This post has been sponsored by

Jessica Laskey

Journalist

About This Author

Jessica Laskey is a freelance writer and professional actress who has lived and worked in Sacramento, San Francisco, Dallas, New York City and Paris. She is also the co-founder of Theater Galatea and Indomita Press.

Articles by this author

JapanTown Lives

The historic Nisei War Memorial Community Center is returning to life, thanks to dozens of local volunteers.

The restoration of the Downtown center—known as Nisei Hall—is led by Debbie Eto and Dr. Michael Luszczak.

Eto is vice president of the Japanese American Citizens League, which bought the building with VFW Nisei Post 8985, a Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter created for Japanese American veterans after World War II.

Out And About August 2025

Find out what is happening in Sacramento during the month of August!

Magic Art

Lois Buchter—Miss Lois to her students—has a lifelong affair with drawing. She loves sharing that passion with kids ages 5 to 10.

Buchter ran the nation’s largest Monart School of Art franchise in Texas from 2008 to 2013. Now she brings her expertise to Sacramento with a new children’s educational television program.

“I want to give that gift of creativity,” Buchter says. “I know how the beast roars. You think you’ll feed it and it’ll be quiet, but no, it wants more. It’s such a rewarding, self-fulfilling elevation. I want to give that to kids on a national basis.”

Marching Orders

When Daniel Fong says Mandarins of Sacramento—now called Mandarins Performing Arts—is “kind of my whole life,” it’s no exaggeration.

Fong has been part of the drum and bugle corps for decades. His interest began in third grade when his older brother joined Mandarins. Fong played in the corps from 12 to 21, the age limit.

He stayed on as brass instructor and music arranger while studying zoology at UC Davis and optometry at UC Berkeley. He joined the Mandarins board in 2017 and became CEO in 2021.

“People form lifelong relationships in the Mandarins,” Fong says. “My best friends now are the ones I marched with back in the 1970s.”