One night I was officiating a high school boys basketball game between Vanden and Vallejo with partner Bill Frisby. Frisby was a bit surly and the kind of guy you would want on your side in a bar fight. (Names have been changed to protect the guilty.)

Before the game, as referee, he announced that he didn’t want me to make any calls in front of him (to make him look bad). That meant that within the first two minutes, I helped him with a foul that he missed right in front of him.

The first half was uggggggly. We probably called well over 30 fouls, as there was a lot of testosterone in the building that night. We had called intentional fouls and technical fouls and Bill was struggling. When the half ended he stormed into the locker room, took his whistle that he carried in his hand (most officials have their whistle on a lanyard attached to their shirt) and fired it on to the coach’s desk He then spent the next five minutes yelling and ranting about how bad the game was using every curse word I had ever heard.

Finally when he was done, I said, “Relax Bill, everybody is in foul trouble, even some of the cheerleaders, a vice principal and the band director. The coaches will clamp down at half and we will have a great second half. “ Bill mumbled some more about how bad the game was and we went out to do the second half.

As referee, Bill put the ball into play at half court and on the game went. It might have been the best 4 minutes and 22 seconds ever played in the history of high school basketball and Bill was nails making “no calls” on many blocked shots. Finally the ball rolled out of bounds in front of me, and I blew the first whistle of the 3rd quarter with 3:38 left.

Bill came ambling toward me as fast as he could move with a funny look on his face and said “Coombs, Coombs, have you got a spare whistle? I left mine in the locker room at half time.” I laughed so hard I almost wet my pants. I blew my whistle and signaled a time out. The coaches both were confused and came up to me wanting to know why I had granted a time out. When I told them that Bill had to go to the locker room to get his whistle, one coach said, “Have him leave it there; that was the best I have ever seen him officiate.”

My name is Jim Coombs and I have been a basketball official for 45 years. I have probably refereed over 4,200 basketball games. I have officiated boys and girls high school, men’s and women’s college, recreational, Asian league, summer leagues, athletic club, and semi-pro games in the Sacramento and Northern California area.

I always said when it was no fun or when I got yelled at too much, I would quit. I did this only one time. One Saturday afternoon I was working a summer league game with “wannabe” semi professionals and some members of the Sacramento Kings.

It was 110 degrees in the gym and one team had only five players while the other team had 10. I said this should be a blow-out, thinking that the team with 10 would win easily. Not true! The team with five never missed a shot and won 150 to 100. For 40 minutes, in 110-degree heat, I had to listen to ten lousy, frustrated, bad basketball players tell me how bad I was. When the game was over, I said to my partner, “do you want my last five games this summer?” He was only too happy to take them, and I was only too happy to give them up.

As a high school coach in 1967, I had hoped to move to the new high school as head varsity coach after coaching the junior varsity at C. K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento. My teams had two second places and two championships in four years, and I was ready to move up. Instead the job was given to the Superintendent’s secretary’s husband, a junior high school PE teacher who had never coached basketball before.

Frustrated, I thought, I never missed a call from the bench as coach; maybe I will become an official. Once I started I was hooked and 4,200 games later at 74 I am still going strong. I move a lot slower now, and some nights it really hurts to run for three hours in three games at the athletic club, but I love almost every minute I am between the lines.

I thought I had seen almost everything one could see on a basketball court in 4,200 games, but on March 6, I had two players (in their 20’s and 30’s) on the same team get into a fight with each other-cursing and shoving each other just five minutes into the game. As head arbiter, I told them they could not be on the court at the same time the rest of the game.

In the next game with less than two minutes to go and behind by 18 points one team began fouling to stop the clock. When I didn’t call a couple of swipes at players, they became angry with me. I said, “You scored only 47 points in 39 minutes, you are not going to score 15 in 1 minute and 10 seconds.” After some more discussion and a question about my manhood, I stopped the game. Another fun night on the basketball court.

When I got home, I thought, maybe I should write my memoirs. I have had some really strange and funny things happen to me over 45 years with my black and white striped shirt on. Here we go.

Fairytale Town will showcase a diverse selection of theater performances for children and families each weekend in April for the Children’s Theater Festival. Performing companies include the Fairytale Town Troupers, Shadow Puppet Theatre, Boxtales Theatre Company, Roseville Theatre Arts Academy and more.

“Fairytale Town is home to one of the oldest theaters in Sacramento built for children and used for children’s theater productions,” said Kathy Fleming, executive director of Fairytale Town. “Thousands of children have had their first experience with live theater in the Children’s Theater, and we are excited to continue that legacy for today’s children.”

Fairytale Town’s own repertory theatre arts program, the Fairytale Town Troupers, will kick off the Festival the weekend of April 6 and 7. The Troupers will present “Beauty and the Beat!,” a retelling of the classic fairytale with music, magic and some mid-century mod.

On April 13, Sacramento’s B Street Theatre will present the top five plays selected from the Fantasy Festival XXVII, the theatre’s annual playwriting festival and contest for students in third through eighth grades.

Shadow Puppet Theatre, based in Humboldt County, takes their shadow plays based on stories from around the world to schools, libraries and theatres throughout Northern California. On April 14, Shadow Puppet Theatre will present “Ichi the Spider,” an original story inspired by the trickster tales from West Africa.

On April 20 and 21, Boxtales Theatre Company will present “Prince Rama and the Monkey King,” based on “The Ramayana,” one of India’s most important epics and sacred texts. The Boxtales Theatre Company uses masks, movement, storytelling and live music to present myths and folklore from around the world. The Company is based in Santa Barbara, Calif. and presents their high energy and interactive theatrical experiences for youth and family audiences throughout the state.

Voice of the Wood, an educational performance group based in Davis, Calif., tells stories which celebrate diversity and the triumph of good in the human spirit. On April 27, they will present “How the Jackrabbit Got His Very Long Ears,” a Native American creation myth from the great Southwest desert.

The Roseville Theatre Arts Academy will wrap up the Festival on April 28 with “The Princess and the Pea” told in the commedia dell’arte form. The slapstick-humor in this retelling of the classic fairytale will have the whole audience laughing.

Performances are offered Saturdays and Sundays in April. Show times are 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. All performances take place in Fairytale Town’s indoor Children’s Theater.

Tickets are $2 for nonmembers in addition to park admission, and $1 for members. Tickets can be purchased at the Fairytale Town main gate or at the entrance to the Children’s Theater 15 minutes prior to show time.

For more information, visit www.fairytaletown.org or call 808-7462.

About the Shows

“Beauty and the Beat!”
April 6 and 7: At the corner coffee house, beautiful Beatrix is beloved by all-until her faltering father is forced to sell out to a big-time brute who is all business. With music, magic and some mid-century mod, the Fairytale Town Troupers present a new spin on the classic fairytale “Beauty and the Beast.”

“Fantasy Festival XXVII”
April 13: The top five plays selected from Fantasy Festival XXVII, B Street Theatre’s annual playwriting festival and contest for students in third through eighth grades, will be presented.

“Ichi the Spider”
April 14: In this original show inspired by the traditional West African trickster tales, Shadow Puppet Theatre presents the story of Ichi, a very hungry spider who will do anything to get what he needs.

“Prince Rama and the Monkey King”
April 20 and 21: Using masks, movement, storytelling and live music, the Boxtales Theatre Company tells the story of Rama of Ayodhya and his wife Sita who is abducted by a demon king, and Rama’s journey to win her back and defeat the powers of darkness in the world. Prince Rama is filled with examples of virtue, values and morality lived out in a challenging and complex world. The play is based on “The Ramayana,” one of India’s most important epics and sacred texts from the classical Sanskrit canon.

“How the Jackrabbit Got His Very Long Ears”
April 27: Voice of the Wood presents a Native American creation myth from the great Southwest desert. Jackrabbit’s job is to escort the new desert animals to their homes and explain to them why they were made special to fit into the desert environment. His inattention, or lack of hearing, leads to some hurt feelings and a new set of super-sized ears. The whole audience gets to join in the fun by hooting, howling, singing and snapping fingers during the performance.

“The Princess and the Pea”
April 28: The Roseville Theatre Arts Academy presents a humorous version of the classic fairytale told in the commedia dell’arte form. Arlequin is afraid he will be stuck playing the role of the pea, but he ends up getting to play the prince. The troupe romps through a series of hilarious princess tests with great slapstick humor. A fairy godmother in this story? Rosetta’s playing the role, whether the troupe likes it or not.

The 40th Anniversary of the Land Park Criterium drew more than 600 racers to Land Park on Saturday, March 16. Ranging in age from 10 to 55, there were riders from all over Northern California and Nevada and even one racer from Australia.

Steve Stuart, Race Promoter of the Sacramento Golden Wheelmen, said the organization was especially excited by the great juniors turnout.

These racers are 10- to 18- years old. “(They are) the back-bone of future racing in our community, (and their) race was sold out. Unlike other junior races that charge an entry fee for juniors SGW offers free junior racing at the Land Park Criterium and has done so for many years,” Stuart said.

Sponsored by the Sacramento Golden Wheelmen for 40 years, the race fields include what is called Pro 1, 2 men and women, many of whom are Pro racers like you would see in the Tour De France and the local Amgen Tour of California, explained Stuart. Race speeds in this category during the dash for the finish line can be upwards of 40-plus miles an hour.

The Sacramento Golden Wheelmen has 35 members within the Northern California Nevada Cycling community whose roots date back to the 1960s.

James LaBerge of Napa’s Team Mikes Bikes won first. Second place went to Charles Hutcheson of Sacramento’s team March Pro – Strava. Third place went to Joshua Carling of Rancho Cordova’s Team Bicycles Plus/Sierra Nevada.

Team City Bikes, which is sponsored by City Bicycles, a local bicycle shop, assisted the Sacramento Golden Wheelmen by offering more manpower for volunteer duties.

After the long day at Land Park, the Wheelmen packed up all of their equipment for the Bariani Road Race the following day on March 17, which was held at the Bariani Olive Oil (one of the team’s major sponsors) facility warehouse in Zamora, north of Woodland. This course is on flat to rolling hills and is 14 mile long. The Pros race 70 miles while the number of loops is less for riders of lesser ability. This year there were more than 650 racers for the Bariani Road Race.

About criteriums

Criteriums are timed races on a closed course, i.e. there is no traffic allowed on the streets versus a road race where most of the time the racers are sharing the road with car traffic. Criteriums are timed races anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes depending on skill. After about 30 minutes, the judges use lap cards at the finish to tell the riders how many laps are left. On the last lap there is a sprint to the finish and the fittest and most skilled bike handlers typically win the race.

So how racers are categorized is when you are a man and you want to race you start out as what is called a Category 5 racer, you race shorter Crits and Road Races because you are learning how to ride and how to ride in a pack of racers, peloton. After racing 10 races you move up to Category 4, and then you earn points based on how you finish in your races. After you earn enough points you move up to Category 3, then 2, and then to Pro 1. Each time you are racing longer distances, tougher races and against better riders.

To see more results of the Land Park Criterium, visit http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaevent/land-park-criterium-1

Top names in the sustainable landscaping industry recently gathered to celebrate new Green Gardener graduates, including Carmichael-based Rebecca Wright and Steve Hauser of o2ocompost.

Green Gardeners are landscape professionals that undergo an intensive, 10-week training course in sustainable, River-Friendly landscaping. During the course, participants learn principles and practices that can help reduce urban runoff and conserve water.

“The Green Gardener program is important to the Sacramento region because it trains landscaping professionals to garden responsibly and to protect our resources, especially our waterways,” said Debbie Flower, Horticulture Professor at American River College and one of the industry leaders who attended the graduation. “The program also provides a niche for professionals to market their services, which can be especially important in this economic environment.”

More and more homeowners are asking their landscapers for safer, healthier gardening products and methods, said Kellogg Garden Products Manager Rex Lamb, another industry leader who attended the event.

“Homeowners are catching on that they gotta be green. They want to landscape organically, in a way that’s healthier for their family,” Lamb said, adding that Kellogg now sells more organic fertilizers than synthetic fertilizers 10 to one in Northern California.

The graduation honored 72 Green Gardener graduates. Since the program launched in fall 2009, more than 200 landscape professionals have attended Green Gardener classes, and nearly 150 have graduated. Graduates include contractors, designers, arborists, irrigation experts and maintenance professionals.

Among the 16 special industry guests who attended the event were:
•Farmer Fred Hoffman (Keynote Speaker), lifetime Master Gardener and host of the “KFBK Garden Show” on NewsTalk 1530
•John Perrino, Co-founder and Chief Operation Officer of Vermicrop Organics
•Dave Phelps, Sustainability Manager for Cagwin & Dorward landscape contractors

“Considering that more than 65 percent of a household’s water use typically goes toward landscape irrigation, and that more than 30 percent of that is lost to overwatering and evaporation, Green Gardeners provide in important service,” said RWA Water Efficiency Program Manager Amy Talbot. “They are a great resource for residents looking to create a beautiful, sustainable landscape but don’t know where to begin.”

The Green Gardener training program is sponsored by the Regional Water Authority and River-Friendly Landscaping Coalition. A list of qualified Green Gardeners can be found at www.BeWaterSmart.info.

About the Regional Water Authority: RWA is a joint powers authority representing 25 water providers and affiliates in the greater Sacramento area. Its primary mission is to help its members protect and enhance the reliability, availability, affordability and quality of water resources.

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.

Growing up on Janey Way, we played sports almost daily.

In the spring, we played sand lot baseball. In the summer, we played basketball at St. Mary’s School, and in fall, we played football on the street in front of our house. Then, when we grew into the teen years, our interests began to expand.

In the early sixties, I watched the Winter Olympics and was taken by the skiers flying downhill at speeds exceeding 70 miles per hour.

I had to try that.

I told Dad that I wanted to learn how to ski, and sure enough on Christmas day, as if by magic, a pair of skis and poles appeared under the Christmas tree. Later the next week, Dad took me to buy ski boots.

I was ready to rumble.

Sadly, Dad had neither the time nor the money to take me skiing. I had to find a way to explore my passion.

It came to me in an instant.

My friend Dan Petrocchi went skiing regularly. So, I asked him to take me skiing with him. Dan said, “Sure, Marty.”

A few weeks later, on a crisp, but sunny day, we set off for the slopes.

I rose early that morning, eager with anticipation, made a lunch, collected my gear and headed four houses down the street to Dan’s house. There, he fastened my skis onto his ski rack, placed my gear in the trunk and off we went.

Two hours later, we arrived at the Heavenly Valley Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe. There, we exited the car, grabbed our gear and headed for the slope. After buying our ski passes, we went up the hill on a gondola. As we ascended the hill, I looked down at the face of the mountain below us.

It looked ominous.

I hoped we weren’t skiing there.

Up at the top, Dan checked our lunches and spare gear into a locker and off we went.

I had never skied before. Dan was an expert. He showed me the basics: how to stop, how to turn, and how to get back up when you fell. Then we headed off to the lift.

Dan, explained, “When the chair comes around, reach one arm back to catch it, then sit gently down.”

I followed his instructions and all went well.

At the top, as we hit the drop off point, he said, “Now stand up and ski down the little hill.”

Again, all went well.

Dan set off on an easy trail and I followed him down the hill.

Wow, what a thrill.

We rode back up and came down again. On each run, he taught me a little more.

Sometimes I fell, but I got right back up.

After lunch, Dan went off to ski the face of the mountain that looked so dangerous to me that morning. I continued skiing on the easier hills.

I had a blast.

At the end of the day, I went back to the lodge and sat down around a circular fireplace for a cup of hot chocolate. Dan came in a little later and joined me. He talked of skiing down the “face” and then through a steep shute called the “gun barrel.” Maybe someday I would ski those slopes.

We chattered all the way home about the fun we had that day, and I arrived home, tired and a little sun burned.

When he saw me, Dad smiled.

After that day, throughout my life, I skied whenever I could and always enjoyed it. Once you have learned how to ski, you never forget.

This January, I turned 65 years of age. I no longer ski. Old football injuries have made it difficult to do those sorts of things. Now I play golf and cycle on my sleek, black road bike.

But I have not forgotten my youthful days of skiing. The shush of the skis on the slope, the wind in your face, and the quietness of the mountain, form images which linger in my memory.

Now the days of skiing with my friend, Dan Petrocchi are another exhilarating Janey Way memory.

The St. Francis High School varsity water polo team should be the No. 1 team in all of Northern California. Technically, it isn’t, but neither is anyone else.

After starting the season undefeated with a 14–0 record, including winning championships in its first two tournaments, the Troubadors feel they’ve earned the title as the best in NorCal. Unfortunately, the title doesn’t exist.

“We don’t have an official ranking system (for Northern California),” St. Francis coach Chris Borasi said. “If you polled the coaches, they’d probably say we were No. 1. We’ve played two big tourneys and we’ve played and beaten most of the big teams in Northern California.”

St. Francis knocked off elite competition recently, winning the St. Francis of Mountain View Tournament Sept. 9–10, beating Burlingame 17–1, Leland 8–4, and St. Francis Mountain View 5–4, before beating Davis in the finals 6–3.

The tournament showcased Northern California’s best teams, and St. Francis came out on top, earning a spirited victory over its rival Davis, who has topped the Troubadors in the Sac-Joaquin Section finals the past two years.

“We’ve had a great start; it’s the best possible start you could imagine,” Borasi said. “Fortunately, we beat some of the better teams. We’ve been fortunate to come out on top. We’ve been getting good production from players on the team. I’m happy with how we’ve started.”

The Troubadors also won the Woodcreek Invitational Sept. 24-25, using triple overtime in the championship match to stay undefeated.

“We came close to losing in our last tournament,” Co-Captain Bryce Beckwith said. “But, as a team, we were able to pull it together at the last minute. It feels pretty great to be undefeated.”

Beckwith is one of the reasons St. Francis has been so successful this season. She’s the leading scorer on the team, often racking up most of the points in many matches.

“She’s our biggest offensive threat,” Borasi said. “She’s had some games where she scored the majority of the goals and carried us offensively.”

Beckwith and Co-Captain Brooke Vowell are playing their fourth year of varsity together, and are leading the team through another stellar season.

“My goal for the rest of the season is to continue to practice and play hard, and hopefully the rest will fall into place,” Beckwith said. “It would be great to finish my last season with a perfect record. I believe our team is so special this year because our whole team is extremely dedicated.”

“Our biggest team leader is Brooke,” Borasi said. “This year her offense is the reason why we are winning tournaments instead of taking runner-up. She has maintained consistency on defense, and is carrying us on both sides.”

The strength of St. Francis comes not from scoring, but from stopping the other team from doing so.

“Our biggest strength is on the defensive side of the ball,” he said. “We are really tough to score on defensively. We are a defense-first team. Our goalkeeper Kat Menz has been fantastic this year.”

That leaves room for improvement, though.

“We could always improve offensively,” Borasi said. “Offensively, we’ve had just enough to win games. Right now we are working on getting as many players as we can to contribute to increase our depth for playoffs. We don’t want to peak too early so we can play this well come playoff time.”

The success so far is great, but it’s not good enough for St. Francis yet, as the Troubadours have bigger sights set this season. St. Francis will meet rival Davis again on Oct. 12 at Jesuit High School, and the section playoffs start in November. Both are the focus of the rest of the year.

“We will both go (to the playoffs),” Borasi said of St. Francis and Davis, who have competed for the section title eight out of the last nine years. “We finished second the last two years. I’m 3–3 with Davis in the six years I’ve been here.”

“Our main rival is Davis,” Beckwith echoed. “It is always such a great opportunity to play them. We look forward to playing them in the section final.”

The season is at the midway point, with big matches still to come, but none can argue St. Francis has made a name for itself in the water once again, No. 1 ranking or not.

“Our goal every year is to win our league,” Borasi said. “Right now we are 2–0 in league. Then there’s the NorCal Championship tourney at the end of October. We’d like to win that. We’d like to win sections. We hope to obtain that this year.”

But Borasi has even one more goal in mind, one he finds just as important.

“Hopefully, we can provide the opportunity to send some girls to college to play water polo,” he said.

For more than a decade, the 46-year-old Humboldt resident has been performing and telling a wide variety of traditional and original stories from around the world using shadow and stick puppets, while at times playing musical instruments. He has performed at over 60 different schools, libraries and theatres throughout northern California.

No strings attached

According to Wikipedia, puppet shows are considered to be one of the first forms of live dramatic entertainment, believed to have originated 30,000 years BC. But after television was introduced, their popularity steadily declined.

Shadow puppetry is not your typical wooden puppet on a string – don’t think Pinocchio or Lamb Chop the sock pocket. Powers uses light, paper, tape, sticks and shadow to illustrate his stories.

“When you say, ‘puppets’ people immediately think of a sock on your hand,” he said. “My show lacks socks, but it does involve a number of gadgets used for sound effects.”

Like a one-man band, Powers wears a self-made headpiece of instruments, including a variety of whistles to help bring the puppets and the story itself to life.

Teacher workshops

Powers, a former illustrator, started performing puppetry at his daughter’s school more than a decade ago and has never stopped.

“Teachers and parents from schools, libraries, and festivals, are all asking for this form of entertainment,” Powers explained. “Everyone played with shadow as a kid, with a curtain and a flashlight, it captures your imagination. I use it to incorporate local and current events, folktales, and humor.”

However, due to the effects of the economic recession and shrinking state and local education budgets, many schools have cut back on arts education. That is why Powers provides workshops for teachers about shadow puppetry because it’s an inexpensive form of entertainment.

“I use cereal boxes, bamboo sticks, hole-punch, scissors and tape,” he said. “The style I do is pretty cheap. I want teachers, parents and kids to know there are other ways of learning and interpreting information than just books, and this is another way.”

Performances

His dolls and characters prove to reach a level of comfort with children, according to teachers.

“Kids say things to puppets that they wouldn’t say to anyone else,” Powers added.

According to Barbara McVeigh, a teacher from Marine Home School Community, “His performances are magical. He ignites that imagination and beauty of shadow puppetry. The kids in the audience reacted well to the story because I think the puppets really just give that extra magical twist to it.”

Powers has performed in Japan and throughout Northern California. This summer he will travel to Washington and Oregon to do shows.

Upcoming performance

Powers performs original and folktale stories such as The Bloom Tree from China, The Cat Drum from Africa and on Friday, March 18, Powers will present the shadow puppet play Why Rat Is First at Sacramento’s Luna Café and Juice Bar located between 16th Street and Capitol Avenue. The performance begins at 8 p.m.

“It’s a traditional folk tale telling how Rat became the first in the Chinese zodiac,” Powers said. “It’s going to be a fun family event.”

elizabeth@valcomnews.com

Among East Sacramento’s most renowned architectural structures is the Sacred Heart Church at 3860 J St., where for eight decades, many local residents have come to gain spiritual guidance, while making many lifelong friends along the way.

Just last week, for instance, longtime Sacred Heart Church members Carolyn Granucci and Bev Geremia met with the East Sacramento News to discuss their many memories of the church, its influence in their lives and the friendships they have made during this time.

Geremia expressed her gratitude for the local Catholic church, its parish school and the many people, including Granucci, who she has made longtime friends with through her membership in the church.

“I’ve definitely made a lot of friendships over the years and our family has made a lot of friendships (through the church),” Geremia said. “Many of my children’s best friends are from their days at Sacred Heart School and through the church. It’s just that kind of a place.”

Granucci echoed Geremia’s words and added that although many of her closest childhood friends from Sacred Heart School, as well as the church, moved away from Sacramento many years ago, various reunions have proven that these friendships remain extremely strong.

“We can go many years without seeing each other and then when we get together, we pick up right where we left off, like we were never apart,” said Granucci, a lifelong member of the church who attended Sacred Heart School from 1944 to 1953.

The many stories of close friendships and spiritual ties among the church’s parishioners date back to the establishment of the church in 1931.

 

Parish people

In 1922, noting that there was a need for a permanent parish church in East Sacramento, Bishop Patrick Keane, who served as the third Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento from 1922 to 1928, purchased the property where the church would later be built.

Following the Oct. 6, 1929 death of the parish’s first pastor, the Rev. Philip Brady, Bishop Robert J. Armstrong appointed the Rev. Michael L. Lyons to serve as Brady’s successor. Lyons began these duties on Sunday, Dec. 1, 1929.

The following year, Lyons, who decided that the time was right for the construction of permanent parish buildings in East Sacramento, consulted Armstrong, who recommended that a church and priest offices be constructed on the 39th and J streets property that Keane had purchased.

Although the topic of constructing a parish school in East Sacramento was also discussed around this time, the idea was temporarily abandoned due to the inability to secure teachers.

The parish was fortunate to have the talented architect Harry J. Devine, among its members during its early years.

Devine, who had previously designed other churches in Northern California, was commissioned to create the plans for the new church and the offices and residence of the priests.

By November 1930, the plans were completed and William C. Keating was selected as the project’s general contractor.

Despite their quality, fine craftsmanship and many details, the new, $139,000 church buildings were constructed in a considerably short period of time.

Within a month after the plans were completed, work began at the 39th and J streets site, which had previously been home to the two-story East Sacramento Public School building, which was later briefly used by Christian Brothers High School students and faculty during the construction of the high school’s new campus at 21st and Y (now Broadway) streets.

 

Expanding the faith

The cornerstone of the church was laid on Sunday, March 15, 1930 and about four months later, the priests’ residence and offices were completed and being utilized by the priests, who had been living in a rented residence at 3801 H St.

To the delight of members of the parish, the lead, front page headline of the Sunday, Sept. 13, 1931 edition of The Register, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Sacramento, read: “New Sacramento church to be dedicated Sunday (Sept. 13).”

During this special, dedication day, Bishop Armstrong blessed the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which had been known as St. Stephen’s Church at its original site.

The name, St. Stephen’s Church, was used by the parish for its temporary church structure on the 39th and I streets property that had been purchased by Brady, who had believed it would be too expensive to have parish buildings constructed at the 39th and J streets site.

This name change resulted through a petition requesting that the church be dedicated to the “Sacred Heart.”

The petition was signed by about 500 parishioners and presented by the Women of the Altar Society of St. Stephen’s.

Permission to change the church’s name was later granted by Bishop Armstrong.

The small, square, temporary church building, which held its first Mass on Feb. 7, 1926, had received its name upon the request of Ellen Bowden, who provided funds for the development of the church and whose father and brother were both named Stephen.

 

Classic design

The Sacred Heart Church, which was designed in the fashion of a church in Ireland, is known for its brick architecture, decorative terra cotta, high, domed ceiling and many other details, which include 22 stained glass windows, 16 paintings, which include a series depicting the crucifixion of Christ, five large statues and 12 chandeliers.

Seven of the stained glass windows were imported from Ireland in the spring of 1932.

The church also includes a pair of altars, 72 wooden pews and 10 large marble pillars, which support a dozen archways on the south end of the church.

Early events in the church included the first wedding – the marriage of Mary O’Brien to Adam Charles Goetz – on Sept. 18, 1931 and the first confirmation on March 30, 1932.

In 1934, with the assistance of the Sisters of Mercy, Lyons helped develop the parish’s Sacred Heart School, which initially served first through fourth grade students. By the fall of 1936, the school included eight grades.

The school, which is located at 3933 I St., began with 60 students, who met in four temporary classrooms within the old St. Stephens Church building.

A “permanent” school was built in 1945 and has since lost its “permanent” status, as a new Sacred Heart School is being constructed across the street from the current school. The new school is scheduled to open in September.

The church’s current pastor, Monsignor Robert P. Walton, said that the church’s elementary school is an integral part of the parish’s history.

“It’s difficult to separate the church’s history from the school’s history,” Walton said. “Sacred Heart Church is synonymous with the parish school.”

Jeanne Winnick Brennan, a spokesperson for Sacred Heart Church, said that the opening of the new school is a great accomplishment in today’s world.

“The school is so rooted in this community that it is getting a new (school site and buildings) and that’s an unusual situation when many schools are closing,” Brennan said. “So, that’s a lot to be thankful for.”

The forthcoming school opening will undoubtedly begin one more important chapter in the parish’s extensive history, which began 84 years ago.

This history includes the celebration of the Sacred Heart Church’s 75th anniversary in 2006.

During this celebration’s Feast of Sacred Heart Mass, Monsignor Walton summarized the church’s importance to many people in the community in a very fitting fashion.

“This sacred space is so much more than great architectural beauty, magnificent, stained glass windows, inspiring space and liturgical appointments. It is filled with living memories of people…who have called Sacred Heart Church their spiritual home, and for many of you, for most of your lives.”

 

E-mail Lance Armstrong at lance@valcomnews.com.

“I never got to appreciate what I saw before.”

That is how Carmichael resident and photographer Richard Turner sums up his life before photography. It’s not that he never went anywhere interesting; he detailed a seven-day span in which he traveled to a half dozen European countries for business during his 41 years as a lawyer. It’s not that he was unable to see, it’s that his job did not allow him to see.

“I didn’t want any more calls or faxes or anything else,” Turner said of a decision he made in 1998. “I told my wife I’d be back in a month. I drove through Idaho and Montana and took a camera along.”

Turner wasn’t experienced with photography when he left, nor had he ever had much interest during his years consumed with the legal process.

“I considered myself a pretty creative lawyer,” he said slyly. “But I didn’t know I had any artistic ability at all.”

When he came back, he showed his pictures to a professional photographer, but the reception he got was not favorable. He was told that the pictures he had taken were terrible. Instead of letting this news get him down, he took to heart what he was told and dove deep into the art of photography.

At the conclusion of a three-month trial in 2005, Turner retired from practicing law (although he remains licensed to this day). His newfound freedom allowed him to finally see everything that surrounded him. And what caught his eye in the most profound way was nature.

“I can hardly even walk by a flower without stopping to look at it now,” he said.

To say that photography and nature changed his life is one thing, but hearing his words on life after being in the law profession truly shows what a different path his life has taken.

“I learned that I don’t want to miss the beauty of the world by being too busy,” he said.

He had seen just about everything he could possibly see in law over those 41 years, but the life that he enjoys now never really got to play a part.

Turner said that 90 percent of his photography work is of nature. He specializes in high-impact color on flowers. To date he has sold 35,000 greeting cards that are sold all over Northern California including at the Crocker Art Museum. And while selling pieces is always a welcome event, it is the art itself that captivates him.

“Sharing (my photos) with people makes me happy,” he said.

It would seem as though his photos make other people happy as well. Some of Turner’s work now hangs in Mercy San Juan Hospital in Sacramento. Thirty-five photographers from all over Northern California entered a contest to see whose pieces would be chosen to adorn the walls. Currently there are 12 Turner original works on permanent display in the lobby as well as the connection between wings.

His colorful and vibrant works were considered ideal to put in a place for patients and their family members. Included is a five-by-three-foot Peace rose on canvas, which hangs on the wall across from the elevators.

 

Other artistic endeavors

Turner is also starting a concert series at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center in which he will collaborate with both visual and performing artists to create what he calls “Art Song” by combining images with music. The series will hopefully be up and running by October of this year.

He will also have his works at the Sacramento Art Festival in October at the Sacramento Convention Center as well as at the Blue Wing Gallery in Woodland in May 2011.

Being an artist can be a tough thing if it is what you do for a living. But Turner has a message for the struggling artist who wonders if it’s worth it.

“Pursue your passion. Good things will happen if you do,” he said. “Good things always happen. It might be money, it might not. But something good will happen.”

For more about Turner and his work, visit his Web site at www.rturnerphotography.com.

 

E-mail Benn Hodapp at benn@valcomnews.com.