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Festivals celebrating the Day of the Dead will be popping up in the Central Valley and Sacramento region this weekend.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Festivals honoring the dead will be held in cities across the Central Valley and Sacramento region this weekend to celebrate Día De Los Muertos.

The Mexican holiday is celebrated in the U.S. this year on Nov. 1 and 2 and traditionally welcomes back dead loved ones for a brief reunion celebratory reunion.

Below is a list of Día De Los Muertos celebrations happening around the Sacramento region.

Sacramento

Panteón De Sacramento

When: 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28; 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29; 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Oct. 30Where: Latino Center of Art and Culture - 2700 Front St., Sacramento, CAAbout: The 13th annual celebration will be hosted and at the Latino Center of Art and Culture through the entire weekend and will feature food, music, performances, vendors, alters and more.More information: click HERE.

Día De Los Muertos Festival

When: 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29Where: The Washington Neighborhood Center - 400 16th St., Sacramento, CAAbout: The annual celebration will be held at the Washington Neighborhood Center featuring food, music, family activities and a full gallery showcasing and educating the community about the Altars.More information: click HERE.

"From Living to Spirit" Free Art Show

When: 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30Where: 1324 Arden Way, Sacramento, CAAbout: Día De Los Muertos Art exhibit and alter by Sacramento artist Roberta Sandoval Wong hosted by the The Vida de Oro Foundation.More information: click HERE.

Elk Grove

Día De Los Muertos Celebration

When: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30Where: Marketplace 99 near Chuck E. Cheese - 9134 E Stockton Blvd, Elk Grove, CAAbout: Hosted by Marketplace 99, the even will feature live performances, kids' activities, giveaways, prize drawings and more.More information: click HERE.

Stockton

Día De Los Muertos Community Street Fiesta

When: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday Oct. 29Where: Mexican Heritage Center - 111 S. Sutter St. Stockton, CAAbout: Stockton's Mexican Heritage Center Gallery will be hosting a community street festival that will include several cultural dance performances, street art, face painting, food and cultural vendors, live music, a car show and 20 community alters.More information: click HERE.

Día De Los Muertos Festival

When: 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28Where: Plaza Del Rio, Downtown - 6702 3rd St. Riverbank, CA About: The city of Riverbank's Parks and Recreation Department will host a Day of the Dead festival in downtown that will feature alters, entertainment, food, music, performances and more.More information: click HERE.

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Student athletes of both the varsity girls volleyball team and the varsity football team were honored at their last home games last week.

And the girls added to their celebration with a three-game sweep in the Trans-Valley League contest against Modesto Christian High School, on Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Lady Bruin Volleyball

The girls team kicked off their evening with the Boosters Club helping recognize the three seniors and their families, just ahead of the first serve. To add to the festivities, they swept the visiting Lady Crusaders in three straight games, taking the match 25-9, 25-18, and 25-7, for the Trans-Valley League win.

Senior Recognition Night is a celebration organized by the Riverbank Boosters Club, usually held at the final home game of the season, and is a long-standing tradition.

Those honored prior to the match included Chiara Dalmasso, a Foreign Exchange student from Italy, Mia Vidal, and Kianna Vega.

This game closed out the girls’ 2022 volleyball season.

Bruin Football

Just two days later, on Friday, Oct. 21, the varsity football team would similarly celebrate its seniors and their families, along with senior cheerleaders, just before the kickoff against the visiting Wolves from Livingston.

Fifteen football seniors, three cheerleaders, and their families were introduced before the start of the game. The three cheer squad members took a little time at the end of their halftime routine to perform a little solo workout.

Among the many footballers graduating, No. 24, Roberto Dagnano is also a Foreign Exchange student, from Italy.

The high spirits continued for local fans as Riverbank was the first on the scoreboard, in the first quarter. Toward the end of the period, the Bruins had completed a drive that brought them close to the end zone, but a penalty brought them a bit farther away.

After several attempts at scoring a touchdown, they settled for a field goal, kicked by lineman Josue Ulloa. Riverbank was ahead, 3-0, after one quarter, and down just 7-3 at the half.

That score remained after three quarters, but the Wolves were able to score three more times in the fourth, ending on top in the league contest, 27-3. A final high spot for the Bruins was a blocked point after attempt, knocked down by senior Richard Torrez.

The Bruins will finish out their 2022 season on the road this week, at Hilmar, on Friday, Oct. 28.

Co-Ed Cross Country

Riverbank runners were to participate in the Trans-Valley League Championship on Wednesday, Oct. 26, hoping to continue on to the Sub-Sections next week and the Section Championship after that.

Girls Golf

Lady Bruin golfers were to compete in the Division V finals on Monday this week, with the potential for team or individual advancement to the Masters Tournament on Monday, Oct. 31.

Winter Sports

Athletes participating in the 2022-23 winter sports season will be able to start practicing on Oct. 31, after about three weeks of dead time, where they’re only allowed to weight train and condition, according to California Interscholastic Federation rules.

Games for boys and girls soccer and boys and girls basketball won’t be starting until the middle of November this year.

The Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plan in California received five out of five stars, the highest rating possible, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) annual Star Quality Ratings for 2023.

This is the 12th straight year Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare health plan in California has been rated five out of five stars.

“Kaiser Permanente is proud to be consistently rated among the best in the nation for providing high-quality care and service to our Medicare health plan members – and all of our members – throughout Northern California,” said Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE, president of Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California region. “This five-star rating reflects the unwavering commitment of our physicians, care teams and staff to keeping our members leading healthy and productive lives.”

The CMS Medicare Part C (health plan) and Part D (drug plan) 5-Star Quality Rating system is designed to help people compare health and drug plans based on quality and performance. Plans that receive five out of five stars in the annual ratings are recognized as excellent. Plans that receive four out of five stars are above average.

The Medicare health plans in every other Kaiser Permanente region in the U.S. have been rated four stars or higher from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for 2023. Kaiser Permanente provides care to 1.8 million Medicare members (out of 12.6 million members total) in eight states and the District of Columbia.

“These ratings demonstrate the commitment of our physicians and care teams to providing excellent care and service to our patients,” said Richard S. Isaacs, MD, FACS, chief executive officer and executive director of The Permanente Medical Group. “Our clinical expertise combined with the high-quality care we provide is improving the health and well-being of our members and patients.”

Every year, CMS rates all Medicare Advantage health plans (Parts C and D) on multiple facets of care and service, including chronic conditions management, health maintenance, patient experience, customer service, and pharmacy services. Kaiser Permanente’s star ratings demonstrate the value of its integrated health care delivery system, which brings a myriad of services together, in many cases all under one roof, and puts patients at the center of care.

Medicare-eligible people can enroll in individual Medicare Advantage plans during the Medicare open enrollment period, which begins Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7, 2022. Visit kp.org/medicarestars to learn more about Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare health plans.

Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves.

The American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region needs special volunteers to deliver blood products to hospitals in local communities and provide the vital link between blood donors and patients who need blood products.

Volunteers in the blood transportation specialist position have two important assignments — to transport blood from Red Cross blood collection sites to labs throughout the region for testing and processing, and to deliver blood products to hospitals in the area using a Red Cross-owned vehicle.

These crucial volunteers will be asked to fill two to four shifts in their region each month, and the assignment usually takes about four hours to complete. The need for these transports may be scheduled during the day, in the evening, and on weekends.

If you have a valid state driver’s license and at least three years of licensed driving experience, you can choose regular routes, stand-by emergency deliveries or both. This is a great volunteer opportunity for individuals, couples, friends or family members. Volunteers must be able to lift as much as 45 pounds. Training is provided by the Red Cross. Blood transportation specialists can schedule their own hours while helping patients in need.

“It only takes a few hours each week to have an impact on someone’s life. When you join us, as a member of our Blood Transportation Team, you’ll serve as a critical link in getting blood donations to those who need them,” said Patty Montmorency, Blood Services Transportation Team Lead. “Training is free, but the blood you deliver is priceless.”

When Red Cross volunteer Mark Merz is asked why he serves as a Blood Transportation Specialist, he said he gets motivated “just knowing that someone is in a hospital and might need a transfusion.”

Since he is semi-retired, Merz does a shift every other week, picking up boxes of blood donations from blood drives and transporting them to hospitals.

If helping hospital patients who need blood and blood products during their battle back to health is of interest to you, visit redcross.org/volunteer for more information.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit them on Twitter at @RedCross.

Stanislaus County’s agricultural report for 2021 was released this month, and for the ninth consecutive year almonds rank as the No. 1 commodity, making up nearly a third of the county’s entire ag production.

The total value of almonds in 2021 was $1,084,744,000 — or 32 percent of the county’s ag production. That figure was down about $39 million from the previous year.

But, considering that the nation still was dealing with the coronavirus pandemic for much of 2021, that number isn’t too disappointing.

“It’s been one thing after another,” said local grower Christine Gemperle, co-owner of Gemperle Orchards and a member of the Almond Board of California. “Back in 2017, we started the trade wars, then there was COVID, supply chain issues, then a giant crop in 2020 followed by a crop we couldn’t get out of the country. There have been lots of challenges.”

Milk, which was the county’s No. 1 commodity for more than 50 years until almonds took over in 2013, accounted for 24 percent of commodities in the county with a gross value of just over $800 million. That’s up from $736 million in 2020.

Poultry, which accounts for 10 percent of all ag commodities, was down slightly, from about $343 million in 2020 to $334 million last year.

Rounding out the Top 10 were cattle and calves (5 percent), nursery fruit and nut trees and vines (4 percent), silage (4 percent), walnuts (3 percent), almond pollination (3 percent), cherries (2 percent) and hay (1 percent).

Stanislaus County Supervisor Vito Chiesa, himself an almond grower, wasn’t surprised that almond production dipped for a second consecutive year. But he warned that next year could look much different.

“I don’t want to sound too whiny … 2022 is going to be much worse,” said Chiesa. “Ag is cyclical, and nuts tend to do better with a weak dollar and in a weaker economy. But with inflation and interest rates rising, your guess is as good as mine as to what it will look like. I’ve never been as uncertain. Do I think it will work itself out? Hopefully. But it’s an uncertain world right now, that’s for sure.”

While almonds were down slightly, overall, fruit and nut crops increased their combined value in 2021, with walnuts, cherries, apricots and wine grapes all on the upswing.

Total field crops also increased value, going from $172.8 million in 2020 to $219.5 million in 2021.

Apiary products — honey jumped from $15 million to almost $19 million — increased total value to nearly $112 million, a bump of $6 million from the previous year.

Total livestock and poultry were down more than $100 million, from about $609 million to $503 million.

The Stanislaus County Farm Bureau gave its Distinguished Service Award to Wayne Zipser, who retired in March after 35 years with the SCFB and nearly 20 as its executive director.

For the second consecutive year, an award for Farmworker of the Year was handed out. Sponsored by AgSafe, Modesto Rotary and the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, the 2021 award was given to Gonzalo Torres, a labor and field safety supervisor at Braden Farms in Hughson.