Did you know we have a local fire museum?
I didn’t until I spoke with Larry Schluer, board member and volunteer docent manager of the Sacramento Regional Fire
Museum in West Sacramento, which recently reopened after closing for the pandemic.
“It’s been tough,” admits Schluer, a retired firefighter. His family has put out blazes since 1865 when his great-grandfather emigrated from Germany and helped found Woodland’s first fire company.
When Carolyn Kay wanted to volunteer after retirement, she chose Meals on Wheels by ACC because of the people.
“They were—and still are—dedicated and kind and hard working and helpful and they care about the people they serve,” Kay says. “What more could you want?”
Eight years on, those people still inspire Kay on her weekly rounds delivering meals to seniors.
“I’ve learned a lot from (my clients),” Kay says. “Usually, nobody sees them. They see the gray hair, they see the wrinkles, that they’re not working and they think they’re just an old goat with gray hair. But I’ve met some lovely people with some great stories.”
At age 6, Savanna Karmue decided to become a cardiologist.
A visit to her Sunday school teacher, recovering from heart surgery, inspired the career path. When she was 8, Karmue founded Happy Heart Advice, a nonprofit to teach young people about heart health.
Today, at the advanced age of 16, the goal is closer than ever, encouraged by Karume’s nonstop research into the mechanics of cardiology and her management of Happy Heart, where she serves as CEO.
Start with David Dot Hale’s voice. Not just any voice, but a rich and expressive timbre with a half-smile behind it. Now watch him don his red hat and transform into his blues persona, Blind Lemon Peel. Finally, savor the guttural growl that is the vocalist’s signature.
“I call what I do ‘progressive blues,’” says Dot Hale, a native New Yorker who relocated to Sacramento from Los Angeles two years ago. “It’s an evolution. I appreciate the blues, where it came from, what it’s about, what the heritage and ethnicity of that music is. I try to anchor my roots firmly in the past while broadening the genre. Traditional blues and art house cabaret is my thing.”
