Willie Clark is a writer, editor, photographer, barrel-rider, reliable brave guy, and co-host of the 8 Bit Awesome podcast. You can find his scribings locally at the Sacramento News & Review, SF Weekly, and of course, here, and nationally at Polygon, Vice, Playboy, KillScreen and many other fine dining establishments … or you know. Read more of his work at willieclark.contently.com. On Twitter @_WillieClark.
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Dawn of a New Day
Improve Your Tomorrow supports academic achievement for young men of color
Samuel Lauderdale grew up as the youngest of three brothers in a single-mother, low-income household. He was always a good student, until high school was on the horizon. He started hanging out with kids that sold drugs and got bad grades, and says he “wasn’t necessarily getting in trouble,” but would “fight a lot.”
Inaugural Photography Month Comes to Sacramento
Sacramento is holding its inaugural Photography Month this April to expand awareness and participation in the art of photography through accessible presentations and engaging educational events.
Pet Peeves
Accepting, fostering and rehoming Sacramento’s abandoned pet population is a full-time job
Without their owners, some domestic animals may be able to survive in a new humanless environment, but for others the situation is much more bleak.
Sponsored
An Easy Sell
Companies, both homegrown and new transplants, find success in the Capital Region
When it comes to finding business success in the Sacramento area, the proof, as they say, is in the proverbial pudding. The city’s proximity to the Bay Area, its lower cost of living and its people have long been lauded as assets to economic development. While that might seem like a tired line of thinking, Sacramento remains on the radar of both potential businesses and employees for exactly those reasons.
Striking a Chord
Music isn’t just good for the soul — it’s good for the heart, mind and body
Founded in 2000, Music to Grow On focuses on special-needs children and works in 20 school districts throughout the greater Sacramento region. Barth describes music therapy as “the use of music to reach non-musical goals,” which can include everything from communication and motor skills to memory and academics.
The Power of Play
Children develop through having fun — and the Sacramento region offers several places for them to play
As safety fears have led today’s parents to keep their kids indoors — with electronics and television — and as school recess has been on a steady decline, children may be having less opportunity to play.
Instruments of Change
Sacramento Guitar Society Orchestra encourages one young musician to give back to his community
The Sacramento Guitar Society Orchestra is one of several programs run by the Sacramento Guitar Society, a nonprofit that’s been around for more than 50 years. Among these programs, the Society also hosts concerts, offers scholarships for guitar camps and facilitates guitar donations for various music programs
The Robotic Stomach
UC Davis professor dives into the depths of human digestion
Gail Bornhorst, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Food Science and Technology at UC Davis, is trying to get to the bottom — or at least the bottom of the stomach — to figure out just what happens to food once it’s reached the belly of the beast.
Can a Comic Book Teach Children About STEM?
Sacramento-based entrepreneur tries to do just that with PodPi
Entrepreneur Stephane Come feels that “fun” products and games currently on the market are short-changing children. That’s because they don’t often show kids that it’s OK to fail. Instead, Come wishes that children would be challenged and taught that getting things wrong is an acceptable part of the process. It isn’t necessary to come to the solution instantly.
Friday Nights at The Barn Bring Riverside Fun
Off the Grid launched weekly food truck, music event in August
Sometimes to go out, you need to go off.
Off the Grid, the San Francisco-based company behind Friday Nights at The Barn, got started in June 2010 in the Bay Area. However, the public events company soon found that it wasn’t only local residents attending their events: People from the Sacramento area were making the trek, as well.
SacAnime and the Rise of the Pop-Culture Convention
Biannual Sacramento anime event takes place Sept. 2-4
While pop-culture conventions may be all the rage these days, that hasn’t always been the case.
Action Advocates
The Active 20-30 Club of Sacramento cultivates community service from one young generation to the next
Thanks to the Active 20-30 Club of Greater Sacramento No. 1032, a little crab means a lot of dough for two local charities.
The Games He Plays
Toy Fusion owner Andrew Leung is determined to reopen his shop at a new location
David Sidie first discovered Toy Fusion on El Camino Avenue in Sacramento in 2003. He brought his son with him, and still remembers “the awesomeness of just seeing my son enjoy a piece of history.”
Live Nation Acquires Ace Of Spades
R Street venue’s sale puts Sacramento on the national-music map
Sacramento’s music scene is about to get bigger. Ace of Spades — the downtown, live-music venue on R Street — was recently purchased by House of Blues Entertainment, a division of Live Nation Entertainment.