but it's a ghost town (everyone is in midtown). It needs something to kickstart an entertainment district. The Railyards is where it needs to be. It's next to the train stations, right off the freeway, and oh yeah... it's paid for.

John Gladding on "NBA proposes Sacramento arena deal"

2010-01-17T09:22:54Z

Is Arco going to be adequate in 10 years? If they got this arena deal done, it will be 2015 before it opens. "Good enough" is not "good enough" for NCAA tournaments and major music acts like Beyonce - and that's today. Do you think Arco will still be "good enough" in 2020?

John Gladding on "NBA proposes Sacramento arena deal"

2010-01-17T01:11:02Z

1. Arco hosts 300 events a year, 42 of them are Kings games. You do the math... just go to Ticketmaster and search Arco Arena; you'll soon see the Kings games are in the minority (and this is basketball season). I don't understand how people always conveniently forget about 250 events a year - this argument has been beaten to death. 2. The CalExpo area will be sold to developers, who often pay for many acres of land that won't be developed for many years (long term investment). The State Fair will not be moved quickly, as they have to wait for new fairgrounds. Your commentary on traffic/infrastructure, the railyards have been planned out for many years, it's part of Sacramento's master plan. 3. The fairgrounds money would likely come from the sale of the land. Keep in mind there is an existing arena and practice facility which already can be repurposed. A lot of the state fairgrounds are all temporary structures as it is. The new fairgrounds cost would not be that high when you factor in the existing buildings. 4. Not sure, but I imagine this is something that is not going to hold things up. 5. First of all, this proposal doesn't factor in who pays for it... however the guts of the building are not adequate to be rebuilt. They'd have to tear the whole thing down to start over because Arco was really build very cheaply. 6. Part of the deal factors in the loan, and the Maloofs would make good on it. If they signed a 30-year lease they'd be on the hook for 30 years. That's how a lease works. I wish people would quit trying to be so quick to poke holes in things... it's practically a free arena, people! You should be super-excited about the prospect of what this could mean to Sacramento! I know I am.

John Gladding on "Welcome to The Sacramento Press Journalism Open!"

2009-10-15T04:45:54Z

cool idea... this is the future of journalism!

John Gladding on "Winners Of Paint The Town Purple"

2009-10-14T04:07:41Z

My dad inspired me to say "Who purpled"... he thinks the word "fart" is too crass for his vocabulary, but he'll be quick to point out when someone passed gas. Thanks to him, I won some tickets! Woo!

John Gladding on "We're A Hard Working Team"

2009-10-13T06:58:19Z

last minute purple

John Gladding on "What’s up Kings fans?"

2009-10-13T06:53:17Z

Purple & Black is back, baby! Go Kings!

John Gladding on "Kick It With The Kings Starters, Write and Win"

2009-10-13T06:51:12Z

...who purpled?

John Gladding on "The True Kings"

2009-10-13T06:49:52Z

I BLEED PURPLE

John Gladding on "Official Rules For Paint The Town Purple"

2009-10-13T06:47:02Z

PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE ...too subtle?

John Gladding on "Kings preview"

2009-10-13T06:45:13Z

I'm excited about the upcoming season... we have our purple mardi gras beads ready to go. I don't have the heart to tell them Mikki Moore doesn't play with them anymore (they just like his hair)

John Gladding on "Jason Thompson Painted Second Saturday Purple"

2009-10-13T06:43:34Z

Purple power!

John Gladding on "Kevin Martin Helps Paint the Town Purple"

2009-10-13T06:40:52Z

Purple rain, purple rain....

John Gladding on "Street Interview"

2009-07-01T15:48:21Z

The reason the Kings matter - to a tourist, without the Kings, we are no different than Fresno. There's a big reason Sacramento gets an immense amount of people at the Air Shows, Track & Field Trials, Second Saturdays, RiverCats, and until recently, Kings games - this city is starved for entertainment. I don't want to have to drive 2.5 hours for entertainment.

John Gladding on "Street Interview"

2009-06-30T21:07:02Z

More mass-entertainment options. On any given Sunday there should be a number of entertainment options for visitors. A gold rush museum, duck (river/land) tours, a skyline-defining building like the Transamerica (with observation deck) would all be a good start. We will set this city back 20 years if we lost the Kings.

John Gladding on "Should We Close Sac's Parks? Open Up K St. to Cars?"

2009-05-31T04:57:17Z

Privatising parks is definitely a sound idea financially. The cuts being offered seem appropriate, though the lack of restrooms may have side effects that end up costing more. As far as K street, it seems like a pretty drastic idea. That street has been through so many transformations yet nothing works. Until you can get rid of slumlord Mo Mohanna, the city's hands are tied. I wouldn't do it because it will probably cost yet more money and I doubt it will work. Wait out the recession and try to develop more condos and lofts in the area, thus creating a demand for retail and entertainment.

John Gladding on "Inside Sacramento's "Tent City""

2009-03-15T20:56:29Z

Great article... even greater to see the mayor commenting on this.

John Gladding on "The Sacramento Bee's crisis of relevance"

2009-03-10T06:45:58Z

the future of the press? I am starting to think you are reading it right now. Readers no longer have to rely on traditional media outlets. Bloggers, Twitter, AP feeds, there's so many ways for people to get it. Citizen journalism may very well be the future of news, like it or not. It's sink or swim time...