Profiles
Our 100th Issue
When we launched Sactown 100 issues ago, it’s safe to say that we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. Join us on our trip down memory lane.
Setting the Stage
In a rite of passage for throngs of aspiring young dancers, auditions are held each fall for the chance to appear in the Sacramento Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker, which has featured thousands of children on stage since debuting in 1968—including one Greta Gerwig—and will take place Dec. 9–23 this year. The latest tryouts for roles like Mice, Candy Canes and Baby Bunnies were held on Sept. 9 at the troupe’s midtown studios, and photojournalist Max Whittaker was there to capture the moments of anticipation, determination and pure joy throughout the day during this storied Sacramento tradition.
The Unofficial Ted Lasso Cookbook
Our favorite fish-and-chips-out-of-water “football” coach—Ted Lasso—might’ve left his team for good, but thanks to a new cookbook by two local food bloggers, we can relive some of the tastiest TV moments (yes, even those biscuits!) from the glorious eponymous series that made us all believers. We dare you not to ... binge.
A New Path Forward
The Gorman Museum at UC Davis marks its golden anniversary with a beautiful, much bigger new home to showcase its vast collection of contemporary Native American art. Welcome in.
Best of the City 2023
Airy French puffs, comforting cupcakes that taste just like Grandma’s, sports legends who go the extra mile, hot hotels that breathe fresh life into historic buildings, rockin’ speakers made from retro lunch boxes, and a whole bunch more. What’s old is new and what’s new is newsworthy in our annual list of the local people, places and things that have caught our eyes and captured our imagination this year.
The Humor, the Ardor and the Candor of Darrin Bell
In 2019, Darrin Bell became the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, and his nationally syndicated comic strip Candorville will mark its 20th anniversary later this year. Today, the Sacramento cartoonist is receiving acclaim for his new graphic memoir, The Talk, which illustrates the racism he has faced, first as a Black child and later as a Black man in America. As Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau says of Bell’s new book, “It’s nearly impossible to appreciate another person’s truth, but if a brilliant storyteller offers to light the way, take him up on it.”
The Passive House: Minimum Energy, Maximum Comfort
As our climate changes, leading to colder winters and hotter summers—along with more intense wildfire smoke infiltrating the valley—one Sacramento builder is bringing a new type of structure to town. It’s called a “passive house,” an airtight abode that even our region’s dreaded pollen can’t work its way into. And despite its seemingly laissez-faire moniker, the concept is a proactive step toward the future of sustainable home design.
Can Electric Bikes Help Save The Planet?
Pre-pandemic, electric Jump bike rentals in Sacramento trailed only Paris in popularity. Today, electric bike ownership is soaring. From commuters to joyriders to grandmothers, e-bikes are turning even non-cyclists into e-vangelists and creating a greener, less fossil-fuel-filled world. Now we just need more of our region’s leaders to make it easier and safer for all of us to plug and play.
Younglandia
In an industry where women rarely take center stage, Julie Young has quietly become one of the most significant and thoughtful urban developers in the region—crafting exquisitely curated projects that bloom like defiant wildflowers in the concrete jungle. And now, through sheer tenacity and savvy scrappiness, she may just have unlocked the mystery to attainable housing that aspires to forward-thinking design as much as affordability. It’s a beautiful day in her neighborhood, indeed.
The City of Trees: A Love Letter
Settle in under the shade of a leafy oak. Here’s the story of how Sacramento came to be the City of (a Million) Trees.
8 Great Ways to Make Sacramento More Fun
Let’s Celebrate Democracy… Where It Happens With an urgent new focus on democracy in America, our very own state house is where we should gather to commemorate the Fourth of July in star-spangled fashion. Photo…
Man. Verses. Nature.
At 92, Gary Snyder has lived an extraordinary life—from birthing the Beat Generation with writers like Allen Ginsberg to winning the Pulitzer Prize.
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