![Vehicles arrive at the Bradley Ranch Winery’s 20-acre concert site in Elk Grove on the first day of a three-day Labor Day weekend drive-in music festival. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1020_blog_photoessay_drivein1.jpg?1602094881)
Photos: Drive-In Events Fill the Void
Capital Region businesses and nonprofits shift movie screenings, concerts and other happenings outdoors during the pandemic
Pop-up drive-ins appeared during the coronavirus summer of 2020, prompting many families in the Capital Region to turn their vehicles into personal entertainment bubbles.
![Ethel Hoskins has lived her entire life on the land her grandfather, William James Pleasants, settled on in 1850 in Pleasants Valley, which is now part of Vacaville. (Photos by Joan Cusick)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1020_blog_farm_fire1.jpg?1601313077)
Photos: Emerging From the Ashes
A 170-year-old homestead barely survived the LNU Lighting Complex fire
Ethel Hoskins is determined that her family ranch’s legacy will endure despite the significant damage to the property where she still lives.
![Papa Murphy’s Park had no fans during the first game after returning from the three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0920_blog_photoessay_soccer7.jpg?1600797892)
Photos: Making Its Goal
During an unsettling season, Sacramento Republic FC heads to the playoffs once again
Sacramento Republic FC’s 2020 season and scheduled entry into
Major League Soccer have been stymied by the pandemic, but
the team plays on.
![(Photos by Rahul Lal)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0920_dept_tbs_rahullal_lead_0.jpg?1599844553)
The Bright Side: Got It Covered
Old Country Tailor in East Sacramento began making and selling
cloth face masks in April and sold around 4,000 that month.
![A voter deposits a mail-in ballot at a Sacramento County vote center in the primary election March 3. All registered California voters will receive a paper ballot in the mail. The ballot may be returned by mail or in person, but it must be signed and dated on the outside of the envelope. (Photos by Joan Cusick)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0920_blog_government_vote1.jpg?1599670321)
How to Cast Your Ballot
California offers options to vote early, either by mail or in person
The COVID-19 pandemic will change the way some Californians vote in the Nov. 3 presidential election.
![(Photos by Ashley Hayes-Stone)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0820_dept_tbs_ashleyhayes-stone_lead_0.jpg?1597346509)
The Bright Side: A Sweet Heart
On National Doughnut Day, the Sacramento doughnut shop Sweet Dozen ran a special to support the Black Youth Leadership Project.
![Mini corn dogs, mustard and ketchup are prepared at Mojo’s Lounge & Bar in Woodland. (Photos by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0820_blog_photoessay_fairdays3.jpg?1597165445)
Photos: Fair Days Have Come to Woodland Restaurants
A group of 13 restaurants have joined together to participate in Downtown Woodland Fair Days, a special event to bring iconic foods to customers missing fairs canceled due to the pandemic.
![Nevada Yuba Placer Fire Crew 1 (NEU Crew 1), made up mostly of first-year firefighters, cuts fire lines on a hillside at the North Fork American River Shaded Fuel Break project during training in late July. (Photos by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0805_blog_photo_fire6.jpg?1596519898)
Photos: Cal Fire Trains New Crews in Auburn
The inmate fire crews used by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have been depleted due to the pandemic, so the agency is training new firefighters.
![During the July 13 Sacramento Republic FC match against Tacoma FC, artwork curated by Boards for Change was displayed in the north section of the grandstand at Papa Murphy’s Park. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0720_blog_photo_boards3_1.jpg?1595532580)
Photos: A Gallery in the Grandstand
Boards for Change art gallery helps fill empty Papa Murphy’s Park as Sacramento Republic FC season resumes
Sacramento Republic FC’s coronavirus-suspended 2020 season has resumed with no fans allowed, but that doesn’t mean the usually packed Papa Murphy’s Park is empty.
![(Photos by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0720_feat_tbs_fredgreaves_lead_1.jpg?1597426552)
The Bright Side: Hope in a Meal
Yolo Delivers Hope, started in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by Woodland’s Dinner on Main organizers, contracts with Woodland restaurants to create meals for homebound seniors, low-income families and migrant farm workers.