Sacramento, CA

Happy New Year everyone! I figured that there had to be at least a couple of people who don’t have anywhere to be on New Year’s Eve this year and I thought I’d enlighten you. Anyway, the big party to close out the year will be at the Hilton. The Professionals Guild is holding their biggest singles party of the year at the hotel. Tickets are only $50.00 for members. However, unlike the Halloween party, tickets can now only be purchased over the phone at 916-786-5858. If you’re not a member, the rate is $65.00 if you purchase them by tomorow at 6:00PM. These tickets can be purchased online and picked up at the Will Call Station. Tickets are also available at the hotel front desk for the same price before the party starts. The party will go from 8:30PM to 1:00AM.

Innersoul and The Groove Thang will be playing simultaneously in different rooms. A DJ will be playing different music in a third room and the fourth ballroom at the Hilton will be transformed into a mini-Casino. All guests will receive two free drink tickets as well. In addition, there will be champagne fountains and a big balloon drop at midnight. The dres code is semi-formal. Casual dress will not be allowed and a coat and tie are preferred.

Since everyone will likely be drinking, the hotel is offering a special room rate for partygoers. Rates begin at $139 and go to $189 depending on the type of package and room you want to get. If you are reserving your room online, make sure to enter the promotional code ANY when prompted. Be safe and have a very Merry New Year’s Eve!!!

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As I was sitting and enjoying a cup of Ginger Snappish tea this morning, it occurred to me that I never told anyone about the Gingerbread Houses that are currently on display at the Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum. Every December, people are invited to design their own glorious gingerbread creations to be displayed and judged at the Schoolhouse. Anyway, judging for this year is long past–it was on December 8th. However, the delectable creations are still on display through Sunday, December 23rd.

In any case, it’s the perfect opportunity to escape reality for a few moments when you start to get too stressed out. With only a scant few days left before Christmas, God knows we’re ALL feeling at least a little bit stressed out. There are presents still to be bought and wrapped, cleaning to be done, cookies to be baked, groceries to be bought, anxiety that Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary will get drunk and fight AGAIN…and well, you get the picture I’m sure! As for me, I’m STILL not done making my sister’s Christmas gift and she’s coming tonight so I’m not quite sure that I’ll be able to finish it without her knowing what it is. *ARGGGG!!!!!!*

The point is that we could all use a little bit of a break and I can’t think of anything better than to escape to a land where houses are made of candy and children’s innocence lives on unchecked. If you can’t manage to escape for even a couple minutes, then I reccommend you check out Mary MacIntyre’s page. She has a couple of other really brilliant ideas for how to relax amidst all of the stress this season inevitably brings with it.

And if that doesn’t work, you can always try getting a tad bit drunk

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Against all odds, the missing Dominguez family was blessed with their own Christmas miracle when they were found alive and well yesterday afternoon. They had been missing since Sunday when they got lost looking for the perfect Christmas tree. Many people believed that they would not be found alive as the mountains saw a ton of snowfall over the past couple of day. Somehow, by some miracle they managed to survive with only mild hypothermia.

The family didn’t have any food or water and no survival skills. Yet somehow they managed to live through their ordeal anyway. They apparently camped out in a concrete tunnel underneath a mountian road. They wrote the word “Help” in the snow and a helicopter pilot–who wasn’t even supposed to fly because of the weather–found the father waving his hands in the air next to it. Anyway, I won’t go into more details, but you can read them yourself in today’s Sacramento Bee.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who prayed for their safe return. Few people believed that they would be found safe and sound–yet somehow it still happened. It just goes to show you how much can be accomplished with the power of prayer. In any case, because of this little miracle, this is certain to be the best Christmas the Dominguez family will ever have!!

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On Sunday afternoon, Frederick Dominguez and his three children–Christopher, Alexis, and Joshua–disappeared in the mountains near Inskip where they were looking for a Christmas tree. None of them were prepared for a long trip out in the snow. In fact, they were only wearing T-Shirts, jeans, light jackets, and sneakers.

They certainly weren’t prepared for the snow storms that have been hitting the area over the past couple of days. As of now, rescue teams are hoping that they managed to find someplace to hide out during the storm–like one of the many cabins that dot the area. However, tehre has been no trace of them so far and Madde Watts of the Butte County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team said that “The elevation ranges from 4,000 to 6000. It’s been really cold up there. The weather has moved in, the terrain is difficult. It’s desperate, all right.”

In any case, their future isn’t looking too good right now so I would entreat anyone who believes to pray for their safe return. It would be such an immense tragedy for their mother to lose her entire family so close to Christmas–especially over a Christmas tree. Frankly, I think there have been quite enough tragedies this year already…

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It just isn’t Christmas until you’ve seen at least one performance of The Nutcracker Ballet. I don’t know if it’s the appeal of a dream world where fantasy can become reality or the irresistable pull of Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, but there is just something so devestatingly sweet about this ballet that renders it both heartbreaking for the innocence that we have lost yet soothing for the innocence that it awakens in us anew. Whatever the reason, it is one of those stories from my youth that I just can’t leave behind this time of year.

Lucky for all of us fanatics of nostalgia here in Sacramento, we don’t have to leave it behind. We get to embrace it annually without fear that it wno’t be around next year. We are forever safe in the knowledge that Ron Cunningham’s version of The Nutcracker has been playing at the Sacrmaneot Ballet for two decades and that it shall likely continue for at least two more. (After all, if ain’t broke don’t fix it!!!) Yet somehow I still almost forgot about it this year which would have REALLY broken my heart. Thankfully, there are still seven shows remaining. Two of them are today–the 12:00PM matinee performance and the evening performance which will start at 4:00PM. The next will be on Friday, December 21st at 7:00PM. Two more will follow on December 22nd–one at 2:00PM and one at 7:00PM. Then, the final two performances will be on December 23rd at 12:00PM and 4:00PM respectively. To my knowledge, there are still tickets reamining for all of these times. Seats range in price from $25.00 to $65.00 per person. All performances will be held at the Sacramento Community Center Theater which is located at 1301 L Street. Have fun and let the dancers carry you away with them to the Kingdom of the Sweets!

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Okay, I know this is going to sound extremely redneck, but since when do people serve tamales for Christmas? Now don’t get me wrong, I love tamales as much as the next person but I’m having a bit of trouble comprehending what they have to do with Christmas. As such, it was rather befuddling to read the following article in the Sacramento Bee…

Even as customers ticked items off their shopping lists, the out-the-door line at La Esperanza Mexican Food Products in south Sacramento never seemed to get shorter Saturday.

The reason: The Mexican tradition of eating tamales during the holiday season.

“Christmas without tamales is like saying there’s no Santa,” said Maryann Bernardino, 52, of Sacramento, who was buying pre-made tamales to take to a holiday party.

Soon, she’ll return to buy the ingredients for tamales that she’ll make with relatives. Together, as they do every year, they will spread masa on cornhusks, add seasoned meat and then fold once, twice, three times, until 200 of the wrapped treats have been made.

There’s no recipe to refer to, just the knowledge that’s been passed down through the generations by making tamales together, year after year.

“It’s a tradition,” said Emma Delgadillo, whose family has owned La Esperanza on Franklin Boulevard since the 1970s. “For Christmas, we make tamales. It’s like at Thanksgiving, you make a turkey – it’s been always that we get together to make tamales.”

Tamales date back more than 5,000 years, according to Refugio Rochin, a retired professor of Chicano studies at the University of California, Davis. The natives of Mesoamerica used tamales as offerings to the dead and the gods. When the Spanish came to the Americas, they brought Catholicism – and its Christian holidays – and the traditions were married, Rochin said.

Today, with modern mobility and busy schedules, Christmas is one of the few times a year extended families get together. Tamale-making means that rare occasion is even more special, Rochin said.

“It reminds us that we have heritage,” he said.

Plus, everyone gets to share in the work and the reward.

“It’s just as much work to make four or five tamales, so you might as well bring a crowd and make a lot more,” Rochin said. “If you want four or five of them, you go down to the Mexican store and buy them for a dollar each.”

This is the busiest season for the La Esperanza market, when employees work long hours and on weekends to meet the demand for pre-made tamales – which the store asks people to order ahead of time. Spreading masa and folding the husk, spreading and folding, spreading and folding, they create stacks of savory tamales, each wrapped in white paper.

The store also makes masa from finely ground corn, lard or shortening, salt, baking powder and water, and sells it for 65 cents a pound to those who want to make tamales at home.

Belinda Verlod, 49, of Sacramento, was doing just that Saturday. The Siemens warehouse worker bought 60 pounds of masa to make 350 tamales because she gives them to friends as gifts.

“How many each gets depends on how good a friend they are,” she joked.

Esther Gonzales, 63, wasn’t going to make tamales this year because most of her relatives are out of town. But she changed her mind Saturday and decided to downsize from 240 to five dozen.

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas without them,” she said while buying the ingredients.

Josie Melendrez, 63, of Rancho Cordova, is also going the route of fewer tamales this year. In the past, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles all gathered to make tamales, but this year only Melendrez and her son will have their hands in the corn dough.

One thing that never changes however is the recipe.

“We always make them the same way,” she said. “I know everybody says theirs is the best, but ours – it’s like my grandmother used to say, the main ingredient is love.”

This is just so strange to me that I can’t even fathom the reasons for it. At the same time though it is oddly compelling. There’s just something intirguing about other cultures’ holiday traditions. I think it’s that they are so very different from my own and yet somehow still the same…if that makes any sense at all. Whatever the reason, I figured I’d jump on the tamale bandwagon too and give you all a recipe that my friend’s mother shared with me when I was in high school. After all, the lines at La Esperanza Mexican Food Products aren’t getting any shorter and this way you can make your own tamales.

*Making the Dough*

INGREDIENTS:
6 cups masa harina and 5 cups warm water or chicken broth
OR 6 cups of Nixtamal
1 1/2 cups lard or shortening
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

PREPARATION:
To use Nixtamal-
Prepare corn according to use for masa dough. Add additional chicken broth until it is the consistency of thick peanut butter.
To use Masa Harina-
In a mixing bowl combine masa and warm water or broth until combined. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes or so to let the masa soften. Then mix it on low speed until a dough forms.
After Masa or Masa Harina is prepared-
Gradually add in the salt, cumin and onion powder.

In a separate bowl, whip lard or shortening until fluffy. Add the lard to the dough a little at a time while mixing until well combined.

The mixture should be about the consistency of peanut butter. If not, add more masa, water or broth as necessary.

Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

*Preparing the Filling*

3 cups shredded beef
8 large roasted chiles- skin, seeds and veins removed and coarsely chopped.
1 white onion- peeled and coarsely chopped.
6 cloves of garlic- peeled and crushed.
1 jalapeno- seeded and diced
3 potatoes- peeled, boiled and chopped into large chunks.
1 cup homemade chile sauce or store bought

Fold these together for a delicious filling

*Tamale Assembly*

1) Sort the husks
Go through the corn husks removing any debris. Separate the larger usable pieces from the smaller bits and pieces. Save the smaller pieces for later.

2) Soak the husks
Place the husks into a large bowl. Cover husks with warm water. Set a heavy item (like a heavy bowl) on top of the husks to keep them submerged.

3) Prepare the husks
Remove the husks from the water and pat dry. Place into a covered dish or a large plastic bag to prevent from drying out. Use only the larger and medium sized husks for the tamales. The smaller ones can be used later for ties or patches. When looking at the husk, they have a narrow end, a broad end, and 2 long sides.

4) Adding the dough
Lay a husk on a flat surface. Place 1-2 tablespoons of dough onto the husk. When spreading the dough, leave a space of about 4 inches from the narrow end of the husk and about 2 inches from the other end. Spread the dough to the edge of one of the long sides and 2 inches away from the other long side. Try to keep the dough approximately 1/4 to a 1/2 inch thick.

5) Filling
Spread about a tablespoon of filling down the center of the dough.

6 )Folding
Locate the long side with a 2 inch space with no masa. Fold that over, slightly overlapping the other side so the edges of the dough meet. Wrap the extra husk around the back.

Then fold the broad end over the top and then the longer narrow end over the broad end.

7) Tying
Create strips of husk by cutting or tearing 1/4 inch lengths off of some of the smaller or unusable husks. Use these to tie across the middle of the tamale to hold the flaps down.

8)Steaming
Set tamales upright in a steamer. You can buy large steamers made just for this purpose. You may have something else you can use to create the same effect. The key is to have a small amount of boiling water on the bottom of the pot and a colander or mesh of some sort to keep the tamales away from the water. They will need to be steamed for about 90 minutes.

I’ll be the first to admit that these can be very time consuming, but the end result is highly worth while. Besides, since Sacramento is the most culturally diverse city in America, we may as well enjoy it and take advantage of the multitude of opportunities this presents to us!

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The Discover California Wine Bar & Tasting Room is holding its third annual California Christmas Party on Thursday December 13th from 5:00PM to 8:00PM. It’s the perfect opportunity to show visiting relatives from out-of-state what it really means to be a Californian. There will be delectable Californian wines and food to taste and the decor will be entirely California based. They are even going to have a Californian Santa Claus who will be dressed in shorts and sunglasses carrying his favorite surf board. All attendees will receive beach balls, sunglasses, and visors to add to the summery ambience. You also get a complimentary wine glass with the Discover California logo on it. The price is only $15.00 per person–just remember that no one under 21 will be allowed to attend. However, since it is going to be in downtown Sacramento, you could just drop them off at the Westfield ice rink on your way over…

In any case, it’s sure to be one of the few activities geared entirely towards adutls for the Christmas season. That means it’s one of your only chances to escape your own belvoed little demons for a couple of hours. Furthermore, it should be entirely worth it just to see Santa and all of the idiots who will show up in summer attire freeze their butts off. Frankly, I can think of no better source of entertainment then watching someone become disabused from the sunshine image California is so often associated with. it’s sure to be worth at least a couple of laughs–as long as you’re not one of the idiots trying to be in costume that is!!!

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For me, the Christmas season is the perfect excuse to become a child again. It’s even EASY because there are always all kinds of activities to help you relive those lost days when everything was viewed with innocent wonder. In fact, it’s as easy as a trip to Old Sacramento today.

The fun will begin at Stage Nine Entertainment Store, Inc from 12:00PM to 4:00PM. Stage Nine will be celebrating the 55th Anniversary of Disney’s Peter Pan with a couple of special guests of honor. Kathryn Beaumont–the voice of both Wendy and Alice–and Margaret Kerry–the original model for Tinkerbell–will both be present ot help celebrate. Tim Rogerson will also be unveiling his newest Sacramento-themed Disney piece, Flying Over Sacramento. In the painting, the characters are depicted flying over Sacramento’s Tower Bridge instead of London’s classic bridge. Canvas editions of the painting will be available for $395.00 and lithographs will also be sold for $119.00. They may sound expensive, but I can guarantee that their value–both monetary and sentimental–will explode as everything else Disney is wont to do. In addition, they will be collecting gifts for needy children so that you can help to make it just as special for someoen else as it is for you.

If you’re not comfortable with the blatantly childish, there is also something a bit more subtle to attract your attention in Old Sacramento today–the Capital City Yacht Club’s Annual Holiday Lighted Boat Parade. All decorated boats are welcome to join in the parade regardless of whether you are a member of the Yacht Club. If you’re like me and you’d rather just watch, then you can do so from one of two points. The boats will meet up at Miller Park at 6:00PM and will then travel down the river to Old Sacramento at around 7:00PM. The best viewing areas are of course on the waterfront and on board the Delta King so you will want to find a spot early on. Anyway, I’m sure it will be just as good as Disney’s Fantasmic so you can be a kid again without admitting to it!

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I don’t know about the rest of you, but one of my all time favorite parts of Christmas is getting to share all of the classic stories with the next generation. The Polar Express has always been one of my favorites–the BOOK mind you and NOT the movie. Anyway, I’m pretty excited because the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento is hosting the very first West Coast appearance of the Polar Express Train Ride. On this special train ride, the classic tale will be told and brought to life anew as you travel to the North Pole to see Santa Claus. Santa will even be giving special gifts to all of the children on board the train. To completely surround you in the wonders of a child’s innocence, they will even be serving hot chocolate!

If you can’t get tickets–because they are rather hard to find right now–don’t fret too much. After all, they have recently announced that they will be continuing this new tradition next year as well. Tickets for 2008 will go on sale on October 1st, 2008 and are expected to sell just as quickly as these ones have. In any case, it is one of those things that you just shouldn’t miss out on during the holiday season…like driving around to look at Christmas lights or ice skating under a star filled sky so that even “though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.”

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The Westfield Downtown Plaza Ice Rink has been open sicne November 1st and I didn’t even know it. This makes me sad to think of how many times I could have been out there already. It’s the only outdoor ice skating rink in Sacramento and it’s pretty much the single most awesome thing that you can do in these parts during the winter. Granted, the rink isn’t the greatest I’ve ever skated at and the employees can be a bit horrible, but there’s just something magical about skating under the open night sky that is just unimaginably incredible to those who’ve never done it before. It’s even one of those things that just gets better and better every time you do it.

The rink is conveniently located next to the K Street Mall so you can even stop by on a break from your holiday shopping at a mall that isn’t as overly crowded as Arden Fair is every year! During holiday hours, they are open everyday from 10AM to 10PM with the hours varying a little bit before December 10th and after December 30th. It is also incredibly cheap at only $6.00 per person for two hours of skating, plus a $2.00 rental fee if you don’t have your own skates. I have heard a lot of people complain about the availability of skates before so be advised taht you might want to bring your own if you have them. Also be advised that they only accept cash–weird I know given that we live in the age of credit. Anyway, go out and have a lot of fun. just don’t end up like this poor lady…

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Today (as I’m sure you are all aware) is Black Friday, otherwise known as the year’s biggest catastrophe for shopper’s wallets and a giant salve for merchants everywhere. Fortunately, I had to work at my real world job today so *alas* there shall be no shopping for me. However, if you’re not like Candy Hollowell over at Tulsa, OK or myself then I’m sure you’re already out and about instead of reading this. However, when you get back it’s still something you should know about as it’s likely to continue through the holiday season.

Anyway, this morning I heard on KCRA that Arden Fair Mall has greatly improved upon its security system. They have employed more security guards and, more importantly, also done some major technological overhauls to the previously existing system. The single biggest improvement is an increase from 19 security cameras to 128. Furthermore, many of these new cameras can rotate and zoom in close enough to read specific license plates. I am so exstatic about this taht it’s really not even funny! FINALLY they are doing something to deter thiefs who target holiday shoppers!!! All I can say is taht it’s about time!

Regardless of the improvements made, I would still advise you to be cautious when shopping at any big mall this season. The local paper where my parents live published some great tips that I thought I’d pass along.

1) Ladies, don’t carry around a big bulky purse. They are attractive to purse-snatchers as they know they can hold all sorts of goodies. Instead, just bring along a small handbag or carry a couple of cards in your pcket instead. Also, if you are carrying a purse be sure to wear it with the strap diagonally across your chest. It makes it more difficult to grab.

2)NEVER leave merchandise in the front seats of your car where people can see them. This is just asking for trouble. Instead, make sure that you put them in your trunk so that they won’t become a homing beacon fro crooks. Also, (and I’d never heard this before!) it’s better if you are willing to park your car somewhere else when you drop off a load of purchases. In theory, this deters anyone who is staking out your vehicle because they wil assume that you are leaving the mall and returning home.

3)Do not park far away from the mall doors if you will be out late at night. If you have to park in these areas, check periodically to see if you can move your car before it gets dark outside.

4)Many malls have secuirty guards who will walk you to your car if you are out alone after dark. Take advantage of them!

Feel free to add more if you know of any so we can pass them around and insure that everyone has a safe and happy shopping season!

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I know I haven’t written much of anything since Veterans Day, but it’s been one heck of a week. A friend of a friend was murdered in Dixon and I’ve been doing a lot of praying over that lately. She has two young sons who are going to be without their mother for the first time this Christmas and it’s really just too horrible to imagine. Anyway, if you could please remember them in your prayers this week–and especially today–that would be so very thoughtful and wonderful. I would be very thankful for the added prayers that her boys get to see justice served quickly and efficiently.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving and feel free to add to my Thanksgiving prayer if you feel so inclined!

Dear God,

Thank You for giving humanity the idea of family. To know that there are those who will love you unconditionally is the most liberating thought that any of us can ever have. Thank You specifically for my family. We may not always get along–and we are certainly far from conventional–but there is no family in the world whose members love each other more. It may take a crisis for us to realize this, but we are as fiercely protective of one another as You could ever possibly have hoped for. On that note, thank You for also giivng us those who do not have family and the knowledge of families who aren’t as close. For it is these people whose desperation reminds us of just how blessed You have made the Springer clan in giving us one another.

Thank You also for the incredible friendships that You have allowed me to forge. More importantly, thank You for showing me that it doesn’t matter how many you have so long as you have one or two who have somehow crossed the line and become family. Some days I don’t think I would surrive if it weren’t for their support and love. Above these, thank You for those friendships which are not as solid. Whether they are new friends or merely those who have somehow become out of touch, these are the people who remind me to keep trying. They constantly illustrate that good things come to those who are willing to wait–yet, also, to those who refuse to wait forever.

Thank You for wonderful meal that my mother will be slaving over all day and that my father worked so hard to provide for us. There is no greater gift than a home cooked meal prepared in love. This is especially the case for one such as this which will be composed without so much as a thought to all of the stress and anxiety that holidays so often inadvertantly bring about. Thank You also for all of the million sof people who will not be enjoying such a magnificent feast this Thanksgiving. Their suffering is never far from mind during the holidays. Nothing more fully teaches the value of a meal than the plight of those who go without it. Furthermore, nothing else could be as poignant a reminder as this comparison to jolt us into the act of giving that You would have us all aspire to.

Thank You also for giving me the gift of an incredible church family. In particular, thank You for giving me such powerful role models as Shirley and Miss Bea. Their constant effort to bring the gift of Christ to those who do not know Him is beauitfully motivational. I can only hope to someday be able to spread the message of Your love as far and effectively as they have.

More than any of these though, I thank You for the gift of tragedy. Though I may not always understand Your reasons I do always come to appreciate the lessons that I gain from them. Though it is hard to admit sometimes there is no greater gift than the death of someone that we know and love. It sounds heinous even typing that, but it is true nonetheless. Nothing else in the world could possibly shout more clearly “LIVE, LIVE, LIVE!!!” So often in life we get too caught up in doing the things that keep us alive that we forget to truly live. However, when someone dies, the urgency is brought back and we realize that there are no guarantees for tomorrow, and that instead we must sieze each moment and cherish it as though it could be our last. To me, there is no greater way to honr the life AND death of a loved one than to allow it to breathe new life into you once more.

Always Yours with love,

Jenny

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and may God bless you and yours today and always!

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So I really wanted to let everyone know about all kinds of things to do in Sacramento to celebrate Veterans Day. However, for some strange reason there really weren’t any. There were a couple of parades in Elk Grove and Fairfield, but I didn’t hear about anything in Sacramento itself. If there was anything special, then it wasn’t advertised well at all. This seems very sad to me since this IS the State Capitol. Shouldn’t we be showing a little bit more patriotism? Shouldn’t we be setting an example for the rest of California? I think it’s completely tragic that none of that happened here. Furthermore, I feel as if we have failed all of our local hometown heroes by not supporting them when it could have been so easy.

In fact, a lot of the people I work with didn’t even know what Holiday it is! Someone suggested Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday…another said Labor Day. Only one person other than myself correctly said Veterans Day. However, even that person didn’t even really seem to understand why we celebrate it. In fact, she went as far as to say that she gets it mixed up with Labor Day since “they’re practically the same thing anyway”!! I couldn’t believe how ignorant and uncaring people in this city have become.

Anyway, I WAS impressed this morning when I read a poem that Marie Esselstein posted on her Columbus, Ohio blog this morning. It was poignant and beautiful. More importantly though, it showed a deep respect for our veterans and an understanding for all of the countless sacrifices that they have made just to give us the freedom to NOT respect them–if we are callous enough to choose that path. Go and read it sometime today if you have time…

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All of a sudden, it seems like I’ve hit the Halloween jackpot! With the discovery of Scream Extreme in Citrus Heights, I also stumbled across an amazing site that has links to haunted attractions all around the country! In doing so I discovered several more in the Sacramento area–which I will be posting information about over the next couple of days. Thankfully, they should all be open for business due to extended hours of operation just before Halloween.

One of them in particular caught my eye because it’s “rated R.” Most of the others were at least child friendly for brave children. However, this one specifically warns against bringing them in at all. In fact, GYRO’s 3D Fear Factory has warnings for many people, declaring that it “is an authentic simulation of many grotesque and shocking events. It is not recommended for people with heart problems, recent surgery, pregnancy,or frequent nausea. Chidlren and senior citizens are not encouraged to attend.”

In honor of Halloween, the Fear Factory has taken over 100,000 square feet of the Westfiled Downtown Plaza mall at 547 L Street. There are two separate haunted houses–Rob Zombie’s “The Devil’s Playground” and “Toxic Terror.” Both of them look suitably terrifying to make even the biggest horror fanatics tremble in terror. (Not that this should really come as a surprise to anyone since Rob Zombie is pretty much the Lord of Gruesomeness!)

The Fear Factory will be open today and tomorrow from 7:00PM to midnight, making it the perfect Halloween activity for those of us who are without children to take trick-or-treating. I think it’s wonderful that Sacramento has so many opportunities for single adults to go and have a good time–in a lot of smaller cities, people aren’t that lucky. On the same note though, admission is a little bit expensive. Tickets are $17.95 per person. However, if you purchase them from Rob Zombie’s Monster Shop at the mall, then they will give you a free T-Shirt. Remember to be safe and have fun…and don’t let the monsters get you!!!

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Throughout the entire month, I’ve been scouring the internet looking for something truly scary to do in honor of Halloween. Up until now, I haven’t been able to find anything other than the corn maze in Dixon–and let’s face it, that’s only scary if you’re bad at reading maps and have seen Children of the Corn one too many times! I was beginning to despair that haunted houses and other such things that go bump in the night were a thing of the past. Then, almost as if by magic, I stumbled across one in our own backyard, The Scream Extreme “Stitches” Haunted Attraction in Citrus Heights.

The Scream Extreme features three different scare zones. They seem to be pretty secretive about the scenes themselves–neither of their websites even hints at what their themes are. However, they do have some pretty wicked pictures up on their myspace page of some of the grisly characters you are likely to encounter. Of them all, my personal favorite is the adult interpretation of Linda Blair in The Exorcist. They’re all pretty realistic looking and some of them could be downright terrifying given the right environment.

On that note, I would advise that you not bring young and impressionable minds to Scream Extreme. They do not allow children under 13 to go without an adult, so that may be an indicator of whether or not younger children should go at all. However, remember that your judgement is still probably the best there is since you know your kids best. If you think they can handle it, then by all means take them along. I always got to go to our local haunted house back home when I was a kid and it was the best fun I had all year!

This year, they have a new location at the former Room Source building at 5961 Birdcage Centre Lane. It is open everyday through Halloween from 7:00PM to 10:00PM. Tickets are $13.00, but they do have a discounted price of $10.00 each if you purchase at least eight tickets. The best part is that if you purchase your tickets online, you don’t have to wait in the same line as everyone else. This is completely wonderful since it is a pretty popular attraction given that it’s really the only one of its kind here in the Sacramento area.

The very best part though is that 100% of the proceeds will go to aiding children with autism in our public schools. If you don’t know what autism is, I suggest you check out Marcie’s page, Discussing Autism. My high school best friend’s little brother is autistic and it is heartwrenching to see all of the aspects of his life that are made complicated by this. Even Halloween can be a challenge for his mother. However, Marcie has some great tips on how to make it manageable and still let the kids be kids. In addition, her page is riddled with a million and one reasons to make you want to help–even if it is only in something as small as the admission price to a haunted house…

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