Seeking a much-needed youth infusion, the Sacramento Blues Society looks to local schools for inspiration. The group’s 15-year-old Blues in the Schools program helps keep an aging local blues scene alive with a youthful and passionate presence, assisting young artists while they gain a foothold in the industry.

Cru Chocolate’s Karla McNeil-Rueda takes beans to bars from her Roseville home. 

Until recently, Tower Cafe in Sacramento was one of the only food options west of 16th Street on Broadway, with some of the most well-known establishments east of the intersection, including Willie’s Hamburgers, Los Jarritos and Pancake Circus. The west end of Broadway heading toward Sacramento River, while not completely devoid of restaurants, was largely an industrial hub.

Artisan furniture maker Trent Dean shows how he makes his minimalist designs. 

Jeff Musser was an artistic child who went on to graduate from the Art Institute of Chicago in 2000 with his bachelor’s degree in graphic design. He then spent two years at an ad agency in Chicago managing creative for McDonald’s Happy Meals. Despite a respectable salary, Musser was anything but happy.

The next great American play may have premiered earlier this month in Sacramento, even if the show still hasn’t sold a single ticket.

Sometimes even beloved traditions get an update, like the Sacramento Ballet’s annual holiday production of “The Nutcracker,” which offers a new take on the classic story this year.

The City of Woodland held a swearing-in ceremony for the new Mayor Xóchitl Rodriguez on Dec. 4 at the Woodland Community and Senior Center. Rodriguez is the first woman to hold the position since 1998. Rodriguez is replacing Enrique Fernandez.

The California State Railroad Museum curates one of the world’s largest toy train collections. 

Just three years after Sarah Golden shared the first block-printed fabric she ever made on Instagram, she has amassed nearly 35,000 followers and established a successful creative career in surface design. Today, Golden works full-time producing her signature simple, muted designs in both fabric prints and original paintings from her Oak Park studio. “I love a real simple two-color print and I will work a polka dot into every project, unabashedly,” she jokes.