Happy Feet at Westmore Oaks Elementary School

Westmore Oaks Elementary School Principal Diane Smith dressed in costume and entertained her students with songs and dances from the movie Happy Feet. Her students loved it!

Festive Traffic on the Tower Bridge

Florene Kunder shared this photo of the day of our Tower Bridge. "A view I haven't seen before on the KCRA webcam for Raley Field. The vehicle lights make it festive. Traffic is "festive"?..... when I'm not in it!

Remembering Sumner William "Sam" Combs, Sr.

Sam Combs Park on Stone Boulevard in West Sacramento.
Sumner W. "Sam" Combs was born in Hastings, Nebraska in 1895 and was one of seven children, 3 sons and 4 daughters. Sam worked on the family farm in Butler County and graduated from Ulysses High School in Ulysses, Nebraska, then was drafted into the army during WW1.

Sam attended business school in Omaha and married his high school sweetheart Valdeva Maria Hastings, one of the first females to graduate from University of Nebraska. Valdeva's father was State Senator Lovell Sheldon Hastings. After the depression hit, the family lost their farm and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska.

In 1936, Sam moved his wife and 3 children to San Francisco then came to West Sacramento where Sam got a job with the Hotel Senator Garage. After a stint working for the Hull Hotel Company in Fresno, Sam moved his family back to West Sacramento and ran a service station on the old El Rancho Hotel property until the property was sold and he retired.

Sam was a charter member of the Port District Kiwanis and was friends with William G. Stone, also known as the "Father of the Port, who encouraged him to run for Yolo County Supervisor. Sam went door to door meeting folks in the three communities of West Sacramento, Broderick and Bryte and was elected in 1960.

John Combs wrote about his father and the contributions he made to our community:

SUMNER WILLIAM COMBS, SR., KNOWN TO EVERYONE AS `SAM', MOVED TO WEST SACRAMENTO FROM HOLLYWOOD IN 1946. HE WAS OWNER OF THE EL RANCHO SHELL SERVICE STATION UNTIL HE RETIRED IN 1960. HE JOINED THE WEST SACRAMENTO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND WAS APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF THE CHAMBER'S FIRST COMMITTEE FOR CITY INCORPORATION. IN THIS CAPACITY HE BECAME CONVINCED THAT CITY GOVERNMENT WAS FAR MORE PREFERABLE THAN THE COUNTY SYSTEM IN PLACE THEN. CITY GOVERNMENT FOR WEST SACRAMENTO BECAME HIS PASSION AND VISION. VOTERS REJECTED THE INCORPORATION ISSUE BUT `SAM' SAW OTHER WAYS OF BETTERING HIS COMMUNITY, SO HE RAN FOR SUPERVISOR AND WAS ELECTED TO REPLACE LAWRENCE DREW. HE WAS RE—ELECTED IN 1964. DURING HIS YEARS AS SUPERVISOR, WEST SACRAMENTO BEGAN RECEIVING ITS FAIR SHARE OF MUCH NEEDED COUNTY FUNDS FOR ROAD MAINTENANCE. BY 1966 OVER 100 MILES OF ROADS AND STREETS IN THE FIRST DISTRICT WERE BUILT AND REPAIRED. THE 5th STREET UNDERPASS WAS BUILT, BRIDGING THE GAP EXISTING BETWEEN BRODERICK, BRYTE AND WEST SACRAMENTO. STREET SIGNS WERE ERECTED, THE FIRST STREET SWEEPER SERVICE WAS BEGUN, A NEW LIBRARY BRANCH WAS LOCATED IN WEST SACRAMENTO, MAJOR ROAD DEVELOPMENT WAS LAID OUT FOR HARBOR AND INDUSTRIAL BOULEVARDS, THE YOLO COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION WAS EXPANDED TO GIVE EAST YOLO TWO MEMBERS INSTEAD OF ONE. HE SECURED INCREASES IN SERVICES RENDERED BY YOLO COUNTY OFFICES, NAMELY, PROBATION, SHERIFF, AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY. A CORPORATION YARD WAS CONSTRUCTED. HE COOPERATED WITH LOCAL GROUPS TO CONSTRUCT THE BUILDING THEN KNOWN AS `THE GIRLS ACTIVITY CENTER' LOCATED IN THIS PARK HIS NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND OTHER AGENCIES HELPED PRODUCE THE AGREEMENT THAT DEEDED THE PARK'S LAND TO WEST SACRAMENTO. `SAM' DIED THE DAY AFTER HIS 71st BIRTHDAY IN JANUARY, 1966. HIS FATAL HEART ATTACK CAME IN THE WOODLAND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CHAMBERS JUST AFTER HE PRESIDED OVER THE LOCAL COUNTY AGENCY FORMATION (LAFCO) COMMITTEE. SOON AFTER HIS BURIAL IN WOODLAND CEMETERY, THE YOLO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS VOTED TO NAME THIS PARK IN HIS MEMORY. HE PARTICIPATED IN MANY ORGANIZATIONS AS DISPLAYED ON THE BRONZE PLAQUE DEDICATED IN HIS HONOR TODAY, MAY 23, 2002. THE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE TILE ON THE WALL ARE MOST APPROPRIATE SINCE HE FOUGHT IN EVERY MAJOR BATTLE IN WORLD WAR I. `SAW' WAS A TRUE PATRIOT. ~John Combs, March 2008.

A West Sacramento Sunset

Thank you Heather Asprey for sharing this beautiful photo of the sun setting in her neighborhood! Yes, the days are getting longer ...so many of us are looking forward to the warmth of spring...

Jack/Sullivan Pick-em 2010 Winners

It was an exciting day for the female football fans in the Jack/Sullivan Fantasy League last week...Allison and Isabella took the first place in the adult and 12 and under divisions! Matt Hargrove (aka The Commish) presented the trophies at the League awards ceremony in West Sacramento.

The Senator Garage-Golden Eagle Gas

The old Senator Garage building, 521 C Street was built in 1915 and is on the list of historical sites and buildings in West Sacramento. Golden Eagle was the California brand for Wasatch Oil Company of Utah which was later acquired by Ultramar.

Historic Bertagna's Standard Station: 1934

Located on the curve on C Street just just around the bend from the Senator Garage in Broderick is the old Bertagna's Standard Station building . (Listed on the Historic Sites and Buildings of West Sacramento as built in 1934.) Years ago there was a tattoo parlor there.

2011 New Year's Resolution Time

Happy New Year! Whether you are giving up a bad habit, planning to live more healthy or would like to do less harm to all living things, we hope you are successful in going into 2011.

Noche de Rábano

This corn husk angel hangs among several on my holiday tree. The “Noche de Rábano” or Night of the Radishes is a traditional Oaxaca city tradition. To decorate the tables, indigenous servants of the monks would carve radishes and adorn them with flowers and corn husks.

Kiwanis' See's Candy Shack Robbed

The Kiwanis' See's Candy Shack was burglarized Wednesday night. The thieves broke into the back of the store and got away with all the stock. The Kiwanis Club of West Sacramento works so hard every year to raise money for their annual Kid's Kamp so we hope they find the culprits and throw them in the tank. Maybe a suitable punishment would be to make them eat all the candy in one sitting!

Christmas House On Fernwood Street

The whole lawn is decked out in colorful display! These folks also had great Halloween decorations in their front yard this year.

Frosty Sighting in the 95695

Kurt and Hal posed with their original rendition of Frosty. Made from plywood and painted we think it is much more cool than a vinyl blowup import from China!

Happy Holidays in Old Sacramento!

Thank you Joan Barber for sharing this photo and family memory. "Despite the heavy rain last Friday, Old Sacramento was hopping with holiday festivities. The magnificent Christmas tree in front of The Delta King changes colors. We enjoyed a lovely evening at the Pilot House celebrating our son's birthday. Merry Christmas! Joan Barber"

Merry Christmas from James Marshall Preschool

Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Hinton led the James Marshall Preschooler's in their annual Christmas production held at the West Acres School Gym last night.