Sacramento Blog

The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run is arguably the most enduring and unheralded sporting events in the greater Sacramento area.

The 38th edition of the ultramarathon from Squaw Valley to Auburn begins at 5 a.m. Saturday at base of the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics.

The estimated field of 450 runners from numerous countries, including many Sacramento area entrants, will navigate more than 40,000 feet elevation changed while running primarily on firetrails to gold-mining city of Auburn. The winner will finish in about 16 hours, with three other time frames relevant.

Runners have to reach check points before designated time limits to arrive at Placer High School before 11 a.m. Sunday -- a 30-hour time limit.

Finishers is less than 30 hours receive a bronze belt buckle; Finishers in less than 24 hours receive a silver buckle.

Read more:

Watching The Western States 100

Image Courtesy of Western States 100

Fathers, sons, daughters and auto enthusiasts of any kind from the Sacramento area can share a full day of automotive nirvana on Father's Day with their counterparts in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Sacramento chapter of EuroSunday, the community and lifestyle of exotic, rare and vintage car and motorcycle owners, will join EuroSunday East Bay.

The combined groups will drive to their June event at 4000 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville and then head over to the famed Blackhawk Museum to check out the collection.

The museum has free admission for dad's on Father's Day. And with a car show in the parking lot, is there better way for those who appreciate cars old and new to meet for a should for a great celebration?

The meeting point for the Sacramento area EuroSunday is the Chevron station at the corner of El Camio Ave. and Interstate 80 at 8 a.m. Early arrivers will meet for breakfast at Black Bear Diner, located 2700 El Centro Road, off the West El Camino exit at Interstate 80 at 7 a.m.

For more information, visit the EuroSunday website, www.eurosunday.net or email jeff@eurosunday.net.

For more Father's Day activities:

Top-Five Restaurants For Father's Day

Top Father's Day Projects

Image Courtesy of EuroSunday

Amid the shock rock and in-your-face sexual overtones of performers like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears is the antidote to such foolishness. Her name is Taylor Swift.

A few years ago, Swift, then 17, became the youngest person to single-handedly write and sing a number-one country single entirely on her own. Swift's "Our Song" spent six consecutive weeks at No 1. on Billboard's Country Singles Chart.

Swift is also the first female solo artist in country music history to write or co-write every song on a platinum-selling debut CD.

With her straight-forward, little-frills approach, Swift will perform September 3 at 7 p.m. at Power Balance Pavilion (formerly Arco Arena).

Tickets are available at the usual ticket kiosks, retail and online outlets.

Image Courtesy Taylor Swift

Until a few years ago, I had little interest in tribute bands. I attended concerts with Beatles cover bands on New Year's Eve in Sacramento and on Bastille Day in France. But neither band was particularly good and that soured me on the concept.

The Led Zeppelin tribute outfit that played several years ago at Raley Field in West Sacramento didn't exactly change my mind.

But two cover bands have won me over, Australian Pink Floyd and Steelin' Dan. The former played to a half-full Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento a few years ago and was extraordinarily talented, even getting approving acknowledgment from Pink Floyd band members.

More recently, I've now attended a half-dozen shows by Steelin' Dan, the Sacramento-based Steely Dan tribute band.

It's also an extraordinary group of 10 musicians and singers. Not too long ago at The Palms in Winters, Mike Macchi had his debut as the band's lead singer.

Steelin' Dan's playing dates have become more frequent, with the group's reputation expanding via several publication awards.

If you haven't seen Steelin' Dan, one small venue opportunity is on the near horizon. It's scheduled at 7 p.m. at Harlow's, the midtown Sacramento club, and like all of the band's concerts I've attended, expect pure entertainment and great renditions of Steely Dan's music.

The NCAA Women's Rowing Championships, one of the Sacramento area's most unheralded sporting events, will be held beginning Friday, May 27, at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, located in Gold River, California.

The three-day event features the country's best women collegiate rowers in division I, II and III, with all events held on a 2000-meter course at Lake Natoma, often described as the country's best competitive rowing venue.

Last year, second-seeded Yale rowed to a start-to-finish Division I varsity eights victory, the most prestigious event. Virginia captured the team title.

Highlights of the event will appear on the 2011 CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA (spring seasonal show), set for broadcast June 19 on CBS.

The Sacramento State Aquatic Center is located at 1901 Hazel Avenue, Gold River, CA 95670-4501. Tel. (916) 278-2842.

For more information about the event, visit: NCAA Women's Rowing Championships

Sacramento City Council Member Steve Cohn, in conjunction with the upcoming free Pops in the Park concerts and Screen on the Green presentations, also has two upcoming open-to-the-public office hours.

According to a Sacramento City Hall mailer, the sessions are "office hours to discuss neighborhood and citywide issues."

The first session will be held Thursday, May 19th, 5-7 p.m. at Clunie Clubhouse, in McKinley Park, 601 Alhambra Blvd. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson is schedule to join Cohn.

The second session will be held Saturday, 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. at McKinley Park with Cohn as the solo guest.

Cohn also serves as city council representative for the longstanding East Sacramento events, Pops in the Park and Screen on the Green.

The free Pops in the Pak series begins June 4 at McKinley Park at 6 p.m. and featuring Tom Rigney and Flabeau. The free 2011 Screen on the Green series will begin August 6 at sundown with Despicable Me at Stanford Park.

For more information about the Pops in the Park series, visit: www.eastsacpopsinthepark.com.

For more information about the Screen on the Green series, visit: www.sacscreenonthegreen.com.

As the finishing city to stage 2, Sacramento will be part of the Amgen Tour of California for the fifth time in the race's six editions on May 16.

But a day earlier, when the event begins in South Lake Tahoe, travelers seeking to see the field of 114 riders start the 800-mile trek, will not be able to travel to the beginning of the eight-day event via U.S Highway 50.

Caltrans will close U.S. Highway 50 beginning May 11 at Echo Summit for approximately two weeks (depending on weather) to replace the old rock wall with a modern barrier that meets current safety standards and preserves the natural beauty.

The alternate routes for travelers heading toward Lake Tahoe for the start of the race:

From Placerville:
Eastbound travelers on Hwy. 50 will be directed off Missouri Flat Road in Placerville to Hwy. 49 S, then onto Hwy. 88 E to Hwy. 89 N into South Lake Tahoe.

From Sacramento:
Take Power Inn Road to Hwy. 16, and on to Hwy. 49 S, then onto Hwy. 88 E to Hwy. 89 N into South Lake Tahoe.

From the East Bay:
Take Hwy. 88 in Stockton to 88/49 S, then continue on Hwy 88 E.

From Reno/Carson City:
Take NV-88 S to CA-88 W then onto Hwy. 49 N to US Hwy. 50. into Placerville; or take Hwy. 49 N to Hwy. 16 W to Hwy. 50 W toward El Dorado Hills/Folsom.

From South Lake Tahoe:
Take Hwy. 89 to Hwy. 88 W, then take Hwy. 49 N to US Hwy. 50 into Placerville or take Hwy. N to CA-16 W to Hwy. 50 W toward Sacramento.

The detour from Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe is expected to take an extra 35 minutes.

For more travel information the closure of U.S. Highway 50, visit: Way2Tahoe.com.

The Sacramento area has an increasing variety of home and garden tours and one of the enduring examples is ideal for Mother's Day.

It's the 13th annual East Sacramento Garden Tour. The tour features seven gardens in the East Sacramento Fab 40s neighborhood. The tour runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and is a fundraiser for the neighborhood's David Lubin Elementary School.

The Mother's Day weekend journey has a two-tiered ticket structure: $20 per person for the tour and $35 for the tour and catered luncheon at Sutter Lawn Tennis Club, catered by the East Sacramento restaurant, Gonul's.

Tickets and tour information are available at www.eastsacgardentour.com. Phone (916) 491-4952.

Only about 150,000 spectators can view the Kentucky Derby live each year at famed Churchill Downs. But Sacramento fans of horse racing's most famous race can get some of the festive experience Saturday at Cal Expo.

Watching the race on television in the comfort of your home is fine, too. But beginning at 7 a.m. a full immersion into nearly a full day of racing at the home of the California State Fair for the general admission price of $4 is bargain.

A better option is the $34 package. It includes admission to the clubhouse, reserve seating, race program and a breakfast and lunch buffet. Parking is free.

The 137th Kentucky Derby, which is expected to include a full field of 20 horses, begins at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

For reservations, phone (916) 263-3279 or visit: Cal Expo/Kentucky Derby

To read more about the Kentucky Derby on About.com, visit:

Ten Fastest Kentucky Derby Finishing Times

Top Kentucky Derby Jockeys

Photo Courtesy Churchill Downs

After relocating from Kansas City for the 1985-86 season, the Sacramento Kings, an NBA team in turmoil, will remain in Northern California to play at least one more season, the owners have announced.

The decision came after months of speculation that the team's majority owners, the Maloof Family, were planning to relocate after 26 seasons in Sacramento to Anaheim to help resolve the owners' reported massive debts.

With the announcement, here are five good and five not-so-good things about the team remaining in Sacramento.

Good things about the Kings staying:

1. Radio announcer Gary Gerould. He's a consummate professional and still an enthusiastic play-by-play announcer even after all these years. Still the best approach to watching a Kings' game on TV is to turn off the set's volume and turn on the radio.

2. Jerry Reynolds. It's still easy to like his midwestern country "charm."

3. I reported on the team for its first dozen seasons, and good teams and bad teams, here are 15 players who for various reasons just made games fun to watch. With the team around for at least a year, it's good to reminisce about: Vlade Divac, Larry Drew, Rich Kelley, Bobby Jackson, Ed Pinckney, Kurt Rambis,  Lionel Simmons, Michael Stewart, Reggie Theus, LaSalle Thompson, Terry Tyler, Wayman Tisdale (deceased), Spud Webb, Jason Williams and Corliss Williamson.

4. A final wake-up, like one should be needed. It's time Sacramento politicians and community leaders realize the Kings should not be a focal point of our city's future.

5. If it's only one more year, that's not too long to wait for the team to leave.

Five Not-So-Good Things about the Kings staying:

1. The one-year commitment to stay in Sacramento is still a band-aid. After all the pontificating, the team's long-term future is still in limbo.

2. A new arena? Really? Sacramento community leaders aren't any closer to making a decision than they were 10 years ago.

3. The local media will continue to cover the story like it's pertinent to the community at-large when there's so much more to cover in Sacramento -- a city of "doers." The Kings dominate the sports news and often the non-sports news, but there are plenty of more interesting athletes and subjects to present.

4. At least one more year of Grant Napear. The Kings' television broadcaster and radio talk show host has an East Coast, rapid-fire-with-attitude-approach that works best on the East Coast.

5. More whining from Gavin, Joe and George Maloof. Literally and figuratively, they've dug themselves a hole. Now, fellas, find your own way out.