UC Davis Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship held its 2018 Big Bang! Business Competition Finalist Presentations & Awards Ceremony on May 24. The top five BigBang! Business Competition teams pitched their business ventures to compete for funding.

The 25th Annual UCP Humanitarian of the Year gala took place May 17th at the Hyatt Regency, hosting 390 guests who enjoyed a reception performance by Vivian Lee, and raised more than $250,000 for children with developmental disabilities including autism, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, epilepsy and cerebral palsy. The UCP Humanitarian of the Year honoree this year was Ann Madden Rice, CEO of UC Davis Medical Center.

Photos: Monica Toohey-Krause

Visit Stockton and the City of Stockton held the annual Feast at the Fox on Main Street on May 11 in Downtown Stockton. The farm-to-table dinner featured a five-course menu created by local chefs using locally sourced ingredients. The sold-out fundraiser benefited the San Joaquin Delta College Culinary Arts Program.

Photos: Randall Gee

On Monday, May 28, the Davis Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6949 and the Davis Cemetery District hosted their annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Davis Cemetery & Arboretum. The ceremony featured Davis Poet Laureate Dr. Andy Jones, an introduction by Mayor Pro-tem Brett Lee with a keynote by Jerry Coker, a U.S. Marine Corps rifleman in South Vietnam with the 2nd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment.

Comstock’s magazine held its quarterly client appreciation night on May 16 at Mulvaney’s B&L. Clients were treated to a pre-show dinner and reception before attending “An American in Paris” at the Community Center Theater.

NKBA California Capital Chapter held its Annual Design & Build Event at The Greek Orthodox Church of Annunciation on May 11 in Sacramento. Attendees enjoyed a Farm-to-Fork themed dinner, live performances and a live auction benefiting Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento.  

The Midtown Association held its annual Midtown Love event at Faces Nightclub on May 17 in Sacramento. Approximately 400 attendees enjoyed mermaids, dance performances and a lip sync battle at the showcase for Sacramento’s vibrant urban core.

Bogle Vineyards hosted the inaugural Swish and Swirl wine-pairing dinner, featuring Sacramento Kings player Doug Christie, on May 5. The event raised over $20,000 for local charities, including: Habitat for Humanity, Positive Coaching Alliance – Sacramento, Rotary Club of Roseville, Sacramento Food Bank, Sacramento SPCA and Shriners Hospital for Children.

The Oak Park Speakers Series (OPSS), in partnership with St. HOPE’s Underground Books and the Greater Sacramento Urban League, held a VIP reception for the first part of four part lecture series at The Guild Theatre in Oak Park on May 9. The speaker series will feature some of the most prominent African American leaders in the nation.

Impact Venture Capital held the Impact Venture Global Summit at the Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento on May 8. The summit featured a special luncheon led by California Women Lead, 60 startup booths, five stages for panel discussions, startup pitches and keynote speeches throughout the day.