Out and About Sacramento April 2020
By Jessica Laskey
April 2020
Focus on Photography
Photo month activities will extend into fall
Rather than one month of photographic activities, the highly anticipated Photography Month Sacramento—renamed Photography Month(s) Sacramento—will now feature exhibits and events throughout summer and into early fall.
Enjoy exhibits, public art displays, lectures, receptions, workshops, demonstrations, art walks and other special events celebrating the art of photography at different venues in Sacramento, Placer, Nevada, Yolo and El Dorado counties.
“The months-long focus offers a way to encourage more people to explore art spaces that will help shape and define our collective local voice as an inclusive and vital arts community,” says event director Roberta McClellan, executive director of Viewpoint Photographic Art Center in Midtown. “We’re excited to present another vibrant and amazing event.”
For updates and programming information, visit photomonthsac.org. In the meantime, get out your camera (or phone). Great photos are waiting to be captured.
ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
Last month, the city of Sacramento launched a new Artists-in-Residence program to enhance local community centers and gardens with community-driven art. Sacramento AIR is designed for artists and communities to collaborate, explore and reframe the way public spaces are used.
Nine local artists were selected to co-design a residency with city staff and residents at a public location in each City Council district. The resident artists will hold workshops and events onsite for approximately six months. Workshop topics include drumming, spoken word, visual arts, hip hop, technology, environmental art, music and theater for participants of all ages.
“I love the idea of collaborating with different organizations to build a program that will bring the surrounding community together,” says Sascha Molina, a taiko drummer in residence at Southside Park. “This residency will offer the opportunity for a diverse group of people—all ages, genders, abilities and backgrounds—to learn basic Japanese drumming skills intertwined with some Japanese language and history.”
“I am excited to see our neighborhoods connect with local artists like Sascha Molina to bring our spaces to life by collaborating with residents to create unique artistic experiences,” says Councilmember Steve Hansen, whose district includes Southside Park.
Each residency will conclude with an onsite celebratory event, performance, exhibition, project unveiling or community festival. For more information, visit sacmetroarts.org.
COFFEE COMFORT
Last month, Temple Coffee opened its seventh location at 4201 H St. The new café features 2,400 square feet divided into two main spaces—one for ordering drinks, treats and merchandise, and a second devoted to plenty of seating anchored by a 24-foot communal cedar table.
This location’s unique visual experience is inspired by Northern California coastal towns. The cedar wood paneling, light wooden furnishings, expansive windows, open floor plan and inviting outdoor patio give the space an airy feel.
“The color scheme, fixtures and furniture are minimal yet classic, creating a timeless space that is familiar and inviting,” founder and CEO Sean Kohmescher says. “There’s plenty of room to sit comfortably, meet with friends, family and neighbors, and enjoy your time together over a cup of coffee.”
The café also features nitro cold brew on tap, locally sourced pastries and a selection of seasonal gelato flavors just in time for spring. For more information, visit templecoffee.com.
WATER VAULT UPDATE
The McKinley Water Vault construction is well underway with the recent concrete pour of the deck. The build phase, which is approximately 40 percent complete, is projected to continue through early fall, when the fill phase will begin.
The water vault, located in McKinley Park, is an underground storage tank that will hold storm water and wastewater during significant rainfalls when the sewer system is at capacity. This will reduce street flooding and sewer system outflows. The project also includes $1 million in park enhancements, such as new shade structures, trees and bathrooms.
For more information or to sign up for construction email updates, visit cityofsacramento.org/mckinleywatervault.
TARA O’SULLIVAN MEMORIAL FIELD
Mayor Darrell Steinberg and the City Council recently voted to rename the Woodlake Park Baseball Field in North Sacramento as Tara O’Sullivan Memorial Field.
Last summer while responding to a domestic violence call, O’Sullivan, a 26-year-old rookie officer with the Sacramento Police Department, was fatally shot by a gunman.
She was a proud Sac State graduate and part of the first class of the school’s Law Enforcement Candidate Scholars Program. Classmates and colleagues have recalled her exuberance, kindness and dedication to the profession. O’Sullivan holds the department record for the longest plank at 26 minutes, seven seconds.
The gym at the Sacramento Police Academy has also been renamed in her honor. Tara O’Sullivan Memorial Field is located at 500 Arden Way.
SAC OPEN STUDIOS CALL
Registration is now open for Verge Center for the Arts’ 15th Annual Sac Open Studios, the region’s oldest, largest and most prestigious artist studio tour program.
The program is designed to showcase emerging and established artists in Sacramento County and West Sacramento. Throughout two weekends in September—Sept. 12–13 and Sept. 19–20—the community will take self-guided tours and participate in special exhibitions, events, workshops, performances and parties where they will meet local artists, see art in action and purchase original work.
Artist registration is open through May 15. The cost for artist participation is $150. For more information, visit vergeart.com/open-studios/participate.
SAINT JOHN’S GRANT
Saint John’s Program for Real Change has received a $100,000 Allstate Foundation Grant to support its residential program, which serves more than 700 formerly homeless women and children each year—69 percent of whom are survivors of domestic violence.
“Allstate and The Allstate Foundation support us with much-needed funding to run our daily operations, along with contributing hundreds of hours in volunteer time through their local agents and employees,” Saint John’s Interim CEO Marc Cawdrey says. “They’ve been a wonderful community partner for years.”
Saint John’s recently teamed up with The Allstate Foundation to host its fourth annual Reverse Guest Chef Dinner at Plates Café and Catering. Local Allstate agents and employees prepared and served dinner to Saint John’s clients as a reverse of the nonprofit’s monthly Guest Chef Dinner fundraisers, where the women prepare and serve dinner under the supervision of a guest chef from a local restaurant. The dinners are part of Saint John’s Employment Training Program.
For more information, visit saintjohnsprogram.org.
SAC STATE RECOGNIZED
The Carnegie Foundation has selected Sacramento State to receive the prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement Classification in recognition of the university’s strong commitment to the Sacramento region.
Sac State is one of only 119 U.S. colleges and universities to earn recognition this year. The university first earned the classification in 2010 and again in 2015.
Since Sac State’s founding in 1947, thousands of faculty, staff and students have donated their time and resources to local community partners through service, research and creative collaborations. For more information, visit csus.edu.
FREE PET ADOPTIONS FOR VETS
Veterans interested in adopting a dog or cat from any public animal shelter in California are now eligible for waived adoption fees through the Pets for Vets Act.
The new law, which became effective Jan. 1, prohibits any California public shelter from charging an adoption fee for a dog or cat to individuals who present eligible identification in the form of a valid driver’s license or ID card with the word “veteran” printed on its face. Standard adoption counseling still applies to ensure a good match between the animal and adopter.
Looking for a new furr-ever friend? Visit Sacramento County’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter at 3839 Bradshaw Road. To view adoptable pets, go to animalcare.saccounty.net. Or check out the dogs and cats at the city’s Front Street Animal Shelter at 2127 Front St. Visit cityofsacramento.org/community-development/animal-care. Licensing and other fees may apply.
HOMELESS HOUSING
The city recently opened its first “scattered-site” shelters in two single-family homes in District 6 in South Sacramento. Each site houses approximately five people (not including the house monitor who is onsite 24 hours a day) and provides access to health and rehousing support.
The program is operated by Sacramento Self Help Housing, part of a two-year contract for 40 scattered-site shelter beds approved by the City Council in October and funded by Measure U dollars with support from Anthem Blue Cross and Dignity Health.
The City Council also recently approved plans for a new sleeping-cabin community in North Sacramento called the Emergency Bridge Housing at Grove Avenue. The two dozen sleeping cabins will be managed by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency and will serve approximately 100 young people (18 to 24 years old) per year.
The city is also working to open two new large “navigation” shelters this spring in Meadowview and near the W/X freeway in addition to the one currently operating at Capitol Park Hotel in partnership with SHRA. For more information, visit cityofsacramento.org.
SUTTER BEETS HUNGER
Sutter Middle School’s RoboMiners took home the Project Award for their innovative design at the Northern California FIRST LEGO League’s competition last November. With their project, which addresses hunger and homelessness, the students then went on to compete against 47 other teams in the league’s Innovation Expo last month.
FIRST LEGO League is a global program that brings theory and practice together, and encourages enthusiasm for discovery, science and technology in kids ages 9 to 14.
In the competition, each team identified a problem in their city and came up with a solution. Sutter’s RoboMiners presented their City Shaper challenge project, Sutter Beets Hunger, based on homelessness and lack of access to healthy food.
The students constructed a portable, self-sustaining greenhouse for people to grow healthy produce regardless of where they live. The greenhouses can be used in homeless camps, shelters or other areas with limited space. City officials have shown interest in the idea in conjunction with a proposed tiny house development for the homeless.
The Sutter team’s months of hard work paid off when it was chosen as one of 12 semifinalists, but was defeated in the final round. The students may have lost their chance to compete at the world competition, but they still plan to finish their project to help their community.
HOMELESS HOUSING
The city recently opened its first “scattered-site” shelters in two single-family homes in District 6 in South Sacramento. Each site houses approximately five people (not including the house monitor who is onsite 24 hours a day) and provides access to health and rehousing support.
The program is operated by Sacramento Self Help Housing, part of a two-year contract for 40 scattered-site shelter beds approved by the City Council in October and funded by Measure U dollars with support from Anthem Blue Cross and Dignity Health.
The City Council also recently approved plans for a new sleeping-cabin community in North Sacramento called the Emergency Bridge Housing at Grove Avenue. The two dozen sleeping cabins will be managed by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency and will serve approximately 100 young people (18 to 24 years old) per year.
The city is also working to open two new large “navigation” shelters this spring in Meadowview and near the W/X freeway in addition to the one currently operating at Capitol Park Hotel in partnership with SHRA. For more information, visit cityofsacramento.org.
FREE PET ADOPTIONS FOR VETS
Veterans interested in adopting a dog or cat from any public animal shelter in California are now eligible for waived adoption fees through the Pets for Vets Act.
The new law, which became effective Jan. 1, prohibits any California public shelter from charging an adoption fee for a dog or cat to individuals who present eligible identification in the form of a valid driver’s license or ID card with the word “veteran” printed on its face. Standard adoption counseling still applies to ensure a good match between the animal and adopter.
Looking for a new furr-ever friend? Visit Sacramento County’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter at 3839 Bradshaw Road. To view adoptable pets, go to animalcare.saccounty.net. Or check out the dogs and cats at the city’s Front Street Animal Shelter at 2127 Front St. Visit cityofsacramento.org/community-development/animal-care. Licensing and other fees may apply.
MIDTOWN ASSOCIATION TURNS 35
The Midtown Association is celebrating 35 years as an organization dedicated to ensuring Midtown is the center for culture, creativity and vibrancy in Sacramento’s urban core.
What began in 1985 as a grassroots collaboration of merchants who wanted to present a strong voice for the Midtown business community, grew into the Midtown Business Association (later rebranded the Midtown Association) in 2008.
The association then formed an official Property Based Improvement District with property owners and the help of public officials. In 2015, the Midtown Association renewed its PBID through 2027 with a footprint that now includes 92 blocks in the urban core.
“Key initiatives aimed at increasing housing availability and spurring infill development, protecting historically significant properties and homes, programming welcoming events into public spaces, marketing small businesses, and investing in the safety and cleanliness of Midtown have all combined to make the collective Midtown community much stronger and more successful,” says Emily Baime Michaels, who has served as the Midtown Association’s executive director since 2013.
To help celebrate the last 35 years, the community is encouraged to visit the Midtown district throughout the year and support its local businesses and events, including the annual Midtown Love celebration on Thursday, May 21, at Faces Nightclub & Bar.
For more information, visit exploremidtown.org.
FREE PARK WI-FI
Brooks Truitt Bark Park at 1818 Q St. in Midtown and Bill Conlin Youth Sports Complex at 7895 Freeport Blvd. in South Sacramento now have free public Wi-Fi as part of the city’s partnership with Verizon.
Internet access is only available during the parks’ hours of operation (sunrise to sunset daily). Fremont Park at 1515 Q St. got free Wi-Fi in October and the city is working to bring Carl Johnston Park at 231 Eleanor Ave. online, with 23 more parks slated for service by the end of 2020.
To access the network, select “CITY-PARK-FREE-WIFI” on your mobile device.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
