Capital City Yacht Club’s 2009 Lighted Boat Parade is December 5, 2009.  All boaters welcome!  Boaters will decorate their boats with festive lights and parade up the Sacramento River to celebrate the holidays. The parade starts at 7:00PM at the Sacramento Marina, goes past Old Sacramento, all the way to the Virgin Sturgeon and back. Don’t miss this spectacular display of lights! All boaters who plan on decorating are welcome to join and must arrive by 6:30PM at the Sacramento Marina, 2710 Ramp Way, Sacramento, CA 95818.

The first tree lighting of the season is in Old Sacramento on November 25 at 6 pm. The 50-foot tree will take center stage at Front & K streets as a part of Old Sacramento’s brand new Theatre of Lights.

The festivities will kick off at 6 pm with live entertainment a visit from Father Christmas, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and will continue with the Tree Lighting at 6:30 pm and the first Theatre of Lights show at immediately following.  Two 10-minute light shows will run throughout the holiday season Thursdays through Sundays at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm

Test your knowledge of Old Sacramento with a FREE scavenger hunt October 24, 2009, from 10:00AM to 4:00PM at the Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street, Sacramento, CA, 95814.   This is a unique opportunity to delve into multiple aspects of the rich and diverse history of the Sacramento region. By exploring both permanent and temporary exhibitions visitors will gain a deeper understanding of the development of Sacramento City and County, and its unique place in the history of California and the nation. Continue Reading »

Parking Will be Tight on Labor Day Weekend

 

The City of Sacramento Department of Transportation wants to give parking customers a heads up to allow enough time if catching a train to San Francisco or heading to Gold Rush Days.  Parking spaces at the Sacramento Valley Station and in the Old Sacramento Garage will be tight during peak times beginning Friday of Labor Day weekend.  Increased ridership on Amtrak trains to San Francisco is anticipated, as the Bay Bridge will be closed for construction starting Thursday, September 3, 2009, at 8:00PM through Tuesday September 8, at 5:00AM. 

Old Sacramento is hosting its annual Gold Rush Days, beginning Friday, September 4, 9:00AM through Monday, September 7, at 4:00PM.  DOT parking staff will be on hand to direct customers to available parking. At any given time, there may be one or more of the following options open: Old Sacramento Garage (2nd & I St.), Lot 297 (7th & G St.), and Downtown Plaza Garage (3rd & L St). The Amtrak rider discount will be accepted at the Downtown Plaza Garage with proof of an Amtrak ticket stub.  For additional parking information go to http://www.cityofsacramento.org/transportation/parking/index.html.

Labor Day Weekend, September 4-7, 2009, is the 10^th annual Gold Rush Days festival.  More than 200 tons of dirt will be dumped on the streets of Old Sacramento transforming Sacramento’s historic district into a scene straight out of the 1850s. Costumed re-enactors, Wild West gun fights, music, and life during the Gold Rush will be highlighted during the four-day event.

There will be dancing, street dramas, pony and wagon rides, gold panning, storytelling, crafts, horse-drawn carriages and of course there will be food.

Admission is free and event hours are as follows:

• Friday, September 4, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Saturday, September 5, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Sunday, September 6, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Monday, September 7, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For more information about Gold Rush Days visit sacramentogoldrushdays.com or call (916) 808-7777.

Who knows where January went and February is just a blur it went by so fast, we’re already in March.  As we march into the third month of the year we always think about the “Luck of the Irish” and Saint Patrick’s Day.  ”Living green” is all the rage these days, but Saint Patrick’s Day is the day for “wearing green”.  My research tells me even though Saint Patrick’s Day is the National Holiday in Ireland, this ”wearing green” might be more of an American thing than Irish.  The story goes that the tri-color Irish flag has green representing Catholics, orange representing Protestants, and white in the middle representing peace between the two groups.  Since Protestants don’t celebrate the Saints, the holiday known as Saint Patrick’s Day began mostly as a Catholic holiday and since the green of the flag represented Catholics thus the “wearing of the green”.  Another story says that Saint Patrick was originally associated with blue and that wearing green started with people wearing a sprig of the shamrock plant on the holiday which has three leaves to represent the trinity and became the wearing of the green.  Who knows how the whole thing got started let’s just have some green beer and enjoy it.

Parades are one of the most important ways we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.  The first one we know about in the U. S. was held in Boston in 1761 and New York City had their first in 1762 when Irish soldiers in the English military marched through the streets with their music.  The parade in New York City these days has 150,000 marchers and about 2 million spectators.  That’s a lot of celebration!  Speaking of parades, March 17, 2009, will mark the 13th annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade right here in Sacramento complete with the sound of bagpipes and Irish dancers.  The Parade is presented by the Old Sacramento Business Association and several thousand people are expected to line the boardwalks of Old Sacramento to enjoy the parade.  All the streets in Old Sac will be closed to traffic beginning at 5:30PM; a reviewing stand will be located at the intersection of Front & K Streets.  The parade will start at Lot W next to the California State Railroad Museum and wind through the streets of Old Sac finishing at Front and J Streets.  So wear your green, grab the kids, and head on down to Old Sac to join the fun. 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

You can get a head start for Halloween!  If you are looking for a safe place for the kids to enjoy their Halloween costumes and the fun of trick or treating, this Saturday, October 25, will be trick or treat with the merchants in Old Sacramento.  Participating merchants will be passing out candy for the kids from noon to 5:00PM.  This is especially great for the younger kids because it’s before dark and not too scary.  Maybe just a good practice run before the real thing next week.  So get the kids all dressed up and head for Old Sac on Saturday afternoon.

kids in Halloween costumes