Fri, Sept 3 - Sun, Sept 6

1. Go back in time to the Wild West at Old Sacramento’s GOLD RUSH DAYS.
2. Be inspired and entertained at the CHALK IT UP! FESTIVAL.
3. Build a Football Display at Home Depot’s KIDS WORKSHOP.
4. Relax and enjoy STORYTIME at Barnes & Noble.
5. See YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN put on by the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival.
6. CRAFT WITH ARTWORKS at the Central Library.
7. Last weekend to pet the BARN ANIMALS and RIDE THE STEAM TRAIN at Hagan Community Park.
8. Take a GUIDED NATURE WALK at the beautiful Cosumnes River Preserve.
9. Enjoy dancing and great food at the Sacramento GREEK FESTIVAL.
10. Watch WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at Fairytale Town’s Movie Night.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

P.S.  It is the last weekend to enjoy most of Sacramento’s Spraygrounds…so take advantage!

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!

Fri, August 20th - Sun, August 22nd

1. Picnic with your family at the HOT SUMMER NIGHTS CONCERT in Elk Grove.
2. Bounce and eat pizza at Bounce Spot’s FAMILY BOUNCE NIGHT.
3. Roast marshmallow’s and listen to stories at the MAIDU FAMILY CAMPFIRE EVENING.
4. Meet a Geologist and do hands-on GEOLOGY activities at the Discovery Museum.
5. Giggle at SLEEPING BEAUTY IN SPACE at Fairytale Town.
6. Take an entertaining and history-rich UNDERGROUND TOUR in Old Sacramento.
7. Pet the cute BARN ANIMALS at Hagan Community Park.
8. Take a GUIDED NATURE TOUR through Effie Yeaw’s Maidu Village.
9. Enjoy songs and stories at Central Library’s BABYSIT LAPSIT STORYTIME.
10. See how the pioneers survived Culture Shock at SUTTER’S FORT DEMONSTRATION DAY.

*You can also see details of these events on our Upcoming Events Calendar.

Happy Friday!

Yesterday morning, Sacramento Sidetracks was lucky enough to be featured on the KCRA Morning News!  I was interviewed by Deirdre Fitzpatrick about my Top 3 Picks for FREE things to do before the Summer comes to an end.  It was such a fun experience!  You can watch the interview by clicking here.

Here are the Top 3 Picks that I mentioned:

1.  Spraygrounds - local parks with great water features.

2.  Hagan Petting Barn - cute barn animals in a “real” barn.

3.  TrailMix.Net - Old Sac Scavenger Hunt and free art project.

Fri, Aug 13th - Sun, Aug 15th

1. Picnic with your family at the HOT SUMMER NIGHTS CONCERT in Elk Grove.
2. Enjoy music, dance, art and food at the BANANA FESTIVAL.
3. BUILD A BUG BOX at the Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic.
4. Create a BUTTERFLY RING at the Discovery Museum.
5. Enjoy SLEEPING BEAUTY IN SPACE at Fairytale Town.
6. Meet ANIMALS OF THE WORLD at the Carmichael Library.
7. Pet the cute BARN ANIMALS and RIDE THE STEAM TRAIN at Hagan Park.
8. Play games, eat treats, and sing Karaoke at the Central Library’s Summer Reading FINALE PARTY.
9. Take an entertaining and history-rich UNDERGROUND TOUR in Old Sacramento.
10. Visit any one of the NATIONAL PARKS for FREE!

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, August 6th - Sun, August 8th

1. Watch FLICKA 2 under the stars at Gibson Ranch.
2. Take a GUIDED NATURE WALK at the gorgeous Cosumnes River Preserve.
3. Make a SCHOOL BUS PENCIL ORGANIZER at the Home Depot Kid’s Workshop.
4. Learn about the sun with fun activities at Discovery Museum’s SUN AND FUN.
5. Make PEAR ICECREAM at the Courtland Library.
6. Play games and earn prizes at Arden Mall’s ROCKIN’ WALK WITH RADIO DISNEY.
7. Learn how to make beautiful ORIGAMI crafts at the Franklin Library.
8. Check out the inside of cool planes at the Aerospace Museum’s OPEN COCKPITS.
9. Enjoy historical STREET THEATRE in Old Sacramento.
10. Pet the cute BARN ANIMALS and ride the STEAM TRAIN at Hagan Park.

*Please note that details about each event are available on the ‘Upcoming Events’ calendar.

Happy Friday!

Fri, July 30th - Sun, August 1st

1. Bounce, eat and play at a free FAMILY FUN DAY in Lone Tree Park.
2. Learn all about bees at Soil Born Farm’s WHAT’S ALL THE BUZZ ABOUT? class.
3.Watch THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA at the 24th Street Theatre.
4. Start a ROCK COLLECTION at the Discovery Museum.
5. Laugh along with the PIRATES OF PENZANCE at Civic Theatre West.
6. Enjoy Hawaiian music and dance with the OHANA DANCERS at Folsom Library.
7. Magic, storytelling and puppets at Central Library’s MAGIC READING BASH.
8. Learn JAPANESE COOKING at Whole Foods Market’s class for kids.
9. Play games, eat BBQ, get your face painted at free PARK GRAND OPENING.
10.Last weekend to play at the CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR.