Things to do in Sacramento

Sacramento's Ace of Spades nightclub not only filled an important niche locally -- as an all-ages club drawing national headlining acts -- when it opened last year. It also ranked well among all clubs and theaters where music is played.

According to Pollstar magazine, Ace of Spades ranked 52nd internationally in ticket sales among clubs and theaters. That was several spots ahead of clubs like the Roxy and the Palladium in Los Angeles.

Ace of Spades sold nearly 56,000 tickets in 2011, according to Pollstar figures.

Ace of Spades next will distinguish itself as the local venue chosen for a show by hometown favorites Chino Moreno (Deftones) and Shaun Lopez (Far). Their new, electronic-driven group Crosses will perform Friday night.

Look for an interview with Moreno and Lopez in Friday's Ticket section. For information or tickets, see the Aces of Spades site.

By Sam McManis

smcmanis@sacbee.com

Museumgoers will be in for a treat this Saturday when the Sacramento Association of Museums, in association with Umpqua Bank, presents the 14th annual Museum Day.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., some 28 museums will be participating, offering free or reduced-cost admission. For more information, go to http://www.sacmuseums.org/museumday.html. The annual event has added two new museums to its lineup -- the Center for Contemporary Art at 1519 19th Street in Sacramento and the Sacramento Children's Museum at 2701Prospect Drive in Rancho Cordova.

The following is a list of the participating museums:

Aerospace Museum of California

California Automobile Museum

California Foundry History Museum

The California Museum

California State Capitol Museum

California State Indian Museum

California State Military Museum

California State Railroad Museum

Center for Contemporary Art

Crocker Art Museum

Discovery Museum Science and Space Center

The Don and June Salvatori California Pharmacy Museum

Fairytale Town•

Folsom History Museum

Governor's Mansion State Historic Park

Heidrick Ag History Center (Woodland)

Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park

Museum of Medical History

Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum

Old Sacramento State Historic Park

Sacramento Children's Museum

Sacramento Zoo•

Sacramento Historic City Cemetery

Sacramento History Museum

Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum

Sutter's Fort State Historic Park

Wells Fargo History Museum (Old Sacramento and Downtown locations).

• All listed Museums will offer free admission on Museum Day except for the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town which will offer half-priced admission.

In celebration of Black History Month, the Sacramento Public Library will present a variety of culturally oriented programs for all ages at its 28 library locations, throughout February.

Included will be art displays and hands-on arts-and-crafts projects, drumming and dancing, storytelling, genealogy workshops, movies, cooking and recipe-sharing, and much more.

For more information: (916) 264-2920, www.saclibrary.org.

In today's A&E section of The Bee, I wrote about the biggest movies scheduled to open in 2012. Here are trailers for several of those films.

"John Carter" (March 9):

"The Hunger Games" (March 23):

"Mirror, Mirror" (March 30):

:

"Snow White and the Huntsman" (June 1):

"The Avengers" (May 4):

"Men in Black 3" (May 25):

"Prometheus" (June 6):

"The Amazing Spider-Man" (July 3):

"The Dark Knight Rises" (July 20):

"The Hobbit" (Dec. 14):

The grassroots "A Place Called Sacramento" usually is associated with spring and summer, when local screenwriters, filmmakers and actors make 10-minute films through the Access Sacramento program. The films then show in early October on the big screen at the Crest Theatre.

This year, "Place Called Sacramento" has a winter screening component. The 2011 "PCS" films will show at the Crocker Museum Feb. 2 in an encore presentation.

The 6:30 p.m. event will kick off the 2012 PCS film festival, which starts as a contest for budding screenwriters who want to submit scripts -- all of which must reference Sacramento in some way -- for consideration. Ten scripts will be chosen, and the selected screenwriters will be paired with actors and crew during an open cast and crew call.

Tickets to the Crocker event are $4 for museum members and $8 for non-members if purchased in advance at the Crocker admissions desk (216 O St., Sacramento) or via its website. Tickets for non-members will be $10 the evening of the show.

Shine some light on potential energy savings - and get some free bulbs, too.

The Home Depot's Natomas store in Sacramento will offer a free workshop on energy-efficient light bulbs at 10 a.m. Saturday. During the workshop, the store will give away 200 CFL bulbs to attendees.

The compact fluorescent lights are among the replacement options for traditional incandescent bulbs now being phased out. Experts estimate that consumers can save up to 70 percent on their energy cost for lighting by switching away from incandescent bulbs.

This educational workshop will detail the phase-out and various lighting options as well as provide handy tips for installing specialty light bulbs, fixtures and dimmer switches.

The Home Depot is the nation's largest light bulb supplier. The Truxel store, for example, carries more than 100 kinds of energy-efficient bulbs.

The workshop will be held at The Home Depot's Natomas store, located 3611 Truxel Road, Sacramento. For more details on lighting and bulb options, click on www.homedepot.com/lightbulb.

The Northern California Home & Landscape Expo opens today at Cal Expo. The state's largest three-day home show features hundreds of vendors.

Among the guest speakers are Sacramento author and garden designer Michael Glassman, water-wise garden expert Roberta Walker and Japanese maples expert Barry Hoffer.

Where: Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento

When: Noon-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Admission: $7 general; children age 12 and under admitted free; $2 senior special (age 60 and up) Friday only

Details and complete schedule: homeandlandscapeexpo.com

Mark your calendar: Month-by-month guide to home and garden shows in 2012

There's still time before the Feb. 26 Oscars telecast to catch the best-picture nominees - some on the big screen, others on the smaller screen at home.

Here's where - in the Sacramento region - to see the nine movies up for best picture:

"The Artist": Tower Theatre, Century (Stadium, Laguna, Folsom), Regal El Dorado Hills, United Artists Olympus Pointe, Palladio in Folsom, Blue Oaks in Rocklin.

By Sam McManis

smcmanis@sacbee.com

Davis is getting into the flea-market business with a new monthly bazaar, starting this Sunday at the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 First Street in Davis.

And, Davis being Davis, organizers are saying the flea market is not about capitalism but "is a non profit driven social enterprise, promoting sustainability and opportunity" that will "divert your clutter from the landfill and into the hands of new owners."

Those seeking to be a vendor can apply at http://www.facebook.com/davisflea.

UC Davis is getting all the good shows. First there's Wilco's long-sold-out show Feb. 1 at the Mondavi Center for the Arts. Now, Drake and Florence and the Machine are coming to UC Davis.

Not together, but that would have been interesting.

Rapper and singer Drake (a.k.a. Jimmy from "DeGrassi") will appear March 7 at ARC Pavilion. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Tickets.com . The Lil' Wayne protege has had a string of hits, including "Find Your Love" and "Fancy."

Florence and the Machine ("Dog Days") will play the Mondavi Center April 18. Presale tickets will be on sale from 10 a.m.-noon today through or Ticketmaster. Tickets are $42.50. The password for the presale is "shake." Regular tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

"The Last Crop," a documentary film about the efforts to preserve local farms, will screen, next Tuesday evening at Sacramento's Sierra 2 Community Center,

Directed by filmmaker Chuck Schultz,"The Last Crop" tells the story of Jeff and Annie Main of Good Humus, who like many farming families, confront an uncertain future as development makes incursions on their rural community. The tale is told against the backdrop of children choosing careers off the farm.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with filmmaker Schultz, Jeff and Annie Main, plus farmer Eric Hart and Paul Cultrera, general Manager of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op.

Get some outdoor exercise while helping a relatively new garden bloom.

From 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, volunteers will prune the Natomas Rose Garden, located at 2921 Truxel Road, Sacramento. Bring gloves and pruners.

Open in 2008, the .4-acre garden is adjacent to the library in the South Natomas Community Park and offers local residents a flower-filled haven from spring through late fall. It's also used for weddings and community events.

Questions? Call (916) 359-7411 or click on www.natomasrosegarden.org.

The announcement of Academy Award nominations this morning immediately prompted a scan of the list for who was left out.

The most notable omission wasAlbert Brooks'supporting performance as a crime boss in "Drive." Brooks collected several critics' awards, a Golden Globe nomination, and was once considered Christopher Plummer 's (Golden Globe winner and now Oscar nominee for "Beginners") main competition for the Academy Award.

The lack of a directing nomination for Steven Spielberg also counts as a snub, given that his "War Horse" made the best-picture list. It's puzzling because Spielberg's pictures are so, well, Spielbergian, that one cannot easily separate director and picture.

Chocolate and wine complement each other like a newly minted romantic couple. Given that, maybe Lodi's 15th annual Wine & Chocolate Weekend should be on your pre-Valentine's Day agenda.

The idea is to hop from winery to winery - more than 40 of them - for wine-and-chocolate pairings, appetizers, barrel tastings, cellar tours, entertainment, chances to win prizes, and more.

It'll be happening from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, Feb. 11-12. Tickets are $45 per person ($55 at the door) and include a commemorative wine glass, a tin of chocolates (look for the Golden Ticket prize inside) and admission to participating wineries.

To buy tickets and for more information: (209) 365-0621, www.lodiwineandchocolate.com.

By Debbie Arrington

darrington@sacbee.com

Learn how to make your own grafted fruit trees Sunday at the annual Scion Exchange, presented by the Sacramento Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers.

Select from more than 100 varieties of fruit trees -- including some unusual and heirloom varieties rarely seen elsewhere -- at this special event, set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at the UC Cooperative Extension office, 4145 Branch Center Road, Sacramento.

Suggested admission is a $2 donation. Grafting branches -- scions -- as well as root stock will be available for an additional donation. Grafting demonstrations and advice also will be offered.

Even if it's not raining, outdoors enthusiasts will don hip waders Thursday through Sunday and head to Cal Expo for the annual International Sportsman's Exposition, which features products, demonstrations and contests galore.

Highlights include the dog dock jumping contest and sports dog agility competition, as well as a casting for accuracy contest for anglers. Among the display highlights is the Eastman Trophy Deer Display, and seminars include a bass tank demonstration from professional bass fishermen and tips about fishing for Delta Stripers.

Cost is $15 per day; kids 15 and under are free. Parking is $10. Thursday and Friday, the expo goes from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday's hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, go to www.sportsexpos.com.

--Sam McManis

We can thank Pope Gelasius I for creating Valentine's Day - Feb. 14 - named after Christian martyr Saint Valentine. The romantic observance is a day of flowers, candy, greeting cards and of course, images of Cupid, the Roman god of affection.

Maybe you can use some of that info as part of your introductory line at the upcoming Sacramento Public Library's third annual speed-dating get-together. It's free and fills up fast.

"We bring together 20 men and 20 women, and we're hoping for a little romance," said Jessica Zaker, branch supervisor at the North Sacramento Library. "There definitely have been some matches, but beyond that it's a nice way to make friends and talk with people you wouldn't ordinarily strike up a conversation with."

Each participant should bring a book "as a way of tying the event into the library, and to have something to talk about (as an ice-breaker)," she said.

What kinds of books has she seen at past speed-dating soirees? "Philosophy, art, sometimes childhood favorites like 'Charlotte's Web.' It depends on their interest."

The speed-dating event will start at 2 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Central Library, 828 I St., Sacramento. To register, go to tinyurl.com/76rhbkx.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers'sold-out shows scheduled for Feb. 17 and Feb. 18 at Oakland's Oracle Arena have been rescheduled for Aug. 14 and Aug. 15.

According to the band's website, the Chili Peppers' whole U.S. tour had to be rescheduled after Anthony Kiedis injured his foot and underwent surgery.

Tickets to the original shows will be honored on the new dates, and refunds can be obtained at points of purchase until March 16.

The Sacramento music scene will never please everybody, no matter how many shows are happening. Tastes are too disparate, ambitions too keen and opinions too passionate.

That's why the panel discussion "The State of Live Music in Sacramento," at 7 p.m. Sunday at Time Tested Books (1114 21st St.), promises to be a lively event.

Music promoters Jerry Perry, Brian McKenna, Mindy Giles and Rick Ele (KDVS), along Olivia Coelho of vintage-clothing store, cafe, gallery and performance space Bows & Arrows, will appear, with Dennis Yudt moderating.

The event is free. There will be a post-discussion Q&A, during which audience members can offer their 2 cents on the scene. But they'll have to wait until after the Q&A to bust out their demos.

This beautiful, mild weather paid another dividend: An extra early plant sale by perennials guru Robert Hamm.

Known for his charity plant sales to help children and families impacted by AIDS, Hamm is hosting a special January backyard sale from noon to 4 p.m. today and Saturday at 3072 24th St., Sacramento.

"This unusual warm dry weather has a number of things ready to go in the ground for an early start," Hamm said.

In addition to scores of perennials, this sale will offer begonia starters and a few unusual gladioli, he said. Checks or cash only; no credit or debit cards.

"I am hoping we can raise $5,000 for the kids at Sunburst Projects this year, which is the 30th anniversary of their helping kids and families deal with HIV/AIDS," Hamm said.

Hamm also needs something else: More plastic pots.

"I am also almost out of pots," he said, "so any used pots you don't need would be appreciated since I'm trying to use all recycled pots and not have to invest hundreds of dollars in pots."

To learn more or get a copy of Hamm's Garden Notes, e-mail gardennotes@sbcglobal.net.

Sacramento's Mondo Bizarro Cafe (1827 I St.) returns us to when movie teenagers wore suits to school, and fresh-faced, fashion-forward Molly Ringwald was considered fortunate to have cute guys talk to her.

The cafe will show 1980s John Hughes movies throughout January. "Sixteen Candles" screened last week (sorry, Jake Ryan fans), but tonight you can catch "Pretty in Pink" . Admission is free, and the film starts at 7:30.

"Pink" stars former Sacramentan Ringwald and two of the best Hughes sidekicks this side of The Geek: Duckie (Jon Cryer) and Iona (Annie Potts).

"The Breakfast Club" plays Jan. 19, "Weird Science" Jan. 26.

PHOTO: UNIVERSAL

By Anne Gonzales

The largest and longest-running ecological agricultural gathering on the West Coast, the 32nd annual EcoFarm Conference, is set for Feb. 1 to 4 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove.

The annual conference draws more than 1,500 attendees, including farmers, ranchers, researchers, marketers, activists, students and educators, to network and learn about the newest ecological farm techniques and equipment. More than 60 workshops and technical sessions will cover a wide array of ecological farming and food distribution technology and issues.

A farmer discussion group is scheduled during the weekend event. The event will also feature an exhibitor marketplace, wine, artisan beer and cheese tastings, organic food, live entertainment and an awards ceremony.

For more information and to register online, go to www.ecofarmconference.org.

The Sacramento French Festival, now 10 years old, offers events beyond its annual, can't-miss summer festival at the Crest. One is a short-film screening.

This year's screening will happen Feb. 4 at Verge Center for the Arts, 625 S St., Sacramento.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for drinks and free pizza from Luigi's Slice. DJ Christophe will spin French tunes. The films start at 7:30.

Admission is $5, or free for Friends of the French Film Festival.

For information, see the festival website

By Sam McManis

smcmanis@sacbee.com

Davis is getting into the flea-market business with a new monthly bazaar, starting Jan. 29 at the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 First Street in Davis.

And, Davis being Davis, organizers are saying the flea market is not about capitalism but "is a non profit driven social enterprise, promoting sustainability and opportunity" that will "divert your clutter from the landfill and into the hands of new owners."

Those seeking to be a vendor can apply at http://www.facebook.com/davisflea.

Making the most of beautiful and dry weather, local rosarians and nurseries will try to inspire gardeners to get out and prune with several free workshops and clinics.

Tonight, The Bee's garden writer Debbie Arrington will moderate a rose pruning workshop with members of the Sacramento Rose Society at Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento. Starting at 7:30 p.m., the event offers hands-on instruction on how to tackle even the gnarliest bushes. Bring pruners and gloves. Tool sharpening available for donation.

This weekend, Capital Nursery will offer five pruning clinics at its Sacramento location at 4700 Freeport Blvd. Horticulturist Mike Runner will lead the workshops to be presented at 9 and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday. For more details, click on www.capitalnursery.com or call (916) 455-2601.

Saturday at 10 a.m., Green Acres Nursery & Supply will present "How's Your Orchard?" Learn about planting, pruning and maintenance of fruit trees during the bareroot season at both Green Acres' locations: 8501 Jackson Road, Sacramento, and 901 Galleria Blvd., Roseville. See www.idiggreenacres.com for more information.

But that's just a taste. There are many more places to sharpen your skills.

By Al Pierleoni

apierleoni@sacbee.com

We all like to save money whenever we can, and couponing is a quick and easy way to do it. The strategy has caught fire recently and a long list of books have been devoted to it.

To get you started, Sacramento Bee Buzz Points is sponsoring two free extreme-couponing classes next week. Experts from www.grocerysmarts.com will dispel couponing myths and show savvy shoppers how to save hundreds of dollars on groceries and household items.

The one-hour classes are at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 and 4. p.m. Jan. 19 at Skycrest Elementary School, 5641 Mariposa Ave., Citrus Heights.

To register: www.beebuzzpoints.com.

For more information: (916) 321-1664.

Buzz Points is The Bee's reader rewards program.

By Sam McManis

smcmanis@sacbee.com

Satisfy your inner child -- or reward yourself for what you were denied as a child -- by viewing thousands and model trains and railroad tracks at the annual Great Train Expo Saturday and Sunday at Cal Expo.

Experts in the field of model train construction and operation will be on hand for seminars and merchants selling trains and train components will have booths during the two-day affair, which also features "intricately detailed to familiar local scenes of the past and present or that exist only in the designer's imagination," according to a news release.

Admission is $7 for adults. Children 12 and under are free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Just when a Sacramento rock fan is starting to despair that most acts are skipping our town, news comes along to lift spirits.

The Black Keys, that ultra-cool yet self-effacing rock, blues and alternative duo, will perform May 5 at Power Balance Pavilion. Arctic Monkeys opens.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster (800-745-3000). The presale starts at 10 a.m. Thursday. Password is PBP 3.
,.
May 5 is a Saturday. So it's not the usual midweek concert Sacramento tends to get.

PHOTO CAPTION: The Black Keys, Patrick Carney, right, and Dan Auerbach accept the award for best alternative music album during the pre-telecast at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/ Matt Sayles

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

A revamped ticket sales process for the Burning Man art and music festival launched at noon today.

The summer festival moved to rework its ticketing process after the event sold out for the first time last year.

Held on a dry lake bed 110 miles north of Reno, the event draws attendees from all over the world. The inhospitable environment is turned in to a temporary city by free-spirited participants.

So many trees and shrubs, so much to prune. Whether you're tackling roses, shrubs or trees, get advise on pruning from local experts.

Bring gloves and take part, or learn while watching. There's an event nearby to sharpen pruning skills.

Looking for something special, such as advice of Japanese maples or old garden roses? Read on.

Whether recipes are handed down on stained, old recipe cards or shared from one generation to the next, most families have got a book's worth of them.

The Sacramento Public is hosting a series of classes (Jan. 21 and 28; Feb. 4, 11, 25; and March 3) to help you compile recipes from your family. You'll learn how to focus on which recipes to select, how to gather, test and transcribe old written recipes into modern directions.

The series of six classes takes place on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon in the Community Room of the Belle Cooledge Library, 500 South Land Park Drive, Sacramento. Early registration (hurry, the deadline's Jan. 7) is $241. Regular registration is $267

Get in the makeover mood - and maybe learn something, too - at the California State Home and Garden Show, which opens today at the Sacramento Convention Center. The three-day show features hundreds of vendors plus special presentations aimed at inspiration for the new year.

Seniors, age 62 and older, get a special discount today only: $3 admission. Otherwise, general admission is $5; children and youths age 16 and under will be admitted free.

Headlining all three days is comedian-author-cleaning guru Joey Green and his wacky uses for household products. Green, author of 47 books, has appeared on numerous TV shows, prompting such hosts as Jay Leno, David Letterman, Barbara Walters, Martin Short and Rosie O'Donnell to try name-brand products in very unconventional ways such as shaving with Jif peanut butter or polishing furniture with Spam.

The announcement something called Big Time Rush would be coming to Memorial Auditorium evoked images of a laser-show tribute to the Canadian prog-rock band Rush.

That's because I'm a non-tween.

Big Time Rush is a boy band with a show on Nickelodeon and smooth dance moves and harmonies in the Backstreet Boys mode. Only without the threatening facial hair.

Tickets to the Feb. 20 show are $25-$45. To purchase tickets, call (916) 808-5181 or (800) 225-2277 or visit Tickets.com

By Edward Ortiz
eortiz@sacbee.com

One thing can always be counted on when the San Francisco Symphony comes to the Mondavi Center. Actually, two.

The first is a stellar musicianship - an almost given with this orchestra. The second is the delivery of an interesting and deeply thought-provoking work.

The Sacramento Philharmonic is bringing David Kim, concertmaster of the acclaimed Philadelphia Orchestra, to Sacramento and Folsom for a performance of Camille Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3.

Kim, who has been Concertmaster of the famed orchestra since 1999, was introduced to the violin at 3 years old when his mother, a well-known pianist in her native Korea, put an eighth size violin in his hands.

It proved the beginning of a stellar career.

Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton, will become Mr. Brooks for a night when he performs Feb. 4 at Cache Creek Casino Resort.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $49-$75, and can be purchased via the Cache Creek website.

And for you bobby soxers mad for the "Danke Schoen" singer: Sorry, but the show is for ages 21 and older.