10.13.2023

Today’s Forecast

52º | Partly cloudy | 7% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:23 a.m. | Sunset 5:01 p.m.

How well do you know Sacramento?

How well do you know Sacramento trivia?

a ground-level view with pebbles in the foreground, the reflecting waters of Folsom Lake in the middle, and large clouds at top.

Somewhere at the bottom of Folsom Lake is a submerged ghost town. | Photo by @creignakano

Did you know Sacramento is home to more trees per capita than any other city in the world?

Nah, just kidding. If you know us, you know we’re here for the deep cuts — and there are plenty of interesting factoids to go around. As connoisseurs of the quirky and unconventional, we put together a list of Sacramento’s history, oddest characteristics, and more. Maybe you’ve lived here your whole life and know some of these, or maybe you’ll learn something new.

Either way, test your local knowledge with these 12 interesting facts.

1. There’s a network of tunnels beneath Old Sacramento that traces the history of the original city before it was “jacked up” to a higher elevation in the 1860s-70s in an effort to avoid flooding.

2. Speaking of flooding, the impact of the Great Flood of 1862 was so great on Sacramento that Governor Leland Stanford had to travel by rowboat to his inauguration at the State Capitol Building.

198462108_229089342082136_1984399613687270957_n — Golden 1 Center was the first indoor sports venue to be certified as LEED Platinum.
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Photo by @docosacramento

3. This has to be one of the most interesting gambits to draw tourism ever dreamed up by the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce: the Days of ’49 Facial Hair Growing Contest of 1922. Awards were given out to participants who were judged to have the longest mustache, to be the best looking, or (in our opinion, the best laurel ever handed out) the best imitation of a sagebrush.

4. Under Folsom Lake rests the remnants of Mormon Island — a Gold Rush-era ghost town that was founded by the Mormon Battalion. It was destroyed by a fire in 1856, and last year — due to our historic drought — it became exposed.

5. A lesser-known detail about C.K. McClatchy is that he was a crusader for the “City of Trees” reputation — something he felt so strongly about that he would write obituaries in the Sacramento Bee for vandalized trees.

6. Sacramento is home to the nation’s first entirely solar-powered sports arena, Golden 1 Center, which has received a platinum-level LEED certification.

Your turn. Think you can get one over on us? Let us know your favorite local trivia tidbit and you just might make it into the newsletter.

6 more facts

Asked

Did our fun facts surprise you?

A. Yes, I didn’t know any of these
B. I knew a few but there were still some surprises
C. I know my city well and knew all these already

Tell us

Events

Friday, Oct. 13

Summer Concert Series | Friday, Oct. 13 | 7-10 p.m. | The Officer’s Club, 3410 Westover St., McClellan Park | Free | This week’s performers are Clean Slate — think: show band blended with the best dance music of the last five decades.
2023 Oak Park Black Film Festival | Friday, Oct. 13-Sunday, Oct. 15 | Times vary | The Guild Theater, 2828 35th St., Sacramento | $15-$100 | This five-day event showcases independent feature, documentary, and short films by Black filmmakers, along with panel discussions, and exclusive events.

Saturday, Oct. 14

Pocket-Greenhaven Farmers Market | Saturday, Oct. 14 | 8 a.m.-1 p.m. | Elks Lodge #6, 6446 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento | Free | Shop a plethora of goods from local bakers, brewers, creatives, and more.
Pick Your Own Bouquet | Saturday, Oct. 14 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Park Winters, 27850 County Rd. 26, Winters | $35 | Wander through the Farm at Park Winters and pick a bouquet of cosmos, marigolds, poppies, and sunflowers.

Sunday, Oct. 15

Old Town Elk Grove Farmers Market | Sunday, Oct. 15 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Old Town Plaza, 9615 Railroad St., Elk Grove | Free | Shop for locally-produced goods while you enjoy live entertainment at this weekly market.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Seasonal

🎃 Little ghouls and goblins rejoice — Wee Halloween is back

two toddlers in ghost costumes run around

Good ghouls and boys only. | Photo by George H. Young Photography

Break out your most frightful Halloween costumes, Sacramento, because you’re invited to Wee Halloween, a fun-filled Halloween experience happening at the Crocker Art Museum on Wednesday, Oct. 25 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. The festive event features:

Family-friendly activities throughout the Museum
A thrilling dance party in the ballroom
Trick-or-treating
And more

Tickets are $18 for members, and $25 for non-members. Kids under 18 months are free.

Space is limited, so registration is encouraged.

Grab tickets

News Notes

Coming Soon

You’ve heard of a taco truck... but have you heard of a taco plaza? The planned plaza at 2600 Northgate Blvd. will soon be home to food trucks + street vendors. The plaza’s first event is today, Oct. 13, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will feature music, food, and drinks. (Sac Bee)

Cause

It’s harvest season, baby. Build a farm stand and harvest crops tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 14) at the Fall Harvest Community Day. Feed Black Futures, Seed to Skillet, and Neighborhood Garden Initiative are teaming up from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 4141 Winters St., with a goal of rematriating land in Del Paso Heights.

Number

175. That’s the number of tiny homes that will be built in south Sacramento for those experiencing homelessness. The new tiny home village will temporarily occupy a vacant office space on Stockton Boulevard. Exact timing on the project has yet to be released. (CBS News)

Tech

More room to game. Azra Games Inc. is expanding its office space in Old Sacramento. The Sacramento-based studio develops role-playing computer games — and you may see its first title released in September 2025. (Sacramento Business Journal)

Seasonal

This is the last call for submissions in our SACtoday Pumpkin Carving Contest. Decorate your pumpkin, take a picture, and submit it by this Sunday, Oct. 15 for a chance to win the inaugural SACtoday best jack-o’-lantern award. Make a submission.

Try This

Learn the tradition of grinding acorns for flour at the California Indian Heritage Center Foundation tomorrow — Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. It’s Acorn Day, and cultural practitioner Diana Almendariz will guide attendees through cooking using hot stones, and other themed demonstrations and crafts.

Outdoors

The Solar Eclipse is happening bright and early tomorrow (well, maybe not so bright) — join MOSAC at 7:30 a.m. to experience the incredible natural phenomenon for yourself. Dome Manager and host Jeff Rodgers will answer all your eclipse questions + man the solar viewing telescope. Protective eyewear will be available.*

Wellness

Noticing hair changes? Root causes of hair thinning can change over time making it difficult to know where to begin. Learn more about how Nutrafol can help.*

Eat

Fruit can be one of the healthiest things you can put into your body, but the majority of Americans are making this single mistake that can counteract all the health benefits of fruit. Here’s why one heart surgeon is asking Americans to “stop doing this to your berries.”*

Sacramentan

And the best neighbor award goes to… you, for directly supporting SACtoday with the gift of your membership. Not only will you join our super cool membership club (and get perks including birthday shoutouts), but you’ll keep this newsletter free for the entire neighborhood. Way to go, neighbor.

Festival

Howl-o-ween fun run for a cause

Halloween fun run benefits shelter dogs in Sacramento

A white lab wearing a rainbow costume grins up at the camera during the Halloween fun run

There will be a costume contest for dogs. | Photo by Jazzy Swink, Midtown Association

It’s time for some paw-sitive change — dust off those costumes tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 14) for the Wags to Witches 5K Halloween Fun Run at McKinley Park.

The run may begin at 10 a.m., but the fun starts at 9 a.m. when attendees can sign up for the costume contest, check out the competition and enter to win a three-day stay in Carmel.

Registration also automatically enters you into a raffle for a Golden Gate San Francisco Bay Air Tour. Organized by Pilots and Pups, proceeds benefit their mission to find forever homes for Sacramento’s shelter dogs.

So what do you say, Sacramento — ready to get spooky?

Want to find more great spots to play with your pup? We’ve got you covered with a list of our favorite local dog parks.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Jessalin

From the editor

I don’t know about y’all, but I need to get my Halloween costume together. Which begs the question — what iconic Sacramento figure should I go as? Give me some suggestions, and they may be featured in an upcoming newsletter.

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