By Tony King photos courtesy of Jerry Perry and Peter Wedel
It’s been ten years since Midtown Sacramento’s most colorful resident shuffled off this mortal coil. While Midtown has always had its fair share of eccentric and offbeat characters, none can compare to the elderly hipster who dressed in wild outfits, sang scat as he danced down the street and played the drums like two jackrabbits on their honeymoon. Read more »
By Sarah Singleton Photo by Scott Duncan
Melanie Dinos created 100 “Keep Midtown Janky” stickers last year and gave them out to friends for fun. It’s a year later and the plain black and white stickers can be seen on cars, bikes and doors all around town. Read more »
By Becky Grunewald Photos by Scott Duncan
Much as Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said, “I know it when I see it,” in regards to the rather nebulous definition of pornography, defining “janky” can be a bit of a sticky wicket. Read more »
Compiled by William Burg, Tim Foster, Becky Grunewald, Guphy Gustafson, Niki Kangas and Liv Moe
While Bobby Burns was the ultimate Midtown character, there are still plenty of folks who contribute to the quirky nature of Midtown in unique and myriad ways. What exactly makes someone a ‘character’? We never did figure that out, but we did come up with a list of quintessential Midtowners who do what they do while marching to the beat of their own drummer. Read more »
By Dennis Yudt photo by Scott Duncan
It was a glorious din even from a half-block away. Was it junk percussionists Einsturzende Neubauten’s seminal Kollaps album or maybe an early slab by Japanese destructo-merchants Hanatarash cranked up to 11? Read more »
By James W. Cameron Photos by Jay Spooner
Begun twenty years ago as a simple celebration of chalk art, Midtown’s Chalk it Up Festival has grown to become one of the signature events of the Sacramento summer. Read more »
By William Burg Photo from Author’s collection
On August 21, 2010, Sacramento’s Western Pacific passenger depot at 1910 J Street marks 100 years since the arrival of its first passenger train. On that day a century ago, the Western Pacific Railroad began passenger operations in Sacramento Read more »
