Bee in the Community

Romance is in the air at Bee Book Club

2012-07-26T19:44:23Z

New York Times bestselling romance novelist Susan Elizabeth Phillips is in town for tonight's Bee Book Club presentation at the Library Galleria. Her latest, "The Great Escape," has more twists and turns than Lombard Street!

Get there early for a good seat because Phillips promises to entertain the audience with the story of Lucy Jorik, the panic-stricken, runaway bride and the adventures she encounters along the way.

As usual, the 6 p.m. event is free and parking is discounted at the parking garage next to the Library, 828 I St., downtown. There will also be a book raffle and a few other surprises. See you there!

Meet Bee people at Grape Escape

2012-06-01T00:09:36Z

On Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Bee will be holding court at Raley's Grape Escape. Located at Table 7 near the 10th and I Street entrance, reporter Chris Macias will be joined by various bloggers and editors who will gladly answer questions. Macias also is one of the Chef's Challenge judges and he knows a thing or two about wine.

We will have some stuff to hand out and everyone who stops by can fill out a form to enter to win a $100 gift card. We know the event is all about food and wine but no one covers those subjects better than The Bee. See you Saturday at Cesar Chavez Park.

Rex Babin tribute section available at The Bee

2012-04-16T23:28:29Z

More than 500 people shared in the life, wit and wisdom of Rex Babin on a glorious Sunday afternoon in the Constitutional Wall Courtyard between the Secretary of State's office and the California Museum.They were treated to a creative and poignant multimedia presentation hosted by The Bee's Editorial Page Editor Stuart Leavenworth.On hand to celebrate the life of their friend and colleague were fellow cartoonists Joel Pett of the Lexington Herald-Leader and Jack Ohman of the Portland Oregonian.

Proceeds from the gathering - which included a silent auction, a special 48-page tribute section of Babin's best-known cartoons and a commemorative bookmark - will go directly to the "Sebastian Babin Education Fund." The fund was set up for Rex and Kathleen Babin's 10-year-old son after the death of his father on March 30.

If you were unable to attend Sunday's gathering but would like a special section or a bookmark, they are now available at The Bee's front counter, 2100 Q St., during regular business hours - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Suggested donation for each item is $5. If you have any questions, call 321-1024 or email pdinsmore@sacbee.com

Join us in "Remembering Rex"

2012-04-13T00:24:40Z

Fans and friends are invited to a special Sunday event, "Remembering Rex" - a celebration of the life, wit and wisdom of The Bee's editorial cartoonist Rex Babin who passed away on March 30.

Bee staff has been working tirelessly to put together a fitting public tribute to Rex, whose cartoons graced the editorial pages of The Bee for 13 years. Sunday's event will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Constitutional Wall Courtyard - between the Secretary of State's office and the California Museum - at 10th and O streets.

Admission is free and will feature a multimedia presentation in the museum's auditorium. On hand will be friends and fellow cartoonists Joel Pett of the Lexington Herald-Leader and Jack Ohman of the Oregonian in Portland. They will be joined by Editorial Page Editor Stuart Leavenworth.

More than 25 cartoons will be on display as well as a "Silent Auction" where you can bid on some of Babin's best work. The staff also created a commemorative section that will be available along with a bookmark.

All proceeds will benefit the "Sebastian Babin Education Fund."

...and the winning word is "toadyism"

2012-03-07T23:10:34Z

The 29th annual California Central Valley Spelling Bee got underway bright and early this morning with 57 antsy students gathering at the Scottish Rite Center. With family, friends and classmates watching, Andrew Eugenio - a 6th grader from Phoenix School - was the first student at the microphone at 9:30 a.m.

When competition concluded nearly 4 hours later, Jack Maglalang was the last student standing as he spelled the winning word "toadyism." Today's victory was Jack's 2nd in a row as he also was the winner in 2011. As the champion, Jack will travel to Washington, D.C., in May to represent The Sacramento Bee in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

As things got started, the words were relatively easy. Everything from "mulligan" to "padre" with a "typewriter" and "halitosis" thrown in. After lunch, however the words got more difficult. At noon, 30 spellers remained out of the original 57 and Andrew was up first with "limburger" - the first word, not what was served for lunch. The competition quickly thinned until there were just 10 spellers left.

Things got a little more tense and the judge's bell started ringing more frequently. In the end it was down to Jack and Savitri Asokan - an 8th grader from Olympus School. Savitri stumbled on "olid" and Jack spelled that and "toadyism" correctly to claim victory. And although only one student took home to winner's trophy, all of the young people were winners for being able to spell words some of the adults in the audience had not even heard before.

For the record, the pronouncer was Bob Nathan, a former Sacramento radio personality. Judges were Cheryl Dell, president and publisher of The Bee; and Margaret Bryan, chief administrator at Shriners Children's Hospital of Northern California. Molly Evangelisti is the Spelling Bee director and Ron Brand, the educational services manager at The Bee, helps to organize the event.

Here's a list of the Top 10 finishers.

Top 10

1. Jack Maglalang, a 6th Grader from Pershing School

2. Savitri Asokan, an 8th grader from Olympus School

3. Catherine Cortez, an 8th grader from St. Basil's

4. Aditya Mishra, (brother of 2010 winner Anvita Mishra) a 5th grader from Excelsior School.

5. Snehaa Ganesh Kumar, a 4th grader from Folsom Hills School

6. Alex Llamado, an 8th grader from Edward Harris School

7. Christina Bussone, an 8th grader from Bridgeway Island School in Yolo County

8. Steven Abramowitz, a 7th grader from Granite Oaks school in Rocklin

9. John Gulden, a 6th grader from Elitha Donner School

10. Alicia Gutierrez an 8th grader from St. Joseph School in Placer County.

Bee invites you to the Spelling Bee

2012-03-01T22:18:03Z

Politics, high gas prices, the arena. Tired of the same old, same old? Then join parents, teachers and friends on Wednesday, March 7, as 57 of the area's top spellers compete in the 29th annual California Central Valley Spelling Bee.

Hosted by The Sacramento Bee with help from Shriners Hospital for Children and Sierra Health Foundation, the winner of the local event will go on to represent the area in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., from May 27-June 1.

Returning to defend his 2011 title will be Jack Maglalang, a 6th grader from Pershing Elementary. Jack will be facing some tough competition this year as Kajal Maran, who finished 2nd in 2010 (the year the spellers we so good officials had to get additional words) and Aditya Mishra, the brother of the 2010 winner Anvita Mishra of Roseville.

The event begins at 9:30 sharp at the Scottish Rite Center at 6151 H St. in Sacramento. Pronouncer Bob Nathan will be joined by judges Cheryl Dell, president and publisher of The Bee, and Margaret Bryan, chief administrator at Shriners.

The public is invited to join the families and friends who will be there to cheer on their favorite speller and to see who will take home the trophy for 2012.

Come to The Bee's health fair

2012-02-08T19:24:09Z

On Thursday, Feb. 16, members of the Sacramento medical community, Fleet Feet, Taylor's Market, the Natural Foods Co-Op, the Heart Association and the Cancer Society will be at The Bee to help everyone get "heart healthy."

February is "American Heart Month" and a good time to start thinking about wellness. The free community event is sponsored by The Bee and will feature Dr. Inder Singh, a cardiologist from the Mercy Medial Group and one of his patients. In addition to the medical advice, participants will get information on easy exercise - like walking - nutritional alternatives to fast food and lots of heart-healthy stuff.

You must register to attend this event. It will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 21st and Q streets in Midtown Sacramento. Free parking is available on 21st. To register, call 916-321-1664 or go to www.BeeBuzzpoints.com and click on the ad the the "Healthy Heart" event.

Concert will put you in the holiday spirit

2011-12-01T00:09:29Z

Wednesday night's free concert at the Community Center Theatre promises to put the audience in the holiday spirit. Sponsored by The Bee and featuring the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West, tonight's performance is sold out BUT any seats not claimed by 6:45 will be available to the public.

So if you're the gamblin' type and are willing to bet the wind might keep some folks home, come on downtown to the theater and take your chances. If you get a seat, you will be treated to Captain Haley Armstrong - conductor of the band - and The Honeybee (no relation) Trio.

The program includes such holiday favorites as "Ave Maria," "Jingle Bells," "White Christmas" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."

See you there!

Author wows SRO crowd at Library Galleria

2011-11-04T23:02:18Z

More than 425 of his biggest fans gathered Thursday evening to hear author Erik Larson at the final gathering of The Bee Book Club for 2011. The Library Galleria was set up for 300 people, but readers just kept arriving - even after the 6 p.m. start time.

Larson, who flew in from Seattle earlier in the day, garnered one of the largest crowds in Book Club history. He was witty, provacative and stayed until every last copy of "In The Garden of Beasts," was autographed.

Representatives from Barnes and Noble sold out off books and reports from the stores in the area told the same story. Stay tunned for the 2012 list of Book Club authors.

Meet author Erik Larson on Thursday

2011-11-02T00:56:30Z

The Bee Book Club is hosting is final author of 2011 Thursday evening at the Downtown Library Galleria. Erik Larson, who specializes in nonfiction, will speak at 6 p.m.

His book, "In the Garden of Beasts," tells the story of 1933 Berlin during Hitler's first year as German chancellor. The story is told through the eyes of William Dodd, the first U.S. ambassador to Nazi Germany, and his daughter, Martha.

Larson will give a presentation, answer questions and autograph "Beasts."

The event is free. For more information, please call 321-1024.

Mark your calendars for authors, Scoopy and Pearls

2011-07-12T00:08:34Z

Hope you already have marked your calendar for the July Bee Book Club this Thursday at 6 p.m. at Borders on Fair Oaks Boulevard. Dorthea Benton Frank is bringing her South Carolina charm to Sacramento for a combination reading, talk and book signing. Benton's book is "Folly Beach" and it's definitely a great summer read.

Also in July, The Bee will be in full force at the State Fair, which opens Thursday and runs through July 31. Come stop by The Bee booth and meet the people who bring you the paper, including our mascot "Scoopy."

And lastly, we scored a major personality for our September Book Club. He's not so much an author as he is a cartoonist and he is Stephan Pastis, the creator of "Pearls Before Swine." Come see Stephan Pastis on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. at Borders Books. Watch The Bee for more info.

Bee Book Club hosts author Jeff Shaara

2011-06-09T00:08:22Z

Looking for an event that will definitely be worth the price of admission ? Then come join us Thursday night at The Bee Book Club. We will be taking over the downtown Library Galleria at 6 p.m. to host bestselling author Jeff Shaara. Shaara's book, "The Final Storm," is his last in a series on World War II. The event is free and open to the public.

This final chapter of Shaara's war stories takes readers to the Pacific as "the Americans mount a furious assault on the last great steppingstone to Japan itself - the heavily fortified island of Okinawa."

At Thursday's gathering, Shaara will read from his novel, answer questions and autograph copies of his book, which - thanks to Borders - will be on sale for 30% off.

The Bee Book Club event begins at 6 p.m. in the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 828 I St. If you have any questions, send an email to pdinsmore@sacbee.com

Join us tonight at The Bee Book Club

2011-04-21T20:21:03Z

Looking for a free, fun event tonight? Join us at The Bee Book Club and hear our featured author Hallie Ephron talk about her latest novel, "Come and Find Me." She is speaking at 6 p.m. at Borders Books on Fair Oaks Boulevard. If you want to get a preview of her talk, check out her interview this morning on Capital Public Radio's Insight program where Ephron was interviewed by Jeffrey Callison. www.capradio.org/insight

Tonight's performance will feature an introduction by senior writer Allen Pierleoni, a book give-away and a Q&A session with Ephron. Afterward she will sign copies of her book.

If you want more details, give Al a call at 321-1128. Otherwise, we'll see you tonight.

Bee's "Scoopy" wins Teams of Clay competition

2011-04-15T23:35:41Z

California Museum opens exhibit on California Indians

2011-04-02T00:31:46Z

The California Museum has opened a new 3,000 square-foot exhibit highlighting California Indians. From artifacts, photographs, documents, art and multimedia presentations, this unique display tells the stories of California's Native Peoples.

The exhibit, "California Indians: Making a Difference," includes mroe than 400 artifacts and represents more than 150 tribes from across the state. Upon entering the exhibit, visitors will be met by women weaving baskets, a full-size canoe and artifacts from the earliest days of California. Other highlights include the fur cape and arrowhead made by Ishi, who is said to be Califoarnia's best-known Indian, and "The Chipped Stone Bear," California's official prehistoric artifact.

It's definitely a must see for parents and fourth-graders who are studying California history. On opening night, even Gov. Jerry Brown got a lesson in basket-weaving.

For more information, go to www.CaliforniaMuseum.org.

The museum is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It is located at 1020 O St. and easily accessible on Light Rail.