New Tenants coming to Westbridge Plaza

Westbridge Plaza was completed in 2008 and it is great to see new construction activity this month.  We talked to Ron Meade, President of RC Pacific Construction at the site today and his crew is working on the improvements for several new tenants in the center including a bank, Allstate Insurance Office, a sports store, Great Clips and more. Great news for West Sacramento!

Photo above posted on West Sacramento Photo of the Day in 2008.

Third Strike Cafe Opening May 27, 2014

We drove by the new Third Strike Cafe located at 630 3rd Street. I shot this photo from the street as we drove by this morning, but it looks like it will be a cafe with a cool beer garden, and it is just a short walk from Raley Field.

This update comes from Janice Orr:

"I just wanted to thank you for posting the photo of the new Third Strike Cafe. It was my grandparents home and my dad has been working tirelessly to transform it into a coffee shop and plans to offer homemade smoked meats and rice dishes (family recipes) for the lunch crowd or hungry River Cats fans.  Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into the place and seeing your blog post brought a happy tear to my eye. I live in St. Louis, MO, so have not been home to see the coffee shop since last summer. I'm planning a trip this June and can't wait to see it finally finished.  Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the newest addition to the neighborhood!"

Happy Mother's Day from the blog authors!

This blog authors Debbie, Barbara and Christy here-- wishing you a Happy Mothers Day 2014!

Neon Relic- A blast from the past!

Today's post will bring back some memories for the old timers in West Sacramento. This neon sign once welcomed folks to the El Rancho Bowl on West Capitol Avenue (now the Capitol Bowl). Thanks to our sleuth Michael Nyberg who found this relic of the past at a recycling facility off Harbor Blvd. It sure brings back memories for me.

Photo by Michael Nyberg

RIP Marino Pierucci

by West Sacramento Historical Society.

FROM THE NEWS-LEDGER — APRIL 30, 2014 – Note: This past week longtime West Sacramento resident Marino Pierucci passed away at the age of 91. Over Marino’s long and eventful life he played an important role in how our city grew and prospered and was also the Assistant Superintendent for Business Services for the Washington Unified School District until his retirement in 1981. He was an incredibly bright, interesting and fun person to spend time with and the following article about him and his beloved wife of 72 years, Mary, is reprinted below in his memory. Marino’s warmth and easy smile never failed to light up a room and he will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved him. Read the rest of the feature News-Ledger article BY DARYL FISHER here: Not bad for a boy from Broderick

SacMoFo Event @ Lowe's in West Sacramento

Ernie Hernandez doing his thing at a recent SacMoFo event featuring mobile kitchens and chefs from the Sacramento area. You will find Ernie coordinating the food trucks and music on the 4th Wednesday each month for Lunch at the River Walk Park and dinner in the Lowes parking lot.

TLC @ Raley's in West Sacramento

Linda O. takes a moment to clean this candy display with a toothbrush. That's dedication! Linda has worked for Raley's since 1987. She's worked in stores in Woodland, Sacramento, and our West Sacramento store, which is almost done with it's latest renovation. We love our local Raley's, especially all the long-time employees like Linda that take such good care of us!
Photo by Christy Jourdan

The Eatery in West Sacramento

We are so sad to hear The Eatery in Southport Town Center has closed their doors. Owners Jess Milbourn and Monda Korich-Milbourn did such a great job providing a unique dining experience for us in West Sacramento and we are very sad to see them go.

River City High School Students, Teachers and Staff are HAPPY for a SPRING BREAK.

Project Prevention 5th Annual Yolo Fashion Show

Student volunteers did a fantastic job modeling sustainable designs by Timothy Westbrook and Alexis Rose (lower photo right) who brought their genius and generosity to West Sacramento last night.  The Annual YCAA Fashion Show fundraiser was held at the City Hall Galleria and there was a packed house. Other high points of the evening was a performance by the Syncopated Sea Monkeys from River City High School and a live auction for a week stay in Puerto Vallarta, donated by Wes and Jolaine Beers.

Retail Center - 1600 Sacramento Avenue

This small strip center across the street from Emma's at 1600 Sacramento Avenue doesn't seem to have any vacancy problems.  From the left there is a Market & Deli, Cigarette Mart, Cash4Gold, Ray's Barber Shop and a Pizza Place. 

Remembering Luanne the Face Painter

Today I was remembering a Funderland outing with our friends the Linkers.  Their grandaughter Keira loves to have her face painted and she was a regular customer there.  Luanne was the very sweet women who painted the faces of many children and she passed away July 13, 2011.  Funderland has a memorial on their website for Luanne.

On the hunt!

This beautiful White Tailed Kite was perched high in our neighbor's tree this afternoon. Many of the North American kites have an eye color that is some shade of red. The White-tailed Kite has a similar hunting strategy and prey preference as the American Kestrel.

Mercado Loco comes to West Sacramento

We stopped in to see the new Mercado Loco on West Capitol Avenue yesterday.  The Mexican food store features a great meat market (carniceria), produce aisle and bakery (panaderia).