Sacramento Then and Now: INSIGHT Interview

Here's the link to the interview I did on KXJZ yesterday:

Insight on KXJZ

It went nicely, this is the third time I have been interviewed by Jeffrey Callison so I know a bit of the routine. The only question that threw me was when he asked me what my favorite picture was: I just turned to a random page and talked about that.

My favorite picture was actually the photo of Sacramento Executive Airport. When I went out to the airport terminal I realized that the photo I was trying to reproduce was not shot from the ground, but in fact from the roof of a nearby hangar. The view from the ground was pretty much just a shot of their loading dock, so I went over to the offices of SacJet and, much to my surprise, managed to talk my way onto the roof of their hangar. They were very friendly and even drove me out to the hangar in one of their little golf carts. I got a nice, slightly death-defying view of the hanger and got the shot. So, at least in terms of my favorite modern photo, that was the answer I should have given yesterday.

What's my favorite historic photo from the book? I'll give that some thought and hopefully I'll be able to narrow one down by the time the book signing rolls around.

Then and Now: Sacramento

On Monday, September 29, my new book, Sacramento: Then and Now, will go on sale.

This new book is a bit different from the other Sacramento books in the Arcadia series, part of Arcadia's Then and Now imprint. This book juxtaposes historic photographs with modern photos taken from the same location (or at least as close as I could get to the same location.) The book covers the entire city of Sacramento, including a final chapter on "The Uncity," places outside the Sacramento city limits but whose presence is important to our city's history, like Mather and McClellan Air Force Bases, the towns of Freeport and Florin, and even Town & Country Village.

The historic photographs in the book were provided by SAMCC, the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center, and SAMCC staff provided invaluable help in putting the book together. 50% of the royalties from this book will go to SAMCC to help them continue their mission of preserving artifacts, images and documents of Sacramento's history.

I will be interviewed on Insight, hosted by Jeffrey Callison, this coming Monday the 29th at 2:00 PM. KXPR can be heard at 90.9 FM in Sacramento, or via the Internet using the link above.

The grand book release event is scheduled for Thursday, October 16, at Time Tested Books, 1114 21st Street, Sacramento, at 7:00 PM. I will be there to sign books and give a short talk. Some of the SAMCC staff will also be present to talk about their mission. Hopefully you'll come and join me.

Did I mention the street fair?

I mentioned the SOCA Home Tour in the last post, but I figure I should spotlight the street fair because I'm the guy who runs it.

The home tour portion is nice, but it's my job to create a big ol' street party atmosphere and also provide a place where Home Tour visitors can spend some time before and after the tour. Sometimes we block off a street, last year we set up in a park, but this year we have permission to set up on the front lawn of the Fremont Adult School, a historic building in its own right, on N Street between 24th and 25th. Having two convenience stores across the street gets me off the hook from having to find a food vendor, although I still got one because I have wanted to have Josh Ploeg selling his vegan goodies at the SOCA fair for a couple years now, and he was finally available to do so.

We have some very diverse choices for vendors this year--here is a still-incomplete list:

Sacramento County Historical Society
SAMCC (Sacramento Archives & Museum Collection Center)
Towe Auto Museum
Mickey Abbey (stained glass)
Loftworks (one of their Sutter Brownstones units is part of the home tour!)
Green Sacramento
LJ Urban
49 Mile
Joshua Ploeg (baked goods)
Vintage Properties
The Pampered Pet
Dave Clark (I Do Windows & Doors)
B Line Construction
Tim White (home repair)
Sister Sheba Naturally
Isabella Corsetry
Thomas Enterprises
California Watchable Wildlife
Atelier

It's about an even mix of crafter/vendors, developers/designers/builders, and history groups. I'm pretty happy about how diverse the offerings are.

Oh yeah, and there's music too! Here's the entertainment line-up:

Dead Western
The Hell-Outs
Mickie Rat (of The Secretions)
Andrew Surber (aka Chopstick)
Aaron Brown

...and possibly a couple of others.

The street fair starts at around 10:00 AM, music starts at noon. It's free, so if you are anywhere near midtown, drop on by.

2008 SOCA Home Tour

The 2008 annual SOCA Home Tour is Sunday, September 21st in the Winn Park Historic District and Capitol Mansion area in Midtown Sacramento. Each year SOCA showcases some of the finest architecture the old city has to offer, both historic and contemporary - a tribute to our heritage and a celebration of our future. Some of the homes featured on this years tour can be seen in the 2008 home tour gallery, accessible by clicking the gallery link at the SOCA homepage. One of the Sutter Brownstones by Loftworks will be open as well. Tour homes are open from 10 AM until 4 PM,and the historic Saint Francis of Assisi Church will be open for viewing by tour guests from 2 PM until 5 PM. Tour guests will receive a printed brochure with a tour map and illustrated histories of all the sites on the tour.

A street fair featuring home restoration specialists, energy efficiency experts, stained glass and woodwork artisans, craft persons and musicians will be held a the Fremont School at the corner of 24th and N Streets from 10 AM until 4 PM. The street fair is free.

Tickets are $20 on the day of the tour, and can be purchased at the street fair beginning at 10 AM. Advanced tickets are $18 and are available at Joannes Elegant Gifts -1019 L Street, Collected Works -4524 Freeport Blvd., The Avid Reader -1600 Broadway, and the 57th Street Antique Mall -875 57th Street.