Author: Stu VanAirsdale
A Spook-tacular Sensation
If it’s Halloween season, Evangeline’s is the place to be. What started 50 years ago as a small Old Sacramento shop for antiques and jewelry has been reinvented over the decades by Deborah Chaussé, the founder’s daughter, into a singular institution with a fantastical blend of the wild, weird and wonderful.
Q&A with Distance Runner Fiona O’Keeffe
Most rookie marathoners might finish their debut race with some blisters and a souvenir T-shirt. Fiona O’Keeffe, on the other hand, crossed the line of her first marathon in February with a new U.S. Olympic trials record and a spot in the 2024 Paris Games this summer. The 26-year-old hometown phenom—who earned her distance-running stripes at Davis High before going on to an illustrious career at Stanford (O’Keeffe was named the Pac-12 Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2019)—speaks about getting the racing bug in elementary school, the challenges and opportunities of the Paris marathon route, and the mantra that helps her plant one foot in front of the other for 26.2 miles.
Madame Director
Born in the same year that the B Street Theatre was launched, Lyndsay Burch has risen from an intern at the local troupe to succeeding co-founder Buck Busfield as its artistic director. Now she’s crafting an ambitious future that Sacramentans—and, yes, Australians and Scots—are lining up for. Because for B Street, all the world is suddenly a stage.
The Vinyl Countdown
The annual music party that is Record Store Day marks its 17th edition in April. Get into the groove at these 10 shops in the Sacramento region where you can find your favorite songs and artists served up on a platter.
Putting His Stamp on Maps
Postal worker Michael Calcagno reimagines transportation designs with creative mapmaking mash-ups of Sacramento, San Francisco, New York City and beyond.
This Is Not a Tomato
When is a tomato not just a tomato? When it’s also a lifeline. There are many good reasons to start a garden in Sacramento, where a temperate climate and plentiful sunlight can help even the most horticulturally challenged amateurs among us grow our own food and infuse our surroundings with color and beauty. But we can harvest life lessons too. With a little patience and a lot of love, here’s how one local gardener used the hobby to start his life over, and what we can all learn from a humble effort to cultivate something new.
Q&A with Jeremy Ganter, Executive Director of the Mondavi Center
What started over 20 years ago as a temp job at UC Davis has worked out pretty well for Jeremy Ganter. In November, he became the new executive director of the Mondavi Center—only the third person to hold the position since the school’s premier performing arts facility opened in 2002. Ganter, 49, speaks about his transition from performer to presenter, past highlights and future plans (hint: you may soon be able to dance to the music at the Mondavi).
A Metropolitan Life
As the subject of Martin Scorsese’s docuseries Pretend It’s a City, Fran Lebowitz opined on everything from guilty pleasures to public transportation. In advance of her appearance in Davis this February, we talk to the iconic cultural commentator about the future of cities, Joan Didion, and the Mondavi Center’s backstage cuisine.
New Home for the Holidays
Mere months after arriving in town from his native Iowa, Alex Heetland leads 130 vocalists as the new artistic director of the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus. As he and his choir prepare for the group’s signature holiday show, the 35-year-old ensemble leader talks about the SGMC’s growing profile, the continuing significance of gay men’s choruses in the 21st century, and what attendees can expect at this year’s production, from its wide-ranging songbook to its big move to the Crest Theatre.
A Bird’s-Eye View
As both the artistic director and executive director of the Sacramento Ballet, Anthony Krutzkamp works overtime to combine his lifelong love of dance with his ultimate vision to create a troupe known around the world. His first order of business in 2023? An ambitious new take on the most timeless ballet of all, Swan Lake.
Forever (530)
Davis native Hasan Minhaj wears his hometown pride on his sleeve—or sometimes on his sleeveless Kings jersey signed by ’90s-era point guard Bobby Hurley, which he proudly keeps in his New York office. The former Daily Show correspondent and Patriot Act host also filmed his first Netflix comedy special, Homecoming King, here at the Mondavi Center in 2017, and steadfastly refuses to part with his 530 Davis area code number. With his new one-man show, The King’s Jester, now streaming on Netflix, he talks to Sactown about honing his comedy chops at Laughs Unlimited and Punch Line, loving the new vibe of midtown Sacramento, feeling the lingering pain of the Kings’ crushing Western Conference Finals loss 20 years ago, and bringing that “I gotta make up for 2002” energy to NYC.
Q&A with Dr. Shani Buggs of UC Davis’ Violence Prevention Research Program
Gun violence in the United States has become associated with polarized news cycles emerging from deadly mass shootings. But what causes those shootings? And what can we learn about gun violence from the nearly 99% of American firearm deaths that aren’t linked to mass shootings? Dr. Shani Buggs seeks to answer these questions and many others in her work with the Sacramento-based Violence Prevention Research Program at UC Davis, shedding new light on the ways that race, trauma, economic insecurity and intimate partner tragedies intersect with guns—and how violence can be stopped at the community level and beyond.
The Mondavi at 20
Don Roth grew up in New York City on a steady diet of many of the world’s best cultural offerings. That influence rubs off in his role as the executive director of UC Davis’ Mondavi Center, which launches its 20th anniversary season on Oct. 6. Roth talks about highlights for the year ahead, his vision for a thriving regional arts community, and his top three Mondavi memories.
Staging a Comeback
The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera closes out the season in May with The Barber of Seville, its first fully staged opera in almost a decade. But in other ways, that’s just the beginning. New executive director Giuliano Kornberg talks about doubling down on operas next season, bringing in a six-time Grammy winner as guest conductor in 2023, and wanting his organization to “be everywhere, big and small.”
Q&A with Peter Coyl, Sacramento Public Library’s New CEO
While growing up in ’80s-era Arden-Arcade, Peter Coyl read so many books that his parents signed him up for a Sacramento Public Library card when he was just 5. Little did they know that they were setting him on a path that would culminate in him leading the entire 28-branch Sacramento library system, which he took over on Jan. 3 from outgoing director Rivkah Sass, who announced her retirement last year. On the first day in his new role, Coyl, 41, took time to Zoom with us about his full-circle journey, the surprising ways that local libraries can serve their communities in 2022, and why driving a bookmobile as a teenager may still be the best job he ever had.
Sacramento Public Library CEO Rivkah Sass
Since taking the helm of the Sacramento Public Library system in 2009, Rivkah Sass—who was named Librarian of the Year by the "Library Journal" in 2006 while serving as the executive director of the Omaha Public Library—has shepherded the 28-branch organization through the past decade with the introduction of services like digital access to more than 200,000 e-books and the ability to check out everything from an electric guitar to a GoPro camera. We spoke to the Manteca native about what’s new at the SPL, ways to keep the library relevant in 2020, and bringing big names—from best-selling author Neil Gaiman to rapper 50 Cent—to town.
Food Literacy Center CEO Amber Stott
Despite its status as America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital, Sacramento has not escaped the growing childhood obesity crisis. In fact, a recent study of the city’s fifth, seventh and ninth graders found that more than 40 percent are either overweight or obese. Amber Stott is on a mission to change that stat. As CEO of the local nonprofit Food Literacy Center, she is spearheading a new 2.5-acre headquarters, farm and cooking school at Leataata Floyd Elementary in Upper Land Park. The org’s “chief food genius” talks about bringing the bounty of the region to underprivileged youth, tackling picky eaters, and why cooking and nutrition should be on the curriculum along with reading, writing and ’rithmetic.
Funny Business
In his new B Street Theatre show about his long stand-up career, comedian Jack Gallagher plays for laughs while sharing professional highlights (his Tonight Show debut) and lowlights (his Tonight Show encore).
Mercy Pedalers Founder Sister Libby
Her name is Libby Fernandez, but everyone knows her as Sister Libby, one of Sacramento’s most tireless advocates for the city’s homeless. The 58-year-old Catholic nun earned the distinction in large part through her long tenure (including 11 years as executive director) at Loaves & Fishes. Her latest endeavor, Mercy Pedalers, tends to the hungry and impoverished at street level, with squads of volunteers helping the less fortunate by bike and trike. We tracked Sister Libby down to talk about her growing organization, how best to address the homeless crisis, and how just saying “hi” can be the start of a beautiful relationship.
William Burg
The Queen of the Sacramento Tenderloin. The nightclub owner who first brought jazz to town. The public officials who resisted the frenzied carnal currents of the downtown’s most integrated, energetic district. They’re all chronicled in William Burg’s new book "Wicked Sacramento," a history of the city’s long-gone West End neighborhood that once stood where sprawling landmarks like Capitol Mall, Old Sacramento and Golden 1 Center are today. Burg speaks about the West End’s seamy charms, its important cultural impact, and where to find what might be the lost neighborhood’s last surviving building.
Dolores Huerta
Arguably few women wielded more influence on 20th-century California history than Dolores Huerta, who transformed state politics and the lives of millions as a community organizer and the co-founder (with Cesar Chavez) of United Farm Workers. The Smithsonian Institution chronicles the activist’s life and work in its new traveling exhibition Dolores Huerta: Revolution in the Fields/Revolución en los Campos, which makes its debut in March at the California Museum. Huerta, 88, speaks about her early days as a lobbyist in Sacramento, the value of sacrifice, and seeing her legacy among the next wave of American leaders.
Author Melissa Dahl
As the editor of "New York" magazine’s blog Science of Us, Melissa Dahl spends her days exploring some of the most intriguing scientific notions, research and revelations in the news. In her first book, "Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness" (out Feb. 13), she guides readers on a funny and enlightening tour through one of her favorite topics. The Sacramento State alumna talks about the upside of awkwardness, battling “cringe attacks,” and why nothing—not even Valentine’s Day—is as cringeworthy as it might seem.
Choose Your Own Adventure
Sacramento, class is in session. Whether you want to learn how to surf or sail, fly-fish or fly a plane, craft a cocktail or a cocktail table, we’ve found teachable moments all over town. Got skills? Here are 50 fun ways to add more arrows to your quiver (literally--our how-to list includes archery lessons). Let us edutain you!
Sactown’s Best BBQ
Sweet, savory, spicy, smoky… There’s no flavor that doesn’t come through in the magical realms of barbecue. And there’s no better time than these warm-weather days to bite into the meaty marvels grilled up by 10 of our region’s best barbecue wizards. Whether you prefer tender ribs straight out of Cajun country or Texas-tinged pulled pork smoked for 18 hours—or a heaping helping of both with three-alarm sauces and five-star side dishes—we’ve got your ’cue cravings covered. Dig in!
Ready for Prime Time
Forty years after his first break at KCRA, Lester Holt was tapped this summer for the top spot in American broadcast journalism—the anchor of NBC Nightly News. Here’s how “Lightning Bolt Holt” guided his career from the streets of Rancho Cordova to the heart of Rockefeller Center.
The Art of the Matter
When a sculpture by world-renowned artist Jeff Koons was selected in March as the centerpiece of the plaza outside the new downtown arena, it triggered an explosion of controversy--and an unprecedented opportunity for civic leaders and local artists to influence the future of public art in Sacramento. Here’s how they are attempting to work together to shepherd this nuanced and often heated debate, and how they’re racing against the clock to do it. Can they pull it off?
Leading Lady
From Anne Gust Brown’s days as a trailblazing executive at Gap to her work in Sacramento helping craft some of the biggest political milestones of the past decade, get to know the woman whose fierce intellect, pragmatism, candor and energy has quietly redefined what it means to be California’s first lady.
Drawn From Life
Illustrator Pascal Campion turns ordinary moments into extraordinary works of art
Finding His Religion
For his new book—inspired by the events of 9/11—essayist Richard Rodriguez traversed the globe for a full decade, from Paris to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and beyond, exploring connections between the world’s religions, while also attempting to reconcile the inherent contradictions between his Catholic faith and his sexuality. But the roots of his spiritual journey started in the pews of a Sacramento church and perhaps the unlikeliest of places—in the glow of the silver screen at the Alhambra Theatre.
Ryan Coogler Q&A
Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler on how he got started, working with Forest Whitaker, and dealing with Oscar buzz.
On Sale Now!
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