The annual Fourth of July Spirit of the Pocket Parade, the largest parade event in the Pocket-Greenhaven area, is preparing for another magnificent patriotic celebration and is looking to the community for volunteers and floats. The parade, to be held on July 4 this year, is a popular community-produced visual spectacle.

The Fourth of July Pocket Parade will begin promptly at 10 a.m. at Parkway Oaks Park, next to Lisbon Elementary on South Land Park Drive. The parade will then travel down Windbridge, ending at Garcia Bend Park.

Co-chairs of this year’s event are Linda Pohl and Kathy Garcia.

“We are looking for people to step forward with floats,” Pohl said. “Our main thing is to make this great visual presentation, so we would like a lot of floats.”

Volunteers are needed to support the efforts (and the fun) of the 17th annual Fourth of July Pocket Parade. To volunteer in positions ranging from pre-parade phone calls, blocking streets (while sitting in a comfortable chair), parade marshals and helping with the after-parade activities at Garcia Bend, e-mail linda@valcomnews.com or contact her at The Pocket News at (916) 429-9901. Also visit www.valcomnews.com for parade entries.

Parade float entry forms can be picked up at The Pocket News office, 2709 Riverside Blvd. Completed entries can be dropped off at the newspaper office or emailed to linda@valcomnews.com. All pre-registered parade entrants will be part of the parade judging. Entries will be judged against others in their group type.

On Saturday, June 2, and Sunday, June 3, the Sacramento Suburban Kiwanis Club will host more than 1,500 artisans at their 54th annual Art Fiesta at Town & Country Village on Fulton and Marconi Avenues in Sacramento.

According to Beverly Sanchez, co-chair of the Art Fiesta Committee for the Sacramento Suburban Kiwanis Club, the Art Fiesta is a fine arts show featuring jewelry, ceramics, paintings, pottery, watercolors, stained glass and more. “These are highly qualified artists,” she adds.

One of these highly-qualified artists is Jerry Harr and his wife, Fran, who have been hand-making jewelry for 37 years in Palo Cedro, CA. This will be their fifth year at the Art Fiesta, a show Harr says they enjoy coming to. “Most of the people that we’ve met are looking for a painting or something else like that, a nice piece of glass or pottery – they’re looking for something they can’t buy in the local store,” he explains.

Howit all began

Sanchez says the Art Fiesta got its start 54 years ago through the efforts of Harold M. Anderson, one of the original founders of Anderson Bros. Pharmacy in Town & Country, who was also a founding member of the Sacramento Suburban Kiwanis Club.

“Like a typical community service organization we’re always looking for different ways to raise funds to then spend in our community,” Sanchez explains. “Mr. Anderson approached the owners of the shopping center and said would you donate your sidewalk space to us so we can have an art show. They gave us permission to do that and they have been donating their sidewalk space to us every since.”

Sanchez says although over the years management of Town & Country has changed hands, the new owners have consistently continued to support the group’s efforts. “They have worked very well with our group and have been very, very supportive throughout the many, many years we’ve done this and just bend over backwards to make this work for us and be very accommodating,” she adds.

Raising funds

As a major fund raiser for the Kiwanis group, Sanchez says although the event itself is free they raise funds through the booth fees they charge the artists. The proceeds go towards the myriad of community programs the group supports throughout the year, including the Kiwanis Family House, high school Key Clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts, Boy’s and Girl’s State, and Just for Kids.

Sanchez says they also ask each artist participating in the Art Fiesta to donate one piece of their art to the Kiwanis Club, which in turn uses them as silent auction items at a fund raising event in the fall. “So it’s a fund raising event that builds from one right into another that we offer in the fall,” she adds.

Aiding the community

Additionally, Sanchez says the Art Fiesta also provides a benefit to the entire community by making residents aware of the retailers in the Town & Country Shopping Center.

“We want to be able to attract customers to their businesses and that’s been part of the goal – get people into that shopping center, let them see what businesses are back there, and at the same time allow us to raise funds for our different community service events that we do for all our community,” she says. “The last several years all retailers have suffered because of the economy and they need every little bit of help they can get to get people in to their areas, into their businesses.”

Harr agrees, saying those that come to shop at the Art Fiesta also go to and buy from the store owners around the artists, helping everybody out. “I think…the good shows actually help to stabilize the community – I think they help a lot,” he adds.

For more information, call the Art Fiesta hotline at (916) 972-7337 or visit www.townandcountryartfiesta.org.

Celia Cottle’s 18-piece Saxes on Public Demand from Davis will showcase the NorCal Big Bands Preservation Society 11th annual Pre-Jubilee Dance on May 20.

The band will perform from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., followed by Fred Morgan’s 16-piece Big Band at 2 pm.

Come enjoy three hours of great music from the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. Dancers will swing, fox trot, waltz, cha  cha, rhumba to long-time favorites on a superb inlaid-wood ballroom floor.

The event features dance hosts, four mixers plus refreshments at 3 p.m. Dorr prizes at 4 p.m.

The dance will be held at the Sacramento Elks Lodge No. 6, located at 6646 Riverside Boulevard. Admission for Gold Card holders is $10 per person. Groups of ten are $11 per person. General admission is $12. Semi-casual  dress is suggested. For more information, call (916) 444-6138.

Hunger is a bigger problem in Sacramento than you may think, according to Eileen Thomas, executive director of the River City Food Bank based in midtown Sacramento.

In 2011, the food bank served 47,408 people, with about every fourth person a child. Thomas said the food bank is also seeing an increase in seniors – who are living on fixed incomes and pensions with not enough money to go around – as well as those on disability.

To help raise awareness about the hunger problem in the Sacramento area, for the past nine years River City Food Bank has hosted Empty Bowls – an annual fund raiser designed to raise funds for the food bank and awareness about hunger in the community. Thomas said this year’s event will be held at the Sacramento Convention Center on Monday, March 5 with a dinner session from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for $60 per person, and Tuesday, March 6 for a lunch session from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for $30 per person.

“Hunger is one of those problems that can be hidden very easily because you look around and you go ‘Oh, there’s nobody really starving in our community,’” Thomas said. “Starvation looks a little different to us in America than it does like in a third-world country, so some of the people who are starving are actually suffering from malnutrition. They’re not eating healthy because they don’t have enough money for healthy food. Empty Bowls really speaks to the idea that hunger is something that is here in our community and it can be helped.”

At Empty Bowls, attendees come to either a dinner or lunch session to enjoy a soup of their choice donated by a Sacramento area restaurant.

“We try to get the very best restaurants in Sacramento to donate,” Thomas said. Participating restaurants include Cafe Bernardo, Classique Catering, Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar, Vizcaya and Greek Village Inn. To serve the soups to hungry patrons, the food bank enlists the services of honorary servers from local government and businesses, Thomas said. Some notable servers on tap for this year include City Councilmembers Rob Fong and Steve Cohn.

However, the real draw to the event is the handmade bowl that each attendee gets to pick out to take home. Thomas said this year they will have about 1,200 bowls for guests to choose from made by both professional and student artists. Additionally this year, the event will feature a selection of wood and glass bowls, plus some of the professional artists will showcase their other art at the Potters’ Market held in conjunction with the event.

This year’s Empty Bowls also includes a change in venue. For the first time, the event will be held at the Sacramento Convention Center. This is because the event has grown in popularity.

“We started out nine years ago and we had about 350 people attend – we thought that was pretty good, and then it’s grown and grown,” Thomas explained. The new location also means tickets for the event will not be sold at the door. However, Thomas said patrons will be able to purchase tickets online at www.rivercityfoodbank.org (including the day of the event). Tickets can also be purchased in person at The Avid Reader and the Cathedral Book Shop at Trinity Cathedral on Capitol Avenue.

For Empty Bowls 2012, Thomas said the River City Food Bank hopes to hit its goal of raising $125,000, which will “help us keep the lights on, to keep our building and operation running. It will also pay for some of the food that we have to buy for our food bank,” she explained.

Additionally, Thomas said they hope this year’s Empty Bowls will help them spread the word about the food bank and the hunger issue in Sacramento.

“We hope to gain support for River City Food Bank and raise awareness in the community that this is a real problem and there are people who need not only food, but they need healthy food, they need good nutrition, they need education about nutrition,” she added. “We want to make sure that we explain the programs that we provide the way that people can help to make a difference in their community.”

Enjoy some really delicious Japanese home-style cooked foods with the “aji” (flavor and taste) that you get only at home or at local Japanese restaurants.

The Spring Food Festival will be held on March 11 at the Sacramento Buddhist Church.

Last year, for the first time in forty years, the Spring Food Festival hosted by the Sacramento Buddhist Women’s Association (SBWA) and the Adult Buddhist Association (ABA) underwent a dramatic change. The menu was basically the same as in prior years, but instead of serving diners in the Kaikan (church gymnasium), orders will filled as “take out” Japanese home-style cooked foods.

This met with such success that this year will be the same.

All the food items will be prepared in the church kitchen by SBWA and ABA members. The menu items include: Shioyaki Chicken (half) with some Teriyaki Sauce on the side, Combination Sushi, Maki (Uncut) Sushi, Age Sushi, Chirashi, Udon, Spam Musubi, Cabbage Salad and Teriyaki Sandwich.

The Girl Scouts will also host a Pastry Table, so guests can pick up some dessert items.

Deadline to order Feb. 26

An early sell-out is anticipated, so orders need to be placed quickly, no later than Feb. 26. Order forms can be downloaded at www.buddhistchurch.com.

On March 11, come by the Betsuin and pick up orders between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. All purchased food items will be carefully packaged and ready to eat.

Some of the foods are best when reheated…perfect for enjoying in the comfort of your home, while watching the Kings play and in the company of family and friends.

The Sacramento Buddhist Church is located at 2401 Riverside Boulevard in Sacramento. For more information concerning this event, call (916) 442-0121 or visit www.buddhistchurch.com.

Join the Sacramento Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society for an entertaining evening of storytelling by plant ecologist and biogeographer, Bob “Dr. Bob” Holland on March 14. He will regale the audience about the fascinating interactions among vegetation, flora, geology, and soils throughout California that he has been studying for almost four decades.

Sacramento County’s geologic history is much more complex than the county’s subdued topography might suggest.

“Understanding this unique geologic history is pivotal to comprehending the distribution of the county’s vegetation and flora,” says Dr. Bob.

He melds his unique combination of botanical and geological knowledge with wry humor into an easy-going speaking style that is accessible and entertaining for scientists and non-scientists alike.

Working in surprising mixed media, Dr. Bob and his “botanartist” spouse, Ginny Dains, will walk listeners through the past 65 million years, exploring how geological history has shaped the plant communities we see around Sacramento County today. It will be quite unlike any geology talk you have experienced – especially when they serve up the conclusion. Don’t miss this opportunity to be carried away by Dr. Bob’s infectious enthusiasm and sense of humor!

The lecture will be held Wednesday, March 14th during the monthly meeting of the Sacramento Valley Chapter – California Native Plant Society and will take place at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center at 3330 McKinley Blvd. in Sacramento. It begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Books, wildflower seeds, and other merchandise are available for purchase. Refreshments are provided.

The Asian Community Center in Sacramento offers a number of workshops to the community, free of charge. All that is necessary is to pre-register by phone.

A number of programs are scheduled for February, including:

Estate Planning Essentials. Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

How Do Bones, Muscle & Ligaments Relate to Organs? Wednesday, Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Knowledge is Power – Organisms and their Diseases. Tuesday, Feb. 14 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

Sacred Geometry and Earth Energies. Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The Asian Community Center is located at 7375 Park City Drive in Sacramento. To pre-register or for more information, contact Lucy Chao at (916) 393-9026 ext. 322.

Chinese Catholics will celebrate the Chinese New Year on Sunday, Feb. 5, with a Mass with Bishop Jaime Soto and a Tribute to Ancestors Ceremony.

The Mass will be held at 3:pm at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, located at 1017 11th Street in Sacramento.

A Chinese New Year dinner will follow at 6 pm at the Holiday Villa Restaurant, located at 7007 South Land Park Drive in Sacramento. Cost for the dinner is $17 per adult, $8 per child between the ages of five and 12.

The Sacramento Chinese Catholic Community (SCCC) was formed in 1986 with the purpose of establishing a base for Chinese-speaking people to be involved in the Catholic church. However, language barrier and ethnic differences kept many from fully participating in church services and activities. Most priests did not speak the various Chinese dialects.

As the church entered the new millennium, Bishop William K. Weigand wanted the diocese to continue to reach out to the Chinese-speaking people in the greater Sacramento area. With much effort, he arranged to have Father Nicholas Ho travel from Singapore in 2002. Bishop Weigand appointed him as vicar for ethnic Chinese ministry.

Father Ho was ordained and served in Singapore for 25 years in various priestly duties. He speaks fluent Mandarin, Cantonese, and English.

Chinese Catholics in the Greater Sacramento area meet every Sunday at the Cathedral, promoting the Catholic faith and serving the spiritual needs of people in Mandarin, Cantonese and English.

All are welcome at these events. For more information or to reserve a seat for dinner, contact Gloria Fong (916) 442-7178 or Barbara Chow (916) 396-9783.

Considering that the Carmichael Recreation and Park District was organized on Oct. 29, 1945, many people grew up enjoying the district’s parks and many program offerings.

In celebration of the district’s dedication to enhancing the lives of people in the community, this article presents some details of the past that provide a bit of a stroll down memory lane.

Carmichael Park was first

The first of the district’s 14 park sites to be established was Carmichael Park at 5750 Grant Ave., where the district’s office is located. This park, which was not as large during its earliest years as it is today, is the anchor park or “Central Park” of the district.

Since Carmichael Park is district’s oldest park, much of the earliest history of the district consists of information about this park.

Del Campo Park, others established

It was not until 1971 that the district added its second park, Del Campo Park in Fair Oaks – some 26 years later.

The district’s other park sites include: the Carmichael sites, Capra Park site at 6600 Kenneth Ave., Cardinal Oaks Park on El Camino Avenue, near Garfield Avenue, Garfield site at 8516 Fair Oaks Blvd., Glancy Oaks Park at 5292 Glancy Drive, Jan Park at 4310 Jan Drive, Charles C. Jensen Botanical Garden at 8520 Fair Oaks Blvd., La Sierra Community Center at 5325 Engle Road, O’Donnell Heritage Park at 6618 Rappahannock Way, Schweitzer Grove Park at Sumter and Hussey drives, and Sutter Avenue Park site near Sutter and Hollister avenues.

The remaining park sites, which are located in Fair Oaks, are Bird Track Park on Pheasant Road and Patriots Park at 6827 Palm Ave.

Many readers of this publication who are longtime residents of the Carmichael area will find the following local park happenings of the past to be of added interest due to familiar names and other recognized details.

Archived history

Through researching old newspaper articles, fliers and other information, one can obtain a better understanding of the evolution of the district through its activities.

Fortunately, the district has a fairly large collection of these items that were made available for this article.

The following information regarding Carmichael Park was mainly compiled from sources from the 1970s, since this was the earliest heavily archived materials that were presented for this article.

Rock out in 1969

The Sacramento Bee announced on May 13, 1969 that a free rock ‘n’ roll concert at the park was approved by the park board. However, due to complaints from area residents regarding the park’s previous free rock concert, which drew about 800 people, the scheduled concert would be the last rock concert held at Carmichael Park.

The article noted that La Sierra High School student Mike Parise, who had organized earlier rock concerts at the park, presented the board with 11,000 signatures of those in favor of the free rock concerts.

Another popular concert was held on July 13, 1969, when an estimated crowd of 300 persons attended a three-hour folk concert, which was performed at the Danny Bishop Memorial Grandstand.

Musicians featured at the concert included Mark Hansen, Skip Moriarty, Harold Cherney and Tom Messina.

Carmichael Beavers

When it comes to sports at Carmichael Park, many locals are familiar with the longtime existence of the Carmichael Beavers Swim Team.

The Carmichael Courier, a community newspaper at the time, printed the results of the July 19, 1969 meet, in which the Carmichael team defeated the Dixon team, 272-231.

Top scorers for the Beavers were Janet Sirlin, Lloyd Zeigler, Joanne Spalding, Susan Stein and Jim Hewins.

Junior Tennis Club

In its Dec. 2, 1971 edition, The Courier referred to the “newly formed Carmichael Junior Tennis Club,” which competed in a “turkey tournament” at Carmichael Park.

The tournament’s winners were Richard Black and Cathy Pope, first place, and Tina Morandi and Ron Dormeyer, runners up. Other members of the club were Eugenie Pueyo, Reid Bellis, Joanne Williams and Ivor McVarish.

The San Juan Record announced on Oct. 18, 1972 that a hunting safety training course for children and adults would be held in three days at the park’s Community Clubhouse.

First Founders’ Day

An editorial in the Nov. 2, 1972 issue referred to Carmichael’s first Founders Day, which was said to be a well coordinated and planned event.

Continuing, the editorial included the following assessment: “The event was something to build upon for another year and it fills a void in Carmichael, giving the residents a bit of history and tradition and a chance to gather together.”

An active community

Other activities and classes offered at Carmichael Park that were held at the park during the 1970s – although not necessarily specific to the decade only – included: yoga courses, various dance classes, square dance evenings by the pool, minibike programs and events, Carmichael Garden Club meetings in the park’s garden house, guitar classes in the park’s Veterans Memorial Building, Easter egg hunts, art fairs, fireworks shows, day camps for youth, a tiny tots program, Senior Citizen Club meetings, “slim and trim” classes ($4 for 10 lessons), a bridge class, bicycle repair classes,  first aid classes, performances by the Carmichael Symphonic Band, baseball and softball tournaments and tennis classes.

Tennis was a sport that received early attention during the decade, as new, double-lighted courts were under construction by A. Teichert and Son in the spring of 1970. Teichert bid $14,884 for the project.

Although the majority of the oldest articles and other materials made available by the district for this project were from the 1970s, the district has continued to expand upon and enhance its programs throughout the years.

Quality activities continue

Elizabeth Crisante, recreation supervisor for the district, acknowledged the district’s continual efforts to offer quality events and activities for the community.

“The Carmichael Recreation and Park District exists for the purpose of providing for the leisure and recreation pursuits of our residents,” Crisante said. “Over the course of our history, the district has strived to offer the highest quality events and programs possible.

“Many of our unique programs include a Day at the Circus, Shades of Carmichael and more recently, princess parties and our Summer Concerts in the Park series. Our old stand bys include the annual Easter egg hunt, the 4th of July celebration and the Founders Day Celebration. We would like to continue to stay on the cutting edge of programming by being cognizant of our community’s needs.”

Come learn how to work better with your four-legged canine family members and bring a potluck dish to feed 10 to 12 hungry neighbors at the Second annual Carmichael Canine Corral Dog Park Fundraiser Potluck on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Regional trainer for Petco, Tom J. Lucido, will be the guest speaker. There will be a raffle and plenty of prizes. All funds raised at this event will go to the renovation of the Carmichael Dog Park.

The event will be held at the Carmichael Veterans’ Hall, corner of Fair Oaks and Grant Avenue in Carmichael, Jan. 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is $5 per person. Raffle tickets are $2 each or six tickets for $10. “Like” the Carmichael Canine Corral on Facebook. The group’s official website is www.CarmichaelDogPark.com. For additional information, email CarmichaelCanineCorral@yahoo.com.