Architectural design is a subject I don’t know a whole lot about. I ain’t gonna lie. But I know cool Mid-Century Modern when I see it. “Hey, look at that cool building!” I always just called it “retro” or “old school”.

I decided to get schooled on everything Mid-Century Modern by local MCM enthusiast Gretchen Steinberg. She is the President of SacMod (SacramentoModern) and researcher/blogger at Eichlerific. She is a resident of South Land Park Hills, and of course, resides in a beautiful Eichler home with her husband and two children.

She’s gearing up for another Mid-Century Modern Home Tour on Saturday, May 18. The tour will highlight more than 30 spectacular mid-century modern residential and commercial structures in South Land Park and Land Park neighborhoods of Sacramento. There will also be a vintage transportation show, historic displays and exhibits, and lots of goodies!

Here’s my MCM Q & A.

Greg Brown: How did you become interested in Mid-century Modern architecture and all things Modern?

Gretchen Steinberg: I was raised by my grandparents in SoCal near Palm Springs. We went there every weekend to hang at their second home. I would say MCM was imprinted in me big time from my childhood. But I didn’t realize it until I got older.

GB: How would you describe Mid-Century Modern?

GS: Mid-Century Modern in architecture has:
- clean lines with an emphasis on the horizontal/vertical
- a blend of natural and manmade materials
- large windows to allow maximum light and promote “indoor/outdoor living” (hangin’ on the patio, Daddy-O)
- open floor plans
- low-pitched, wide-angled or flat rooflines
and usually depicts the era between 1945 (post WWII) and 1970, give or take. It has roots dating back to 19th century design movements and Japanese design — but that’s a long history lesson.

GB: What’s the difference between architecture and design?

GS: Architecture is a type of design that focuses on structures that shelter people where they live, work and play. Design is a wider category that includes a wide array of items that are made to enhance our daily living — such as consumer products, graphics, fashion, machines, etc.

GB: I notice the slew of Eichler homes along South Land Park Drive and the surrounding areas. How many Eichler homes were built and why were they mostly all built in South Land Park?

GS: Eichler Homes wound up building roughly 60 homes in Sacramento. All Eichler Homes in our town are in South Land Park.

GB: I also notice the same type of homes in Carmichael. Would you call these homes Eichler inspired?

GS: Those are likely Streng Bros. Homes, designed by Carter Sparks. We have one on our tour. They built roughly 3800 homes in the Sacramento, Placer, and Yolo counties.

GB: Three of your most decadent points of interest on the Mid-Century Modern Tour are Marie’s Donuts, Mahoroba Japanese Bakery, and the Pancake Circus. Will there be free samples?

GS: We are providing the feast for your eyes – but don’t let that stop you from indulging your inner sugar monster!

GB: A lot of Mid-Century modern homes do not have a garage, they have a carport. Where the heck do you store all your stuff? A hoarder would panic in a Mid-Century Modern home!

GS: The carport was designed so that the post-WWII consumers could show off their gigantic finned cars! A well-designed MCM home has plenty of interior storage. Our home originally had a carport but the previous owner closed it in. Nowadays, garages are treated more like closets. Some people can’t even fit their cars in them.

GB: Why is preservation important? New is always better, right?

GS: Preservation is important because our very cultural identity and sense of place is inherently rooted in our historic landmarks. Take those away and you have a generic McCity. No one wants that.

GB: How important is color in Mid-century modern design?

GS: Very important! Hard to extrapolate from the old black and white photos — but if you look at old Kodachrome slides you will see that that era was quite colorful.

GB: Mid-Century Modern design is finding its way back into pop culture. Do you think the show Mad Men has helped popularize Mid Century Modern? You watch that show? And if so, do you find yourself looking at the furniture more than Don Draper?
GS: Definitely — but I think MCM was already starting to regain popularity before Mad Men. They just tapped into it. MCM has always been the darling of Hollywood. You can’t watch television or movies without seeing MCM in the background. Speaking of which, no time for me to watch TV — too busy with my family and volunteer work!

GB: I’m a “Generation Xer and mid-century modern is the look of my childhood. I think that is why I like some of its features. Which elements of Mid-Century Modern most appeal to you?

GS: I totally agree. I was born December ‘63 – the last month of the Boomer generation. I tend to gravitate toward the early 60s designs. I have a weakness for commercial buildings and neon signs of that era.

GB: Mid Century modern is being celebrated at the California Museum. It’s MCM Mania! Don’t you have some artifacts at the museum?

GS: I did some volunteer background research into Ray Eames’ childhood years in Sacramento and contributed some books that are displayed in the exhibit.

GB: You have some surprises at this year’s Mid-Century Modern Home show don’t you? Can you spill the beans for us here?

GS: We will have extra goodies and swag. Plus a surprise remodeled room at SacMod HQ. Here’s a hint: it abides, Dude.

GB: Preserving and protecting modern architecture is important, but I also think it would be cool to preserve the original concepts! I say bring back Woody’s Smorgasburger and The Zombie Hut to Freeport Boulevard. Whaddya think?

GS: I have been hoping someone would bring these classics back! In our guidebook we have devoted a two-page retrospective to Zombie Hut.

GB: A few of your favorite things:
Favorite Sacramento neon sign?

GS: Jugglin’ Joe in front of Gunther’s Ice Cream. I used to live in Curtis Park and would take the long way home just to see him throwing scoops at night.

GB: Favorite architect?
GS: That’s like asking who your favorite kid is.

GB: Favorite designer?
GS: See above.

GB: Favorite Mid-Century Modern home on the tour?
GS: See above.
GB: Favorite Point Of Interest on the MCM tour?
GS: I’d have to say the neon signs are my favorite points-of-interest. Our historic signs are really taken for granted. But we sure notice when they are gone.

GB: Okay, last question. Brady Bunch House. Mid-Century Modern or not?

GS: Oh sure — split level modern ranch. There’s a wacky one in SLP Hills. Absolutely enormous! Mr. Brady was an architect you know. Note that we will have four open buildings besides the homes and 22 additional drive-by points of interest. Ultimately what I’m hoping for is that people will know more about the stuff they pass by daily — and have an increased appreciation for and fondness of all that is around us. I’m proud to be from Sacramento. Everyone who lives here should be.

If you go:

What: MCM Home Tour
Where: Through out Land Park, starting at Sacramento Executive Airport, 6151 Freeport Blvd.
When: Saturday, May 18. The vintage transportation show is 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., registration and exhibits open from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Homes and other tour locations open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets: Get your MCM Home Tour tickets at www.sacmod.brownpapertickets.com til May 15th. $30 general admission $20 for SacMod members. SacMod is also on Facebook

Sierra 2 will be celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Sierra School building on Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Every half hour a video of the history of the school will be shown in room 9. In room 10, there will be historic exhibits and photos of the school including its rescue from demolition in the 1970s by the newly formed Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association. At 2 p.m., there will be a ceremonial unveiling of the historic landmark plaques at the front entry facing 3rd Avenue, followed by a 90th anniversary cake celebration in the garden room.

The Sierra 2 Center is working to restore some of the light fixtures to provide a more historically accurate representation of the original design. The center is looking for potential donors to help fund the project. Every $200 tax-deductible donation will purchase one light fixture. Each donor will be named on a commemorative plaque to be hung at Sierra 2 Center.

The following history and photos accompanying this article have been provided by Sierra 2.

When World War I ended Sacramento had great pent up demand for homes and schools. The Curtis Park neighborhood had only Highland Park School, a wooden structure first erected in 1888. A bond issue paved the way for new schools and Sierra School was opened for the spring term in 1923. Alumnus Philip Watkins who became a United States  District Judge recalled moving day from Highland Park School across the street: “We got in line and marched, two by two, down the steps of the old school and then across the street to our new home,” recalled the judge.

“Mrs. Rowe (the principal) led the way. It was the biggest thrill of our school life to that point.”

Much of the design of the school was accomplished by Curtis Park’s landmark architects Charles and James Dean. The school is Andalusian Spanish Style and inspired Spanish Revival Style homes in the nearby 1920s subdivisions. The auditorium was added in 1929. The campus was designated a Sacramento historic landmark in 2005.

Sierra was used as an elementary school from 1923 to 1976, educating thousands of Curtis Park children.

When the Field Act, an earthquake safety measure, forced cosure the neighborhood rallied to save the school. The successful effort led to the creation of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association. Since it was saved, SCNA has run the Sierra School campus as the Sierra 2 Center for Arts and the Community. The first decade of that stewardship entailed a major restoration and rehabilitation project. Over the years the Home and Garden Tour has been a major source of revenue to continue the tradition of stewardship of this historic landmark and social and cultural resource.

Sierra 2 is located at 2791 24th St. For more information, call 452-3005.

One of Northern California’s most loved walking holiday home tours returns this December, with five elegantly decorated homes in East Sacramento’s historic Fabulous Forties neighborhood open for viewing.  For 39 years, this popular tour has grown to include nearly 5,000 patrons from throughout northern and central California.  The homes showcase elaborate renovation while preserving historic design, custom interior decoration and creative holiday décor that is sure to ignite the spirit of the season. Homes on the tour this year range in style from a stately Tudor to a beautifully remodeled plantation home that was at one time a multi-family duplex.

The tour is completely run by volunteer parents from the school. According to Leslie Wilson-Lopez, a parent and one of the tour’s four co-chairs, the holiday tour is a fundraiser for Sacred Heart Parish School and funds raised are used to help offset tuition and to provide assistance to those who families who might not otherwise be able to afford a Catholic education.

The holiday tour includes a holiday boutique and café located at Sacred Heart Parish School’s gymnasium at 39th and H Streets. This year’s talented interior and floral designers will include: Beyond the Garden Gate, East Sac Florist, Holiday Home, Kerrie Kelly Design Lab, Lumen’s and Twiggs Floral Design Gallery.

Here’s a summary of what each home has in store for the tour:

Southern Bungalow on 38th Street

Built in 1915, this  38th Street home  Southern Bungalow may be 3,000 square feet on 1/3 acre, but it is the least bit ostentatious. Once again, Philip Rice of East Sac Florist dazzles the homeowners. This time with his dramatic holiday take on Contemporary Country meets edgy Rock-n-Roll.

California Cottage on 42nd St.

As you enter this lovely 1924 California cottage, a beautiful wreath greets you at the front door. The family monogram on the wreath is a sign of things to come inside, as Kerrie Kelly Design Lab has decorated this home for the holidays in a very approachable and authentic way that is personalized to the homeowners.

Majestic Tudor on 45th St.

Built in 1925, by well-known craftsman and architect Squeaky Williams, this elegant home replicates an authentic Normandy Castle.  Upon entering the grand foyer this Christmas season, you will be greeted by traditional holiday décor, created by Carol Shellenberger and Mary Shaw, from Holiday Home. The designers called upon the homeowners’ classic style when decorating this majestic home for the holidays.

New England Manor on 46th Street

This 1939 Grand Brick Tudor home, in addition to our 45th Street home, is suspected to have also been built by well-known Sacramento builder Squeaky Williams. The long walkway and warm brick porch are only the beginning of what lies behind the front door, including holiday décor and furnishings by Elizabeth Lake, senior lighting designer of Lumens Light + Living.

Fab 40s Charmer on 47th St.

The holiday theme for this 1925 bungalow is “simple elegance intertwined with family tradition.” Pat Stromberg, Nancy Storm and Patti Green, from Beyond the Garden Gate, set the décor tone in this newly remodeled home by adopting the homeowners’ clean, yet classic taste, along with their family-friendly surroundings.

If you go:

WHEN: Friday, Nov. 30 through Sunday, Dec. 2
Friday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (Homes open for touring at 11am; Café and Boutique open at 12:30 Friday due to school dismissal)
Saturday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
TICKETS: Tour tickets are $25 in advance starting on November 1st; $30 after November 29th.  Organizers predict another sellout this year and suggest advance purchases when possible.
Please check the website for ticket retailer locations or to purchase tickets online!  www.sacredhearthometour.com or call the Holiday Home Tour Information Line
at (916) 556-5050.

Big plans are underway for The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, located at the corner of Alhambra and F Street. New facilities, such as a courtyard, education and administration buildings, will replace their aging counterparts. New parking areas will increase parking capacity and a new access drive will improve circulation, on and off site.
After more than 20 years of considering various options to build new facilities at other locations, the parish has committed to renew and invest for the future at its present campus.
To the church community, this renewal represents a like for like replacement of facilities centered on a new campus heart – the Kardia.

Here’s a bit of an overview
-The existing church will remain.  It has a seating capacity of up to 450 people and is 7,380 square feet.
-The Kendron, or multipurpose center (social, cultural, recreational), provides meeting and recreational space as well as a small religious bookstore.  Banquet seating capacity is 450. It’s a total of 22,500 square feet, with 17,000 square feet at the ground level and a 5,500-square-foot mezzanine.
-The education and administrative building provides administrative and education space necessary for operations and ministry functions. The administration wing includes offices for the secretary, priests, and parochial assistants (youth, visiting clergy), a library and meeting rooms. The education wing will support the parish’s daycare/preschool as well as its Sunday schools, youth programs and other various ministries that serve the community at large. This building will have two floors, totaling 16,800 square feet.
A project in phases
The project will be phased.  Phasing depends upon the success of fundraising.  It is envisioned that the Kendron can be initially developed, along with the Kardia and a portion of the parking lot.  Under this scenario, the Parish will continue to operate out of the existing Kendron until the new Kendron completed and ready for occupancy.  The next phase of the Master Plan would include adding the Education/Administration  Building, its adjacent outside play area, the remaining parking lot, the access drive and balance of the  Kardia enhancements.

A Proud Foundation
For more than 90 years, Greek Orthodox Christians have been served culturally and spiritually at facilities located at 600 Alhambra, just across from McKinley Park in East Sacramento.  Initially the existing Church was constructed in 1952 by a proud group of energetic and patriotic Greek Americans eager to lay the foundation their children’s future and the generations that would follow.  As time went on, the community grew to become an integral part of the Sacramento Metropolitan region and subsequent generations acquired much of the block bounded by F and G streets (to the north and south) and Alhambra Boulevard and 30th Street (to the east and west).
Additional facilities such as the education/administration building and Kendron (Social Hall) were constructed over the years and have come to comprise the Annunciation’s parish campus, which continues to serve Orthodox Christians of many backgrounds and ethnicities.

Changing needs and growth
Over the years the community’s needs have changed significantly from those of a few immigrant families from Greece.  The Annunciation Parish has become a thriving community of over five hundred supporting families with sister parishes in Elk Grove and Roseville.  To better meet present and future needs, the Annunciation  Parish has developed a Campus Master Plan that will replace its aging facilities and create a new parish identity.   In the same manner that earlier generations laid the foundation that enabled the community to grow, the new Campus Master Plan represents the Annunciation’s commitment to future generations, and reflects the Parish’s role as an integral and dynamic community of Sacramento.

A new parish campus vision and master plan
Over the past 20 years the parish has entertained other options to relocate its campus away from the current site, but none came to fruition due to conditions that were beyond the Annunciation’s control.  In June 2010 the parish decided that there was no better place than its present campus upon which to rebuild and renew the spiritual, cultural, and civic connections make up the very fabric of the Annunciation Community.   From this commitment a new Campus Master Plan – to be initiated in phases as resources allow – will enrich and enhance these very connections over the coming years.
The proposed Campus Master Plan is centered and organized around the Kardia (Greek for heart), a multi-function outdoor courtyard where the Annunciation will gather for cultural, religious, social, and community events.
It will front along Alhambra Boulevard and is situated between the existing Church and a new Kendron, which will replace the existing Kendron.  The Kardia will be paved and landscaped with shrubs, lawns and trees which will provide the shade, atmosphere and ambiance to transform the Kardia into a space that enhances the community and serves as the “Heart of the Campus”.
Further, the Kardia is envisioned to act as a complementary visual extension of McKinley Park (across Alhambra Boulevard) through  cool and restful shade found in its arcades and cloisters.  As noted above, the Parish’s existing Church – which fronts on Alhambra across from McKinley Park – will remain, on the north side of the Kardia.

Disclosure: Editor Monica Stark’s husband works for the architecture firm, Comstock Johnson, which is heading up the plans.

One of the city’s popular holiday attractions, the Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour, is this weekend, Dec. 2 through 4. Among the houses on this year’s tour of five elegantly decorated homes is the two-story, Georgian-style, 46th Street home of John and Carolyn Reid.

This stop along the tour is highlighted by the fact that Carolyn was one of the founding committee members of the tour, which began in 1973.

The house was built in the late 1920s. Carolyn grew up in Seattle and moved into the house with John in 1966.

Design by Twiggs

The Reid house is already visually appealing enough on its own to satisfy guests of the tour. However, Carolyn said that her home is becoming even more attractive with the assistance of Wes Green of Twiggs Floral Design.

“Wes is doing all of the interior decorations all by himself,” Carolyn said. “I don’t know what you want to call him, because he does everything from inside, outside to design, flowers – the most beautiful flowers. He does weddings, things for the Crocker (Art Museum) and lots of people in town.”

Welcome by an angel

Green’s creativity can be quickly recognized by those entering the house, as it was his idea to place a large, gold-colored statue of an angel several feet past the

front door for guests to immediately view.

Carolyn said that although the statue always sits at the top of the home’s staircase, Green decided it would serve as a great way to greet the home’s guests.

“Wes said, ‘I want this to be a welcoming from the guardian angel as everyone comes through the house,’” Carolyn said.

Among the other rooms that Green has enhanced in the Reid home are the dining room and the breakfast room.

Working with the Reids’ china, glassware, and other pieces, Green intermixed the pieces to dress the table, which will also have gold-beaded, metallic chargers and a white floral centerpiece in a silver bowl.

The table in the breakfast room has been set for children, since children often enjoy having their own space.

In celebration of the holiday season, the children’s table is enhanced with Christmas decorations, including a festive and decorative carousel music box, which plays multiple holiday tunes, as the centerpiece.

Carolyn explained that Green’s creativity and dedication has worked well in meeting her interior design expectations.

“We wanted to show how you can design, in different ways, different things in different rooms, and that you can change these things by changing a cup or a plate or whatever, so you have an opportunity to do two or three different things out of one set of dishes, so you’re not just having one thing all the time,” Carolyn said.

Green said he is honored to embellish the already elegant nature of the home.

“The Reids have been great clients, so when (Carolyn) came to me (to request assistance), I was excited and honored to be able to do the job for her,” Green said. “The home has a traditional elegance, so I just tried to keep with the theme of the elegance of the home.”

Local art

In addition to Green’s artistic designs and arrangements, art enthusiasts should find the Reid home to be an important destination spot for its display of local art.

Carolyn said that she and her husband are looking forward to presenting their art in a convenient, informational manner.

“We have art in all of our rooms and so we felt that it was really important to (showcase the art),” Carolyn said. “It’s all local art (with few exceptions). What we have done is we’ve put little tabs on the bottom of every piece that tell them the title of the art and also who the artist was, so they get an idea and a feeling of the beautiful work that we have artists doing in Sacramento. It’s amazing. We’ve been collecting (local art) for 40 years.”

Homecoming memories

During this year’s tour of the Reid home, a special moment will occur when former residents of the 46th Street house will tour their old home.

Shingle Springs resident Kathy Goldman, plans to visit the house with her sister, Joanne Fitzgerald, a 1963 Mira Loma High School graduate who lives in Soldatna, Alaska. She noted that her time living in the home was cut short, since her mother, Thelma Gray, moved her family out of the house following the death of her father, John E. Gray.

John E. Gray, who died at the age of 42, was an eye surgeon at Mercy Hospital.

Goldman, who graduated from Encina High School in 1961, shared some of her memories regarding her former Fabulous Forties home:

“We moved there in about 1951 and, for sure, we left in the summer of 1955. The two bedrooms at the top of the stairs to the right were my sister’s and mine. My bedroom, the furthest to the right, had fluffy, white curtains and blue wallpaper with larger than life pink roses. Very fussy. My sister, the tomboy, had a more tailored room, green, yellow and brown. The bedroom at the top of the stairs, to the left, was converted to a study. Downstairs, the living room was really the ‘living’ room. There was no ‘family’ room. There were French doors in the back that opened onto a patio. The dining room hosted many large dinner parties where the menu was usually wild duck hunted by my parents. The entry hall was big and we played there a lot. The kitchen was a large square and mostly white – white tile with red trim, white and red linoleum floor and a red Formica table in the middle. The maid’s quarters next to the kitchen had two built-in twin beds, toe-to-toe, and a bath, home to an au pair. Between the kitchen and dining room was an odd little room, sort of a mini family room. The piano was there, where my sister and I had to practice a lot, and we could leave puzzles set up in there. We had no TV. A stairway led from the hallway down to the basement and it was creepy. It was a neighborhood with quite a few kids and summertime meant (playing the game) ‘kick the can’ in the middle of that wide street (which once included PG&E streetcar tracks down its center).”

Updates, upgrades

Changes to the house and property since that time include an additional room outside where the French doors were located, a guest house, an outside pool, the elimination of the maid quarters, as well as various remodeling upgrades.

Altogether, six rooms, including the guest house, will be featured on the tour.

Admission for the Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour is $30 and proceeds will benefit Sacred Heart Parish School.

For additional information regarding this event, call (916) 556-5050 or visit www.sacredhearthometour.com.

The city bought the quarry as parkland by eminent domain. The owners demanded $18,000, but after a brief tussle over price the company settled for $7,500.

The Depression put the kibosh on city park development plans, but President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Work Progress Administration saved the day. WPA workers leveled much of the quarry, planted trees and framed the park with sidewalks. It was ready to go in 1936.

Today East Portal Park is a scooped-out, bowl of lawn nestled deep in East Sacramento on 51st and M streets. From any side you enter the park you start a descent. It’s a natural amphitheater. The flat bottom makes a comfy seat to enjoy Pops in the Park.

Scattered throughout East Sacramento are the second legacy of the quarry – craftsman bungalows built with smaller rooms, large cinder blocks and granite made from stone excavated over the years from the East Portal pit. Most of these houses were built in the “aughts” of the last century, the period from 1900 to 1909. The exteriors have rough-hewn, chiseled and buffed blocks and many of these houses also have granite in the construction and exquisite interior detailing.

Longtime residents of East Sacramento see these homes as significant heritage points.

“They are worth preserving,” said Will Green, president of East Sacramento Preservation. “They are unique and reflect the local history of the East Portal quarry. I’ve seen several such homes in the Louisville and Cincinnati areas built of quarried stones, and they are preserved beautifully. This type of heritage must be kept.”

Four stone maidens still stand around the park today. The two that butt up to the northwest corner of the park look suspiciously like they might have been housing for the quarry owners or foremen’s families, but their original function is unclear. They were originally single-story, box-like houses, almost identical to each other.

Some of the homes have undergone extensive additions, but you can always spot the stone maidens because of the distinctive first floors. Tasteful changes that blend well with the neighborhood expand many of the homes vertically.

Two others are located west of the park. These are stately two-story ladies. One of these had a spicy career as a sorority house and many of the original interior features were altered.

Perhaps the most exquisitely preserved stone home sits on 43rd and F streets.

“Remarkably, I’m only the third owner,” Marsha Hartberg said. “The home still has an original Murphy bed, and when we worked on the house, we found gaslight piping in the ceiling. We slightly altered the back porch and found the stones to be a mix of what appeared to be cinder block and solid granite.”

Hartberg’s two-story house has the original interior and exterior detailing. The façade has three different stone cuts and shaping. A river-rock fireplace crowns the living room, and built-ins, wainscoting, picture molding and the original wood floor add priceless touches to the historic home. All remain, unpainted and in excellent condition. It’s in a true turn of the century craftsman.

“Even the windows are original,” Hartberg said of the antique wavy glass that glassblowers produced up until about 1910. “I thought about weatherizing, but I didn’t want to loose the waves or the antique hardware.”

Further original details abound in her home. The porch is “roped” by a single linked iron strand with decorative hooks. Crushed rock and embedded stone inlay add unique details.

Midtown, East Sacramento and Oak Park are just some of the neighborhoods that boast original, last-century jewels. Preservation of these homes is a critical part of city management. The stone maidens of East Sacramento survived into the 21st century. May they see many more centuries to come.

If you can find your house address in the old Sacramento city directories, you’re on your way to discovering its past. Visit the Central Library’s Sacramento Room t

o start your search. You can also search “History of a House” online for more information.

“The Home and Garden Guide” Special Advertising Section is a new publication of the Valley Community Newspapers (publishers of the Arden-Carmichael News, the East Sacramento News, The Land Park News, The Pocket News, California Kids and The Valley Shopper). This section is the landscape and home design resource in the Sacramento area.  Inside, find articles ranging from home, design, decor, architecture, garden, events, and the local community.

 

Download the April edition of “The Home and Garden Guide” here. Download the May edition of “The Home and Garden Guide” here.

 

This publication was inserted into our four community newspapers. The first publication of the section was April; the second was published in May. The April and May editions have different editorial content and were marketed as unique publications.

For information on advertising in the May edition of “The Home and Garden Guide” or any of our future special editions, call (916) 429-9901 or contact an advertising representative directly, please e-mail them at (listed alphabetically):

Melissa Andrews: melissa@valcomnews.com

Patty Colmer: patty@valcomnews.com

Marc Harris: marc@valcomnews.com

Linda Pohl: linda@valcomnews.com