Learn about bees with the Co-op

Not too long ago the news was buzzing (haha) with concern that the bees were disappearing and the devastating effects that could have on the environment. While it seems the media hype is over, learning about bees and their role in our ecosystem is important.

You and your child (age 3 or older) can join the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op on Saturday, July 31 in discovering how bees help our food grow, chasing and identifying bugs, and snacking on buggy cakes with honey and fresh fruit. Sound like a sweet way to spend some time on a Saturday? There are two time slots available, one from 9:30AM to 10:30AM for ages 3-5 and another from 11:30AM to 12:30PM for ages 6-10. The cost is $10 for Co-op owners and $15 for non-owners and includes one parent and one child.

To register for the 9:30AM session click HERE and to register for the session click HERE. The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is located at 1900 Alhambra Boulevard and for more information click HERE or call 916.455.2667.

We’ll see you there!

*Today is the last day to enter the GIVEAWAY! Click HERE and leave a comment for a chance to win!*

Zoo Ice Cream Safari + Fairytale Town Camp Out

Treat your taste buds to delicious ice cream concoctions, cones and sundaes! Enjoy all-you-can-eat Baskin Robbins ice cream and Coca Cola beverages at the Sacramento Zoo’s Ice Cream Safari on Saturday, July 24 from 4PM to 8PM. There will also be family entertainment, face painting, a “GiRaffle” for great prizes, and access to the whole zoo. There will also be hot dogs and veggie burgers for purchase at the event.

Admission to the Ice Cream Safari is $17 for adults, $13 for ages 3-12 and *FREE* for children 2 and younger. Sacramento Zoological Society members receive a $2 discount per ticket.

The Sacramento Zoo is located at 3930 West Land Park Drive and to purchase tickets click HERE or call 916.808.5888. For more information click HERE.

Since you’ll already be in the area, after the Ice Cream Safari you can head over to Fairytale Town and attend the family camp out! Bring your sleeping bags & tents for a memorable night at Humpty’s house. This fun-filled sleepover includes a special theater performance, arts & crafts, a scavenger hunt adventure, bedtime stories and a sing-a-long. Participation is $20 for ages 3-12 and $30 for 13 and older. Admission includes all activities, an evening snack and a light breakfast.

Fairytale Town is located at 3901 Land Park Drive and to register click HERE. For more information click HERE or call 916.808.7462.

We’ll see you there!

*Have you entered to win our latest GIVEAWAY yet? You have until Thursday night. Click HERE to check it out!*

Alzheimer’s Aid Society Memorial 5K Run/Walk

An estimated 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s is the 7th-leading cause of death. Staggering statistics, especially when you consider that 10 million “Baby Boomers” will develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime.

Show your support for the Alzheimer’s Aid Society and raise funds by participating in the 3rd Annual Memorial 5K Run/Walk on July 24. The course begins at East Lawn Memorial Park, winds through the fabulous forties down M Street to East Portal, then back to East Lawn. Entry fees are $25 for adults if registered before July 17 and $30 after. The Kid’s Fun Run entry fee is $16. All participants receive a t-shirt, refreshments, awards, random prizes and ChampionChip timing. Even if you don’t want to race, come support your neighbors and enjoy music while you cheer on the runners (or walkers).

The race times are as follows:
7AM – registration
8:10AM – 1/4 mile for ages 5 and younger
8:15AM – 1/2 mile for ages 6 to 8
8:20AM – 1/2 mile for ages 9-10
8:30AM – 5K Run/Walk

The East Lawn Memorial Park is located at 4300 Folsom Boulevard and for more information click HERE or call 916.492.8966.

We’ll see you there!

Baseball & Beer

You may have thought this post would be tagged with “For (East Sac) Dad” based on the title, but the Baseball and Beer History Tour is actually for the whole family!

Join Dr. Bob La Perriere and Alan O’Connor at the Historic City Cemetary on Saturday, July 17 at 10AM to learn about Sacramento’s past as it relates to baseball and brewing. You’ll hear stories of the city’s original “major league” players and enjoy the beauty of the city’s highest point. (Did you know the city cemetery is the highest point in Sacramento?)

Mr. East Sac Dad likes to take our toddler to the cemetary to walk around, smell the flowers, and just enjoy a piece of Sacramento history. Try it with your little ones.

The tour is *FREE* and donations are accepted (and appreciated) to aid in restoring the cemetery. The Historic City Cemetary is located at 1000 Broadway and for more information click HERE or call 916.448.0811.

We’ll see you there!

FREE Day at the California Museum + Third Thursday Jazz

You already know we’re all about *FREE* activities and events, so we are excited about Target’s Arts & Wonder *FREE* Family Event. Target invites you and your family to see more of the arts while spending less. As part of their efforts to support education in the communities they serve, Target is sponsoring *FREE* admission to the California Museum on July 17 from 10AM to 5PM.

The California Museum is full of California history and culture. Families can easily spend hours walking through exhibits and participating in the interactive learning experiences. We like to pack lunch to eat outside beneath the huge “rights” wall. Be sure to check out the California Museum’s website for lots of online activities for kids.

The California Museum is located at 1020 O Street. For more information click HERE or call 916.653.7524.

Speaking of the arts and museums, we are anxiously anticipating the grand opening of the Crocker Art Museum coming in October. Until then, support the Crocker by attending the Third Thursday Jazz Summer Concert Series on July 15.

Held in the E. Kendell Davis Courtyard, each concert features a different type of jazz from R & B and smooth to Latin rhythms and funk. With a versatile range from bebop to modern contemporary jazz, the Garrett Perkins Project is dedicated to promoting music that is at once educational and entertaining. Light refreshments and drinks are available for purchase. The concerts begin at 5:30PM and end at 8PM. Admission is *FREE* for Crocker members and $10 for non members.

Enter through the Courtyard gate on Third Street between O and P Streets. For more information click HERE or call 916.808.7000.

We’ll see you there!

East Sacramento Public Pool Hours

Bertha Henschel

If your kids are like mine, they can spend the entire day at the pool (although last time we took our 1 1/2 year old he was more interested in figuring out how to get out of the gate than he was with playing in the water). Here are East Sacramento’s public pools with hours and admission:

Clunie Pool & Wading Pool
601 Alhambra Boulevard (in McKinley Park)
916.808.5301
Open through August 22
2-4PM Tuesday through Friday/1-5PM Saturday & Sunday/Closed Mondays
$1 for 17 and younger/$2 adults

Glenn Hall Pool
5415 Sandburg Drive (where Carslon Drive ends)
916.277.6071
Open through September 6
3-5PM Monday, Wednesday & Friday/1-5PM Sundays/Closed Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday
Open Labor Day 1-5PM
$1 for 17 and younger/$2 adults

Bertha Henschel Play Pool
A & 45th Streets
916.277.6071
Open through August 22
12-4PM Monday-Friday/1-5PM Saturday & Sunday
Admission for parents and children under 7 only
FREE

We’ll see you there!

July Programs at the McKinley Library

How has your family’s Summer Reading been going? We are steadily marking off boxes in our house, we just need to remember to get our drawing entries in to our local branch to be entered in the cool giveaways they have.

The Friends of the McKinley Library are hosting several activities for your school-aged child in July:

• July 8 – Greek Gods, Heroes and Monsters – Come learn the mythology behind the popular “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, hear some classic myths and try a Greek-inspired craft.
• July 15 – Percy Jackson Party – Have you read the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” books? Seen the movie? Come answer trivia questions, play games, participate in a raffle for fabulous Percy Jackson prizes, and leave sporting an ancient Greek style laurel wreath.
• July 22 – Pirate Party – Arrr there, matey! Come to the party and make your own pirate hat. Then we’ll hunt for “buried treasure” around McKinley Park. High seas adventure without even getting your feet wet!

All events are *FREE* for school-aged children and take place from 3:30PM to 4:30PM on the dates listed above.

The McKinley Library is located at 601 Alhambra Boulevard and for more information click HERE or call 916.264.2700.

We’ll see you there!

*Don’t forget, tomorrow is the last day to enter the got milk? GIVEAWAY! Click HERE for details.*

2010 East Sacramento 4th of July Parade

One of East Sacramento’s signature events takes place on the Fourth of July each year– the East Sacramento Independence Day Parade! Residents of East Sac go all out for this giant neighborhood block party. Streets are closed down, decorations go up (I’d venture to say homes are even more decked out on the 4th than they are at Christmastime), and you can’t find a front yard without a lawn chair.

Rather than just sit back and enjoy the parade, why not join in the fun? We plan on decorating our jogger strollers and marching our little guys right along side the fire truck (okay, maybe a bit behind the truck).

The East Sacramento Parade begins around 11AM at 41st and J Streets and winds its way through the neighborhood.

For those who love a good fun run, you can join River Park and the Buffalo Chips Running Club for the 33rd (although we thought last year was the 33rd) annual *FREE* 4th of July Fun Run. This is a 5 mile run that winds its way through River Park and begins and ends near Glenn Hall Park. There is a half-mile kids run for children under 10 that begins at 7:45AM with the 5 mile run beginning at 8AM. Registration begins at 7:15AM and keep in mind that last year’s run saw 800 participants, so expect some traffic delays.

After the *FREE* 4th of July Fun Run, from 10AM to 1PM families can purchase hot dogs, ice cream and water at Glenn Hall Park while they watch (or participate) in the Fire Cracker Parade. Patriotic participants can line up at 9:50AM to march in the parade. There will also be bounce houses, music by Mere Mortals, and games.

Glenn Hall Park is located at Carlson Drive and Sandburg Circle.

After the 4th, send us your favorite parade or celebration pictures, we would love to share them with other East Sac Moms. HERE are a few of our favorites from last year. Email us at eastsacmom{at}gmail{dot}com or comment below with a link to your own blog.

We’ll see you there!

*Psst… we have a super cool GIVEAWAY beginning tomorrow, July 2nd and running through the 8th. Come back to see what it is and enter to win!*

McKinley Park Produce Stand

You could probably already tell, but East Sacramento Mom is fan of supporting our local farmers markets. Our family regularly shops at the Sunday morning market under the freeway at 8th and X Streets (or somewhere around there, you know the one) and we were excited when we heard that Soil Born Farms was going to be operating one of their urban produce stands in McKinley Park!

From 9AM to 1PM every Saturday beginning July 11 and ending October 30, the stand will offer seasonal, organic fruits and vegetables. Proceeds will be used to subsidize prices of food for others in our community who need assistance. The farm stands offer certified organic produce from Soil Born Farms as well as produce from other small local farmers. When you shop at the farm stand you are supporting many small farms and local growers from Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado, Yuba, Sutter, Solano and San Joaquin counties. We encourage you to walk or ride your bike to the farm stand and bring your own bag. Cash and EBT are accepted.

For more information about Soil Born Farms click HERE and for more information about the McKinley Park urban produce stand click HERE.

McKinley Park is located at 601 Alhambra Boulevard (the stand will be situated in front of the library).

We’ll see you there!

Hot Walkin’ Nights

Summer days in Sacramento may be hot, but by the time the evening rolls around outdoor activities are bearable again– especially if we’re fortunate enough to have the Delta breeze come in. Take the opportunity to get the kids outdoors for a little pre-bedtime exercise and wind-down with the Sacramento Walking Sticks’ Hot Walkin’ Nights.

Each Wednesday throughout June, July and August the Sacramento Walking Sticks sponsors a *FREE* neighborhood walk. No timers, no competition, just enjoying a walk at your own pace with a big group of your Sacramento cohabitants. Participants can choose between a 5K or a 10K route to walk and most routes are suitable for strollers, scooters and wagons.

Sound like fun? Hot Walkin’ Nights will wander its way through East Sacramento on Saturday, July 14 at 5:30PM, beginning at the McKinley Park Rose Garden at 33rd and H Streets.

For the full Hot Walkin’ Nights schedule click HERE. The group will also be in Land Park on July 7 and 28. For more information click HERE.

We’ll see you there!