Summer has arrived and the first of four Pops in the Park concerts in June began Saturday, June 1 at 6 p.m. The concert took place at East Portal Park, featuring Tom Rigney & Flambeau.  Buck Busfield and Bill Blake joined in the fun as emcees. Food and drinks are available for purchase with proceeds to benefit neighborhood projects. Vendors this evening included Burr’s Fountain, Clark’s Corner and the Midtown East Sac Kiwanis Club.

The following are the upcoming concerts, which each start at 6 p.m.
Saturday, June 8 – Mercy Me at Glenn Hall Park
Saturday, June 15 – The John Skinner Band at Bertha Henschel Park
Saturday, June 22 – Mick Martin & the Blues Rockers at McKinley Park

Food, music and fun was had at the May Festival, which included a preschool open house, a preschool puppet show, maypole festivities and a K-8 open house. The school is located at 5701 Freeport Blvd., www.camelliawaldorf.org, 427-5022

May is Stroke Awareness Month and proceeds from the May 5 River Cats game benefited stroke camp, which will be held this year from Sept. 27-30 in Silver Spur Camp near Sonora and includes: activities, arts, tie dying, music, guest speakers and even music therapy, some of which are led by stroke survivors. At the game, a singing group of stroke survivors known as the Miracle Minstrels sang the National Anthem and stroke survivor Nancy Jordan threw the first pitch.

The spirit of an elementary school slated for closure next fall was expressed and preserved on Sunday, April 21 when students and staff came together to create a gigantic, multi-part mural under the direction of celebrated artist Milton Bowens. Washington Elementary School, established in 1869, is one of seven under-enrolled elementary schools that the Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education voted last month to close. Students from Washington will attend either William Land in or Theodore Judah in East Sacramento, depending on their address.

As a way of easing the transition process, sixth grade teacher Kim Williams worked with Bowens on an innovative mural project. Students were asked to draw images capturing the school’s “spirit.” Bowens, a nationally recognized artist whose multi-media pieces are collected by such celebrities as LeBron James, then worked to incorporate common themes from the drawings into a cohesive, colorful design.

On Sunday, April 28, the design was projected onto six panels measuring 8 feet-by-4 feet and an outline created. Students painted the panels following the outline – a sort of collaborative paint-by-numbers project.

Once completed, the mural was split into halves of three panels each. One half will go with Washington students to William Land and the other half will be displayed at Theodore Judah. Bowens will then work with students and staff at William Land and Theodore Judah to create new panels to make each mural “whole again,” said Dixon.

“There will be a symbolic combining of Washington with the other campuses to create new schools,” Dixon said. “It’s bittersweet but for the children it’s going to be very impactful.”

Throughout the design are images that reflect Washington’s commitment to “green” values, such as recycling. There is also a rainbow, a giant butterfly and jigsaw puzzle pieces.

“It is hoped that the mural will help ease the students’ transition to their new schools, as well as fulfill the vision of Project Green,” said Dixon.

Sumatran Tigers
Bahagia and CJ

CJ – Born March 3, 2013
Bahagia – Born November 27, 2000

CJ is Bahagia’s fifth living offspring and latest cub. Currently both are spending time off-exhibit while CJ learns what it means to be a tiger. Almost all of his teeth have grown in and he is starting to follow mom around and plays with her every chance he gets (he loves pouncing on her tail). Bahagia is a very patient mother who has always been playful with her cubs. Sometimes you will even find her initiating playtime with CJ, but when she has had enough she will gently put her paw on CJ’s head and push him away.
Mimi and Baby

Wolf’s Guenon (monkeys)
Baby – Born January 26, 2013
Mimi – Born July 12, 2007

Mimi and mate Eddie are amazing first time parents. They have both been very protective of their little one. When the baby was less mobile Mimi would use one of the planters in the exhibit as a playpen, it allowed her to take a break while still keeping an eye on the little one. Because they are so protective veterinarians and keepers have not been able to get close enough to determine the sex of the baby. However, the Zoo has started a naming contest for the little one with gender neutral names. The final name will be announced May 10th.

Brazilian Rainbow Boa
Mom – Born in 1987
Pantanal – Born July 12, 2009

July 12, 1009, the Sacramento Zoo’s female Brazilian Rainbow Boa gave birth to a clutch of three through parthenogenesis. This means that a male was not involved in the making of the young ones, mom did all the work. After birth, as with most reptiles, mom provided no parental care. Currently one of her offspring, Pantanal, lives in the Zoo’s Interpretive Center where she can be seen in shows and at school visits. Pantanal has iridescent scales that look like a rainbow in the sun and she will continue to grow her entire life. Mom can be seen in the Zoo’s Reptile House.

Mongoose Lemurs
Catherina and Natasha
Catherina – Born April 19, 2009
Natasha – Born March 30, 2012

The Sacramento Zoo is home to a family of three Mongoose Lemurs. Mom and daughter, Catherina and Natasha are quite the pair. Mongoose Lemurs are matriarchal, a viewer can often identify the male lemur by looking for the one who is constantly pushed out of the way or has food taken from him by Catherina and his daughter Natasha. When Natasha was first born she would cling to her mom’s belly so that she could easily be protected and carried from place to place. In Madagascar nectar is part of the mongoose lemurs’ diet; this makes them important pollinators in their native eco-system.

Volunteers cleaned up Arcade Creek, filling bags with trash on Saturday, April 13. Some even made art sculptures out of some of the garbage that was found. They were welcome to enjoy a barbecue afterward at Carmichael Park.

The following were locations where volunteers worked:
American River College – Arcade Creek.
Horsemen’s Association – Arcade Creek
Rosebud Lane – Arcade Creek
Pasadena Blvd and Winding Way – Arcade Creek
Arcade Creek Park – Arcade and Verde Cruz Creeks
Mission North Park – Chicken Ranch Slough
Howe Community Park – Chicken Ranch Slough
Creekside Park – Chicken Ranch Slough
Cottage Park – Strong Ranch Slough
Cal Expo Floodplain at Chicken Ranch Slough
Renfree Field – Arcade Creek
Del Paso Regional Park – Arcade Creek
Palm Avenue – Arcade Creek
Carmichael Park (This was a good place for people who wanted to pick up litter but could not negotiate creek banks.)
American River at Sailor Bar

Also, the Sacramento Area Sewer District (SASD) partnered with the Sacramento Area Creeks Council (SACC) to implement protective measures and activities targeted towards keeping area local waterways clean.  A volunteer team was needed to work with SASD employee volunteers to label sewer manholes and pipelines that are near the American River to make them easily identifiable.

Source: http://www.creekweek.net/portal/vcarmichael.html

The Land Park Pacific Little League opening ceremonies commemorated 30th anniversary of 1983 Little League World Series Team. The 1983 Pacific Little League team was just the second team in local history to make it all the way to Williamsport, PA, the birthplace of Little League Baseball and the at the opening ceremony, held Saturday, March 23, volunteers welcomed back the team and their coaches for special recognition of their amazing accomplishment.

The parade began in Land Park by the Tiny Tots Preschool/Playground and ended at Dooley Field for Opening Day Ceremonies. The event was a long-standing Land Park tradition.

On March 16, in honor of national heart health awareness, Mercy Heart and Vascular Institute and their Heart Shaped Community held an interactive event at Sacred Heart Parish School that brought women of all ages together for heart-healthy activities and education, including: keynote speaker Joyce Mikal-Flynn, ED.D, RN, FNP, MSN, Turning Tragedy into Triumph, a nurse who shared her personal story of survival with heart disease.

About 300 dogs sniffed out eggs filled with tasty treats at the fourth annual Easter Egg Hunt for dogs at McKinley Park on Saturday, March 23.

After about 10 minutes after the horn went off signaling the start of the hunt, dogs and their caretakers cleaned the field. Some dogs were dressed to impress with pastel colored tutus and bunny ears at this family friendly event.

Families also got a chance to share get their picture taken with the Easter bunny, which was fun to watch, as caretakers tried their best to get their dogs to sit still for the photo op.

Sponsored and organized by Wag Hotels in West Sacramento, proceeds from the hunt benefited Chako Pit Bull Rescue, which according to their website “aims to alleviate the persecution of the Pit Bull breeds by finding homes for Pit Bulls in need, promoting responsible dog ownership, and standing against breed discrimination.”

That last of the statement of the rescue’s mission hit a chord with Wag Hotels, as there are no breed restrictions at the hotel.

“Pit bulls — they get such a bad wrap and Chako’s is a smaller rescue that would benefit with the proceeds. Just seem to fit right,” said Kristin Rau, general manager of Wag Hotel, who said the egg hunt raised $1,700 for the rescue organization.

Rau said the hotel wanted to hold an event offsite that would attract a good crowd. “We wanted a nice, dog friendly community, which East Sacramento is and McKinley Park is gorgeous. We tried to attract those in the community who would be most interested,” she said.

“That was the largest event we’ve had so far,” added Nicole Marchal of Wag Hotels. “We were not expecting quite the turnout we had,” she said.

More about Chako Pit Bull Rescue

Although Chako Pit Bull rescue is based in Sacramento, the organization works on both a state and national level. It provides advocacy efforts for responsible dog owners, free and low cost Pit Bull classes, and educational events throughout the year. Also check out the Pit Bull Owner’s Guide for information every Pit Bull owner should know. Chako will pay to spay or neuter your Pit Bull!

About Wag Hotels

Wag Hotels is a stay and play resort for dogs and cats. Founded in 2005, Wag offers hotel-style boarding, all day play/doggie day care, training and pet education, grooming, and spa services. Plus, they are always open.