Skip to main content

Style Magazine

2012 Summer Fun Guide

Jun 06, 2012 10:31AM ● By Style

Unless noted, photos courtesy of their respective organizations.

It can be a bit disorienting, all of this warm weather:
What to do?
Where to go?
What’s happening?
So while you rub your eyes and get accustomed to this strange blue sky, let our helpful guide get you on track and point you in the right direction for summer fun. And don’t miss our new batch of songs for your summer playlist!

 

ON A DIME:
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FRUGAL FAMILY

•  Produce-wise, summer is like nature’s Christmas, with bountiful gifts at every turn. Find your local farmers’ market(s) and avail yourself of the delicious apples, stone fruit, berries, summer squash, avocados, and let’s not mince words: Do not miss the chance to get ripe, in-season tomatoes. They will change your life. In Folsom, head to the 900 block of Sutter Street on Sundays between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. (starting June 10); in El Dorado Hills, get your goods at the Town Center parking lot on Sundays between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. or at the El Dorado Hills Community Center on Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. For more information, visit eldoradofarmersmarket.com.
LISTEN: “Little Green Apples” by O.C. Smith

• The revving of a V8, the way the sun bounces off gleaming chrome…summer is the perfect time to admire local rides at the  14th Annual Cameron Park Cruiser Custom and Classic Car Show, June 9 “On the Green” at Christa McAuliffe Park in Cameron Park. Entry is free for spectators who can also expect to enjoy live music, raffles, and of course food and refreshments. Proceeds benefit the Cameron Park Community Foundation. For details, visit
cameronpark.org.
LISTEN:  “Racing in the Streets” by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

• Placerville kicks off its free Music in the Courtyard Summer Concert Series on Saturday, June 2 from 1-4 p.m. every other Saturday through October 27. Attendees will enjoy a variety of musical stylings in the ambience of the Fountain Plaza Courtyard on Main Street (behind the Cary House Hotel). For the lineup and more information, visit placerville-downtown.org.
LISTEN: “I Can Hear Music” by The Beach Boys

• There’s no summer without barbecue, and there’s no barbecue without ribs, right? There’s plenty of ribs at Placerville’s 63rd Annual Wagon Train and BBQ Rib Cook-Off on June 9 from 12-6 p.m. Festivities include a wagon train down historic Main Street, as well as server’s races, Studebaker wheelbarrow demos, country-western music, a staged shootout and much more! Circle the wagons for a fun family event! For details, visit placerville-downtown.org.
LISTEN: “Rawhide” by The Blues Brothers

Enjoy art, dining, entertainment and wine tasting on Placerville’s historic Main Street this summer at the Third Saturday Placerville Art Walk. The fun starts at 5 p.m. every third Saturday of the month and features galleries and merchants hosting art shows and late-night shopping for your enjoyment! For details, visit placerville-downtown.org.
LISTEN: “Mona Lisa” by Nat King Cole

• If you hear the sounds of a party drifting from Folsom on June 6, it’ll be Sacramento’s number one party band, Hip Service, kicking off Palladio at Broadstone’s free Wednesday Night Summer Concert Series, running every Wednesday night through August 1 from 7-9 p.m. Every week will see a different act, varying from R&B to blues and country to rock and top 40 hits. High-energy fun for the whole family! Visit goPalladio.com.
LISTEN: “R.O.C.K. In The USA” by John Mellencamp

• Planning on having fun this summer? Make it spectacular! On June 30, head over to Cameron Park Lake for the Cameron Park Summer Spectacular. The entire family can soak up an evening of musical entertainment, food, crafts, and a spectacular fireworks display. Gates open at 2 p.m.; free entry for children. For more information, visit cameronpark.org
LISTEN: “In The Summertime”
by Mungo Jerry

 

SPLURGE: SOMETIMES
YOU JUST GET THE URGE

• When you’ve got a world-class venue like Folsom’s Three Stages, it’s only fitting that you should have world-class entertainment all summer long. Kick off the season with the fantastic Summer Symphony at the Movies (pops-style program) presented by the Folsom Symphony on June 1 and 2; then on June 8, your guardian angel and mine, King of the Beach Blanket, and the original teen idol,  Frankie Avalon hits the stage! Also worth watching is El Dorado Musical Theatre’s production of Honk! Jr. (July 6-8, 12-15 and 19-22). Check out more world-class upcoming events at
threestages.net.
LISTEN: “Venus” by Frankie Avalon

•  North Beach: the place the Beat Movement once called home, and home to some of San Francisco’s best Italian restaurants and oldest (and finest) drinking establishments. Any time’s a good time to visit North Beach, but on June 16 and 17, check out the 58th Annual North Beach Festival, featuring arts and crafts booths, gourmet food booths, beverage gardens and live entertainment spread over two blocks of Columbus Avenue. For more details, visit northbeachchamber.com.
LISTEN: “Volare” by Dean Martin

•  In the mood for somethin’ off the beaten plank this summer? You’ll be wantin’ to set sail for the NorCal Pirate Festival, June 16-17 in Vallejo. Help the scurvy dogs celebrate their sixth anniversARRy! Is it Tortuga? Nay lassy, tis the Vallejo waterfront converted into Pirate Town! There’s plenty of entertainment, crafts, and demonstrations for you to swash and buckle  ‘til yer heart’s content. ARRRRR! Fun for pirates of all ages! For details, visit norcalpirate festival.com.
LISTEN: “Hoist the Colors”
by Hans Zimmer

• There’s beer in them thar hills! Head up the hill to Placerville on June 30 from 6-9 p.m. for the Bell Tower Brewfest, where you can sample over 35 different craft brews offered up by local breweries as well as popular breweries from all over California. Sponsored by the Placerville Downtown Association and Powell’s Steamer Co. & Pub. Visit placerville-downtown.org for more details.
LISTEN: “In Heaven There Is No Beer” by The Soggy Bottom Boys

• Hee-haw! The Folsom Pro Rodeo is back in town June 29-July 1 and features boot-kickin’ music at Mike’s Golden Spike Saloon, in-arena fireworks, freestyle motorcycle tricks and of course, wild rodeo action! The fun kicks off Thursday evening with a Bulls and Brew Fun Run and Western Cattle Drive. For the full schedule of events and to purchase tickets, visit folsomprorodeo.com.
LISTEN: “Rodeo Hand” by Johnny Cash
 

• Dust off your pianos and dance on over to Sutter Creek for the 14th Annual Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival, running August 10-12. Featuring local favorites The Raspberry Jam Band among a huge variety of ragtime performers, including Squeek Steele, “Hot Rod Tommy” Tom Brier, Ray Skjelbred, Marty Eggers and more. Get ready to laugh and dance those summer days away! For more information, visit
suttercreekragtime.com.
LISTEN: “Maple Leaf Rag”
by Scott Joplin

• On June 23, step 150 years back in time to June 23, 1862 for the Folsom History Museum’s  A Night In History event at Pioneer Village from 5:30-9 p.m. This exciting and unique museum fundraiser will include a BBQ dinner, music, historical entertainment and an evening of family fun. Pan for gold, watch a blacksmith at work…maybe even witness a shoot-out! Enjoy the chance to live a part of history right in the heart of Folsom. Advance tickets sold at the museum at 823 Sutter Street. For more details, visit folsomhistorymuseum.org.
LISTEN: “Hard Times Come Again
No More” by Kate & Anna McGarrigle

• Sure, you could read your kids a fairytale or two before bed. Or you could just spend the night at Fairytale Town! On Saturday, June 30 take the whole family to the Fairytale Town Family Campout, at  5:30 p.m. Whose house? Humpty’s house! Enjoy a theater performance, arts and crafts, scavenger hunt, bedtime stories and a sing-along in this magical overnight adventure. Awake under the beautiful spreading canopy of trees, just like you’re in a faraway land. For ticket information and more details, visit fairytaletown.org.
LISTEN: “Today was a Fairytale”
by Taylor Swift

 

• Funnel cakes, corn dogs, deep fried artichokes and cotton candy. - it’s FAIR TIME! More fried food than you can poke a stick at (or into), local crafts,  animals to pet, and enough thrill rides for a lifetime…seriously, who doesn’t love the fair? Go to one, go to all of them! El Dorado County Fair (eldoradocountyfair.org), June 14-17; Placer County Fair (placercountyfair.org), June 21-24; California State Fair (bigfun.org), July 12-29, and Nevada County Fair (nevadacountyfair.com), August 8-12!
Listen: “Scarborough Fair/Canticle”
by Simon & Garfunkel

 

ON A WHIM:
GET IN THE CAR AND GO

• Hungry for Sacramento history? How about a stroll through Midtown’s Sutter District and the Fabulous Forties? Check out the Origins of Sacramento Walking Food and Cultural Tour, every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. through July 1. Learn about the culinary forces that shaped Sacramento, and taste the city’s ethnic diversity by meeting and sampling chefs’ creations at some of Sacramento’s best hidden-gem eateries. Come get your fill of history! For more info, visit local-food-tours.com.
LISTEN: “Hungry Heart” by Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band

• Wet your whistle in the city once known as one of the “wettest cities in the union” on the Old Sacramento Speakeasy Tour: Rich History & Dirty Little Secrets. The tour starts at Old Town Sacramento’s River City Saloon every third Saturday at 5:30 p.m. as history buff Shawn Peter walks you through Sacramento’s rich and tantalizing history, (perhaps enjoying the prohibition-era cocktails available for purchase along the way). For tickets and more info, visit downtownsac.org. (Bootleggers, dewdroppers and palookas welcome.)
LISTEN: “Anything Goes” by Cole Porter

• Bears are coming to the Gatekeeper’s Museum in Tahoe City! Beginning July 1, the museum’s new exhibit, Ursus Among Us: The American Black Bear in the Tahoe Basin, will be open to the public. Featuring a taxidermy bear, information about bear life cycles, an antique bear trap, replica skulls and claws to examine, craft projects and more – the exhibit is sure to please those young and old. For more information, visit northtahoemuseums.org.
LISTEN: “Teddy Bear”
by Elvis Presley

• Cool down on a summer’s day in the welcoming environs of the Crocker Art Museum. It’s not just for Mom and Dad – bring the kids! Check out the Crocker Tots program, including Baby Loves Art, Wee Wednesdays, Story Trail and Tot Land, an interactive space devoted entirely to families with kids 5 and under! For bigger kids, check out the Crocker Kids program with art history classes, Art Camp and the Drop! Yak! Splat! program, which coincides with downtown’s Second Saturday Art Walks. For more information, visit crockerartmusuem.org.
LISTEN: “Story of an Artist” by M Ward

• Bring the kids to Discovery Museum Science and Space Center this summer! Enjoy make-and-take crafts at Family Craft Time every Saturday and Sunday from 12:30-4 p.m.; find your way around Sacramento’s night sky at Star Shows, Saturday and Sunday for visitors age 4 and up at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in northern California’s only public planetarium; head to Nature Discovery Hall and take in a Wildlife Show every Saturday and Sunday at noon and 2 p.m.; and don’t forget to visit the Butterfly Garden or explore local flora and fauna in the museum’s surrounding woodland acres. So much to see, so little time! For more details, visit thediscovery.org.
LISTEN: “They’ll Soon Discover”
by The Shins

• Fancy a walk, perhaps some art along the way? Venture up to the Market Place at Town Center for the El Dorado Hills Second Saturday Art Walk and Community Fun Event running from 12-6 p.m. every second Saturday of the month from June-October. Enjoy a wide variety of paintings, ceramics, sculpture and jewelry as well as free live music; don’t forget to taste the wares of the many fine restaurants in the food court. For more information, visit secondsaturdayofedh.com.
LISTEN: “When I Paint My Masterpiece” by The Band

• There’s something special in store at the Folsom Zoo on the second weekend of each month. Second Saturdays (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Sundays (12-2 p.m.), docents will be wandering the Zoo grounds with various animals to handle or “biofacts” (skulls, skeletons, fur, etc.) to touch – all while answering questions and teaching you about the zoo’s marvelous animals.  Check at the ticket booth for the location of these and other fun activities at the Folsom Zoo! For more details, visit folsom.ca.us/depts/parks_n_recreation/zoo.
LISTEN: “Nelly The Elephant”  by The Toy Dolls

 

CHILL OUT: STAY COOL
WITH THESE AREA ACTIVITIES

• Beat the heat at the El Dorado Hills or Folsom Aquatic Centers this summer! In EDH, classes and activities for all ages take place throughout the season, including: Basic Sailing, Lifeguard Training Academy, Sunset/Full Moon Paddles and Discover Kayaking. Purchase a 2012 Summer Season Pass for access to the Community Pool, swim lesson discounts, use of the Kiddy Pool during swim lesson sessions and more. Folsom’s multi-use aquatic facility offers a variety of programs for all ages and abilities. Mark your calendar for the center’s free family movie night on July 21. The doors open at 7 p.m. for an open swim, and the movie begins around 8:30 p.m. Visit edhcsd.org/aquatics.html or folsom.ca.us/depts/parks_n_recreation/aquatic/default.asp for more details.
LISTEN: “Twisting by the Pool”
by Dire Straits

• The dog days of summer are about to get a lot cooler! Check out Cameron Park Lake Lagoon’s Pooch Plunge. Bring your dogs – any shape, any size – to the Lagoon on August 18 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. for a dog-only swim day! Your pooch can run, jump, and swim until its heart’s content. For more information, visit cameronpark.org.
LISTEN: “Dog and Butterfly”
by Heart

• On June 5, mark your calendar for the Buckeye Education Foundation’s third annual fundraiser Splash Into Summer, an end-of-year pool party and carnival hosted by El Dorado Hills Sports Club and Asante Spa. Festivities take place from 1-5 p.m., and all proceeds will benefit the Buckeye Education Foundation. For event details, visit sparetimeclubs.com.
LISTEN: “You Better Swim”
by Motorhead

• Feeling energetic? If so, head to Beal’s Point in Granite Bay on June 23 for the sixth annual Folsom Lake Open Water Swim (FLOW). FLOW was originally designed as a training swim for multi-sport competitors and novices alike, with 0.6, 1.2 and 2.4 mile distances, but don’t let that intimidate you: all are welcome. If you’re a swimming enthusiast and are in the Sacramento area, then you’ll definitely want to go with the flow this summer! For registration fees and event details, visit capitoladventureracing.com.
LISTEN: “Float On”
by Modest Mouse

• Seeking some thrills this summer? There’s plenty of rushing water and adrenaline to be had at Cal Expo’s Raging Waters Sacramento (rwsac.com) or SunSplash Roseville (golfland.com/roseville). Ride the giant waterslides from sunup to sundown! Alternatively, take advantage of Sacramento’s rivers at the beautiful American River Parkway or Discovery Park – bring a picnic, rent a raft, find some rapids or just paddle on the shore. Whether you’re thrill seeking on the waterslides or floating down the river on a  raft, just remember to be safe!
LISTEN: “The Tide is High”  
by Blondie


• What better way to enjoy a movie than under the stars by the pool? Enjoy Cameron Park Community Center’s Movies By The Pool event this summer. Curtains go up on June 20 from 7:15-9 p.m. at the Cameron Park Community Center. Enjoy a warm summer’s eve with family and friends; just bring a chair! Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children under 12. Who said you can’t find affordable entertainment for the family?
LISTEN: “Movies”
by Hothouse Flowers

• For more than 30 years, Steve Wallen Swim School, Inc. in El Dorado Hills has been teaching infants through adults how to swim. If you have children who are water-shy, you might find the patient instructors at Steve Wallen just the thing to get them into the water confidently this summer. Or, maybe you’re afraid of the water yourself. Young or old, inexperienced or phobic, taking the first step toward water safety is a step in the right direction for an enjoyable summer. Visit wallenswim.com for swim class details.
LISTEN: “Swimming”
by Florence and the Machine