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Hot August Bites in Citrus Heights is revving things up for 2017 event

Classic cars on display during the 2014 Hot August Bites event at Rusch Park.

Sentinel staff report–
The annual Hot August Bites event at Rusch Park is changing things up a bit this year with a different time and layout — although live music, free swimming, a beer garden, food trucks, and a car show are still on schedule for the Aug. 12 event. The annual free event has been growing since first launching four year ago, with organizers estimating the event attracted 1500 people last year.

“We are looking forward to a new layout and organizer of the car show,” said Sunrise Park District Recreation Coordinator Karey Hansen. She said the event has also changed from an evening event to a morning-afternoon event, in order to avoid “almost unbearably hot” temperatures that have plagued the event for the past few years.

The three-hour event will take place near the Rusch Park Pool from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with free swimming until 1 p.m. and several dozen vendor booths and other activities on the grass. Hansen said the car show will take place in the shaded area across from the covered bridge, and a beer garden will also be featured on site, provided by All Events Management Group.

The car show will be open to cars of all years and will be put on by Nor Cal Cruisers, whereas prior year’s have featured a classic car show put on by Auto’s for Alzheimer’s. According to an event flier, over 30 trophies will be available along with a 50/50 raffle, with fundraising proceeds benefitting the Citrus Heights Police Activities League.

For those curious about the “Bites” aspect of the usual “Hot August Nights,” Event and Community Center Technician Michele Saario previously told The Sentinel the term came about due to the popularity of the park’s food truck events in the past. She said a decision was made to merge a car show and food truck event to form the first “Hot August Bites” in 2014.

Food trucks scheduled to attend this year include Frenchy’s Waffles, Game Day Grill, Kado’s Asian Grill and Turnt Up Food Truck, according to organizers.

Related: Like local events? Here’s 20 top annual events in Citrus Heights

Best access for the event will be from the Auburn Boulevard side of Rusch Park at 7801 Auburn Blvd. Event sponsors include Sunrise Recreation and Park District and City of Citrus Heights, along with Hot 103.5 and 101.9 The Wolf.

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Event info: see flier

Hot August Bites
August 12, 2017, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Rusch Park, 7801 Auburn Blvd
Citrus Heights, CA

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August 5, 2017
Citrus Heights Tree Lighting set for Dec. 3 at temporary site

Christmas tree decor, stock photo. // CHSentinel

The 19th annual Christmas Tree Lighting in Citrus Heights will be held at a temporary site in front of the Community Center on Dec. 3 this year, pending anticipated completion of a new city hall building next summer.

Although a larger, 30-foot tall tree was delivered two weeks ago, Community Center Technician Michele Saario said a smaller tree was brought in last week after several technical difficulties were encountered.

This year’s festivities will begin with a 6:30 p.m. lighting ceremony on Thursday outside the Community Center, followed by free refreshments, cookie decorating, train rides, and pictures with Santa inside the Center. According to the City’s web site, there will also be special performances by the Citrus Heights Community Marching Band, and dance performances by the Ukrainian Heritage Club of Northern California and Folsom-based Aradhana Arts.

In the past, tree lighting ceremonies were held around a once-permanent tree rooted on the old city hall grounds at the corner of Greenback Lane and Fountain Square Drive. A location change was required this year due to the old tree being cut down when city hall was demolished, in preparation for a new medical building to be built at the corner.

[From July: Citrus Heights leaders break ground on new city hall project]

According to Saario, future tree lighting ceremonies will be held at the new city hall being constructed near the corner of Fountain Square Drive and Stock Ranch Road, where a permanent tree will be planted. She said finding a temporary site for this year’s tree lighting was a “challenging” experience, with the location changing several times due to traffic concerns from police and underground wiring outside the Community Center not allowing a hole to be dug for the original, larger tree.

Police Lt. Jason Russo said various proposed tree locations had encountered different problems, with a primary concern coming from trying to avoid blocking off Fountain Square Drive due to the nearby Post Office and Sam’s Club each having night deliveries. He said the final plan is for crowds to gather across the street from the Community Center in the police department parking lot, with police closing the road briefly during the actual lighting of the tree. The road will then re-open after attendees move inside the Center for the remaining activities and performances.

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Russo also said donation bins for unwrapped toys and food will be set up after the ceremony to go towards the police department’s annual Holiday Referral Program, which seeks to help local families who experienced a hardship over the past year.

[Related: Holiday police program benefits in-need Citrus Heights families]

The annual tree lighting drew over 1,000 people last year, and is sponsored by the City of Citrus Heights, along with Sunrise Mall and Marketplace, and Republic Services.
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Event info:
Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015
Location:
Police Department and Citrus Heights Community Center
6315 and 6300 Fountain Square Dr.

November 30, 2015
‘Hot August Bites’ brings food, car show to Rusch Park

Classic cars on display during the 2014 Hot August Bites event at Rusch Park.

Live music, food trucks, a bounce house and several hundred classic cars are on schedule for the 2nd annual Citrus Heights “Hot August Bites” event this Saturday, with organizers inviting folks to bring the family and a lawn chair out to Rush Park for an evening of fun.

The free four-hour event promises to include over 300 classic cars in a car show presented by Autos for Alzheimer’s, thousands of dollars in raffle prizes, and 101.9 The Wolf and Hot 103.5 on site to keep the music going.

The Saturday event is scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m. on August 15, with a free night swim offered at Rusch Pool from 4 to 7 p.m., according to an event flier.

[Document: Event flier for 2015 Hot August Bites]

For those wondering about the “Bites” aspect of the more common “Hot August Nights,” Event and Community Center Technician Michele Saario previously told The Sentinel the term came about due to the popularity of the park’s food truck events in the past. She said a decision was made to merge a car show and food truck event to form the first “Hot August Bites” last year, hoping to create a memorable, “signature event for the community.”

The event also replaced a yearly “Summer Concert Series,” which was discontinued due to low attendance in past years, according to Saario.

Hot August Bites is hosted by the City of Citrus Heights and the Sunrise Recreation and Park District, along with Autos for Alzheimer’s. Organizers say proceeds from the car show and raffle will go to support the Alzheimer’s Association.
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August 13, 2015
2015 Red, White & Blue Parade to feature skydiver, carnival

Parade participants pass by on Sunrise Boulevard during the 2014 Red, White & Blue Parade.

[box]Update: see full coverage and video of the 2015 parade here: Citrus Heights celebrates with Red, White & Blue Parade[/box]

Citrus Heights will host its 16th annual Red, White & Blue Parade on June 27 this year, planning to kick off the event with a skydiver demo and feature festivities like the Summer Carnival in the Sunrise Mall parking lot afterward.

The parade is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday and will travel along Sunrise Boulevard, starting just north of Madison Avenue and ending near Greenback Lane at the Sunrise Mall.

Motorists are advised to avoid the parade area due to several planned road closures between 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. According to the City’s website, Sunrise Boulevard will be closed between Madison Avenue and Greenback Lane from 8 a.m. to noon, and Birdcage Street will be closed between Uplands Way and Farmgate Way from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Uplands Way will also be closed from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., between Sunrise Boulevard and Primrose Drive.

Traditionally held on the fourth Saturday in June each year, the parade dates back around Citrus Heights’ founding and was originally created as a “happy birthday” to the City, according to organizer Michele Saario. Several years later, in 2002, the event became known as the “Red, White & Blue” Parade, due in part to the September 11 terrorist attack.

Saario said organizers seek to draw about 100 entries and floats each year from civic clubs, businesses, nonprofits, and other groups — with a focus on drawing some new music and animal entries this year to add a “new dynamic” to the parade. The parade will also feature various awards, including a Mayor’s Trophy Award and a $500 certificate to Northridge Music, according to a parade flier.

The annual event is sponsored by the City of Citrus Heights, Republic Services, 101.9 The Wolf, and Hot 103.5, with the skydiving demo sponsored by Sunrise Marketplace.

[Also on The Sentinel: Community Camp Out planned for Rusch Park in July ]

The nearby 3-day Summer Carnival will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the Sunrise Mall parking lot on Saturday, and will also be open Friday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m., according to the Mall’s website.
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June 25, 2015