Just one of the many mind-blowing pieces you can see at Imaginarium. | Photo by @captain_inappropriate
‘Tis the season for cheesy holiday movies and that got us thinking, what would the plot be to a Hallmark movie set in Sacramento?
Cue ChatGPT. We asked the popular artificial intelligence tool to drum up a Hallmark-style holiday movie set in the City of Trees, inspired by stories from our website.
Here’s the masterpiece, titled “A Light of Love in Sacramento":
Synopsis:“Emma Carter, a high-powered marketing executive from Los Angeles, returns to her hometown of Sacramento for the holidays after her grandmother’s passing leaves her in charge of the family’s quaint Christmas boutique in Old Sacramento. With the shop struggling to compete against modern retailers, Emma has one month to turn its fortunes around, or it will close for good.
Enter Ryan Bennett, a charming history teacher who moonlights as the narrator of Theatre of Lights, Old Sacramento’s beloved holiday show. Ryan introduces Emma to the magic of Sacramento’s festive traditions, from bike tours of the Fab 40s’ dazzling light displays to the immersive wonder of Cal Expo’s Imaginarium. Along the way...
Sacramento SPCA Jingle Bell Pup Crawl | 12-4 p.m. | Truitt Bark Park | $35 | Celebrate the pawlidays with holiday activity stations, vendors, drink and food specials, and shopping discounts at participating Midtown businesses.
Rocky Mountain High Experience: “A John Denver Christmas” | Saturday, Dec. 14-Sunday, Dec. 15 | Times vary | Harris Center, Folsom | $62+ | Take me home — Rick Schuler leads this tribute show that includes holiday classics from John Denver’s TV specials and albums.
NorCal Makers Winter Night Market | 3-8 p.m. | Vernon Street Town Square, Roseville | Cost of purchase | Shop small from dozens of local makers + artists while enjoying holiday treats, caroling, and visits from special characters.
Sacramento SantaCon 2024 | 6-11 p.m. | KBar.Doco | $21+ | Dress in your favorite Santa attire and join fellow merrymakers exploring several fun bars in Sac.
Sunday, Dec. 15
Santa Hustle Race Series | 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. | Vernon Street Town Square, Roseville | $65+ | Lace up your sneakers and bundle up for this festive run — choose a half-marathon, 5K, or Kids Dash.
Patchwork Show Sacramento | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | Old Sacramento Waterfront | Cost of purchase | Browse goodies from local makers and show some love to small, creative businesses.
Tuesday, Dec. 17
Polar Express | Through Sunday, Dec. 22 | California State Railroad Museum | $85+ | All aboard — this magical ride to the North Pole will delight the imaginations of little believers.
Thursday, Dec. 19
Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers | 7 p.m. | Golden 1 Center | $98+ | It’s a NorCal vs. SoCal showdown on the court, but we know the crown never backs down.
Friday, Dec. 20
Capital Jazz Project’s Holiday Concert | 7 p.m. | Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts | $38 | Sway to jazzy, festive classics at this joyous “Swingin’ Holidays” show.
Keep that umbrella handy today. The strong storm sweeping our region is expected to intensify this morning, bringing heavy rain and up to 30-40 mph winds. Snow is expected in the Sierra, so if you’re driving that way, expect delays. (ABC 10)
Development
Real estate firm Ethan Conrad Properties has officially closed escrow on Sac’s iconic Renaissance Tower. The firm bought the 28-story, 338,410-sqft office building for $21.4 million with plans to revitalize it and attract new tenants by cutting rent prices. (KCRA)
Sports
Get stoked, Sac. For the next three years, the X Games will be held at Cal Expo. The local venue will host the 30th annual action sports competition on Aug. 22-24, 2025, which will include skateboarding, BMX, and Moto X. Tickets should be available soon. (ABC 10)
Civic
Oak Park homeowners living within a designated area can apply for home repairs via the city’s “Rock the Block” program through Jan. 10, 2025. Repairs could include landscaping, fencing, yard cleanup, exterior paint, roof replacement, and window upgrades. Volunteers will help with local improvement projects in May 2025.
Trending
Athletics 2025 season tickets are on sale through Jan. 9 — or until they sell out. Sales are limited to residents who live within 180 miles of Sutter Health Park, the team’s temporary ballpark for at least the next three years. Single-game tickets will go on sale sometime next month. (ABC 10)
Ranked
Ooh la la. The Kitchen — Sacramento’s upscale, Michelin-starred restaurant — landed on La Liste’s prestigious roundup of top 1,000 restaurants for 2025. The list factored online reviews and reporting by reputable publications to give The Kitchen an 87% score out of 100%.
Community
The city is accepting applications through Jan. 24 for its 2025 Planning Academy. The free, 11-week program is open to Sacramento residents and business owners who want to learn about current planning issues, city plans, and Sac’s future development. The course starts on March 3, 2025.
History
After plenty of research, planning, and public workshops, city council approved the LGBTQ+ Historic Experience Project — an initiative to document and preserve Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ history. City staff will soon begin reaching out to property owners of identified sites that could potentially be awarded historic designation.
Edu
Twin Rivers Unified School District plans to build affordable housing in South Natomas near Chuckwagon Park for its employees struggling to find places to live within the areas they work. The project will include single-family homes, townhouses, fourplexes, and sixplexes. The district hopes it helps retain employees. (The Sacramento Bee)
Cause
Want to help local families in need? Our friends at ABC 10 are taking a “Stand Against Hunger” and calling for donations to support seven local food banks and their ongoing efforts to help Sacramentans facing food insecurity. Donating $5 can provide 15 nutritious meals.
Number
$1,527. Per WalletHub, that’s the average 2024 holiday budget of a Sacramentan. The research calculated the max holiday budget for 550+ US cities using metrics like population, income, age, and ratio of savings to monthly expenses. Pro tip: Start with our gift guide.
Sports
The ongoing chatter about the A’s and their future is making it feel like it’s the A’s against the world. Athletics fans won’t want to miss this one — hear from the local experts with Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.
Home
Did you know new windows could lead to lower energy bills? Read: Modern windows have better insulation. Renewal by Andersen is offering $400 off per window and $850 per door, so you can start the new year by saving on style upgrades for your home. Get your free quote.*
Plan Ahead
There are only a few weeks left in 2024. Use the remainder of your end-of-year budget + get your business in front of thousands. For a limited time, take 25% off ads in our self-service ad portal when you use promo code “2025" at checkout.
City Guide
City Guide
✈️ Prepare for takeoff
The obligatory sculpture photo to let everyone know you’ve landed in Sac. | Photo by SACtoday Staff
The busy holiday travel season is upon us, and we’ve got a little gift for you. If you’re flying via Sacramento International Airport — or SMF — we’ve created a guide that covers everything from terminal upgrades to nonstop flights. Smooth travels, friends.
What to know
Map it out — if you’re like us and need to completely visualize a place before you step foot inside, these maps of the entire airport will be your saving grace.
Current airport updates
Sacramento International Airport is set to undergo a massive renovation known as SMForward. The $1.3 billion project began in the summer of 2024 and will add new walkways, terminal expansions, and additional parking.
As a part of that project, SMF broke ground on a $140 million pedestrian walkway in August 2024. The walkway should connect Terminal B to Concourse B — think: a skybridge with moving sidewalks and escalators.
Nonstop flights
SMF offers 40+ nonstop flights — 36 domestic that go to five US regions, plus five international flights to two countries. Here are five nearby nonstop flights for a quick vacay.
Touch screen compatible gloves. Beat winter dryness + rough skin by keeping hands protected when you’re out and about, thanks to gloves that still let you use your phone.
Talk about livin’ large. A 12,000-sqft home with views of Folsom Lake and Sac’s skyline recently sold for $7 million — the second-highest residential sale ever in the Sacramento region (the most expensive was a home in Loomis that sold this year for $8.25 million).
The 10-acre El Dorado Hills mansion — built by the former CEO of Gymboree — features a home theater, gym, spa, pickleball court, gas station, vineyard, guest house, and an open gourmet kitchen. Um… where do we check in?
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