Out and About October 2020
By Jessica Laskey
October 2020
‘I Used to be Somebody’
Local media mogul launches podcast for ‘un-retired’
Media entrepreneur Carl Landau—who founded (and recently sold) Niche Media, which publishes niche magazines and hosts hundreds of live events across the country—is using his newfound downtime to host a new weekly podcast, “I Used to be Somebody.”
Launched last September, the podcast includes interviews with entrepreneurs, creatives and former CEOs about how they built “a successful (un)retirement.” Landau is producing the podcast out of his East Sac backyard tiki bar under the aegis of Pickleball Media (named after his favorite pastime).
“There are tens of millions of baby boomers—like me—that had successful careers and now they have enough money to retire and the time to just take it easy and do nothing,” Landau says.
“But we’re not wired that way. We’ve gained so much personal satisfaction out of our jobs and want to continue that. But we don’t want to continue to work in the same way—we want to do something new, more fun and meaningful. My job is to challenge boomers to get out of their comfort zone and start something new.”
Recent guests include Joe Pulizzi, the “godfather of content marketing,” Moira McGarvey Black, bestselling author of psychological thrillers, and Bob Tuschman, former vice president of programming for the Food Network. Give it a listen at pickleballmediahq.com.
NEW MERCH AT EAST SAC HARDWARE
You may have noticed some additions at East Sac Hardware on Folsom Boulevard—namely, JoJo’s Candy Shoppe and an expanded selection of children’s activities.
“We’re always looking to make changes to keep us fun and relevant,” owner Sheree Johnston says. To that end, she added a dedicated sweets and snacks section with retro candies, treats and sodas (overseen by her daughter Jo, for whom the section is named).
Johnston’s background as a teacher has also influenced the store’s book and toy offerings, which she says are “both fun and educational, while not costing an arm and a leg.”
The store sold more than 1,400 children’s books last year and this year, and Johnston doubled the inventory of puzzles and arts and crafts—just in time for quarantine.
POLO FOR CHANGE
Saint John’s Program for Real Change—Sacramento’s largest residential program serving formerly homeless women and children—will hold its fourth annual Polo for Change fundraiser online from 2 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11.
The polo-themed event (which is usually held at the River Ranch Polo Fields in Wilton) will feature an hour of entertainment livestreamed on YouTube and hosted by ABC10 News anchor Keristen Holmes. The Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theater will perform and Saint John’s clients will share inspirational stories. Viewers can also bid in live and silent auctions. The silent auction begins Oct. 4.
Proceeds from the event directly support the women and children in Saint John’s 18-month comprehensive residential program, which helps them move from poverty to self-sustainability.
Admission to the event is free. For more information, visit saintjohnsprogram.org/poloforchange.
THIEBAUD 100
The Crocker Art Museum will present “Wayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints, and Drawings,” a retrospective of Thiebaud’s artistic achievements—coinciding with his 100th birthday—on display Oct. 11 to Jan. 3, 2021.
The exhibition—the largest survey of Thiebaud’s work in more than 20 years—spans his career with 100 objects made between 1947 and 2019. The exhibition represents the artist’s achievements in all media, with pieces drawn from the Crocker’s holdings and Thiebaud family—many of which have never been shown publicly.
“Wayne Thiebaud is a national treasure, Sacramento is his hometown and we are delighted to celebrate his 100th birthday with an exhibition that honors the vitality, vibrancy and wit of his art and civically engaged life,” says Lial Jones, the museum’s Mort and Marcy Friedman director. For more information, visit crockerart.org.
6 OPEN STUDIOS
Twelve local artists will display their work at six locations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 24–25. Most are outdoors and all are socially distanced. Masks are required at all locations.
Photographer Donald Satterlee will be joined by ceramicists Sandy Fong Whetstone and Julie
Clements and painter Jennifer Beckman at 2998 Franklin Blvd.
Painter Leslie McCarron will join mixed-media artist Debra Kreck-Harnish at her Arden-Arcade studio. Visit kreck.me for details. In Carmichael, painter Varya McMillan will host Linda Hoschler and her glass art, and Benjamin Allen with his pottery. Details are at varyamcmillanart.com.
East Sac painter Kathy Dana, Carmichael mixed-media artist Michael Schaffer and Rancho Cordova artist Linda Nunes will welcome guests to their respective studios. For more information, visit at kathydanaart.com, schafferart.com and lnunesart.com.
TRINITY ART SHOW
Sparrow Gallery on R Street will host the fourth nationally juried Trinity Art Show sponsored by Trinity Cathedral from Oct. 9 through Nov. 6.
The show features art with a unique perspective on the Christian experience. This year’s show, with the theme “An Angel of the Lord Appeared,” is juried by Auburn-based artist and author Frank Ordaz. For more information, visit sparrowgallery.com.
FROM THE LIVING ROOM
The nonprofit Sacramento Jazz Cooperative has done a pandemic pivot and is now presenting filmed concerts, “From the Living Room,” across various media platforms beginning this month.
After canceling its in-person 2020 performances, the 4-year-old organization decided to further its mission of preserving the American art form of classic jazz with high-quality filmed concerts featuring local, regional and national artists.
Subscribe for free to the SJC YouTube channel so you don’t miss any performances. For more information, visit sacramentojazzcoop.org.
GOLDEN 1 CENTER VOTING
Golden 1 Center will serve as the largest Vote Center in the county for next month’s General Election thanks to a partnership between Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections and Sacramento Kings.
Golden 1 Center will open for 11 days—Saturday, Oct. 24, to Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The location will allow for social distancing while still providing all services.
Any Sacramento County resident can drop off a completed ballot, get a new ballot to take home, vote in person, register to vote, update registration, receive language assistance and use an accessible ballot-marking device to vote.
Free parking will be available in the Downtown West Garage. For voter information, visit elections.saccounty.net.
LAST CHANCE FOR CENSUS
The deadline to respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone or by mail is Oct. 31.
This count, which only happens once every 10 years, determines congressional representation and federal funding, and can affect our communities for decades. For more information, visit 2020census.gov.
BALLET FANSTERS
Though performances are on hold until 2021, the Sacramento Ballet is still making art—and you can get in on the act by purchasing a Future Forward Fanster Pass.
A Fanster Pass allows you to not only help the ballet weather the pandemic, but also entitles you to 10 percent off one online dance and fitness class or class pass per month, as well as access to one archival performance video per month.
When the ballet announces its 2021-22 season, Fansters can upgrade to a non-virtual season subscription and receive an extra 5 percent off the subscription rate. Fansters will also receive an invitation to a special thank you celebration, and an open rehearsal and moderated Q&A with the artists once health guidelines allow.
Fanster Pass rates range from $10 to $75 per month. For more information, visit sacballet.org/become-a-fanster.
WATERWAY STUDY
Sacramento State recently received a $2.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation that will allow the university to expand its Sustainable Interdisciplinary Research to Inspire Undergraduate Success, or SIRIUS, project, which studies the health of important Northern California waterways.
Since 2014, more than 5,000 Sac State biology students and 38 faculty members have participated in the first phase of SIRIUS by monitoring the impact of human activity on the American River (which is considered “impaired” by federal authorities).
The new five-year NSF grant will allow the project to expand to include students from the Los Rios Community College District and more than 10 academic disciplines—including computer science, geology and physics—and more bodies of water, including Folsom Lake and Cosumnes River.
For more information, visit csus.edu/college/natural-sciences-mathematics/sirius.
DOWNTOWN DREAMERS
The Downtown Sacramento Foundation has begun issuing Supporting Downtown Dreamers grants to help previous winners of its Calling All Dreamers retail competition survive the pandemic.
The grants—funded in part by Kaiser Permanente and SMUD—will help past winners like NEO Escape Rooms, Nash & Proper, Oblivion Comics & Coffee and The Allspicery implement new COVID-19 safety requirements, add inventory to support reopening, and meet operational costs, such as utilities and rent. NEO Escape Rooms plans to open in Old Sacramento and Nash & Proper was set to open on K Street this past summer.
“This financial assistance is going to help us afford new protective equipment to keep our employees and customers safe and market our new business,” says Cecil Rhodes II, co-owner of Nash & Proper. “This grant gives us confidence knowing that we have so much support already.”
For more information, visit callingalldreamers.org.
FRESH AIR: FREMONT PARK
Midtown Parks—the nonprofit arm of the Midtown Association—offers Fresh Air: Fremont Park, a series of free health and wellness classes, through the end of the month.
Classes at five local parks include Pilates, meditation, dance, yoga, bootcamps and more—all socially distanced with proper safety protocols in place.
“Our hope is that through Fresh Air: Fremont Park we can provide a much-needed morale boost and a sense of normalcy during these extraordinary times,” says Emily Baime Michaels, executive director of the Midtown Association.
Each class is limited to 30 participants (all ages and fitness levels) and pre-registration is required at midtownparks.org.
WILDFIRE-RELIEF EFFORTS
The wildfires raging across California, Oregon and Washington have devastated entire communities. To help those in need, GoFundMe has created a central hub of fire-relief fundraisers. To donate, visit gofundme.com.
Other organizations that have wildfire-relief funds include the American Red Cross at redcross.org, GlobalGiving at globalgiving.org, California Community Foundation at calfund.org and California Fire Foundation at cafirefoundation.org. Donate today!
COUNTRY DAY HONOR
Sacramento Country Day School recently launched the Hlavaty Impact Award to honor graduating seniors who have shown exceptional character and resilience. The class of 2020 recipients are Naomi Turnbull and Christopher Wilson.
Created this past spring by the Hoddick family—and named after Todd Hoddick’s former teacher, Mr. Hlavaty—the award also honors SCDS administrators and faculty Brooke Wells, Glenn Mangold and Sue Nellis.
“With everything going on in the world, we felt a personal call to make a difference,” say SCDS alums Ryan Hoddick and Troy Hoddick.
“We achieved our goals with persistence, optimism and the kindness and support of others. Now, our family is determined to return that kindness, support and hope to inspire others who remain steadfast and focused despite their challenges.”
Recipients are awarded $5,000 and the opportunity to receive mentoring and coaching sessions with Todd Hoddick. For more information, visit saccds.org.
CROCKER ADDITIONS
The Crocker Art Museum has expanded its collection to include six hand-carved carousel animal sculptures that date back to the “golden age of carousels.”
The carousel animals—a deer, giraffe, horse, goat, bear and greyhound—were gifted by the Freels Foundation. The beautifully carved creatures are from the 1880s to the 1920s, and are representative of three popular carving styles. The sculptures are now installed inside and just outside the Crocker’s Setzer Foundation Auditorium.
The museum has also added a new ceramic sculpture by Bay Area sculptor Calvin Ma to its renowned collection of international ceramics.
“Duck Out” explores Ma’s experience with social anxiety. For more information, visit crockerart.org.
KVIE ART AUCTION
The 39th annual KVIE Art Auction will showcase 260 works of art by Northern California artists in a live three-day event broadcast online and on Channel 6. The auction takes place Oct. 2 from 7 to 10 p.m., Oct. 3 from noon to 10 p.m., and Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“Even during this challenging time, we saw an increase in submissions over last year,” KVIE art curator Mariellen Layne says. “We’re grateful to the art community for their generous, ongoing support.”
For a list of artists and artwork, visit kvie.org/artauction.
SQUARE ROOT UPDATE
Square Root Academy, which provides STEM education to underserved youth, has hired 11 paid interns through #SacYouthWorks, a partnership among the Youth & Family Collective, city of Sacramento and 32 community-based organizations. The program connects youth ages 14 to 18 to paid work-based learning opportunities.
Square Root also provided personal computers and hotspots to participants in the NorCal Cyber Stories program at no cost with the help of the Sacramento County Office of Education and Sacramento Public Library. During the free virtual summer camp, 50 local middle and high school students used the academy’s online learning platform Scholars’ Playground to explore coding, storytelling and more.
“This collaborative effort really provides a unique way to teach our youth the digital skills of tomorrow while infusing storytelling and creative expression,” says Square Root Academy CEO Nicholas Haystings. “It’s both educational and therapeutic for our youth living and thriving in today’s academic climate.”
REFILL MADNESS
Refill Madness, “Sacramento’s Zero Waste Headquarters,” recently received the California Product Stewardship Council’s Infinity Arrow Award for Service and Take-Back.
The award recognizes a retail business, group of businesses or chain that has initiated an outstanding take-back program for one or more products, and works with product producers to develop safe storage and recovery of end-of-life products and packages.
Refill Madness offers packaging-free consumer goods, as well as plastic-free alternatives like bamboo toothbrushes, reusable straws, produce bags, makeup rounds, food wrap, shampoo bars and more. It also collects hard-to-recycle items like mascara wands, dental and deodorant packaging, razors, wine corks, stationary items and more for responsible disposal or recycling through TerraCycle.
“Since our conception, Refill Madness has removed roughly 24,000 pounds—or 12.2 tons—of single-use plastics from the waste stream,” owner Sloane Reed says. “In 2019, we also worked closely with legislators to pass bills on producer responsibilities and we’ll continue our advocacy partnerships here in the capital.”
Refill Madness is at 1828 29th St. For more information, visit refillmadnesssacramento.com.
OPERATION BACKPACK
Sacramento’s involvement in Operation Backpack, Volunteer of America’s annual school-supply drive for students in need, yielded more than $97,000 from 19 local businesses, nine corporate sponsors and 1,000 individual donors. Donations from the virtual drive will be used to purchase school supplies for more than 2,100 children.
Operation Backpack provides supply kits with brand-new, grade-appropriate school supplies to all of the families and children in VOA’s shelters and programs. Additional supply kits will be distributed to 14 partner agencies, nonprofits and school districts, including Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, Healthy Start Family Resource Center and Youth Service Bureau.
WEDNESDAYS AT WINN
The Midtown Association has started Wednesdays at Winn, a new year-round certified farmers market at Winn Park at 28th and P streets.
The market will operate from 3 to 7:30 p.m. until next month, when the hours will shift to end at 7 p.m. The market features more than 30 open-air booths offering organic produce, flowers and grocery items, as well as artwork and free fitness classes (online registration required).
In line with all health guidelines, masks are mandatory, vendors are spaced at least 6 feet apart, and hand sanitizer, gloves and masks are available for use. For more information, visit wednesdaysatwinn.com or follow @wednesdaysatwinn on Instagram.
WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
Women’s Empowerment recently graduated six formerly homeless women from Session 79 of its seven-week employment-readiness and empowerment program.
Though Session 79 was initially postponed due to the pandemic, each participant was still able to work one-on-one with a master’s-level social worker and employment specialist, and attend virtual classes on job-readiness, financial literacy, computer skills, empowerment and more.
Every woman in Session 79 is now in housing and half have secured jobs. For more information, visit womens-empowerment.org.
GALERIE MACABRE
Archival Gallery will present the group show “Galerie Macabre,” a celebration of the dark autumn, from. Oct 8–31.
The gallery, located on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento, will be transformed into a haunted house (suitable for all ages) with spooky work by Paul Basye, Robert Bowen, Carrie Cottini, Corey Okada, Kellie Raines and more.
There will not be a public Second Saturday reception, but visitors are welcome during normal business hours with no appointment needed. Masks are required. For more information, visit archivalgallery.com.
LEADERSHIP PROJECT
The Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Leadership Sacramento Class of 2020 recently broke ground on its class project—the transformation of the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps’ education and training campus.
The class raised more than $60,000 in four months from businesses, community organizations and individuals to assist SRCC, Sacramento’s largest education and workforce training program for young adults ages 18–25 from high-risk environments in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, eastern Solano and Yolo counties.
The class project included digging trenches, removing vegetation and demolishing structures to prepare for the comprehensive beautification effort. For more information, visit metrochamber.org/foundation/programs/leadership-sacramento.
WORKFORCE RECOVERY
The Sacramento City Council recently approved the distribution of $10 million in federal CARES Act funds to 30 local organizations to provide workforce training—often directly related to COVID-19—to more than 11,000 city residents.
“This program will help Sacramento workers by directly assisting our community-based organizations to provide training to upskill our workers and help provide job opportunities for those individuals that have been directly affected by the pandemic,” assistant city manager Michael Jasso says.
After evaluating more than 40 applications, city staff recommended funding 30 organizations, including La Familia, Asian Resources Inc., California Mobility Center, Greater Sacramento Urban League, Greater Sacramento Economic Council, Hacker Lab, GRID Alternatives and Fresher Sacramento.
CAP CITY MOTORTOUR
In lieu of CruiseFest 2020, the California Automobile Museum is bringing you the Cap City MotorTour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The citywide drive will include stops at the auto museum on Front Street, along historic Fulton Avenue and other points of interest around town. Locations along the route will reward participants with coupons, promotional items and free samples. Get your “passport” stamped to be entered to win additional prizes.
Customs, hot rods, muscle cars and exotics are encouraged, but all vehicles are welcome. Registration is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Participants should remain in their cars at all stops and wear masks when interacting with sponsors. For more information, visit calautomuseum.org.
WINE & PHOTOS FOR WILDLIFE
Take a sip and save wildlife during the Wildlife Care Association’s new virtual wine-tasting fundraiser streaming live on Facebook and YouTube at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Order a wine-tasting kit of special blends assembled by innovative local vintner Kevin Luther to be delivered to your door, then tune in to watch WCA volunteers showcase their work with animal ambassadors, discuss vineyard owls and organic pest control, and taste wines with Luther, owner and winemaker at Voluptuary Wines and Lucid Wines in Sacramento.
To order a wine-tasting kit ($5 from every kit goes to WCA), visit voluptuarywine.com/virtual-tasting.
Also, if you’re an avid photographer, don’t forget to enter WCA’s annual Fall Photo Contest. Submit your picture on the WCA Facebook page as a message with photo attachment. The contest is open Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. Entry is free for children under 12—all others are asked to include a minimum $5 donation.
Submissions should include your email address, location the photo was taken and your best guess as to what type of bird you snapped. The winner will be awarded a special prize, including a guided tour of WCA at McClellan Park, and the photo featured online.
WCA, a nonprofit volunteer-based organization, takes in and cares for more than 6,000 injured, orphaned and displaced birds and small animals every year. For more information, visit wildlifecareassociation.com.
CONNECTION EARTH
All-volunteer nonprofit Connection Earth—a division of CA 4 Elephants, Inc., founded by Gina McBride and Nanette Wheeler—is certainly busy these days. The group is making face masks, donating them to those in need and selling them on Etsy, as well as collecting items for those displaced by the wildfires.
When COVID-19 hit, Connection Earth volunteers began making masks out of anything they could find—even pillowcases. When word spread that they needed supplies, people from across the country sent in materials that allowed them to donate 500 masks to the Blackfeet and Navajo Nations, as well as to Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home and Our Brother’s Keeper.
After the Paradise fire in 2018, the organization raised funds to provide Christmas to more than 300 families displaced by the fire. This year, they’re at it again, collecting supplies like backpacks filled with school supplies, baby and personal hygiene products, pet supplies and gently used winter clothes to give to victims of this year’s fires.
For more information, email connectionearth@aol.com or visit ca4elephants.org. PayPal donations can be sent to ca4elephants@aol.com.
FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT CANDIDATE
Longtime Sacramento political and communications consultant Steve Maviglio is running for the Board of Trustees for the American River Flood Control District in the Nov. 3 election.
The district has been providing flood protection to the Sacramento community for more than 75 years and is governed by a five-member board of trustees, each of whom is elected by the voters within the district’s jurisdiction for a four-year term.
Maviglio’s two decades in public service include consulting on the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Act, Groundwater Protection Act and other milestone clean-water legislation. His clients have included the Water Foundation, Resources Legacy Fund, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council and Californians Against Waste.
Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and Capitol Area Development Authority.
“Rivers define Sacramento. They are essential for life, our recreation and our economy. That’s why it is critical that we protect them, along with the levee system that protects our community,” Maviglio says.
“Unfortunately, after decades of water-quality improvements, the American River is now in peril. Homeless camps that line the bank are causing high levels of E. coli bacteria, threatening a resource that thousands enjoy for swimming, bicycling and walking.”
YOUTH TED TALKS
Sacramento is getting its own TED talk experience through TEDxYouth, a program of local, self-organized, TED-style events.
TEDxYouth@McKinley Park will present a virtual YouTube livestream from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10.
The youth-led virtual event’s theme will be self-representation. Speakers will share their firsthand experiences as young people in this region. Speakers were filmed in Curtis Park last month.
“During these socially momentous times, it is more important than ever to self-educate and hear the perspectives that aren’t mainstream, but from individuals in our community,” event organizer Ashley Jun says. “We want more individuals to have a reason to smile during these difficult times.”
For more information, email tedxyouthmckinleypark@gmail.com and subscribe for free to the YouTube channel, TEDxYouth at McKinley Park.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
