Upcycled and planet-friendly delight is right at home on our annual list of the dozens of the local people, places and things that are just our type. Here's one of our picks for Best of the City 2024.
In the history of the Olympic Games, only one U.S. athlete has ever won the 10,000-meter race. It was in Tokyo in 1964 when Native American Billy Mills—an orphan who had battled poverty, racism, illness and depression—shocked the world with one of the most unexpected, come-from-behind victories in all of sport. “Running helped me understand that there is no end when we die,” says the now 86-year-old gold medalist and Fair Oaks resident. “There’s a passage to the spiritual world.” Even in this earthly world, one thing is for certain: The legend of Billy Mills will live forever.
A Roseville cancer survivor reflects on the restorative power of writing and illustrating her debut children’s tale, The Mochi Makers. In this case, a picture book is worth a thousand words.
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.
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.
Marrying old-world charm with new-world optimism, V’s Paradise in Old Sacramento is a love letter to our city’s rich immigrant history. A classic American steakhouse with a dash of Asian-inspired umami and a sprinkle of Armenian spices, it’s a destination restaurant where the menu is brimming with unexpected flavor twists.
John Legend brings all his curves and all his edges to Thunder Valley, Waitress bakes up something sweet for Broadway at Music Circus, and more. Here are some of the cool events around town this summer.
He has directed over 400 music videos for the likes of the Goo Goo Dolls and Kat Von D, is learning seven languages—including American Sign Language—and started performing stand-up comedy during the pandemic. Oh, and he just landed his first solo show at the Crocker Art Museum, featuring his wildly colorful, surrealistic photography. (In case you’re wondering, yes, that is the artist in his actual living room at his West Sacramento Victorian.) Meet retrofuturist Raúl Gonzo—the ultimate one-man band of creative expression.
