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YOUR FRENCH 82 PRACTICE If you’re suffering sensory overload from this summer’s bonanza of apocalyptic Hollywood blockbusters, the Sacramento French Film Festival is a good remedy. From June 15 through June 24, Francophiles can see the newest and most acclaimed French films released in 2012, as well as classic French films, shorts and locally made films that showcase the French flavor of movie making. Sacramento French Film Festival, Crest Theatre; 1013 K Street; www.sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org. A.W.
YOUR WEEKEND 83 START WITH LIVE MUSIC Friday Night Concerts in the Park’s new booking team, Play Big Sacramento, is gearing the series toward 20- and 30-year-olds, partly by adding deejays to the lineup. See DJ Whores (June 22), DJ Nate D with Inkdup on drums (July 6) and DJ Crookone (July 20). Check the website for a complete schedule of bands, and bring your dancing shoes. Fridays at 5 p.m. through July 27. Free admission. Friday Night Concerts in the Park, Cesar Chavez Plaza; 910 I Street; www.sacfridayconcerts.com. J.M.
Launch founder Michael Hargis won’t be this relaxed again until July 29.
PHOTO BY WILLIAM LEUNG
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COMMIT TO ALL SIX DAYS OF LAUNCH 2012
LAUNCH 2012 is a multidisciplinary art
festival that offers something for every kind of art enthusiast: fashion, film, music, design and architecture. Kicking off July 23, Launch will showcase a selected discipline at different locations in Sacramento every day, culminating with an all-day music festival on July 28. Launch has outgrown its old venue, The Greens Hotel, and festival founder Michael Hargis welcomes the event’s new stature. “I think embracing the multiday platform and embracing larger acts and coming in as a key festival for the city is really how we’ve grown over the last two years,” Hargis says. With multiple events going on throughout the week, it can be hard to keep up. Fortunately, Hargis broke it down for us: The festival commences at Hot Italian on Monday, July 23, with a pop-up shop by Model Citizens NYC, an independent group of furniture and industrial designers. Bows & Arrows will take the reins Tuesday, July 24, showing three independent silent films with original scores. BEFORE
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FRONTLINES
Twentieth Street will be blocked off Wednesday, July 25, for the Exquisite Corps album-release party. Local architects will create installations out of recycled cardboard along the street. Thursday, July 26, Ace of Spades will have a live digital-art battle with New York’s Cut&Paste. Friday, July 27, there will be a fashion show in the evening. The festival finale is set for Saturday, July 28, at Cesar Chavez Plaza from noon to 11 p.m. Chromeo, Grouplove, Chk Chk Chk, DJ Shadow and many more will perform throughout the day. Architects armed with only recycled cardboard and bales of hay will transform the plaza, creating 20foot monuments people will be able to walk through. “It’s only going to be for the day, so it is quite the undertaking,” says Hargis. The magnitude of Launch 2012 is a huge responsibility, but also a dream realized for Hargis. “When I first started Launch, I told everyone one day we’ll have Chromeo,” he says. “Four years later, it is a dream come true.” http://launchsacramento.com. A.N.
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SUMMER
GUIDE
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AN ART GALLERY 84 ADD TO YOUR PUB CRAWL Elliott Fouts Gallery has a new home kitty-corner from the Zebra Club on P Street. This month, hanging on its walls is the art of Christopher Stott, a contemporary painter with a penchant for realistic portrayal of vintage and classic objects—like steel fans or old-school telephones. The gallery itself is new and fresh; Fouts recently moved into its new digs and reopened on June 1. Be sure to check out Stott’s show through July 5. A post-gallery visit to Zebra is on you. Elliott Fouts Galllery, 1831 P Street; (916) 736-1429; www.efgallery.com. N.M.
THE TIME WARP 85 DO The Sacramento Historical Society recreates the gold-rush era for Time Travel Weekends. Experience music from the 1800s, live Wild West stage shows, pioneer crafts, mining camps and more. The reenactments happen every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., from July 7 through August 29. Old Sacramento, www.historicoldsac.org. B.C.
A redhead with clamshells on her coconuts: That’s what comes to mind for most of us when think of The Little Mermaid, thanks to Disney’s 1989 animated feature. But the story of this half-fish princess is based on a centuries-old tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The gruesome differences left out of the film will pique your morbid curiosity. (It would be unfair to reveal them, but let’s just say when the sea witch takes the little mermaid’s voice, it’s more macabre.) |
AFTER
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ENTER THE 10X10 FILMMAKER CHALLENGE
A good time doesn’t count anymore unless it’s documented, so film your friends this summer. If you are looking for a challenge, try your hand at the 10x10 Filmmaker Challenge, a special program of the Sacramento Film & Music Festival. Contestants get 10 days to film and edit a 10-minute short. Since 2004, 120 films have been produced and screened at the festival. This year’s 10x10 launch party is tentatively scheduled for late July. Check the website for details. 10x10 Filmmaker Challenge, http://sacfilm.com. A.N.
YOUR HAT TO 88 TIP THE FOLSOM PRO RODEO I haven’t attended the Folsom Pro Rodeo since I was a kid, but I remember being impressed with the bull riders, fireworks and mutton busting. Held every year on Fourth of July weekend since 1960, this festival has also recently added more modern entertainment, such as dirt-bike jumping and stunt skydiving. The rodeo is set for the weekend of June 29 through July 1, with specially programmed fireworks and entertainment on July 4. Folsom Pro Rodeo, Dan Russell Rodeo Arena; 401 Stafford Street in Folsom; www.folsomprorodeo.com. J.M.
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SEE THE BARD UNDER THE STARS
The Sacramento Shakespeare Festival is a fun tradition. You’re encouraged to bring in food, drinks, blankets and lawn chairs. Don’t forget bug spray and a jacket, because the park can get unnervingly mosquito-heavy and cold at night. This year’s productions include an original telling of King Arthur (June 29 and 30, and July 8, 13, 15, 20, 22 and 27) and The Comedy of Errors (July 6, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26 and 29). Sacramento Shakespeare Festival, William A. Carroll Amphithteatre; 3901 Land Park Drive; (916) 558-2173; http://sacramentoshakespeare.net. J.M.
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86 REDISCOVER THE LITTLE MERMAID
A RT S & C U LT U R E
Check out the story in Maria Tatar’s The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen, and then see the live interpretation of the Disney version July 10 through July 22, at Music Circus. Wells Fargo Pavilion, 1419 H Street; (916) 557-1999; www.californiamusicaltheatre.com. S.
GET MEDICATED
Explore the use of cannabis as alternative medicine at Sacramento Hempfest 2012 from August 3 through 5. Musical performers like Real One, Yukmouth and Element of Soul will keep the flow as you take in activist speakers, vendors, and the 215 smoking area. Admission is $25 per day. Sacramento Hempfest, Rio Ramaza Marina; 10000 Garden Highway; www.sacramentohempfest.com. A.W.
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