District 8 Annual Summer Concert Series

Sacramento City Council District 8 is once again hosting its Annual Summer Concert Series at the following locations.  Each concert will run from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

• Saturday, June 4, North Laguna Park, 6400 Jacinto
• Sunday, June 26, Shasta Park, 7407 Shasta Ave.
• Sunday, August 7, Nielsen Park, 7600 Center Parkway
• Saturday, August 20, Meadowview Park, 7760 24th Street.

These are drug and alcohol free events. No glass containers allowed!  Bring your lawn chairs and a picnic.

For more information, please call 916-808-7337 or 916-808-7008.

May 21st Rummage Sale to Benefit Paratransit

Paratransit, Inc. is holding a Rummage Sale this Saturday, May 21, 2011 from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm at 2501 Florin Road, Sacramento. 

Proceeds from this event will be used to send their State Champion Bus Roadeo Team to Indianapolis.  There they will compete in the International Bus Roadeo sponsored by the Community Transportation Association of America.  Paratransit's team has won California's top award  for four consecutive years.  Way to go guys and gals!

For more information, please contact Paratransit, Inc. at 916-429-2009, ext. 0.

Go Ape for the 2nd Annual Banana Splitacular!

Join our friends from the Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum and Development Center for their 2nd Annual Banana Splitacular. 

This tasty event will be Saturday, August 13 from 10 am to 7 pm, and Sunday, August 14 from 10 am to 5 pm, at William Land Park (corner of Freeport & Sutterville Road, Sacramento).

Bring your appetite because there will be all kinds of banana-themed goodness, including banana foods from around the world, banana popcorn, fried plaintains, a banana split eating contest, banana cakes and pies, and more! 

There will also be a banana golf tournament, a 5K run, art and photo exhibits, live entertainment and cultural performances, a Smashed Chef challenge, and a Little Miss and Mr. Banana Pageant (how cute is that?).

Don't miss all this great food & fun!  Tickets on sale now. They're $5 in advance, $7 at the gate.  Kids 5 and under are FREE.  Visit http://www.bananafest.org/ for more information.  For vendor & volunteer opportunities, email Shonna at shonna@sojarts.net

Strawberry Fields Forever

Yes, so far this week in Northern California has been filled with rain, wind, and snow, but that hasn’t deterred the strawberry plants in my garden from setting fruit.  Yes, they’re still small and tart, but they hold the promise of sweet plumpness (if the birds and the bugs don’t get to them first!) 

So with that in mind, it’s time to start thinking about the 19th Annual Strawberry Festival hosted by the Florin Historical Society. The event celebrates the spring strawberry harvest dating back to 1875 when Florin was the "Strawberry Capital of the World". 

This year's yummy event will be on Saturday, June 11^th, from 11 am to 3 pm, at the Old Florin Town Park behind the Promised Lodge (7145 McComber Street at Florin Road, Sacramento).  And hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate with great weather and tasty strawberries!

Strawberries & ice cream will be $3 a bowl all day and raffle tickets will be $1 a ticket, or 6 tickets for $5.

The Florin Historical Society is asking for your help to make this event a success.  If you can volunteer, donate raffle prizes, or if you're interested in having a booth as a food vendor or crafter, please contact them by telephone at 916-383-6392, by email at fhs111875@yahoo.com, or by mail at 7145 McComber Street, Florin, CA  95828.

You Can Make History!

You can make history, or at least help write it. 

The Florin Historical Society is assisting Arcadia Publishing Company of San Francisco with a book about Florin, California.  They are seeking information, articles, and photos about the history of this town. 

If you can help, please contact the Florin Historical Society Museum by telephone at 916-383-6392, by email at fhs111875@yahoo.com, or by mail at 7145 McComber Street, Florin, CA  95828.

A Perfect Shopportunity

Looking for the perfect gift for that new grad,
expectant dad, or blushing bride?

Take some of the stress out of your to-do list by visiting our shopping portal at www.igive.com/FlorinRoadFoundation. 

As the site says, "Searching or Shopping means a donation. It's just that free and easy. A penny or more per search, a $5 bonus for your first purchase and up to 26% of your purchases at over 730 stores like Amazon, eBay, Travelocity, Home Depot, Staples, and many, many more. Plus you SAVE money with exclusive coupons/free shipping deals."

And believe us, these donations do add up and help offset our operational expenses.  And many of our Florin Road corridor merchants participate in the program. Several stores allow you to place your order online and then quickly pick-it up at the store when it's convenient for you.  That's a great way to save time and not have the hassle of standing in long lines.

As a small non-profit, the best part of the igive.com program is that we don't have to pay any fees to participate.  And you won't pay extra to participate, either. The donations come from the stores you search or shop.  It's really a win-win for everyone.  So give it a try today and let us know what you think of the program.

Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

You can take a stand against hunger in our community.  This Saturday, May 14, 2011 is the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, an annual event sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers. 

It's so easy to participate!  Just collect & bag non-perishable food items, then place by your mailbox for your letter carrier to pick up.