Gold Rush Days in Old Sacramento are here this Labor Day weekend!  Sacramento’s 11th annual heritage celebration means more than 200 tons of dirt will be dumped on the streets of Old Sacramento as the annual festival “turns back the clock,” transforming Sacramento’s historic district into a scene straight out of the 1850s. Costumed re-enactors, Wild West gun fights, musicians playing period instruments, and many aspects of life during the Gold Rush will be highlighted during the four-day event.  There will be Dancing, Street Dramas, Pony & Wagon Rides, Gold Panning, Period Artifacts, Storytelling, Craft Making, Embarcadero Tent City, Ethnic Village, Period Musicians, Horse-Drawn Carriages & much more!

You can also stop by the Sacramento History Museum to mine for gold.  Visit the TrailMix.Net store’s blog by clicking here for more info on how kids can turn the gold into prizes!

Admission to Gold Rush Days is FREE and hours are as follows:

* Friday, September 3, 9am - 4 pm
* Saturday, September 4, 11am - 7pm
* Sunday, September 5, 11am - 7pm
* Monday, September 6, 11am - 4pm

Although the event is free, remember to bring money for parking.  The Old Sacramento Garage (2nd & I) and The Tower Bridge Garage (Front & Capitol Mall) will have a special event flat rate parking fee of $8.00.

For more information, call (916) 808-7777 or click here for the event website.  You can see a complete schedule of each day’s Live Music, Shoot-outs and Old-West Theatrics.

Enjoy the glorious sights and sounds this Labor Day weekend (September 4, 5, & 6th) as hundreds of sidewalk chalk artists and dozens of live music acts come together for yet another fun-filled, family-friendly Chalk It Up! festival.  Chalk-It-Up! is a nonprofit organization created to benefit children’s arts education and art activities.  The festival features over 200 sidewalk paintings created at the festival by local artists who donate their time, energy, and talent. These concrete masterpieces are left on the sidewalk for the public to enjoy throughout the month of September. The pieces are done with soft chalk pastel mixed with water.

During the festival local bands, musicians, and other performers entertain the artists and the public.  Since the aim of Chalk-It-Up! is to encourage children’s art programs, all children’s activities at the festival are FREE.  These include chalk drawing and a variety of other art activities.

We went last year and had such a fun time!  The kids were really impressed with the artwork and thought it was so neat to watch some of the artists in the process of creating their square.  They loved drawing with chalk themselves, painting, playing on the playground and listening to the bands.  This is a fun way to spend some time together over the long weekend!

Labor Day Weekend, September 4-6, 2010
10am - 6pm each day
Fremont Park, 16th & Q Streets
Click here for the Chalk It Up! website.

[April Chavez is the lucky winner of the 4-pack of tickets!  Congratulations!  Thank you to everyone who entered to win.  Stay tuned for more great giveaways in the future.]

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is roaring into town September 9th - 12th with Barnum’s FUNundrum!, a new jumbosized, un‐miss‐able event celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of legendary P.T. Barnum, the Greatest Showman on Earth!  From the moment that you arrive, the momentum explodes as The Greatest Show On Earth comes to life in a way that can only be inspired by the greatest showman who ever lived.  Featuring 130 performers from six continents, almost 100,000 pounds of performing pachyderms, cowboys, pirates, and mermaids, it is a super-sized spectacle so massive you just can’t miss it!

An All Access Pre-Show begins 1 hour before show time on the arena floor.  It is a wonderful opportunity for you and your family to interact with performers, try on costumes, and see some of the famous Ringling animals up close!

Our family considers it a special treat to go to the circus each year.  The kids look forward to it with great anticipation and are just mesmerized throughout the show!  For a look at what you can expect this year, click here.

To make it more affordable, here’s a discount offer:  4‐for‐$44 when you use the code MOM
Enter the promo code when purchasing tickets on Ticketmaster or mention it at the box office!
(No double discounts, valid on all $23, $17, and $14 tickets)
3 Ways to Purchase Tickets:
1. Visit www.ticketmaster.com and enter Promo Code MOM
2. Visit ARCO Arena Box Office and mention Promo Code MOM
3. Call (800) 745-3000 and use Promo Code MOM

We have a 4-Pack of Tickets for The Greatest Show on Earth to giveaway to one lucky Sacramento Sidetracks reader!

To enter to WIN, all you need to do is the following 2 things:

1. Click here and “Like” Sacramento Sidetracks on Facebook.
2. Leave a comment on this post letting me know that you want to win the tickets.

The giveaway will close Sunday, August 29th at midnight and the winner will be announced Monday, August 30th.  The winner will be selected at random using Random.org.  Good Luck!

Target is sponsoring Free-Admission Days at the Sacramento Zoo!  If your kids have not gone back to school, then head over there for the whole day.  If they’ve already started back, then surprise them for an after-school outing!  Please consider bringing a new, unwrapped item to donate for their Back-to-School Supply Drive to help kids in our community.

When: Monday, August 23 & Monday, August 30; 9 am to 4 pm

Where: Sacramento Zoo, 3930 West Land Park Drive

More info: Call (916) 508-5888 or www.saczoo.com

The Sacramento River Cats and Raley’s & Bel-Air are  teaming up to host Mommy & Me Day on August 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Raley Field.  The free event is open for children ages 6-and-under and is an for parents to enjoy a day at Raley Field with their children!

Click Here for Special Mommy & Me Ticket Offer

When: Wednesday, August 11th, 2010, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Registration begins at 9 a.m.

Where: At Raley Field.  Registration begins at 9 a.m. through the On-Deck Shop on the concourse.  Activities on the field will begin at 10 a.m.

Who:  Moms (and Dads too) with children 6-and-under.

How: Save time on the day of the event by downloading your waivers online (Click Here).  Waivers can also be filled out on-site during registration.

*** - They strongly advise parents to leave strollers in their cars as there is limited space.

Highlights:

• SAVE TIME!  Click Here for a pre-registration form
• Field Opens at 10 a.m.
• Non-Game Day
• Free Parking (Parking Lot B)
• Free Admission
• Free snacks and drinks provided by Raley’s & Bel-Air
• Special visit from your favorite mascot, Dinger
• Raley Field Concessions will be open
• On-Deck Shop open
• On-field games and activities
• Sponsored by Raley’s & Bel-Air
• Children 6 & under welcome with adult
• Call (916) 376-4676 with questions

Fri, July 23rd - Sun, July 25th

1. Enjoy an enchanting night of dancing and fireworks at THE STRAUSS FESTIVAL of Elk Grove.
2.Sit under the stars to see ALIENS IN THE ATTIC at Gibson Ranch.
3.Watch THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA at the 24th Street Theatre.
4. Examine a 14 foot CROCODILE skin at the Discovery Museum.
5. Laugh along with the PIRATES OF PENZANCE at Civic Theatre West.
6. Last chance to see MONKEY KING: Bollywood Superstar at Fairytale Town.
7. Play games, dance and win prizes at the Central Library’s BACK TO THE BEACH PARTY.
8. Giggle at THE FROG PRINCE by The Fair Oaks Theatre Festival.
9. Picnic at Carmichael’s CONCERT IN THE PARK.
10.Dig for dinosaur fossils and pet jungle creatures at the CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR.

Fri, July 16th - Sun, July 18th

1. Gather around the CAMPFIRE at the Maidu Indian Museum.
2. Bounce and eat pizza at The Bounce Spot’s FAMILY BOUNCE NIGHT.
3. Get your face painted at The California Museum’s TARGET ARTS & WONDER FREE FAMILY EVENT.
4. Enjoy THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA at the 24th Street Theatre.
5. See PIRATES OF PENZANCE at Civic Theatre West.
6. Learn pioneer games at Sutter’s Fort’s MINING THE MINERS.
7. Start a ROCK COLLECTION at The Discovery Science and Space Museum.
8. Giggle at THE FROG PRINCE by The Fair Oaks Theatre Festival.
9. Create a SPLASH AND SPLATTER PAINTING at the Central Library.
10.Dig for dinosaur fossils and touch jungle creatures at the CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR.

Don’t forget to enter to win

4 Tickets to Raging Waters!

You have until this Sunday, July 18th.

Click here or scroll down to the post below to see how.

The California State Fair at Cal Expo is here!  Kids Day is every Tuesday; all kids 12 and under receive FREE admission all day. Butler Amusements is offering $1 carnival rides for everyone until 11 PM.

Besides the cotton candy and rides, here are two new exhibits that I am excited about:

“Days of the Dinosaur” Adventure
Families are invited to embark on a prehistoric adventure at the world-renowned “Days of the Dinosaur” Exhibit, in its first US appearance. The all-ages indoor attraction will feature more than a dozen life-sized dinosaur robots, skeleton replicas, interactive areas and photo opportunities. The exhibit is FREE with Fair admission and includes hands-on activities like an paleontological dig site where children will have the opportunity to find their own fossils using authentic paleontology tools!

Jungle & Reptile Experience
This new interactive animal exhibit will be housed in a whimsical garden environment full of lush tropical plants. The jungle adventure will feature a variety of birds, amphibians and reptiles, including colonies of alligators and large tortoises. Fairgoers will be able to see and touch these wonderous creatures up close and personal in a family-friendly and educational environment. Located in the Floriculture tent.

Click here to see all the details and plan your day at the Fair!

Sat, July 10th - Sun, July 11th

1. Learn about the Maidu Indians at MAIDU MUSEUM’S FAMILY FUN DAY.
2. Admire wildfowl artworks at the WILDFOWL ART FESTIVAL.
3. Enjoy MONKEY KING: BOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR at Fairytale Town.
4. Construct a paper TRICERATOPS PILLOW at the Discovery Museum.
5. See PIRATES OF PENZANCE at Civic Theatre West.
6. Make a NATIVE AMERICAN CRAFT and learn about the Nisenan Maidu at TrailMix.Net.
7. Giggle at the FROGGY’S BIG SPLASH puppet show in the Rancho Cordova Library.
8. Watch A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM at The Shakespeare Festival.
9. SING ALONG with wild & wacky Mr. Candee in the Courtland Library.
10.Enjoy songs and stories of CYRUS THE UNSINKABLE SEA SERPENT with Francie Dillon.