Interesting People
Challenge Accepted
Carol Rae Anapolsky loves a good challenge.
During her 91 years, the Midtown resident has been the only woman in a male-dominated job (more than once), owned one of the region’s largest gourmet chocolate shops, become a sought-after jewelry designer in Oregon and, more recently, learned to live independently despite being legally blind.
What’s in a Name?
Bustling, innovative, homey—words you wouldn’t think to describe alleyways. But in Sacramento, this defines these urban corridors.
Nestled among the busy streets of Sacramento’s “grid” are 21 alleys whose names represent many of the city’s characteristics. Not only have the names made for easier directions, but also created opportunities for businesses to uniquely use their spaces.
Nearly a decade ago, Sacramento alleys were unidentified—distinguished only by the streets they sat between. After being approved by the City Council in 2011, they were all given specific names.
A Place To Nest
In this grim season of infection and lockdown, the resurgence of the western bluebird in Sacramento recently popped up as a bright thread on the social media site Nextdoor, where the chatter usually features more downbeat concerns like porch theft or the growing number of people living on sidewalks and in parks.
It’s hard not to notice the bluebird, which suddenly seems everywhere in this capital city. The males are vivid flashes of blue and rusty orange as they swoop and dart, chasing insects along golf fairways and expanses of grass. Bluebirds perch on street signs, venture up on porches and hop along the ground.
Tales of the City
Marcia Eymann is very proud of the collection she oversees as the city historian at the Center for Sacramento History—and she wants her fellow Sacramentans to be proud too.
CSH is the official repository and research center for Sacramento city and county historic collections, which includes public documents, manuscripts, objects, millions of feet of film and more than 7 million photographs that reflect the social, political, geographic and cultural history of the Sacramento region.
Ghost Tales
During a pandemic, it’s only natural to turn to the most socially distanced place you can go—not just 6 feet apart, but 6 feet under. The Sacramento Historic City Cemetery on Broadway is seeing an uptick in visitors, says park maintenance worker Megan Crose.
At work among the gravestones recently, Crose recounted a colorful story about a man—Franz Louis Asch—buried in the city cemetery’s New Helvetia plot. In 1877, the 22-year-old Asch paid a fateful visit to a Virginia City brothel. “He was making a lot of noise and someone downstairs was yelling up at him to be quiet,” says Crose, who got this oral history from Asch’s descendants. “He was a little drunk and said, ‘Well, who’s going to make me?’ After they went back and forth a couple of times about quieting down, the guy downstairs went upstairs and shot him.”
The Essential Workers
As we cope with the unprecedented upheavals brought on by the pandemic, Inside Sacramento wants to recognize the essential workers who provide critical services and much-needed normalcy. How has the pandemic changed their workdays? How can the public make their jobs easier? How do they feel about providing essential services to our communities? Meet the bus driver, counterperson and recycle truck driver. We asked them to share their stories
