Center for Sacramento History

Mike Lowman is seen roller skating through Capitol Park in 1989 in protest of a ban on skating in the park. This photo accompanied a Suttertown News article where Lowman expressed his frustration over the ban at the park, which was close to where he lived at the time.

At the time of this photo, Lowman was a psychology instructor at Sacramento City College. He also taught at Sierra College during his career, and was a published author and had a private therapy practice in Sacramento’s Midtown for a few years before his death in 2003. Born July 27, 1944, in Illinois, Lowman got his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and a doctorate in psychology from the Humanistic Psychiatric Institute. He also studied at the Theological Seminary at Northwestern University.

(Photo by Ric Vallejo, Suttertown News newspapers and photo morgue, 1995/026/0381)

Jan Reynolds trains for the inaugural Queen of the River City Roundup and Gold Rush Jubilee competition. Say that three times fast! The contest, held on November 3, 1978, crowned a queen to preside over a week of festivities, including another first-time event: the Gold Rush Jubilee Fun Run. Whether Reynolds ultimately took home the tiara, or maybe a golden Stetson, remains a mystery.

(Sacramento Bee Collection, 1983/001/SBPMP7973)

Is it a radio? Is it a phonograph? It’s both! Our Philco combination radio-phonograph was purchased by Sacramentan Dolores Greenslate from Weinstock Lubin & Co. in June of 1948. At $56, this was an expensive item for Dolores. She purchased it on credit with $20 down and made small payments for the next five months.

Designed to sit on a table, a music lover could toggle between listening to the radio or a record via a k**b at the top of the unit. A record could be slipped into the slot at the bottom and would play automatically.

(Philco Radio-Phonograph, Model 1201, gift of Dolores Greenslate, 1995/067/028)

City of Sacramento names Ty Smith as new City Historian - Sacramento City Express A new chapter is beginning at the Center for Sacramento History. Ty Smith will begin serving as Sacramento’s new City Historian on June 1, bringing more than two decades of experience in public history, museum leadership, interpretation and education through his work with California State Parks. S...

Did you do something nice for Sacramento on April 17, 1973? That was the day county residents voted on whether to approve a $1.5 million bond issue to finance the purchase of the Alhambra Theatre from Safeway in order to preserve it instead of demolish it. We all know how that turned out. The Sacramento Bee reported that only 23 percent of registered voters showed up to the ballot box that day, and while 44 percent of them voted for the Alhambra measure, it needed a two-thirds majority to pass. Noted the Bee: “The poor showing left no doubt the voters prefer not to pay the price to have even this distinguished touch with the past.”

(Historic Environment Consultants collection, MS0065)

Skip Green plays the dobro in this photo that accompanied an August 1985 article on bluegrass in the Suttertown News. Skip and his brother John Green started up an acoustic music store at 1931 L Street in 1981 called the Fifth String, where they also held many jam sessions. In a September 24, 1982, Sacramento Bee article John explained how the banjo’s fifth string is a distinguishing feature of a bluegrass band, “With that fifth string you can play rolls… You put on finger picks and it lets you strum and pick to get the real banjo sound. With four strings, what you’ve practically got is a ukulele.”

The shop moved a few times over the years and in 2017 opened at 2900 Franklin Boulevard, focusing on music education and performance. You can still find it there today!

(Photograph by Debbie Seusy, Suttertown News newspapers and photo morgue,)