Without proper care, grave sites – including stones – can fall into disrepair, often due to families moving out of the area, or passing away themselves.
Veronica Hamilton of Hamilton’s Grave Care Services shares information on gravestone symbols, types of “grave goods,” and tips on how to correctly maintain gravestones.
Category Archives: culture
Tattoos and history
In the Northern California coastal town of Fort Bragg, the Triangle Tattoo Museum offers visitors – whether the generally curious or those seeking tattoos – interesting exhibits of photographs and artifacts. Owners Madame Chinchilla and Mr. G have authored books and given lectures on all things tattoo.
Rainbow Family and National Forests
Meet Scott, a member of the Rainbow Family, who feed the hungry and homeless, and gather in our country’s beautiful national forests.
Todd Morgan & The Emblems and music appreciation
It would be easy for Todd Morgan & The Emblems to follow the often tread cover band path, but it has raised the bar with songwriting influenced by rockabilly, jazz, Big Band, and rock. Todd Morgan discusses his influences, and the band’s third recently released CD, “Sweet Pretender.”
The Outlander Podcast and time travel
Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” book series has so strongly resonated with the masses, it segued into a popular television series, and an ever-growing fandom, including Summer and Ginger, who launched The Outlander Podcast before the television show even aired. Time travel, romance, and Scotland’s beautiful landscapes – what’s not to love?
Independent radio and education
Corporate radio is struggling, and for good reason. Listeners are demanding variety, and finding it online or via satellite. How can people hear their favorite types of music (with unlimited artists), and support their local community? Dennis Newhall of Sacramento’s K-ZAP and Joe Parente of Process Theater, Inc. discuss their joint effort in bringing back a local favorite radio station of pub rock and blues into non-profit status, and assisting students with learning the evolving craft and technology of radio, and what the media has to offer in the future.
INDIEBlush and artists
A great talk with Christina Marie, the creative force behind INDIEBlush magazine – Burning Man, body issues, digital media, creating and investing in indie collectives.
Rap and students
Andre Justice (“AJ”) loves the ladies, and loves to rap. He also happens to have cerebral palsy, so he needed a little assist to achieve his musical goals. He approached Amaru Yawo-El (“Düc”), a special educational assistant at Luther Burbank High School, who also performs hip hop. The power duo have recorded some tracks, and plan on assisting other students with learning disabilities to sing, perform, and record rap with their Anybody Can Rap (ABC-Rap)
Black voters and family
In 2013, the Supreme Court reversed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, indicating that states could no longer be judged by voting discrimination, inferring the country has fundamentally changed since the Act’s passage five decades ago. The recent horrific massacre in Charleston obviously discounts that claim.
Sheri Holbrook Labedis, author of “You Came Here to Die, Didn’t You,” writes of her experiences in 1965, when she responded to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s request for white people to help register black voters in the South. Coincidentally, she was first sent to Charleston for training, and then to the poverty-stricken community of Pineville for canvassing. Witnessing the extreme change of culture from that of her hometown in California, the experiences of the young, naive 18-year-old deeply impacted her life, on many levels.
Black books and education
The 2nd Annual Sacramento Black Book Fair – held in eight different venues – offered a plethora of informative, engaging, and entertaining activities from which to choose. The Brick House Art Gallery hosted a fabulous Kids Zone, with African drumming and dance provided by Jodama Drum & Dance, and vendors who introduced community-based organizations, such as Sojourner Truth Museum, Sacramento Area Youth Speaks, Black Child Development Institute, and Read Across Jamaica. Plus, the Crocker Art Museum’s Art Ark made an appearance. You’ll also meet four authors who attended an evening at Underground Books: Nicholas Powers, Cedric J. Boy, Kakwasi Somadhi, and Sandy Lynne Holman.
Conversation Accessories 