Newest articles on The Sacramento Press written by Nallelie Vega

Mosque Completion in May

2010-02-10T06:31:37Z

The Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims Center, an Islamic center located off Community Oak Drive, will finalize phase three of their mission in May with the completion of their mosque.

Salam Center was established in 1987 in hopes of one day having a complete Muslim community center that would include a library, bookstore, school, counseling center, youth center, family corner and a mosque.

Phase one, which was started in the late 1980s, included on-site work such as boundary walls, landscaping and the front gate. Phase two, which began in the early '90s, brought the completion of the community center, full-time school, weekend school and kitchen. Phase three has been devoted to building the mosque.

Abdul Azeez, imam or prayer leader at the Salam Center, spoke of the need for a prayer center.

“What we need is a full-time place for our prayers,” he said, adding that the center hosts about 500 people during Friday services. “We have limited space now, and we’re certain that if we have additional space we will get a lot more people.”

Azeez said Salam Center has been using the community center hall to hold its prayer services and that it will be a nice change to have a mosque for Friday prayer services.

He added that the mosque will help with fundraising in order to offer the community more services, as well as increase service attendance. The mosque capacity will be about 800.

Interior designer and architect Passant Abd-Elrazek has been working on the mosque for more than a year. She is a member of the center and had been looking for a way to get more involved.

“I wanted to give back to the community in some way,” she said. “I have a background in architecture and I’m from the Middle East and I have a good background in the Islamic architecture, and this is how I'm giving back.”

She added that the interior of the mosque is being modeled after Egyptian mosques, except for the colors.

Abd-Elrazek noted that many mosques around the world, including Egyptian ones, are very colorful, but her goal for the Salam Center mosque is to keep it as neutral as possible. The interior colors will include beige, tan and green.

The focal point of the mosque will be the marble waterfall in the lobby that will cascade into two pools.

Farrukh Faeed, volunteer chairman of Salam's board of trustees, said dedicated volunteers such as Abd-Elrazek keep the center running.

“Salam Center is the most diverse of all the Islamic centers in Sacramento,” he said, adding that they also attract people from other faiths. “We consider ourselves an American mosque. It is open to people from all walks of life, religious beliefs, and national origin background, so we have a very active participation.”

Faeed has been volunteering at the center since 2007 and said the center has various committees where people can get involved, including the administrative, education, finance, fundraising, membership and religious services committees.

For more information on the Salam Center or how to get involved, visit salamcenter.org.

"Crime and Punishment" Review

2010-01-18T04:30:06Z

KOLT Run Creations hosted a full house at Ooley Theater during the opening weekend of “Crime and Punishment.”

The theatrical performance features local actors Brian Rife, Patrick Murphy and Kelley Ogden. Rife plays Raskolnikov, the protagonist guilty of murdering two women, while Murphy and Ogden play a variety of characters throughout the show.

Having three actors play seven characters is not as distracting as it seems. The actors do a good job transitioning into different roles. They also have great facial expressions along with changes in pitch that help differentiate characters.

Audience member Penny Kline Meagher said she felt that Ogden did a good job in her transitions.

“I liked the way that Kelly Ogden played the characters,” she said, adding that her body language and eye contact were superb. “It was a clear distinction between the characters.”

Ogden performs Sonia, a prostitute who falls in love with Raskolnikov, as well as an old pawnbroker, the old pawnbroker's sister, Lizaveta Ivanovna, and the voice of Raskolnikov’s mother.

Along with the character changes, art directors Liza Thew and Ogden decided to include a unique element that no other “Crime and

Punishment” showings have used before. Patrick Claypool, a student violinist, performs throughout the show. Audience members enjoyed the creativity.

“To me the violin is one of the instruments closest to the human voice and the human soul,” attendee Robin Henson said, adding that no other instrument could probably make a greater impact. “In that sense it added to the drama. Not just the player, but the whole violin was a character on its own.”

The violin is a great touch, especially since the background scenery and stage does not change. And even though the stage and theater are small, the closeness allows cast members to interact with the audience, which many appreciated.

“The purpose of the play is to make a point to (the audience) and not simply make a screen full of information that you just watch,” Henson said.

The show will go through Feb. 13. Performances will be Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.

For more information, visit koltruncreations.com.

Marci Nault's 101 Dreams Come True

2010-01-15T04:57:14Z

Dreams are said to be a state of unconsciousness, but they don't always have to be. Marcy Nault is living proof that dreams can come true.

Nault, a fiction writer originally from Boston and currently living in Sacramento, created a list of 20 dreams she wanted to accomplish throughout her lifetime. The list included learning to figure skate, traveling around the world and learning how to salsa dance. During an eight-year period she accomplished her entire list of dreams.

Nault said she knew she wanted more but wasn't inspired to pursue her dreams until she ended a long-term relationship about two years ago. She had moved to California with her partner, but what she found in Sacramento at the time wasn't what she was looking for.

"Honestly, I (thought), I don't think I want to live in Sacramento," she said, adding that she was just looking to make her partner happy. "Two years ago, when I left the relationship, I (thought), I can go back to Boston, a place that I know that I love and I have all my friends and family, or I can really experience living her in California."

After deciding to stay in the Golden State, she moved out of Folsom, where she had started a life with her former partner, and moved to College Greens by the American River. She said at that point she realized what Sacramento truly had to offer. She was also able to accomplish her most challenging dream: buying a home outright.

Nault was previously a homeowner in Boston, but she decided to sell it before her move to California. She said she never lost the urge to become a homeowner again. Owning a home in California became a dream on her list.

After accomplishing her first 20 dreams, Nault decided to extend her list to 101 dreams, but said she was only trying to make herself feel better after the break-up. She noted she was only trying to make herself feel better, she didn't think she was going to accomplish them.

"I sat down and I started thinking about the things that I had done over the last couple of years that really made me happy," she said. "I had a list of 20 things that I had done, and I (thought), well, if these things made me happy, what else makes me happy? If there were no limits in life, what would I want to do, where would I want to go?"

A friend she had met in Sacramento invited her on a trip to Alaska, which just happened to be on her list of dreams. Soon after she was going to Disney World, hiking in Yosemite and scuba diving.

Local writer Jazmin Matuabjia said she experienced part of one of Nault's dreams. Matuabjia and Nault met in a writers' group in Sacramento. They became good friends, despite their different writing styles and topics, according to Matuabjia, and soon were on their way to Vienna to make another of Nault's dreams come true.

"Marci is a lot more complex then she is assumed to be, but she is also very warm and giving," Matuabjia said. "The first thing you learn about Marci is that nothing surprises you."

She said that all of Nault's dreams are very ambitious, and there is no doubt in her mind that she will accomplish all of her 101 goals. Some goals that Nault has yet to accomplish are visiting Hawaii, New Zealand and Galapagos, passing senior moves in figure skating, bungee jumping, flying an airplane, wearing a fabulous dress to an elegant event, learning photography, and writing a New York Times bestseller.

Currently, Nault is working on making it on that bestseller list. She is trying to publish her first novel, "Who I Am With You," which is about a girl in her 20s who ends up living in a community filled with 70-year-olds.

Nault's agent, Yfat Reiss Gendell of Foundry Media, said her book is currently being looked at by 40 publishers. Gendell said it was going to be a bit tough for Nault's book to get published, since she is a first-time novelist, but she believes in her and her novel.

"What's great about Marci is that she really does follow her dreams," Gendell said in an e-mail. "Many people dream about writing a novel. Marci has actually done it. If anyone can make her dreams come true, it's Marci."

Gendell said Nault has only expressed interest in publishing the book that is currently on the table, but she would be excited to read anything that Nault sends her way. She noted that Nault is a great writer.

But what is Nault's more desired dream?

"I want to grant a Make A Wish for a child," she said, adding that she believes the Make A Wish Foundation is an inspirational organization. "I don't know how I'd go about that, but I've been so fortunate in my life, and to make a child happy would be amazing."

Nault said she will continue to pursue her 101 dreams. She said she wants to inspire people of all ages to follow their dreams.

She has given herself until June 4, 2012 to accomplish her entire list. When asked about the time limit, she said she wanted to move on to other things in her life, such as starting a family and possibly moving back to Massachusetts.

To learn more about Nault's dreams, visit 101dreamscometrue.com.

"Crime and Punishment" opens in Sac

2010-01-15T03:59:21Z

"Crime and Punishment," a theatrical performance presented by KOLT Run Creations, will open Friday at Ooley Theater in Midtown.

The play, originally a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, was brought to Sacramento by KOLT co-founders Kelley Ogden and Lisa Thew for a specific purpose.

"We usually do shows or pick scripts that have issues that are related to our community," Odgen said. "When we looked at doing our next show, we could not escape that there is a real economic poverty (in Sacramento)."

Odgen explained the with all the job-loss and furlough situations, they felt the play reflected current times around the community.

"Crime and Punishment" takes place during the mid-1800s in St. Petersburg, Russia. The main character, Raskolnikov, played by local actor Brian Rise, is a former student who is mentally unstable and living below poverty level. He contemplates theft as a way to get out of his situation. He ends up murdering two women in the process and lives with tremendous remorse throughout the play.

Rise will be joined by local actor Patrick Murphy as well as Ogden on stage. All three actors will be playing a combination of eight different roles throughout the show.

Ogden said having only three actors adds to the dream-like script.

"The idea behind the play and structure is kind of like a dream," she said. "Playing (various) characters is a reflection of the same theme. We like theater that makes people think."

The Sacramento showing will have an added element that no other "Crime and Punishment" showings typically have, Ogden said. Student violinist Patrick Claypool will be performing throughout the play.

"We use live music to help underscore the scenes and themes of the play," Odgen said, adding that having a violinist adds drama and suspense to the play.

Showings will begin Friday and go through Feb. 13. There will be two showings per week, Friday and Saturday, at 8 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 and $12 for SARTA members.

For more information, visit koltruncreations.com.

Safety Precautions for Young Athletes

2010-01-13T05:04:05Z

Additional safety precautions for athletes of all ages were discussed during the Youth Sports Safety Summit Tuesday morning. Professionals, including athletic trainers, orthopaedic surgeons, parents, students, physicians, professors and state legislators all presented possible solutions to help decrease the risk of catastrophic athletic injuries and illness among athletes.

Last year, Tommy Mallon, a student at Santa Fe Christian High School in San Diego, broke his neck during a lacrosse game. His school athletic trainer, Riki Kirchhoff, saved his life by following proper procedure. It turned out Mallon had a fractured neck and without the help of an athletic trainer, he would have died.

The summit, hosted by the National Athletic Trainers' Associaton (NATA), covered various catastrophic injuries, such as concussions and brain injuries, sudden cardiac arrest and exertional heat illness, as well as a need for Automated External Defibrillators in all schools and pre-participation exams in hopes of decreasing situations like Mallon's.

NATA formed an alliance with 30 other organizations, including Safe Kids USA, Parent Heart Watch, National Academy of Neuropsychology and National Sports Safety Organizations in order to address "the Youth Sports Safety Crisis in America," according to a news release by the NATA.

"Because youth athletes today continue to play more sports, or one sport at a more intense level of play, they are experiencing chronic and sometimes catastrophic injuries that could sideline them for a season or even a lifetime,"NATA president Marjorie J. Albohm said in a press release, adding that recent studies have shown an increase in catastrophic injuries.

Dr. Robert Burger, a representative of the Orthopaetic Society of Sports Medicine, said about 7.3 million students participate annually in sports around the country. Two million injuries occur out of those 7 million participants — 500,000 of those injuries requiring doctor visits and 30,000 requiring hospitalization.

Burger said many of the injuries endured by young athletes could lead to serious illness later on in life, such as depression, anxiety and fatigue.

"Our goal is to achieve a culture, a culture of youth sports in America," he said. "A culture where sports participation includes injury awareness and is focused on prevention."

He said the goal of NATA and other organization is not to weed out students from athletic programs, but to protect the students who are prone to serious injuries. Burger added that the No. 1 priority of professionals should be to prevent injuries.

Diane Claerbout is a member of the board of directors for Parent Heart Watch. She said injuries are not as rare as some people believe, and added that there are about 15,000 to 20,000 incidents of sports related cardiac arrest every year. According to 2008-2009 Parent Heart Watch statistics, there were 36 documented incidents of cardiac arrest from athletes between the ages of 10 to 25 in California.

Claerbout said many of these cases could have been prevented if AED's had been used.

"Having an AED is not enough, she said. "People have to know where they are, when to use them and not be afraid of them," she said. "There is a lot of fear out there."

She said many people are afraid to use them because they don't want to misuse the equipment. She added that the solution would be to require AED training for coaches and teachers.

Claerbout noted that screening teens for physical symptoms that might lead to heart problems would also be a solution. She said other countries like Italy and Japan have been screening athletes for years and have kept statistics. The screenings have helped bring down the numbers of cardiac arrest incidences, she said.

But cardiac arrest isn't the only thing young athletes have to worry about. Even though cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in sports injuries, heat illness does not fall far behind.

According to Dr. Rebecca Demorest, committee member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, heat illness is the third leading cause of death among high school athletes.

Demorest said heat illness could easily be prevented by keeping athletes hydrated while they are active. Many athletes don't think about hydration before or after exercise, and she said those are also important factors in prevention

"Heat illness is preventable," she said. "Proper hydration is paramount," she said. "Hydration needs to be accessible and used by athletes before, during and after sporting or exercise activity."

She said pre-hydration is more important than hydrating during exercise. Demorest said 16 ounces of fluids should be consumed before two to three hours of activity to help with hydration. She added that over-hydration is also possible. Some athletes are concerned about not being hydrated enough and they over hydrate, according to Demorest. Over-hydrating can also be deadly.

Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz, chairman of the department of exercise and sport science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said concussions are also a cause for concern. On average 950 collegiate and 750 high school athletes receive a form of head injury, and added that most of those athletes were football players.

"According to our research, once you sustain the first concussion, you are about two times more likely to sustain a second concussion compared to someone who has never had a concussion," he said. "Once you've had a second concussion, you are about three times more likely to sustain another concussion compared to someone who has never had one."

He said professionals should help educate and council athletes, parents and coaches on concussions and how to prevent repetition.

Guskiewicz said pre-participation examinations are also a key to prevention. He added they are currently working on legislation that will bring examinations to all schools in North Carolina. The legislation will mandate athletes and coaches to take trainings that would include detecting the symptoms of head injuries.

But North Carolina isn’t the only state writing up legislation for youth sports safety.

Assembly member Mary Hayashi has been working on legislation in California since 2009 that would help prevent many of the problems plaguing young athletes.

Hayashi said her legislation, Assembly Bill 533, addresses many of the issues of concern. She said the main focus of the bill is to further train coaches to detect catastrophic injuries. She added that states such as Oregon, Texas and Washington have already passed similar laws.

“There is no reason why California can’t do this,” she said, adding that we could join the 10 other states with similar laws. “We should be able to do some of these things in California as well.”

Hayashi will be looking to reactivate AB 533 this year and is looking for Californians' support.

For more information about the youth sports safety crisis in America, visit nata.org. For more information about AB 655, visit assembly.ca.gov.

Higher Education Bill Suspended

2010-01-12T06:21:39Z

Assembly Bill 656, authored by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, was suspended after a second hearing at the Assembly Committee of Revenue and Taxation on Monday.

AB 656, proposing an oil and gas severance tax with revenue going to California's higher education system, was introduced last February and went through the first hearing in May, but the hearing was canceled by Torrico.

During the second hearing, Chairman Charles Calderon and the Revenue and Taxation Committee said they believed the bill needed further discussion and a possible decrease of the 12.5 percent tax rate originally proposed to a more reasonable 6 to 7 percent.

"The real truth here is the bill is going nowhere--it's not getting off the floor," Calderon said during the hearing. "Until we can function properly at the proper as constitutional form of government without these initiatives tying our hands in terms of what we can do and what we can't do, we are not going to solve that here today."

Calderon said he believed the bill would be more successful if the tax percentage was decreased by half. He said the bill was not meant to pin one group against another, but one group would benefit more.

During the hearing the opposition's presence overshadowed the proponents of the bill. The 30 supporters of the bill present at the hearing were no match for the 350 "red shirts," a nickname given by Calderon to the opposition because of their red "Save Our Jobs" shirts, who rallied and cheered outside.

Many of the opponents were from Kern County as well as Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties to name a few.

Among the sea of red was Assembly member Jean Fuller, 32nd Assembly District representative, who took the lead for the opposition. Fuller, whose district mainly consists of Kern County, including cities such as Bakersfield, Ridgecrest, Tehachapi, Taft and Kern River Valley, said AB 656 would greatly impact her district because many oil companies reside in those areas.

"Please understand there are areas of Bakersfield and Kern County that have unemployment rates as high as 30 percent," Fuller said, adding that 70 percent of oil companies in California are located in her district. "This bill would kill thousands of jobs in Kern County and other parts of the state. Today I learned, as (people) came up and told me all the places they were from, how devastating it would be."

She reputed Torrico's arguments regarding California being the only state producing oil without a severance tax by adding that if the bill passed, California would be the highest taxed state on oil extraction. She said even though California does not have a severance tax, many of the other states producing oil, such as Texas and Alaska, don't have high corporate taxes, like California.

She said focusing on one industry and putting the burden on that industry to fix the problems in higher education was unreasonable.

But Torrico and supporters of the bill disagreed. He said the bill was not meant to target small businesses but larger oil corporations, such as Shell and Cheveron. He said more than 70 percent of oil extraction businesses are run by bigger oil companies.

"I am not prepared today to talk to you about reducing the percentage, but I am prepared as we go forward to talk about added protection to small businesses because I think that was the focus of the testimonials today," Torrico said, adding that the bill has made an exemption for stripper wells, oil or gas wells that only produce up to 10 barrels a day for any 12-month period. Stripper wells are mainly owned by smaller companies.

He said the bill isn't intended to hurt small businesses, it's meant to improve higher education. Torrico said California should stop overlooking students because they are the future of the state.

Robert Torres, President and CEO of Associated Students Inc. at Sacramento State, agreed.

He said many California graduates in professions, such as teaching, criminal justice and nursing, went through the public school system of higher education.

"This bill is a solution to investing in higher ed--to ensuring that California's future is bright." he said. "The CSU alone is the economic drive for California, along with the UC's and community colleges. Investing in CSU is investing in California."

Proponents of the bill also addressed the lack of support during the hearing. Torrico said the committee should not overlook the lack of attendance from supporters.

"We have collected 50,000 signatures in support of this bill," he said. "Obviously there isn't 50,000 people here, but we have 50,000 supporters of this measure," he said.

The committee is due back to deliberate the suspended file within the next month.

For more information about the bill, visit leginfo.ca.gov.

Youth Sports Safety Summit in Sacramento

2010-01-11T06:15:17Z

The National Athletic Trainer Association (NATA) will be holding a Youth Sports Safety Summit at the Capitol on Tuesday in hopes of educating legislators, athletes, parents, coaches and the community about catastrophic dangers young athletes are exposed to. In December, NATA partnered with 30 organizations, including American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and California Brain Injury Association to name a few, and formed an Alliance to combat the "youth sports safety crisis in America."

The event will feature various speakers from the alliance including: Cindy Chang, MD, representative for the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM); Diane Claerbout, MD, board member of the ParentHeart Watch; Rebecca Demorest, MD, representing the American Academy of Pediatrics; Brendon McDermott, PhD, ATC, assistant professor of the graduate athletic training program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC, athletic trainer, professor and chairman of the department of exercise and sports science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Leigh Steinberg, one of the country's leading sports attorneys.

The speakers will focus on three issues affecting young athletes: concussions and head injuries, sudden cardiac death and heat illness.

Chang, representing AMSSM, will lecture on sudden cardiac arrest and the Automated External Defibrillators (AED), a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses and treats life threatening cardiac arrhythmias leading to cardiac arrest. She said cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among young athletes and the alliance is trying to bring attention to a problem that many frequently overlook.

"Our focus is the mental and physical development of the kids -- we really want to ensure health and safety," she said. "There are a lot of issues that affect young athletes that put them at more of a risk."

Chang said some athletes suffer from heart illnesses that are oftentimes not detected until their early to mid-twenties after they are heavily involved in a sport. She added that some of the illnesses could be prevented if proper measures are taken, such as the inclusion of AEDs in every school as well as standardizing pre-participation screening.

Chang is currently the team physician for intercollegiate athletes at UC Berkeley and was the former head team physician for the University of California's 27 athletic teams. She has had more than 15 years of experience as a physician at a college level, but said that many people forget that high school and college athletes aren't the only ones who are exposed to serious injuries.

Depending on school policies, many club sports and little leagues don't require physicals and those who do require physicals don't have general guidelines to follow, Chang said.

“We have put together a monograph and educational publication in an attempt to develop a more uniform, more comprehensive pre-participation screening process, that all physicians can reference just to make it more standardized so that we can make sure we are asking all the right questions," she said.

Even though NATA and the alliance are focusing on national issues, Assembly member Mary Hayashi will address sports safety issues in California during the summit. She will be speaking about Assembly Bill 533, which would require all coaches and athletic trainers to be licensed in first aid certification. According to the bill, the certification would include "a basic understanding of the signs, symptoms, and appropriate emergency action steps regarding potential catastrophic injuries, including but not limited to: head and neck injuries, concussions, second impact syndrome, asthma attacks, heatstroke and cardiac arrest."

The event will be held in the Legislative Office Building in Room 100 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. There will be no cover.

For more information about the event, visit nata.org. To RSVP to the event, contact Robin Waxenberg at robin@robwax.com.

County of Sacramento enforces Trans Fat Law

2010-01-05T07:09:05Z

As of Jan. 1, California takes precautions to ensure restaurants and other food facilities follow the dictate's of Assembly Bill 97, which prohibits the use of oil, shortening and margarine with more than 0.5 grams of trans fat. The law was authored by Assemblyman Tony Mendoza and signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2008.

California became the first state to pass such a law, although cities such as New York and Boston have similar laws. According to Mendoza's Trans Fat Ban Fact Sheet, trans fat increases the risk of coronary heart disease, the leading cause of deaths in the country.

"This is more than just legislation. This is a call to action that takes into consideration the health of our families," Mendoza said in a press release in 2008. It continued: "... this is an invisible and dangerous ingredient that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. It had to be eliminated."

The law also requires restaurants to keep nutrition facts for oils, shortening and margarine containing trans fat and will ban its use in baked goods, such as donuts, in 2011.

But who will enforce the statewide law?

"The AB 97 changes the food law that is enforced by local jurisdictions. In most cases it's the counties and the states, (even though) there's a few cities that do restaurant inspections. But essentially it's counties around the state (that) will be doing the enforcement," said John Rogers, spokesman for the Environmental Management Department. He added that his department will enforce the law in Sacramento County.

To keep counties consistent, the state created a committee of representatives from the restaurant industry, local jurisdictions and the state to develop a guidance document, Rogers said. The document would be helpful not only to agencies regulating the law, it also would provide guidelines for the restaurant industry.

According to a press release by the Environmental Management Department, the California Restaurant Association is one of the groups represented in the committee. But the restaurant association was not always a proponent of the bill.

Daniel Conner, California Restaurant Association spokesman, said the group initially was against the bill because of concerns about the process involved in making the law. He said the association wasn't concerned about trans fat; members didn't like a political body making decisions about ingredients.

"We thought decisions (about trans fat) would be better handled at perhaps a federal level by an agency like the Food and Drug Administration, where they have the scientific expertise and the policies in place, so that they can evaluate these things, rather then have a state Legislature undertake that," Conner said, adding the group is now collaborating with state legislators to make the law more efficient.

Conner said the law affected some eateries more than others. Larger restaurant chains, such as Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald's as well as large up-scale restaurants transitioned into healthier alternatives before the passing of the bill.

"The thought was that the folks that were going to need the extra time, the extra year and a half to move away from trans fats, were, generally speaking, going to be independent 'mom and pop' restaurants, in particularly ethnic restaurants, who relied on trans fats in their cooking," Conner said, adding that bakeries would have similar issues moving away from trans fat.

But not all small franchises needed the extra year.

Joe Doumit owns Midtown Taqueria, a 'mom and pop' Mexican restaurant in East Sacramento. He said his restaurant has used trans-fat-free canola oil for years and that it hasn't changed the cooking.

"I don't know much about that law; nobody from the state has come to talk to me about it," Doumit said in a thick accent. "I got an informational package, but that's all I know."

He said the Environmental Management Department inspects his restaurant every three months and he hopes to learn more about the law during the next visit.

The Environmental Management Department will continue to conduct inspections three times a year, according to Rogers, and added that they are not planning on increasing that number. Instead, the department will incorporate the new trans fat regulations into its inspection process.

For more information about the law or regulations, visit emd.saccounty.net.

"Xanadu" opens in Sacramento

2010-01-01T03:04:15Z

Making the second stop of a thirteen-city tour, Broadway’s "Xanadu" has made its way to Sacramento.

The musical production, directed by Christopher Ashley, brings drama, comedy and a bit of 21st century lingo into a must-see production.

"Xanadu" takes place during the 1980s in Venice Beach, Calif. where an artist named Sonny Malone, played by Max Von Essen, struggles to satisfy his artistic hunger. After creating the chalk drawing “The Nine Sisters," Sonny’s creation comes to live with one purpose — to artistically inspire him.

The romantic comedy also features Elizabeth Stanley as Kira or Terpsichore, the muse of dance, who becomes Sonny’s inspiration and love interest.

Even though there is a romantic aspect to the production, it focuses more on the comical side, which audience members really enjoy. Throughout the show, modern lingo used by the cast such as “word,” “true that,” “baby’s daddy” and many others were heard throughout the Community Center Theater.

Audience member Kate Sullivan said she appreciated the incorporation of current lingo.

“I really liked 'Bitch, I don’t know your life!' " she said, while snapping her fingers and smiling. “I don’t think there was anything terribly inappropriate (about the lingo). I mean I don’t think you’d take a kid to this anyways because they wouldn’t get the jokes.”

But the lingo wasn’t the only thing exciting audience members.

Throughout the production, the cast blew everyone away with their powerful voices and charm.

“I’ve seen the movie and I didn’t like the movie,” said attendee Alexia Cameron. “But I thought in this production the cast was crazy good, and all of their voices were so strong and all of them were very attractive.”

Although the singing was excellent, toward the end of the show there was a malfunction with the microphones that made people like Cameron gasp.

Cameron said she was a bit disappointed with the sound because she was afraid she would miss a good line.

Even through technical difficulties, the show was a success. The production had more than 1,700 attendees during opening night. Company Manager Susan Guszynski said it was a good turnout, especially since opening night was between two holidays.

She said Sacramento’s audience was especially pleasant throughout the show.

“I was listening to the opening of the show and I thought the audience was very engaged and were smart and were getting it,” Guszynski said.

If you have not already seen the show, don’t fret. The show will run until Jan. 10 at the Community Center Theater. Ticket prices range from $18 to $65.

For more information about "Xanadu," visit californiamusicaltheatre.com.

New Year's Resolution

2010-01-01T02:50:26Z

‘Robin’

Neighborhood: Downtown

“I want to be just a little bit more healthy in 2010 than I was in 2009.”

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Jack Wooten(left) and Bunlong Hong(right)

Neighborhood: South Sacramento

“My new years resolution is to cut back on eating fast food because it’s pricey and it’s unhealthy and it’s a lot of my diet," Wooten said.

His friend Hong said "(I) want to pick up a musical instrument, specifically the ukulele.”

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Francisco Rodriguez

Neighborhood: Antelope

“My new years resolution is ‘ATTITUDE.’ I want to be more open minded, be more carefree; I want to take more risks, no holding back.”

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Scott White

Neighborhood: East Sac

“What I came up with is to get myself healthier, as in eating right and thinking right. I want to try and be a better person towards other people.”

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Steve Brenizer

Neighborhood: East Sac

“I want to get back into my workout routine and my healthy eating habits.”

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Marcella Cathcart(left) and D.D. Cathcart(right)

Neighborhood: Downtown

“My (new year's resolution) is to get better grades," Marcella Cathcart said.

While her grandmother said "I want to spend more time in the rose garden, I want to spend more time with Marcy my friend here, I want to do more hiking and skating, swimming and biking.”

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photo credit: Nallelie Vega

Photo Essay: Midtown Ice Rink

2009-12-31T07:43:30Z

Sacramentans enjoy the final days of 2009 at the midtown ice rink on 20th Street next to J Street. The rink, which was previously located in downtown on 7th Street next to K Street, will operate until Jan. 18.

Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m Monday through Friday. Cost is $5 for children, $8 for adults and $2 for skate rentals.

Jeff Musser's "Message in Flesh"

2009-12-24T07:31:17Z

Following your dreams doesn’t necessarily mean following your checkbook -- a life lesson local painter Jeff Musser can relate to.

Musser was born and raised in Sacramento and began sketching comics and actions figures when he was 5. He didn’t get serious about his work until he got placed into an advanced art class his freshmen year at Sacramento High School.

"(I) was around 15 when I decided this is what I want to do with my life,” Musser said. “I wasn’t sure in what capacity -- whether I would be a sculptor or a graphic designer or (do) paint installation, but I just knew being creative and being an artist was what I was supposed to do.”

At the time, his work was mainly with pencil and charcoal.

Throughout high school, he attended various open houses in San Francisco hosted by The Art Institute of Chicago. His Father, Ron Musser, said he was admitted into the institute his junior year in high school after displaying his portfolio to an admissions representative.

But Musser didn’t go straight to the Art Institute of Chicago -- after high school, he attended American River College in order to complete his general education requirements and save some money.

By the fall of 1997, he headed to the "Windy City" and the school of his dreams.

“I knew at the time that it was the best thing for him,” Ron Musser said. “Jeffery’s never been a small-town person, he needed to get out of Sacramento and explore and gain an understanding about life, which he did in Chicago.”

While at the art institute, Musser was introduced to a new love: oil painting. He took three painting classes, but decided to major in graphic design.

Musser said he was only thinking economically about his future when he declared his major, but he never lost his passion for painting.

“During my first real painting class, everything just seemed to come together,” he said. “I can’t really explain it other then once I found it, it just fit and I didn’t question it.”

After graduating in 2000, Musser began working for an ad agency in Chicago where he designed McDonald's happy meal boxes and displays.

But Musser said he was unhappy with his career path.

Before he got the opportunity to leave the advertising industry, he was laid off at the end of 2001. He said that was when he decided he was going to paint for a living.

That decision proved to be harder then imagined.

The following two years were the loneliest and most terrifying years of his life, Musser said. He remained jobless and was living on food stamps, but refused to return to the advertising industry because it didn’t seem right.

“The part that people don’t tell you about chasing your dreams, they don’t tell you the terrifying revelations that come after you have made that leap,” he said.

After returning to Sacramento, Musser worked various “odd” jobs at the mall and warehouses.

While working these other jobs, Musser never stopped painting. In college, he became interested in figurative art, a representation of forms derived from life, but never found a market for it in Chicago. He said Sacramento, surprisingly, welcomed his form of art. According to Musser, he sells about eight to 10 paintings a year for an average of $2,000 per work--he is now able to paint full-time.

At the beginning of 2003, he was commissioned by Oprah Winfrey to paint her dogs Sophie and Solomon.

Since then, Musser has had much success and various shows around the area, including his recent “Messages in Flesh” display at Sacramento State. The body of work includes paintings of human figures with large tattoos.

“It took me a while to figure out what I was going to focus on,” Musser said. “Then I realized I wanted to work out our generation's obsession with tattoos -- why they get them, where they get them, why they express themselves on such a canvas using someone else’s artwork.”

Musser said he typically approaches locals with tattoos and asks permission to paint them. Garrett Van Vleck, co-owner of Shady Lady, said he agreed to be one of Musser’s subjects after he was approached four months ago.

Van Vleck said he’s not sure what Musser has in store for his painting, but can’t wait to find out.

“I was actually really inspired to let him do a painting of me because of how impressed I was with his other stuff,” Van Vleck said, adding that he has various tattoos, including ones on his back, chest and calf. “I think (his artwork) is pretty amazing.”

Musser has become heavily involved in Sacramento's art scene in recent years.

In May, he joined the Verge Gallery co-op, an art society with shared space, in Sacramento. The co-op currently has 15 members, including Musser as well as local artists Liv Moe, Lisa Marasso and Jacob Fossum.

Musser's next group show will be Jan. 9, the first Second Saturday of 2010, at the Verge Gallery on 1900 V Street. He said 10 pieces from his "Message in Flesh" body of work will be featured, 90 percent of them being new work.

For more information about the show, visit vergegaller.com

For more information about Musser, visit jeffmusser.com

Photos Courtesy of Jeff Musser

Mercy San Juan Hospital Features Local Photographer

2009-12-22T07:38:39Z

With a camera in his hand and a head full of dreams, young Jay Canter never would have imagined his photographs one day would be featured in publications around the world or in a hospital lobby in his hometown.

Canter was given his first camera at age 6 while on a family trip to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, in Washington D.C.

“I’ve always been a very curious kid who has always wanted to be hands-on with things. And obviously going to the Smithsonian with expensive pieces of artwork and dinosaur bones, I was the one who would jump under the rope and touch everything,” Canter said. “So my parents gave me a camera to keep me out of trouble and that’s how I basically became the family photographer.”

But he did more with a camera then document family trips; as he got older, he began photographing motorsports, weddings and other events.

Canter, who took one photography class at El Camino High School and is primarily self-taught, had a shot published in a motorsport magazine when he was 17. His mother, Elise Canter, said that is when he realized he could make a living out of photography.

“One day, a magazine called his friend and said that they needed to know if he knew of anybody who had taken any photos (of a sporting event) because theirs didn’t come out and they wanted to buy some,” she said, adding that Canter had been photographing that event. “That is when Jay discovered he could sell photos for real money.”

Since then, Canter's work has been published in more than 70 publications, including DUB, Extreme and Street Racing, and in seven countries including Canada, Australia, Greece, Italy, Japan and China.

Canter said his passion always has been automobiles and motorsports photography, but that he didn’t want to limit himself to one subject. In the past decade, he has photographed restaurants, musicians, wineries, fashion shows and other local events. He recently discovered a passion for landscape photography.

When asked about his biggest accomplishment, he mentioned three: Getting published in "Tuner Cars Field Guide"; being voted Sacramento’s number one photographer in the Sacramento News & Review in 2008; and a recent commission at Mercy San Juan Medical Center tower in Carmichael.

Canter was one of five local photographers whose work was chosen by art consultant Lori Sklar to decorate the hospital's new tower.

“I read about Jay online. I had never worked with him before, but I saw that he was a photographer of some renown in Sacramento,” Sklar said, adding that his photographs were the type of artwork the hospital was hoping to purchase for the new wing.

Sklar said the hospital was looking for scenic landscapes of the greater Sacramento area by local photographers that enhance the healing environment of the hospital.

Becky Furtado, communication specialist at Mercy San Juan, said Canter's work does just that.

She added that it’s the first time the hospital has commissioned local artists to create work for their lobbies and that they are very satisfied with the work.

Furtado noted: “A lot of people have made comments about his work, positive comments. They think it's good photography and I agree.”

Canter’s fine art photography features scenery around Sacramento including Old Town Sacramento and the Rainbow Bridge in Folsom as as well as scenery in Lake Tahoe, the San Francisco Bay, Placerville and Utah. Canter said 95 percent of the photographs are of local scenery, including two panoramas of Sacramento.

Elise Canter said she appreciates the hospital's recognition of her son’s work.

“As a mother, you just hope that your child finds something that he really loves to do and we are just absolutely thrilled,” she said. “It’s always nice (when) other people are recognizing your child’s talents."

For more information about Jay Canter, visit jaycanter.com

Local saxophonist performs at JB's Lounge

2009-12-18T06:08:40Z

Saxophonist and composer Eric Arellano might be new to the professional jazz scene, but he is not new to Sacramento.

He was born and raised in Carmichael and developed a passion for jazz in elementary school, where he was first exposed to the saxophone.

His father Ron Arellano said he has been inseparable from the instrument ever since -- well, sort of.

“He was going to quit sax after two months (of playing) because he didn’t make the honor band,” Ron Arellano said. “Basically I said, ‘I rented this saxophone for six months, you’re going to play,’ and I think that decision changed his life.”

Since then, Arellano became an accomplished musician around the area and now the world.

After attending Rio Americano High School, he attended the University of Nevada in Reno where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies.

During 2006 and 2007, he attended Sacramento State where he embraced the local music scene outside of school and helped organized a Tuesday night jazz jam session at Capitol Garage.

In spring of 2008, he was admitted to Goteborg University in Sweden and is currently finishing up his master's degree in Improvisation. For the past year, he has been studying the work of world-renown saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter.

"Wayne Shorter told me improvisation is composition sped up,” Arellano said. “And I have sort of changed my views -- improvisation, now, is like knowing the language and being able to create something in the moment whether it’s jazz, classical music or any kind of music.”

Arellano is finishing his master's thesis, which involves learning how to develop musicianship through the music and philosophy of Wayne Shorter.

He will begin touring around Austria, Germany and Sweden in February and March.

Mike McMullen, who was Arellano's private instructor during high school and has been one of his mentors throughout his college career said Arellano developed his “voice” at a young age.

“Eric, right from the beginning, always had a quality of tone that sounded like himself -- you have to think of ‘your sound’ as being ‘your voice’ as a musician,” he said. “Especially in jazz, the great musicians all have greatly identifiable ‘voices’.”

McMullen, who is a saxophonist and music professor at Sacramento State, said Arellano’s “voice” has improved and has become more identifiable throughout the years.

Arellano will play a show on Dec. 20 at JB’s Lounge inside of Red Lion on Arden.

The show will feature music from Wayne Shorter as well as his own compositions. It will also feature local musicians Joe Mazzaferoo on trumpet, Joe Berry on saxophone and flute, Jay Cowell on piano, Jesus Vega on drums and Giulio Cetto on bass as well as a sting quartet.

“I choose to play with these guys because of their creativity,” Arellano said. “And also because we’ve all been very good friends since the beginning.”

The cover is $8 and reservations are suggested as space is limited.

For more information, visit ericarellano.com or contact Vivian Lee at 723-5517 to make reservations.

Photo Credit: Nallelie Vega

Bethlehem becomes 9th Sister City

2009-12-17T04:55:45Z

The Sacramento City Council unanimously passed, with a 10-0 vote, the Bethlehem Sister City Initiative proposal, which establishes a formal relationship between Sacramento and Bethlehem, during Tuesday’s council meeting.

The council also adopted a resolution to establish a relationship with an Israeli city in the future.

The Bethlehem Sister City Initiative was started in 2006 by community volunteers who were interested in forming environmental, artistic and agricultural ties between the two cities, according to the report by Council Operations Manager Lisa Serna-Mayorga.

This past October, the Jewish community also expressed interest in forming a bond between Sacramento and an Israeli city.

Barry Broad, chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council, is a supporter of both initiatives, but said he believes politics should be kept separate from the relationship built within the cities.

“Sacramento is neither going to solve the problems of the Middle East, nor do we want to in any way exacerbate them,” he said. “One of the important aspects of the Sister City Program is to foster these kind of people-to-people, business-to-business (relationships).”

Broad said Sacramento is a cross-culture community that is diverse in many aspects, including religion. He said members of the community are accepting and therefore should lead by example.

“In this community, there isn’t any tension,” he said. “We are a model for hopefully what maybe folks can someday be in that part of the world.”

Councilmember Steve Cohn agreed.

“I think, as Barry said, it’s likely that Sacramento is going to be the answer to peace in the Middle East,” he said. “On the other hand, we can do our part — and our part is to show that people are people where ever they are in the world and we can get along.”

He said he hopes the spirit of acceptance in the Sacramento community will prevail in other parts of the world.

And that is the goal of Sacramento’s Sister Cities Council - to “promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation.”

The council was established in the late 1980s under Mayor Anne Rudin after Sacramento had already partnered with various cities around the world.

Starr Hurley, president of the Hamilton-Sacramento Sister City Committee, said the council was established in order for all Sister City organizations to connect with one another.

“The Sister City Council is like an information center,” she said. “We meet every other month to find out what each of the Sister Cities are doing so that we can keep informed.”

Sacramento currently has nine Sister Cities: Manila, Philippines- established in 1961; Matsuyama, Japan- established in 1981; Jinan, China- established in 1984; Hamilton, New Zealand- established in 1988; Liestal, Switzerland- established in 1989; Chisinau, Moldova- established in 1989; Yongsan-gu, Korea- established in 1997; San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua- established in 2006; and finally Bethlehem, Palestine- established Tuesday.

But the Jewish community has already made its mark to become Sacramento’s 10th Sister City.

Sacramentan Maurice Mrabe, initiative supporter who is originally from Palestine, said the Middle East needs that kind of support from cities around the United States.

“I think all the towns of the West Bank need this outlet and this relationship with the outside world,” he said. “These types of relationships can be an open door to the world.”

500 "Nutcrackers" and still unique

2009-12-13T03:16:00Z

Christmas is back and so is another season of "The Nutcracker".

Sacramento Ballet co-art directors, Ron Cunningham and Carinne Binda outdid themselves during the opening performance.

In celebration of Cunningham’s 500th "Nutcracker" showing, there were guest performances from Cunningham himself as well as Melissa Sandvig from “So You Think You Can Dance” and former company dancer Nina Baratova, who shared the sugar plum fairly role with company dancer Amanda Peet.

But where was the finest sugar plum fairy of them all?

Kirsten Bloom, prima ballerina, was sitting in Row J watching the performance in a lovely red dress with her long-time boyfriend.

Bloom is expected her first child and is on maternity leave, but said she will be returning next season.

Even though she wasn’t able to celebrate the special event on stage, she was there cheering everyone on.

Bloom got visibly emotional throughout the performance and would burst into clapping or tears. “I do miss it, but I also feel really, really excited,” she said about her transition from dancing to her preparation for motherhood.

And how did she rate the three sugar plum fairies?

“I’m proud, so proud of them,” Bloom said. She said everything was spectacular and had nothing but praise for the performance.

The role of the sugar plum fairy was split among three ballerinas, and at first that seemed a bit bizarre and difficult to coordinate, but the three ladies did an excellent job.

All three pairs of fairies and princes had their own dancing style and chemistry. The different detailing in their costumes also added a touch of spice to the show.

The audience certainly enjoyed the added spontaneity.

“It’s good to add some creativity since it’s such an old piece,” audience member Michelle Early said. “I really appreciated seeing the three dancers."

The dancers appeared in separate scenes throughout the performance but collaborated on a lovely piece during the last scene.

The Sacramento Ballet also did an excellent job creating a warm environment. Clara, the main child role played by Allison Lian, was in the lobby signing autographs during intermission. Company dancers also answered audience questions in the lobby after the show, a great touch by Cunningham.

And let's not forget about the children. Five hundred children to mentor and rehearse seemed like a challenging, almost impossible task to accomplish, but the children were adorable and had great discipline throughout the show.

Doris Reese, whose two daughters were in the opener, said the Sacramento Ballet did a great job working with all the children.

"The stage, backstage, the makeup, getting the children into costumes, the excitement, the anticipations from everyone backstage, it's just amazing seeing them through the process," she said. "Everything looks so organized and it is organized."

Overall the performance was a memorable one and one you should not miss.

"The Nutcracker" will run through Dec. 23 at the Community Center Theater. Prices vary from $15 to $75.

For more information, visit sacballet.org.

Sacramento Ballet Presents The Nutcracker

2009-12-10T04:29:00Z

As children pranced around the well-lit and creatively-designed stage during Tuesday night’s dress rehearsal of the Nutcracker at the Community Center Theater, the Sacramento Ballet prepared for another season of Sugar Plum Fairies.

Director of Production Kyle Lemoi, who has been with the company for three seasons, said he has done many Nutcracker productions around the country, but the stage setup and attention to detail is what sets the Sacramento production apart.

“The set was made in Russia and was designed by (Alan Vaes), who lives in New York,” he said. “Everything is hand painted and they painted it with dye.”

The stage setup is a recent addition to the company and has only been around for five seasons, according to Lemoi.

Even though the set is fairly new, the production is full of effects that have been used for decades, such as fake snow.

“The snow is confetti, basically, but it’s certified and flame-proofed,” Lemoi said.

He said the snow is one of the most memorable stage effects for some, but it is also one of the hardest effects for dancers to work with.

Fifth season company dancer Brick Middlekauff agreed.

“Dancing on top of the snow isn’t too bad,” she said. “But while it’s falling it gets in your eyes, in your mouth and up your nose.”

Middlekauff said even though the snow is a minor setback, it remains her favorite part of the Nutcracker, along with the company's collaboration with children.

Middlekauff has been involved in Sacramento’s Nutcracker production since she was five and she said working with children reminds her of her childhood.

“I can remember doing all of the child roles and rehearsing,” Middlekauff said. “And every time I watch the kid rehearsals, you can tell that all the kids just love it.”

This season 500 children will be involved in 14 showings of the Nutcracker.

Art Director Ron Cunningham said he wanted to make the production homey for the audience and having many children accomplish that.

“My theory is that Nutcracker is a holiday, family tradition,” he said. “And when people in the audience are watching and they see all these kids, they’re really like their own kids, and I think that really resonates with families.”

Cunningham said the Sacramento Ballet has more children participants than any other Nutcracker production in the world.

Childhood participant Cheryl Konig said when she was involved in the production, during the mid-70s, there were only about 50 children in the Nutcracker.

“When Ron Cunningham took over, he took over about the mid-80s, he brought the trend in of adding so many children,” she said. “It’s just amazing.”

This season’s Nutcracker will also feature two guest dancers: Nina Baratova, a returning company dancer, and Melissa Sandvig from “So You Think You Can Dance,” who will share the sugar plum fairy role with company dancer Amanda Peet during the opening show as well as the Sweet Sunday performance.

“The opening night is the 500th performance of my Nutcracker,” Cunningham said. “We don’t typically have guest artist because I like to feature just my company; however, this being a very special one we invited special guests.”

Showings of the Nutcracker will be held Dec. 11 through Dec. 23 at the Community Center Theater. Ticket prices vary from $15 to $75.

For more information, visit sacballet.org

Local Photographer Captures Art in Bathrooms

2009-12-09T01:29:28Z

It's been said that photographs are worth a thousand words. And in the case of Troy Keon, they certainly are.

Keon opened the world to a new form of art that many see, but never acknowledge, with the publication of his book A Regular Robert Frost: Bathroom Prose and Graffiti.

The book, which was self-published and released in June, captures words and drawings created on walls of dive bars, coffee shops and restaurants in four cities: New York City, Berkeley, San Francisco and Sacramento.

“Of course among all the dry, stale curse, you’re going to find some insightful prose,” Keon said. “I think the idea about being anonymous really takes off. It’s really unfiltered, rather irreverent, but at times you can find some really good stuff.”

Keon is an amateur photographer who picked up a camera after being inspired by bathroom graffiti in 2008. In April, he started Two Tone Publishing in Sacramento and published his first book.

Keon isn’t an average local artist. He graduated summa cum laude from Sacramento State in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in business.

Jacqueline Hipp said her friend Keon is not a typical guy in a business suit; he marches to the beat of his own drums.

“He looks great on paper. You think, ‘This is going to be one successful guy,’ ” she said. “Then you look at him and he has tattoo sleeves and he’s got funky hair and funky clothes and he’s unique and creative and different.”

Hipp said Keon is very passionate about everything he does, whether it’s business ventures or feeding his creativity.

She said the best part of his book was the lost-art aspect.

“A lot of this graffiti art that he captured, he went back a year later and they were completely gone and covered up,” Hipp said. “If he hadn’t recorded them, no one would never know they ever existed.”

But is the graffiti found in bathrooms really art?

Steve Ciampaglia, assistant art professor at Sacramento State, said some bathroom graffiti has the potential to be art.

“If anyone writes on some sort of surface, to me it’s art. Now whether or not in the process they have broken the law, that’s a separate issue,” he said.

Ciampaglia said any form of expression could be considered art and the fact that bathroom graffiti makes commentary qualifies it even further.

But not everyone agrees.

Matt Trathen, manager at Streets of London in Midtown, said bathroom graffiti around Sacramento is very sophomoric.

“It’d be one thing if you’re doing big art, like murals or stuff like that,” he said. “I think now it’s more like gang related or just kids.”

Trathen said there are many “tagging crews”, people who get together and tag public venues around Sacramento, but many of them aren’t creative and simply tag their initials.

Sacramentan Darryl Cragun said he has never heard of “tagging crews,” but he also feels that bathroom graffiti is simply tasteless and unimaginative.

“(Bathroom graffiti) usually involves some standard phallic symbolism, at least in the men’s bathroom,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything that I’ve thought was interesting or provocative in any way.”

Even though Cragun said he didn’t feel bathroom graffiti was art, he said the documentation of it would catch his attention.

And that is exactly what Keon does with his book.

“The more and more material I saw on the bathroom walls, whether I saw it at a coffee shop or dive bar in Sacramento or San Francisco, eventually I had enough material where it just made sense to capture some of that stuff,” he said.

Keon will be signing books at Blue Lamp on Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. The evening also will feature two bands, Cynic at Best and Contagious. Cover is $7.

For more information about the book or book signing, visit twotonepublishing.com.

Third Annual Festival of Trees and Lights

2009-12-04T03:46:52Z

With Christmas around the corner and charitable spirits in the air, the Cathedral Square Homeless Program will host the Third Annual Festival of Trees and Lights at the Westfield Downtown Plaza Friday and Saturday.

The two-day event will be held in the Plaza Level between the Westfield Play Town and Morton’s Steakhouse.

Friday's event, which is an invitation-only event , will consist of a live auction as well as a silent auction and a performance from Academy Orchestra Ensemble. Saturday's festivities, which are free to the public, will include raffle prize drawings, a holiday boutique and performances from various community choirs and groups, such as Love Taxi, A Small Difference and Sheldon High School’s Universal Rhythm Group.

Festival Chair Valerie Chun said community donations are crucial to the event's success.

“We get from the community fully decorated Christmas trees, crafts and wreaths,” she said. “Then we auction them off or sell them and the money that we get from that goes towards the Cathedral Square Program.”

This year the festival committee decided to do something different and included gift baskets in the auction, according to Chun. Forty-one Christmas trees and gift baskets, which include wine bottles, chocolates, books, zoo passes, concert tickets and other goodies, were donated to the auction.

Susan Hansen, boutique coordinator, said the festival also receives many donations toward boutique sales.

"About 100 community members donate crafts, such as quilts, scarves, aprons and wreaths," she said. “Most of the donations we receive are handmade or hand-embellished."

The festival was started by a small group of Cathedral Square Homeless Program members who wanted to organize a fundraiser benefiting the program.

The program, which was started in 2005 by the St. Vincent de Paul Society, provides homeless individuals shelter, food, clothing and guidance according to its website.

Chun said the program focuses on chronic homeless individuals, people who have been homeless for over a year, but they also help recently homeless individuals or couples in need. The program admits five people every three months due to resources and housing.

Chun said the Festival of Trees and Lights is the programs biggest fund raiser.

“In the first year we gave the program $15,000, in the second year we gave them $20,000 and this time we’re hoping to give them a little bit more,” she said. “In this economy it’s very difficult because a lot of non-profits are suffering, but we’re doing okay.”

The festival will go from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information about the event or to make donations visit cathedralsquareprogram.org.

Harvest Festival is Back in Sac

2009-11-22T05:03:22Z

Fruit spreads, Christmas ornaments, handbags, hats and clothing filled Cal Expo during the 37th Harvest Festival Original Arts and Crafts Show Friday.

The festival is a weekend-long event with 270 arts and crafts booths and a variety of musical performances, from the Fargo Brothers and Tom Rigney and Flambeau to name a few, as well as food booths, such as Cocina Mexicana and Southwest Café.

Account Executive Liz Stigge said a crowd of about 15,000 is expected to attend throughout the weekend.

The Harvest Festival has nine shows, including eight in California, that are held in cities with a passion for crafts.

“We usually pick places that are routed in an arts culture,” Stigge said. “The whole series of shows has been around for 37 years, and the Sacramento show is almost up there with the original, which was held in San Francisco.”

The vendors come from all over the country and are hand-selected by a jury of about 15, which include members of the show management and a selected board of artisans.

To be part of the festival, all work must be hand-crafted and hand-made

Local food vendor Mark Brtek has been promoting his Singing Pig spreads and dips at the festival for 10 years.

“A lot of people come to the Harvest Festival every year, and you can count on the customers getting excited,” he said. “They just get a really good following. The Harvest Festival is always consistent.”

Brtek said he gets about 200 repeated customers every year.

Teri and Mark VanAirsdale, who have been attending the festival for about 20 years, said Brtek’s wine garlic mustard and the beautiful crafts keep bringing them back.

“We come back to see if there is new stuff,” Mrs. VanAirsdale said. “But right now I’m looking for Singing Pig, they have the best garlic mustard.”

The VanAirsdales said they do some Christmas shopping at the festival, and every year they end up leaving with gifts for family members and friends.

Other booths included Virgi Bondi's Eggstra Special Christmas ornaments, which are made from a variety of egg shells.

Bondi prides herself off her slogan "they'll survive a toddler and Christmas tree."

"I lacker all my eggs," she said. "I can also personalize the back of any egg with liquid gold."

Bondi is a local vendor from Roseville who has been showcasing her work at the Harvest Festival since 1994. Bondi said even though she is a local vendor, she still has various repeat customers every year.

Margie Waite, who has been attending the festival since 2002, was excited to see Bondi's booth back at the festival.

"I always try to come back and look for the different ornaments, specifically NFL teams," she said. " I collect them and put them on my (Christmas) tree."

Regular Attendee Nancy Church said she believes the Harvest Festival comes just in time for the holiday season.

“There is always certain little booths you go back to and look for,” Church said. “And I inevitably always find two or three Christmas gifts.”

Church and longtime friend Cheri Soden have been attending the Harvest festival for more than 20 years.

Soden said the festival not only gives her the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping, it also allows her time to spend with a good friend.

“It’s just something that we do together,” Soden said. “We even have a routine. We walk around the edge first and work our way up and down the center.”

Cal Expo will host the Harvest Festival through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $9, seniors admission is $7 and youth is $4.

For more information visit www.harvestfestival.com.

Photo Credit: Nallelie Vega

Camellia Symphony Season Opener

2009-11-13T05:11:34Z

The Camellia Symphony Orchestra opens its 47th season with "Prodigies from St. Petersburg" at the Memorial Auditorium on Saturday.

The concert will feature the music of three composers from that city: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev.

“Everything ends on a high note in all three of the pieces and the sounds that the audience members are going to hear are just breathtaking,” said Allan Pollack, music director and conductor. “I think it was a great way to start off the season.”

The performance also will feature local cellist Burke Schuchmann, who will perform during Shostakovich's “Cello Concerto No. 1.”

Schuchmann said he was excited to work with such a talented group of musicians and was particularly impressed with the string section.

“The strings sound very nice; the cellos, the violins, absolutely gorgeous playing and just a beautiful section.” he said. “And it’s a hard thing to build an orchestra with a good string section.”

“Prodigies from St. Petersburg” will begin at 8 p.m., but doors will open at 6 p.m. for wine tasting, a silent auction, the Camellia Juniors Orchestra mini-concert and a preconcert talk with Pollack.

The orchestra provides different activities in order to appeal to a broader audience, said Executive Director Roberta McClellan.

“We really want to give people a full experience,” she said. “ And we also like to feature local wineries if we can and any other kind of local business.”

McClellan said the orchestra, which has not raised ticket prices for five years, offers family concert packages. She said the symphony tries to make the performances accessible to all.

For more information, visit www.camelliasymphony.org.

"One Man Band" Release at Harlow's

2009-11-09T05:58:06Z

Local musician Ryan Hernandez blew away the audience at Harlow's on Saturday with his powerful vocals, acoustic guitar and passionate performance during his “One Man Band” CD release party.

A crowd of about 200 gave the 25-year-old a standing ovation during the release party.

Adrianne Harrel, who has been following his music for three years, said Hernandez adds a personal touch to his music.

“I really love his covers because it puts a little soul to the songs that you hear on the radio,” she said. “ I think he’s an amazing acoustic artist with broad talent beyond his years.”

"One Man Band," which was recorded in a month and a half, has 12 tracks with covers such as “Blackbird" by The Beatles and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.”

Hernandez has been performing around Sacramento for the past five years in venues such as Thunder Valley and Bistro 33. He was featured in Sacramento Magazine’s Best of Sacramento Entertainment in 2008. “One Man Band” is his first CD.

“This CD I did mainly covers, ranging from like '70s to newer stuff and basically is kind of a play on the instruments that I can play,” Hernandez said.

He first became intrigued with music in the eighth grade while attending Natomas Charter School, a performing arts school. He first picked up the drums and then moved to guitar and vocals. And he kept expanding to a large range of instruments, including piano, base, organ and a variety of string instruments.

Hernandez said he tried to use all of his musical abilities in the CD, which he recorded with longtime friend local music engineer Jasynte Harris.

“I knew he deserved an opportunity to make it,” Harris said. “He’s extremely talented and he has a lot of patience and perseverance.”

Harris met Hernandez six years ago during an open-mic performance at a local bar.

He said Hernandez's musical abilities in that first performance impressed him, especially since Hernandez had no professional training.

“The thing with Ryan is his voice is so good that it’s hard to find someone with as good as voice as him without lessons, “ Harris said.

Hernandez said he expects to begin recording a second CD of his own music soon. ~~He said he plans to stay in the Sacramento area because of his following.~~

Kirstin Paulsen is happy to hear that.

“He’s a really good talent, I’ve been a follower for a couple of years,” she said. “And it’s great that the community is getting to hear how great his voice is.”

Photos by: Nallelie Vega

Uptown Liz

2009-10-31T03:27:44Z

After her younger sister Elizabeth "Liz" Ann Overturf died of breast cancer in 2006 at age 28, Ramona Russell started a charity Web site in her memory.

Uptown Liz debuted on July 17, 2007, what would have been Liz’s 30th birthday, out of Russell’s home. The Web site is a retail referral site, a site with links to retail products, that are owned by charities or give a percentage of their proceeds to charity.

Russell toyed with various names for the Web site, looking for something that would describe her sister’s personality.

“I came up with the idea when I was running one day,” Russell said. “(Liz) was very stylish, a real fashionista, and she wanted to own a boutique one day.”

Uptown Liz started with 80 charitable products and has grown to include more than 600.

Russell said word of mouth and positive press has helped the site grow.

“People from various circles, in business and philanthropy, seem to have heard of the company or me,” Russell said, “which I am always surprised by.”

Uptown Liz received national coverage within three weeks of its launch when Daryn Kagan, former CNN anchor, featured it on a video slideshow on her Web site. And in the past couple of years, Russell has received media coverage from more than 45 outlets, including Sacramento Magazine and FOX News. She said the publicity comes from the site being different.

“What makes it unique and that no one else has done, is you can shop in the cause category that you care about or the product category that you care about,” Russell said. “And it was designed very clean and organized, so it would be easy to shop through it.”

Uptown Liz supports 60 causes, including breast cancer, leukemia and Parkinson’s disease, and is linked to more than 200 retailers. The Web site gets 250,00 to 300,000 hits per month.

For more information or to shop for your cause, visit www.uptownliz.com.

Sacramento Ballet's Unstoppable 55th Season

2009-10-26T03:34:51Z

The Sacramento Ballet opened its 55th season with the First Annual Capital Choreography Competition at the Crest Theatre Oct. 17 and 24.

Both days consisted of three dances choreographed by Viktor Kabaniaev, Amy Seiwert and Matthew Neenan, who competed for a cash prize as well as a Tiffany & Co. star.

Neenan’s dance, The Ration, took the judges award, while Seiwert’s On Frail Wings won the peoples choice award during both showings.

Pepper Von, international fitness instructor and choreographer and a judge for the Oct. 24 performance, said Neenan and Seiwert used the theater beautifully.

“The two who exhibited (the use of space) best, in my perspective, were Amy and Matthew,” Von said. “I don’t do safe, you don’t grow and you don’t blaze trails if you stay in a safe box, and those guys came out of the box. They took risks, they took a chance, they challenged the dancers.”

And challenging the dancers as well as the audience is what the Sacramento Ballet is known for.

Founded in 1954 by Barbara and Deane Crockett, the company started as a regional school. It later became a professional company, but still offered classes for ages 6 to 18. Twenty-four classes per week are taught now.

Ron Cunningham joined the company in 1988 and his wife, Carinne Binda, joined the following year, according to the Sacramento Ballet Web site. They became co- artistic directors of the company in 1991.

Cunningham and Binda had been dancers at the Boston Ballet Company for 15 years, and Cunningham became the resident choreographer. But they were ready for the next step.

“At a certain point, when we had our first child, we decided we wanted our own company,” Cunningham said. “We thought that beginning with a fresh start from the ground up was an opportunity to build a company and an institution with our vision.”

Cunningham and Binda did just that. The Sacramento Ballet is known for its diverse repertoire and talented dancers.

The Sacramento Ballet has 16 dancers this season, some from around the world, such as Australian Richard Porter, who's been with the company for two seasons.

“I decided to come (to Sacramento), and this company here has a great repertoire,” Porter said. “Here, you get to dance a whole lot more, everyone here gets a good shot of showing their ability, which you train so many years to do and in a larger company often you can get stuck in the back for a long time.”

The diversity of the programs attracts not only dancers, but audience members as well.

Karen Finerman, a subscriber, said the diversity keeps her coming back.

“They do a traditional ballet, the whole tutu, they’ll do story ballet, they’ll do the children’s ballet,” Finerman said. “They always select such great programs year after year.”

Finerman, who has been a ballet subscriber for eight years, said she plans to continue for years to come because of the repertoire.

Diversity is what the company strives for, Cunningham said, since it competes with companies whose budgets are larger.

“We are always trying to look and do innovative things, where our dancers work directly in the creative process,” Cunningham said. “We have 18 of George Balanchine’s ballets in our repertory and we do a lot of my repertory, which is unique to me and that give the company kind of a unique signature.”

Cunningham said the Sacramento ballet does six to eight new works a season.

Many of the dancers also create 5- to 10-minute pieces that, when combined with one another dancer's, could become a whole performance.

Audience member Geoffery Kimbrough said the Sacramento ballet has a lot of cohesiveness.

“Sacramento Ballet is a much better company than Sacramento deserves,” Kimbrough said. “It’s a top notch company. The local audience has no idea what they’ve got.”

Funding California's Future

2009-10-21T03:01:06Z

Times are tough for college students in California.

State grants are being cut drastically due to budget cuts and Furloughs are closing down entire campuses on non-holidays. It is looking grim for the future of higher education.

Assembly Bill 656, introduced by Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, proposes a gas and oil severance tax in California that could make for a brighter future.

AB 656 was introduced on Feb. 25 and had minor alterations since, the last being on July 7. Currently states with oil supplies, such as Alaska and Texas, have oil severance taxes that help fund higher education and proponents of AB 656 are looking to do the same.

"Fees have increased in eight out of the last 10 years, a 33 percent increase this year at the CSU and UC system alone and financial aid has been reduced, class offerings have been reduced, class sizes have increased," Torrico said. "We're really starting to decimate higher education in California, so there seems to be a bad trend and if we want to invest in our future and invest in young people, we're going to have to put more money into higher education."

In 1994, tuition in the CSU System was $1,428 a year and at the beginning of the 2009/2010 school year tuition was $4,026 a year, one semester costing more than tuition for a full year in 1994.

Torrico had help writing the bill from several assembly members, as well as Senator DeSaulnier and statewide California Faculty Association(CFA). Sacramento State CFA President Kevin Wehr said CFA helped sponsor the bill and pitched the idea to Torrico.

"Majority Leader Torrico agreed that (the bill) was a good idea and proposed it to the assembly," Wehr said. "but we did help with some of the languages and the concepts."

According to the AB 656, a 9.9 percent oil severance tax would be implemented on oil drilling and funding would go toward a California higher education fund and would need to be passed by two-thirds of the assembly.

Torrico said the fund would generate about $1 billion a year and a commission would have to be established to manage the funds.

Assemblywoman Connie Conway, opponent of the bill, said there are better ways to help fund higher education then through AB 656, such as a better disbursement of tax dollars because they are being mismanaged. She said forming a commission to manage the funds is also an unnecessary investment and that money should be put toward higher education.

"Education is important and getting to a place were we can be more supportive and getting to a place where we can be more supportive of education would be great for the California State Legislature," Conway said. "I'm just not sure that this was the right vehicle tying oil production to education. It would create a commission to oversee it and those are so very costly - I'd rather put that money into education."

Conway said she was recently appointed to the Disability Access Commission where they discussed budget and as of now it has cost the state $80,000 to start the commission. The budget would cover the cost of staff and other important miscellaneous expenses.

Regardless of the position being taken in the assembly, students are feeling the impact on campuses around California.

Senior history major Andrew Haas said he believes California's educational system will impact future generations.

"I think we have a big problem with higher education as far as funding," Haas said. "The biggest impact, I think, is that just the fact that higher education, especially here in Sacramento is supposed to propel the city forward and we're the future leaders of the city."

Wehr agreed with Hass. Wehr believes that by no adequately funding higher education, students will be weeded out and the future of California could be greatly affected.

"We are on a downward spiral, right now, our higher education funding here in California has been squeezed and cut for the last six years," Wehr said. "We're actually at approximately half of where we were six years ago, and it's going to keep being a problem."

Wehr said institutions of higher education don't expect to see funding form the state's general fund any time soon - that is why the bill is proposing a dedicated revenue stream. He said the legislature should focus more on higher education because students are the future of California and they will be the ones who will take California out this depression.

According to an Associated Press article released in 2007, California is no longer the sixth largest economy in the world. As of 2007, California was ranked eighth.

The fear of many proponents of the bill is that many people will have less access to higher education and it will affect California's economy directly. And some students, such as freshmen civil engineering major Laura Araque, fear that they will get cheated out of a quality education.

"A lot of people will probably wanting to stop going to school," Araque said. "because why pay so much for so little education."

Capital Choreography Competition at the Crest Theatre

2009-10-19T07:13:56Z

Lights inside the Crest Theatre were dim, the spotlight was bright and nothing could be heard besides the feathery footsteps of the Sacramento Ballet dancers during the first annual Capitol Choreography Competition Friday night.

A crowd of about 600 experienced the talent of three choreographers from around the world who created 18-minute dances in six days. The choreographers, chosen by Ron Cunningham and his wife, Carinne Binda, artistic directors for the ballet, were Viktor Kabaniaev, resident choreographer of Diablo Ballet; Amy Seiwart, artistic director of Im'ij-re and choreographer in residence for the Smuin Ballet in San Francisco; and Matthew Neenan, artistic director of BalletX and choreographer in residence for the Pennsylvania Ballet.

"I love the Sacramento Ballet, their dancers are so talented," said spectator Tina Suarez-Murias. "So I wanted to see what different choreographers would work up for them."Audience members received a wooden chip that would be used to determine the People's Choice Award.

And a panel of five judges, chosen by Cunningham and Binda, named the top choreographer.Cunningham, who has been with the Sacramento Ballet for 20 years, started the competition to generate more audience participation.

The event was modeled after several television competitions, including "So You Think You Can Dance" and "American Idol", in which audience participation is crucial."We came through a very difficult time last year with the ballet," Cunningham said. "It was pretty challenging financially. So we wanted to do something different this year to show that we are different and that we have reinvented ourselves."

The panel consisted of Buck Busfield, artistic director of B Street Theatre; Jeremy Ganter, associate executive director and director of programming for the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts; Linda Goodrich, chairwoman of the Sacramento State Dance Department; Molly Lynch, University of California at Irvine dance faculty member and artistic director of the National Choreography Institute; and Ruth Rosenberg, former artistic director of the Ruth Rosenberg Dance Company.

Seiwarts piece wowed the crowed and won the People's Choice Award, but stealing the show was Neenan with his interactive piece. Busfield praised Matthew Neenan's great use of space.

"I think (Matt's piece was) very economical and had great whimsey and fun to it," Busfield said. "And the use of space was incredible, you know, I thought they were going to pop up behind me."

The choreography of Neenan's piece, The Ratio, was tailored to the Crest Theatre. At one point in the performance, some of the male dancers leapt from the stage and stood next to the wall.

The dancers were off the stage as much as they were on.

Dancer Alexandra Cunningham said she enjoyed bringing to life the diversity of Neenan's piece.

"I really liked how Matt used the space. I really enjoyed how he utilized the curtains and the stage," she said. "And the movement is a little more of my style."

The winner of the competition was to receive a cash prize and a Tiffany's and Co. piece, courtesy of the jeweler in the Roseville Galleria.

The People's Choice Award, On The Frail Wings by Seiwarts, consisted of two movements. The first consisted of pairs showcasing modern moves, such as arabesque (leg extended back, with one arm extended forward and the other backward) and penchee (an extreme arabesque, with the dancer close to the ground).

In the second movement, dancer Roberto Cisneros dominated the stage, with other dancers in supporting roles.Panel judge Ruth Rosenberg said she appreciated the detail in Seiwart's piece.

"I did really like the look of Amy's piece, specially the lighting." she said. "I thought it was very strong for that dance, it really created a mood."

Ballet subscriber Paul LeBeouf said he enjoyed Seiwart's use of male dancers."It seems like the guys have really taken on a new level," he said. "My wife and I love modern ballet and modern dance, and we really liked her kind of format."

Seiwarts was a dancer with the Sacramento Ballet from 1991-99, and also danced with the Smuin Ballet and Los Angeles Chamber Ballet. She also has danced in a Kabaniaev ballet.

"I'm just so proud to be on a stage with both Viktor and Matt," she said. "I've known them both for so long and I respect them both so much."

Even though Kabaniaev didn't win an award, his piece, Almost a Story Ballet, was not overlooked. It involved many group grand jetes (long, horizontal jumps). Dancer Roy Gan praised the dance's freedom.

"Each piece had its own feeling and the dynamic and movement were very, very different in each," he said. "In Viktor's piece, I guess it expresses more freedom of movement for me."

Before each performance, the choreographers explained their dance background in a three-minute video interview that included short clips of the dancers during rehearsals.

The Oct. 24 performance will have a different panel of judges.

More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the competitions.

For more information on Saturday's competition, visit www.sacballet.org/index.php/upcoming_events.Photos by: Nallelie Vega

Commemorating Byron Blackburn

2009-10-18T08:45:28Z

Small bursts of laughter and sniffles filled a dark room, as more than 200 people watched a slide show commemorating the life of Byron Blackburn Friday night at Beatnik Studio.

Blackburn, a local musician and partial-owner of Javalounge, passed away from cancer on Sept. 18 in his Sacramento home.

During the memorial, bands such as The Inversions, The Alegria Quartet and Jalapeno Chocolates to name a few showcased their appreciation for Blackburn by performing in his honor.

He inspired many people around the community, many of whom attended the memorial, including local painter Mark Fox.

“He was such a positive person,” Fox said. “And he influenced me tremendously. He was always at all of my shows.”

Fox met Blackburn about three years ago at Cool Cat Gallery, which has since been closed down, at a show in which he collaborated with Blackburn’s wife, Kathy.

Fox said he has a lot of respect for Blackburn and was honored when Blackburn asked him to create an illustration for the front cover of his solo album five months ago.

“It was such an honor when he asked me to do the illustrations,” Fox said. “His wife is an artist too, so to pick me over that is just-wow.”

Blackburn released his solo album Things Turn Black When They Burn in July during the second annual In The Flow festival at Javalounge and Beatnik Studio.

Fox decided to honor Blackburn after his death by creating a painting titled, I Never Sing the Blues, specifically for the silent auction at the memorial.

Fox wasn’t the only one who donated his time and work to the silent auction on Friday night. According to Evie Turner, the coordinator of the event, many artists around the community collaborated to put together the auction.

“Over 40 pieces of art have been donated, by 25 different artists,” Turner said. “It was a complete donation. Any, sales will go towards the proceeds to the Byron Blackburn Memorial Fund.”

Turner approached Kathy Blackburn after many artists around the community started e-mailing each other regarding ways to commemorate Blackburn. Turner then began the organization of the silent auction with all the proceeds going toward the Byron Blackburn Memorial Fund.

“We knew that we wanted to do something that would benefit the music scene in Sacramento,” Turner said. “Byron’s passion was contributing to the next generation.”

The memorial fund will be used toward a scholarship for students interested in continuing their education in the arts, specifically music.

According to Kathy Blackburn, the scholarship is being administered through the Elk Grove Community Foundation.

“I’m a teacher at the Elk Grove School District, and I want to thank my school district, that has been so good to me through this whole thing, by making a scholarship that would go to a deserving Elk Grove student going into the field of music,” Kathy said.

Further criteria has not yet been established, and the amount of the fund has not been decided upon, but Kathy is hoping to raise enough funds to make the scholarship an ongoing one.

“His first goal was to build the arts and music community, and after that he said to protect the venue — if we don’t have a venue we can’t help the artists — and obviously after that it would be nurture the artists," she said. "Those, were his three goals.”

Donations can be made to the Byron Blackburn Memorial Fund at Bank of the West on J Street.

Access Leisure Teen Program Struggles

2009-10-09T20:34:59Z

With half-empty classrooms and no state funding, the Access Leisure Teen Program struggles to keep its doors open.

Access Leisure is an after-school program for disabled teen and young adults, ages of 12 to 25, that is city-operated and up until Aug. 31 it was state-funded. The centers vary in location.

Michael Haworth, a recreational Leader at the McClatchy Access Leisure Teen Program, said the budget cut has impacted the program as well as the families who participate.

“A lot of our teens, they just don’t have the money to pay for it,” Haworth said. “They don’t come from super wealthy households."

With lack of funding, the program leaders were forced to start charging families for access to the after-school centers starting Sept. 1.

The program was started in 1989 and has been funded by Alta California Regional Center, a private non-profit organization working with the California Department of Developmental Services, according to Program

Alta was able to fund programs, such as Access Leisure Teen Program, after the Lanterman Act was passed in 1969. The Lanterman Act was revised this summer by both the state senate and assembly and received major changes that affected where the money is allowed to be spent, according to Alta executive director Phil Bonnet.

“Among some of the things that we are not allowed to purchase are specific recreational services - camp, horse back riding, things like that.”

Bonnet said the law made it “illegal” for Alta to continue funding recreational programs such as Access Leisure.

Alta currently funds more than 16,000 people with developmental disabilities in 10 different counties in California, but many of them only received reduction in funding, according to Bonnet. Access Leisure Teen Program, amongst other programs, falls under the category of recreational services and was forced to be cut.

The program now struggles to stay afloat financially.

“We can’t prolong the revenue not coming in,” Prater said. “We have to bring in the revenue in a timely fashion or else my management(The City of Sacramento) is going to shut us down.”

According to Prater, two similar programs have already shut down. At the end of August, the Laurelruff Access Leisure Teen Program in Sacramento and the Discovery Access Leisure Teen Program in Natomas were both shut down.

The two remaining programs are McClatchy in Sacramento and Harriet Eddy in Elk Grove.

Program Supervisor Pam Prater said this past month was a difficult month for the program.

“We worked really hard to keep at least two of our programs open because we know if you completely close the doors, the chances of coming back are grimmer than if you have a little bit of blood in the system,” Prater said.

Access Leisure now has four categories, which differ in fees, for families to choose from: category one includes unlimited access to the program and is $400 a month; category two includes access to the program 4 days per week and is $336 a month; category three includes access to the program three days per week and is $264 a month; and Category four includes access to the program two days per weekend is $192 a month, according to Prater.

Prater said the program cannot afford to have any type of payment plans for the families.

The program was officially informed by Alta on Aug. 4 that funding would stop Aug. 31. Prater said she had been keeping up with the Lanterman Act, which was being revised on in mid-July in the senate and assembly, and knew there were possibility cuts would be made.

Prater took precaution and began setting up parent meetings as well as taking surveys on people's thoughts regarding the funding cut toward the end of July.

“Many parents told us that if our program wasn’t there, they wouldn’t have any place for their child to go,” Prater said. “A lot of them can’t stay home by themselves. They need assistance.”

The attendance at McClatchy, was cut in half in September, according to Prater. The program went from having 41 attendees throughout the week to 21 this past month.The attendance at the Elk Grove location was also cut in half.

“As much as we’re trying to make ends meet we’re not, ” Prater said. “We’re falling short every month. We need more participation.”

For more information regarding the program, visit accessleisuresac.org.

Free To Eat with Fiber Girl

2009-10-07T06:28:54Z

It’s a bird, it’s a plane... no it's Fiber Girl!

As she runs around in her purple leotard and cape saving the world one lecture at a time, Bronwyn Schweigerdt still finds time to spread her knowledge through her books.

Schweigerdt, also knows as Fiber Girl - a nickname given to her by a friend - is a nutritionist and self-published author in Sacramento.

“I realized what people's questions were and where their confusion was and this book was written to answer all of that,” Schweigerdt said.

Schweigerdt graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from Cal Poly in 1994 and received her Master’s Degree in nutrition from Tufts University in 1996.

She began teaching nutrition at Bakersfield Community College in 1998. Schweigerdt moved to Sacramento about 10 years ago to be near her friends and is currently teaching nutrition at CalPERS. She has also been teaching at community colleges around Sacramento on and off for seven years.

“I had people in my classes tell me that their cholesterol was lower and their partner’s cholesterol was lower,” Schweigerdt said. “ I just heard all this feedback and people were actually doing what I told them to do and their lives were being changed and that’s when I published The UnDiet.”

She self-published her first book, The UnDiet, in 2002. The book sold more than 14,000 copies, Schweigerdt said. Her second book, Free to Eat, was published in August 2009.

Currently, she gives lectures in the community an average of three to six times per month about nutrition, health, weight loss and her high-fiber diet.

Members of the community, such as Roger Randall of Sacramento, enjoy Schweigerdt’s lectures.

“I’m a diabetic, type two, and I wanted to know what she had to say,” said Roger Randall. “I found it useful and very interesting.”

Randall said she mentioned a few health tips for diabetics that his doctor never told him, such as staying away from carbohydrates and eating dried fruit.

He and his wife Rosemarie own both of Schweigerdt’s books. Randall said he has read The UnDiet and is looking forward to reading Free to Eat.

Rosemarie Randall also keeps up with Schweigerdt’s blog and website.

“My daughter-in-law got me involved with her website, and that’s how I got involved with her books," she said.

Schweigerdt began a blog on her website about a year and a half ago and has written about topics including anemia, bone loss and cancer to name a few. She typically writes one blog a week.

Schweigerdt said her second book derived from her blogs.

“I realized that I had enough info in my blogs to put it into a book,” Schweigerdt said. “Everything pretty much accumulated from my blog.”

Also posted on her website, www.fiber-girl.com, and on YouTube is her Fiber-Girl video that incorporates a super hero, nutrition and some comedy.

“Her fiber-girl video is really great,” Rosemarie Randall said with a slight giggle.

The seven-minute YouTube video shows what types of foods are high in fiber and how eating fiber can help with weight loss.

But Schweigerdt’s video is only meant to draw attention, her book Free to Eat not only explains high fiber food and their benefits, but it also contains 50 healthy recipes at the end of the book created by nutritionist and natural foods chef Jennifer Brewer.

“It’s one thing to teach people how to eat, but if they’re totally changing their die, they need recipes” Schweigerdt said. “They need to know where to start.”

Dietitian Rachel Daniels who attended Schweigerdt’s lecture at Whole Foods Sunday afternoon said the information was very interesting.

Daniels typically reads books with heavier medical lingo, but she said Schweigerdt’s made it easy for regular people with non-medical background to read.

“She has more basic information,” Daniels said. “ I just skimmed the book, but it’s pretty good.”

When Schweigerdt first started as a nutritionist, she said she wanted to save the world. She traveled to many countries including Africa, Peru and Fiji to name a few, but didn’t find the satisfaction she was looking for.

She said teaching Americans to maintain a healthy diet was what she was really passionate about.

“The cancer rate, the diabetes rate, the heart disease rate, just everything has never been higher,” Schweigerdt said. “It’s so painful to see.”

To purchase Free to Eat book visit www.fiber-girl.com or go to Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op.

12th Annual Sacramento Art Festival

2009-10-03T15:44:06Z

With an assortment of goods all of different colors, shapes, sizes and purposes, Sacramento kicked of its 12th Annual Arts Festival at the Convention Center Friday afternoon.

Local food vendors, such as India Gourmet and Maui Wow, as well as entertainment from Dirk K, Kurt Ribak and GG Amos Band to name a few, participated in the days events.

Attendance was expected to be about 10,000 the entire weekend -- the quality of the art being the main reason for such a large crowd.

The festival was a host to about 225 craftspeople and fine artists from all over the world looking to sell and display their work to locals, according to Shilowe George, assistant producer and show manager.

"This was created to be a venue for a strictly juried, higher end art and craft," George said. "We even have people come internationally."

Each artist had to go through the applications and selection process. The process required the artists to submit about four to five images of their crafts including an artist biography.

The jury, in charge of making final selections, consists of about three to four people. The work was judged based on originality, creativity and different outlooks; must be created by the exhibitor; and artists must be present throughout the entire festival.

"It’s really rare to have a show where artists are required to be present," George said.

Having the artist present during the exhibits help attendees, such as Teresa Schilling of Sacramento, feel more connected to the art.

"There is a nice array of interesting creative works by people who obviously spend a lot of time devoting themselves to their craft," Schilling said. "I like the idea that there is quality high-crafted art. "

This was Schilling's first time attending the art festival. She and a friend saw an advertisement about the festival and decided to attend, since she was on a furlough day.

Even though Schilling made her way to the festival on her furlough day, George said that the event has seen a drop in attendance and participation in her four years as a manager.

"When I started, we were putting four shows on a year, and that was even downsized," George said. "We were in San Jose, Santa Monica and San Diego. And we’ve whittled it down to one event, but this is a consistently good event."

George said that festival continued in Sacramento because there is a market for such events. Other cities have similar events, but Sacramento does not.

"Sacramento is an upscale town," George said. "There is a definite interest and a passion for art, but there are not a lot of events that can bring a variety of work."

But the economy hasn’t affected all exhibitors and artists. Shawn Tsai, fine-glass sculptor from Orange County, said he has been exhibiting at the show for about five years and has been prosperous.

"I have been doing this show for a few years," Tsai said. "And I have a lot of repeated customers."

Tsai said many of his customers are collectors looking to add to their glass collections. He said they are looking for things that wouldn’t necessarily be found in stores.

"They want something different," Tsai said. "The things here are very unique, it’s all hand-made."

Even though there are some collectors that attend the festival, locals also learn to appreciate the art.

Attendees Randy and Shelley McIntosh of Sacramento have been attending the festival for about six years.

"There is always something new," Randy McIntosh said. "The glass work is marvelous this year."

He said that they always purchase something every year and it typically varies from jewelry to home decorations. The McIntoshes admitted that oftentimes they start their Christmas shopping at the festival.

The event was started 12 years ago by Warren Cook and includes Schools Gallery, which displays students' artwork from around the Sacramento area and it gives them the opportunity to receive cash prizes. A percentage of the proceeds made go toward the Crocker Art Museum which has partnerships with art programs around the community.

For more information visit www.americanartfestivals.com

Photos by: Nallelie Vega

Asian Food and Culture Bazaar

2009-10-02T05:45:49Z

In the mood for Asian food?

Don’t miss out on the Asian Food and Cultural Bazaar Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Japanese Methodist United Church at 6929 Franklin Blvd.

There will be a variety of dishes including teriyaki chicken, sushi, sesame chicken lunch boxes, and Korean short ribs, to name a few.

Co-chair of the event, Art Imagire, who has been involved with the bazaar for about 30 years, encourages entire families to participate in the event and enjoy the food.

“People enjoy our food very much,” Imagire said. “A lot of times they have trouble deciding what they want.”

Dessert is also on the menu and will include ice cream, popcorn and Manju, a dessert derived from mochi and rice cake.

The event will have no cover charge and will include performances from local entertainers.

“It’s open to the public, so we get a wide variety of people,” Imagire said. “There will be games for the entire family as well as performances.”

The Sacramento Taiko Dao, a popular Japanese drummer group; Ohana Dancers, a Hawaiian dance group; and the ACC Pocket Pickers, a ukulele group, will be performing.

Along with the entertainment, items will be on sale from local boutiques and nurseries.

The Bazaar was started about 40 years ago in the hope of raising money for the church. All the funding goes towards capital repairs around the church.

42nd Annual Native American Day at the Capitol

2009-09-26T13:25:56Z

Eye-catching outfits, drumming and loud yells filled the Capitol Friday afternoon during Sacramento's 42nd Annual Native American Day.

About 300 people and more than 30 exhibitors participated in this year's events, including programs such as: the California Indian Legal Services, National Indian Justice Center and PG&E's CARE program.

Native American Tribes from all over California, as well as local residents and legislators, came together to celebrate Native American cultures through traditional dances and inspirational guest speakers. The guest speakers included Mike Chrisman, Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency; Linda Adams, Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency; and Honorable Tribal Chairman Marshall McKay from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, among others.

"This is an event that needs to be held at the State Capitol," said Larry Myers, Executive Secretary of the Native American Heritage Comission. "What we wanted to do is make sure that Indians could come to the Capitol and for legislators to learn about Indians."

Myers said the event had been held at the Convention Center and at Cal Expo in past years, but he said he feels that hosting the event at the State Capitol gives Native American Day more impact because it is right in the legislator's backyard.

Tribal Chairman McKay agreed with Myers.

"I've known about this event for about 20 years," McKay said. "I always thought this was a very beneficial event to native people because it gives us a forum close to a very iconic building."

Along with educating other people about their culture, many Native Americans feel that it is just as important to educate their own people.

During McKay's speech about the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, three young tribal children attending Yocha Dehe Wintun Academy were brought to the stage to speak Patwin, their native language.

"We want to make sure that everybody knows that we have a language," McKay said. "We want these children to know our language."

But language wasn't the only way that natives culturally expressed themselves during the event. The Quetzalcoatl Citlalli Aztec Dancers, among others, also performed native dances

."The dances are beautiful," spectator Yolanda Ledesma said. "Everybody is so beautiful, such beautiful people."

Even though Ledesma is Hispanic and this was her first time attending Native American Day, she said she enjoyed learning about the Native American culture and will continue to attend.

"Sacramento is just full of cultures, we just have to celebrate everybody's," Ledesma said."It's everybody's country."

Native American Day was started in 1968 after California tribal leaders and Governor Ronald Reagan declared the fourth day of September "California Indian Day," according to the event brochure. In 1998, Assembly Bill 1953, signed by Governor Pete Wilson, legalized the event and made it a state holiday.The bill also changed the name of the event to "Native American Day."

To many Native Americans, Native American Day has now become their most important holiday.

"This is my Thanksgiving. We get all the people together and we get all the elders together, we get everyone to show their culture, their dances," said Chairwoman Rohnda Pope of Buena Vista Rancheria. "So for me, I give thanks for that, to me it's Thanksgiving."

Charter Review Committee hold Town Hall Meeting

2009-09-26T00:22:28Z

Sacramento residents voiced their opinions to Charter Review Committee members about the strong-mayor proposal during a Town Hall Meeting in Ben Ali Shrine Temple Thursday evening.

Committee members attentively listened to the responses of the community regarding the possible changes to the mayor position in Sacramento.

“Some people, when they know they can serve forever, handle their position just a little differently, ”Natomas resident said Fran Barker.

Barker expressed her concern regarding no limitation to number of terms city councilmembers can serve. She said she feels there should be terms limits for both the mayor and councilmembers because "often times absolute power corrupts absolutely."

“I believe that term limits increases our level of conscientiousness and integrity," she said.]

Sacramento’s governing body holds nine voting positions: eight elected city councilmembers and the mayor. With the strong-mayor proposition, the mayor would not be a member of the city council.

The councilmember positions are part-time jobs, and the mayor's position was turned full-time in 2002, and all positions have terms of four years, but the amount of terms they can serve is unlimited, according to city law.

Charter Review Committee member Cecily Hastings said during their first Town Hall Meeting many residents expressed concerns about the lack of term limits.

“A comment a couple of people made was, people get in these offices and you can’t take them out, because they fund-raise continually,and they build up such a war chest that nobody can take them on," she said.

Other members of the community had different opinions.

“The problem with term limits is like in the state: They're not working,” said Natomas resident Chuck O’Neil. “They’re too short. By the time they figure out what they’re doing, they're termed out and then have to move on.”

O’Neil said he is aware that state terms are two years, but he still feels that four years is not enough time for legislators to make a difference. He said he believes that if a councilmember is doing a good job and their popularity is still up, they should be allowed to continue serving the public.

Regarding fundraising regulations for candidates, O’Neil said he feels that a few things need to be changed to make it easier for others to run.

“One of the problems with letting people stay in there too long is that the lobbyist gives them too much money, and they have a lot of support and they’ll stay forever,” O’Neil said. “So if you can solve that problem, so challengers can also get money, you got a chance of turning those people over when they’re not doing their job.”

The Charter Review Committee has composed a recommendation for the City Council, and is holding Town Hall Meetings to get public feedback. In their recommendations, the majority of the committee voted to have no term limits.

Hastings, along with committee members JoAnn Fuller and Alan LoFaso, encouraged the public to voice all opinions to the committee regarding their proposal about the city's governmental body.

“We really want to hear from you; we want to hear from your neighbors," Fuller said. “If you hear people talking about this, we want to hear it, too.”

The Charter Review Committee was established by the City Council in April to review the strong-mayor proposal as well as other changes to the local governing body. The City Council voted to create the committee in February to help advise and compose a report with public opinion about the changes to the governing system. All members of the committee are volunteers.

Calls for applications to join the committee were posted on city websites until the end of March, when each individual councilmember appointed a member to the Charter Review Committee. Two of those positions were voted on at large.

The committee has 11 members, all from various careers, according to Hastings. They are due to make their final recommendation to the City Council in November.

“They’re doing a good job,” said former Sacramento mayor Anne Rudin, who served terms from 1983 to 1992. “They’ve had expert testimony of people who have been in those jobs, and they’ve gathered up a lot of information before they made their decisions about what they felt was right for Sacramento.”

Furloughs Impact Students

2009-09-21T21:43:22Z

Furloughs at Sacramento State affect more than just professors. Students are seeing the changes in the classroom and in the quality of education.

Furloughs at all state universities took effect in August after the CSU Board of Trustees negotiated up to 24 furlough days this upcoming fiscal year for all 23 campuses.

Dr. Stan Oden, associate professor in the government department, feels that students are being hit just as hard with the changes being made after furloughs.

“Students, I think, are the ones who are really getting the shaft in this process,” Oden said. “They’re not getting classes and they’re taking longer to graduate.”

Oden said that he has seen many of his colleagues being impacted in different ways due to furloughs, but he feels that students are the ones experiencing the major change in the quality of education.

Some students agree with Oden.

“I do feel bad for the teachers because they got that decrease in pay,” Kristinamarie Scheuneman, senior government major, said. “But it’s kind of sad that our education is being cut. We’re paying more, but we’re getting less.”

With the current furlough schedules, faculty and staff are required to cut back on office hours and/or class time for two full workdays, every month. The 10 percent cut to full-time faculty isn’t the only thing changing classrooms.

Many of the part-time professors are also being laid off, which is creating a larger impact on classes offered, and students are feeling that impact.

“I remember that in one of my classes the wait list was like 30 people,” Ashley Munoz, junior psychology major, said. “And I thought, ‘that’s enough to fill up a-whole-nother classroom,’ but we can’t pay another teacher.”

Kevin Wehr, President of the Sacramento State Chapter of the California Faculty Association, said he knows of six to seven part-time faculty whose contracts have not been renewed and there could possibly be more to come. He said they won't know the exact number until mid-October.

With part-time faculty being laid off and full-time faculty being forced to decrease hours, education is not coming easy to students.

“With students we’re talking about the rest of their lives. These budget cuts, the furloughs, the student fee increases, they are going to have an effect on what this university looks like,” Wehr said. ”We’re going to see the denial of access for students.”

Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez said in an interview with Fox40 News at the beginning of August that the budget process was political and he was uncertain of what would happen.

Laura Gonzalez, Director of the Office of Governmental Affairs at Associate Students Inc., said that she has met with some legislators over the summer and the legislators are aware of the impacts that furloughs and budget cuts have had on students.

“We did bring up the fact that we are struggling with these furloughs and how they are affecting our students.” Laura Gonzalez said. “But one of the things that always comes up is the fiscal situation of our state.”

Gonzalez said there is not much that can be done for this year’s furlough, but OGA is hoping to unite forces with CFA and Students for Quality Education to make a change for upcoming years. She said that things are expected to get worse next fall.

According to Gonazalez, Assembly Bill 656, could be a possible solution to the higher education funding crisis.

"One of the goals of OGA is to link up with CFA and SQE and CSU Alliance to inform students," Gonzalez said. "We all support this bill, and we've been advocating on it and we do find it as a solution, AB656 is a solution, it might be a short term solution but at least we have something that we can advocate for."

CFA, SQE and OGA believe that educating and advocating, as well as passing legislation, such as Assembly Bill 656, could be a short term solution to help solve the funding problem for higher education

“What we need to do is we need to tax the corporations, especially the oil corporations, we need to find new money to bring into the system.” Wehr said. “We are the only state in the union that does not have this fee.”

AB 656, introduced by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, is an oil and gas severance fee that will tax large corporations and use the money to fund higher education. Similar laws have been in effect for years in states such as Texas.

Laura Gonzalez said that if AB 656 does not pass, creating another bill and finding an author to support it could be another solution.

“It’s very clear that the less funding you give to higher education, we’ve gotten lower and lower on how well the state does in higher education.” Gonzalez said. “I forgot what rank we are in, but we’re pretty low.”

Gonzalez said she believes the only way to get California out of the recession is to continue educating Californians, who will eventually contribute back. She said it would be difficult to get out of a fiscal crisis if education is at the bottom of California's list of priorities.

Wehr also agreed with Gonzalez.

“This is the place where we train the teachers and the engineers, the nurses. These are the people that are going to pull California out of a recession.” Wehr said. “If we don’t invest in them, we may never get out of the recession.”

But for students such as Scheuneman, the hope for a better educational system remains doubtful.

“I hope it gets better, but I don’t see it getting better,” Scheuneman said. “I’m fearful, when my kids have to go to college, how expensive it’s going to be and how competitive it’s going to be to get into college.”

Sacramento Fashion Week

2009-09-19T03:38:08Z

Victor Louis kicked off Sacramento’s Fashion Week with his One Night in Paris fall collection in front of about 500 people Thursday night.

Louis’s show at at Elks Tower Ballroom also displayed the work of seven other local designers.

“Those other designers are actually fellow (classmates),” Louis said. “I kind of did interviews at school and selected the best out of everyone.”

Louis and the other designers attend the International Academy of Design & Technology (IADT) charter school in Sacramento. It opened in 2006 and has about 500 students.

Louis has attended the institute for two years and will graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in fashion design and marketing in August.

“He’s just starting, but he already has the talent, the eye for fashion,” said Esther Amato, a local designer who is a fashion instructor at IADT. “He has a talent for it, we’re just here to enhance it.”

Amato, who has taught at IADT for a year and a half, was joined by instructor Wenting Gao in praising Louis.

“We came here as personal good friends,” Gao said. “We’re here to support him with respect and with love.”

Amato and Gao said they would like to see Louis market his clothing.

Louis’s goal for all of his shows has been to sell at least one of his designs. Amato said that Louis needs to focus on the marketing aspect of the industry as well.

“He has an eye for it already,” Amato said. “He just needs to distribute and sell it.”

Louis's goal now should be to sell three to four pieces from his collection per fashion show, Amato said.

Thursday night as he walked up on stage to a standing ovation, Louis accomplished one more of his childhood dreams, he said.

“I just never really pursued my dream,” Louis said. “And then, two years ago, I was like, 'You know, Victor, if you don’t follow your dream, you will never know if you're going to make it or not.'”

The audience appeared to be wowed by Louis’s catchy, trendy designs.

"I didn't realize that Sacramento had a fashion week. I heard about the show from a friend and decided to come." said Melissa Smith. "It was so elegant. He did a great job."

Many of Louis's designs from the “Amour de la Robe” couture collection had lace and metallic fabrics with ruffles and flowers. The collection was inspired by 1930s Paris fashion.

“The reason why I decided to do Paris is because I come from a really small family, very humble, not a lot of money. I’ve never traveled the world,” Louis said. “And I thought that if I researched Paris, then I could bring Paris into my art, and I could have one night in Paris, since I’ve never been there."

Louis’s designs had a touch of sparkle and glitter.

"(The nude) dress was absolutely insane," spectator Kristina Moreno said. "I was not expecting that, but it looked good."

The nude dress worn by Ebony Hunter certainly turned heads.

"I told Victor 'I don't care what you make me do or what you make me wear, just make me the finale model,'" Hunter said. " So I didn't really have a problem with it. I felt like I was well covered."

Hunter said that some of the models' parents didn't understand the dresses before the fashions were completed. But after they saw the final product, she said, they could appreciate it more.

"The grand finale dress represented the meaning of Paris as far as fashion and couture and vintage and pure sexiness," Hunter said.

Fashion week isn't often associated with Sacramento. “This is unlike anything that has happened in Sacramento,” said Steve Ayers, owner of Elk Tower ballroom. “Truly unlike anything in Sacramento, very elaborate, amazing and over the top.”

Louis had approached Ayers’ daughter, Katherine Ayers, who was also one of his models, about using the venue with its 1920s décor.

“I found (The Elk Tower Ballroom) online. I looked at like 35 places, I went all over Sacramento,” Louis said. “As soon as I walked in, everything was exactly how I wanted it.”

Louis produced and directed the show, with the help of a several sponsors whom he met in April at a workshop in Napa.

“Victor Louis came to Behrens Photo Workshop as our feature designer and all of the photographers loved his designs, “ said Cara Lane, toastmaster and professional speaker.

After learning that Louis had been chosen by Magnum Opus to display his collection during Sacramento’s Fashion Week, photographer Mark Behrens, toastmaster Cara Lane and Jared Newland for Mathew Allen Weddings & Events, D.J. & MC, became Louis’s main sponsors for the event.

They began planning the show in June. Louis is donating more than half of the proceeds to Ready for Life, a charity for homeless children.

“I wanted to help someone in the community,” he said.

Above and beyond helping a charity, Louis brought fashion to the area.

"This is by far the best show I've ever seen in Sac," Melanie Long said. "I can't wait to see more of his stuff."

Photos by : Anthony Bento Sacramento Press

Ohana Dance Group

2009-09-14T05:53:23Z

Hip-shaking is not a requirement for most dancers, but in the case of the Ohana Hawaiian Dance Group, it's a must.

Celebrating the Hawaiian culture through hula dancing is what the dance group does the best. The Ohana Dance Group was founded in 2003 by Pat Toyama in hopes to reconnect with the Hawaiian culture she left behind in 1986. Toyama, her proclaimed Hawaiian name, meaning "cool fragrance" in Hawaiian, is currently the only Hula instructor.

The group just recently became a non-profit this past year. "It started at a church as a church activity," Toyama said. "In 2005, we branched off and in 2009 we became a non-profit."

Toyama said the dance group wanted to qualify for grants, since financially they were just skimming by, and become a non-profit would allow them to do so.

Currently, the Ohana Dance Group puts on about a dozen performances a year, with a major one in September. All of the profits go toward guest performers, Faith Ako being this year's guest, and scholarships for high school students.

The group has given out seven $500 scholarships to graduating high school seniors since they have become an organization, two of them being this year and four last year, Toyama said.

The cost per month for lessons is $35 for adults and $25 for children, which on average is lower than or equal to a regular gym membership. Toyama said that she also tries to keep the group family friendly.

"We try to keep the cost down for students. Many times other kinds of sports require a high(er) cost to join," Tomaya said. "And we do highly encourage families to participate by offering discounts."

The dance group consist of about 30 members, women and children making up most of it. Currently there are only 3 male dancers. Toyama said she believes it's because men in the mainland are too shy to dance hula.

Regardless of their gender, age and race, all group members have been given Hawaiian names.

"The depth of their commitment to the culture after about a year and a half will earn them a Hawaiian name," Toyama said.

Toyama said she encourages everyone to join and take lessons, the only requirements are: love for the Hawaiian culture and passion for hula dancing.

According to the Ohana Dance Group Web site, the group is a multi-generation dance group with members of various background and cultures. Toyama said that she is the only member that was born in Hawaii.

Christine "Makale`a" Beyer and her two children, ages 13 and 19, are currently the only caucasian family in the group. "I watched my daughter do it, and I thought, 'I can do that too,'" Beyer said.

She said she was looking to enroll her 19-year-old daughter Michelle "Lilinoe" in a dance group and met Toyama at an event hosted at an L&L Hawaiin BBQ restaurant about two and a half years ago. Soon after, the mother/daughter duo joined the dance group. 13-year-old Jack "Keaka" joined a few months later and dad Jeff Beyer participated for the first time as a guest dancer during this past weekend's performance.

Unlike the Beyer family, Debby "Alana" Bell had another reason for joining the group.

"I finally decided to get in tune with my heritage," Bell said. "It's a really interesting cultural experience."

Bell said her parents were born in Hawaii and wanted embrace their culture by joining the dance group.

Bell has been a member for about 2 years and said it was her first time hula dancing. At a young age, Bell had been involved in musical theatre, but never managed to learn the dance tied so closely to her heritage, she said. Bell now attends the International Hula Conference in Waikiki.

Last year was her first time attending, and she said she was looking forward to attending this year's conference in November.

For more information about the Ohana Dance group visit http://www.ohanadancegroup.com/whoweare.html

Second Sunday

2009-09-12T18:05:00Z

When the Second Saturday party ends, the "Second Sunday" cleanup begins. A couple of Sacramento Midtown community members have taken matters into their own hands by organizing Green/Clean Sacramento Midtown. The group on the popular networking Web site Meetup.com helps keep Sacramento streets clean.

The meetup group, which consists of about 25 members, was created in April by Julie Kaye in hopes of improving the garbage and gutter problems in the Midtown area. Even though the group has a significant number of members, only four to eight people attend the cleanup sessions, she said. Members typically spend two to three hours cleaning the cross streets between I and J, and 16th through 28th. Kaye said all members of the meetup group are volunteers looking to preserve Midtown's beauty.

"We have noticed an increase in trash," Kaye said. "Our intent is to get businesses to clean up the sidewalks."

Known mainly for its "Second Sunday" cleanups, as the community likes to call them, the group also cleans its designated area at least twice a month, Kaye said, and is looking for other ways to keep the streets clean.

Kaye, who volunteers with the Midtown Business Association (MBA), said she had not been happy with the way her neighborhood was starting to look and decided to do something about it. She approached the MBA with the problem in April 2008 and has been working to improve the Midtown community since.

"We've been working to get a lot of things, trash cans being one of them," Kaye said. "Even if you wanted to throw away trash, there is no place to throw it."

Kaye said she believes the community is trying to keep Midtown clean because trash is typically found on top of dumpsters around the community after large events such as Second Saturday. More trash cans would help, she said.

Aja Uranga-Foster, MBA operation manager, said that the association shares Kaye's concerns. She said that MBA set up a contract with a nonprofit social services agency that goes out at least six times a month for four to five hours a day to clean the Midtown area. A crew, consisting of four to five workers, definitely stays busy, Uranga-Foster said.

"The workers collect bags and bags and bags of garbage."

She said that cities in California are not required to pay for disposal bins. Many of the trash cans around Sacramento have been paid for by organizations such as MBA.

Some members of the Midtown community, such as Esther Ramos, feel that the area is in desperate need of trash cans. "My neighborhood is not a bad one, but there is trash everywhere," said Ramos, who has lived in Midtown for six months. "They just need to put (in) trash cans, plain and simple."

She said she feels there's a simple fix for most of Midtown's garbage problems -- place trash cans in the area.

Other members of the community feel that more trash cans might cause more problems.

"I don't think it would help because homeless people will go through them," said Rihanna Cole, who has lived in Midtown for about a year. "I hate to say it, but it might cause more trash."

The MBA has received more than a dozen requests from businesses to put trash cans around Midtown, but Uranga-Foster said that only six qualify for placement. She said that the placement process is a bit complicated because the organization must work with the city. Even though the city is not responsible for the funding, it must approve placement and manage the trash cans.

Kaye and her volunteer cleanup crew are a major help, since the funding for MBA's cleaning crew is not extensive, said Uranga-Foster. Kaye and other community members also are concerned with issues such as gutter maintenance and leaf pickup , she said. Such work is crucial at a time the city's budget is exhausted and there is less street cleaning.

Kaye and the MBA have been sending notices to businesses in order to cut back on the gutter clutter. Uranga-Foster said that the business community is reacting positively to such requests.

This "Second Sunday," Sept. 13, Kaye's volunteer cleanup crew will meet at 9 a.m. at Weatherstone Coffee and Trading Co.

For more information, visit http://www.meetup.com/Green-and-Clean-Sacramento-Midtown-Meetup-Group.

Chalk it Up! photo essay

2009-09-08T14:53:19Z

Thousands gathered at Fremont Park for the 19th annual Chalk it Up! Festival.

Families enjoyed face painting, live music, food and the hundreds of chalk creations that lined the sidewalk squares.

Here is a glimpse of this weekend's activities.

46th Annual Greek Festival

2009-09-05T04:48:59Z

Sacramento is in for a treat, The Annual Greek Festival is back for its 46th year in a row.

Be aware, you do not have to be Greek to attend, free to join in on the fun and enjoy the food, entertainment, raffle and Greek/Mediterranean vendors. This year's event's consist of performances by Neo Kyma dancers and levendopeda(Greek Folk Dancers), Dance performances by Athanatoi and Sacramento's "Omega" Band, just to name a few. Not to mention, small vendors from all of California are also in town, such as It's Greek To Me Imports from Oakland selling greek music and videos, and HZ Boutique from LA selling clothing.

"We expect about 12,000 people this weekend," Raffle Chair Terry Kastanis said. "As a matter of fact, this is the third- largest event in Sacramento other than the State Fair and Jazz Festival in May."

The Greek Festival was founded in 1963 by the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in an efforts to build and maintain their church, according to their festival booklet.

Kastanis said the event has about 500 volunteers this year, who are mainly parishioners at the Orthodox Church. This year the event is being sponsors by companies such as Wells Fargo, CGI and The Old Spaghetti Factory, to name a few.

But no matter how many sponsors and volunteers there are, the event would not be possible without the community.

"We've been coming here for years," Andrew Varakas said. "My wife is really good at cooking Greek food, but all Greek food is good."

Varakas and his wife Lilian are Greek immigrants who came to the United States in 1947. They have been attending the festival for 25 years and say they enjoy everything about it. Varakas said he recalled attending the festival when it was hosted at Cal Expo and even the Orthodox Church years ago. He said he has also noticed a change in the management of the event.

"This year isn't as crowded, and I noticed a lot of tables for dinner," Varakas said.

The community members, of course, aren't the only ones who have been attending the festival for years.

"We go to festivals and other special events, and this is our 10th year as vendors coming to this Festival ," owner of It's Greek To Me Imports Parthena Kanelos said.

Even Kanelos, and her husband, John, have been attended the festival even before they became vendors. Kanelos said they have participated in the event for overmore than 20 years.

This year’s menu consist of tasty food, such as Gyro (lean beef and spices in a peita topped with onions, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce), Spanakopita (filo dough filled with spinach and cheeses), Loukoumathes (Greek doughnut puffs smothered in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon) and many more.

If you have not yet attended the festival, fear not. You still have Saturday and Sunday to grab some food and enjoy the music.

For more information, visit www.sacramentogreekfestival.com

Chalk It Up!

2009-09-04T07:20:37Z

Roll up your sleeves - it's time to get covered in chalk dust.

The 19th Annual Chalk It Up! Festival will be held from 10 a.m. -6 p.m. Sept. 5, 6 and 7 in Fremont Park on 15th and P Streets.

The Festival will consist of purchased personal squares as well as free community-sponsored squares for the entire family to create chalk art. Artists such as Emily Balestrini, who recently won First place in Prink Making a the KVIE art auction, will also be present.

There will also be live performances from local Sacramento bands, such as Lite Brite, Diciembre Gris and Storytellas just to name a few, as well as local vendors. All the proceeds will go to Art Education Programs for high school students as well as student grants for first-time college students interested in careers in art.

All the money goes to a pool and (is) disbursed to high schools and student grants," said Paul Hicks, Music and Media Manager and volunteer board director. "The board wants to put together an event to generate more money for scholarships."

According to Hicks, major sponsors such as University Art, Midtown Grid.com, Paige Design and Sacramento City Councilman Rob Fong have done a great deal to help support the event.

University Art is donating most of the chalk being used throughout the weekend, while Fong will be providing the bandstands, tables and chairs.

President and volunteer Board Director Leta Wrightsmen said that Chalk It Up! is also involved in events such as the High School Self-Portrait show at the 20th Street Gallery in Sacramento.

This year we have not given out any grants to one school, but we have given awards to the Self-Portrait show,"Wrightmen said in an e-mail interview."In the past, we have given grants to Loretto, Christian Brothers, Hiram Johnson, Youth Detention Facility, Crocker Art Event for youths, KVIE youth arts events, Sacramento High School, Rio Linda grade 1-6 school and Kennedy High School."

Chalk It Up! was started in 1991, and it was held in Cesar Chavez Park and was founded by Annie Chow, a merchant with ties to the art community in Sacramento, according to the Chalk It Up! website.

The festival was organized by the Board of Directors, who volunteer their time, efforts and talent toward the art community.

"It was founded by a group of artists that got together to show community support towards the arts," Vice President and Board Director Darby Flynn said.

Registration for the event ends at 10 a.m. Sept. 5th for both sponsors and participants.

For more information visit www.chalkitup.org/history.html

Race For The Arts 2009

2009-08-26T17:27:54Z

Put on your running shoes and get ready for a fun run. Sacramento's 11th annual Race For The Arts will be happening Friday and will begin at 6 p.m.

Admission to the event is free, but the registration fee for participants in the 5K run/walk is $30 for adults and $17 for children. This year's race has been moved from its usual location at the Crocker Park and Front Street to William Land Park, on Sutterville Road and Freeport Boulevard, due to construction for the expansion of the Crocker Art Museum.

According to race director Kim Parrino, the race is due back at Crocker Park next year. Aside from the location change, Sally Rice, co-founder of the event and event coordinator, is enthusiastic about the run and its future.

"We've got some really, really good performances," Rice said. "And (the booths) are interactive, we want the public to experience what they are experiencing."

Folsom Civic Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company and El Dorado Music Theatre, will be among the 16 organizations performing during and after Friday's run/walk. There will be about 30 interactive booths, according to Rice. The Camillia Symphony Orchestra will have an instrumental petting zoo, where members of the orchestra will allow the audience to use and play the instruments used during productions, while the Folsom Gourd Festival will have an interactive booth where the entire family can learn to make necklaces from gourds.

This year's event will benefit over 150 art organizations, ranging from art programs in schools to ballet organizations, Rice said.

She added that the race had no limit regarding the number of organizations that could join.

"Every year we get new beneficiaries, this year especially with the hard economic times," Rice said. "There are not limits of beneficiaries as long as they are an art or cultural organization, a California non-profit or a California school."

Rice founded the event 11 years ago along with co-founder Mary Wesley in hopes of giving back to the arts. The event started off as a horse race, which was founded by Caroline Reed, where only adults could participate. Due to the restrictions, the event only helped a handful of art organizations. Rice said that she and Wesley proposed a run/walk event instead because it would be more inclusive and family-friendly.

"Come by, even if you don't want to walk or run," Rice said. "You can definitely visit the booths, you will still be learning about arts and appreciate them."

Pledges are being encouraged and will be taken until Aug. 28.

For further information regarding race please visit www.raceforthearts.com