OLD SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- What's old is new again in Old Sacramento this summer when the historic district comes alive with an entertaining "Street Theatre" program and highly anticipated "Old Sacramento Underground" tours. The Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) -- in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses -- will offer an exciting new "Street Theatre" program (on weekends June 19 through August 26, 2010), and coveted "Old Sacramento Underground" tours (on Thursdays through Sundays beginning July 10 and continuing through October 31, 2010).
The above-ground "Street Theatre" program showcases historic re-enactors, 19th century craftsmen and other unique performers who will entertain visitors to Old Sacramento with historic sports, gambling, re-enactments of the Pony Express, military encampments, parades, historic events and other planned and impromptu performances. The "Street Theatre" activities are free to the public and are designed to reflect the atmosphere and character of the early gold mining period in an effort to inspire a renewed appreciation of our history and heritage.
Additionally, the entertaining and history-rich "Old Sacramento Underground" tours will provide visitors with a unique glimpse into the massive and dramatic undertaking that took place when the streets were painstakingly raised in the 1860s through the 1870s to protect the city from devastating flooding. In fact, Old Sacramento has the distinction of being the only city in California to raise its streets and is also one of the very first cities in the nation to do so. Underground tour visitors will have the opportunity to view disappearing windows and doors, dipping alleyways, exposed retaining walls, walk into underground hollow sidewalks and tour historic buildings all while being entertained and educated by costumed tour guides and docents who portray characters true to the period.
Beginning on Saturday, July 10, "Old Sacramento Underground" tours will be offered hourly on Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (the last tour departs at 5 p.m.). Tours of the underground last approximately 45 minutes in length and cost $15 for adults and $10 for children. Advance reservations are now being accepted online at www.historicoldsac.org or via phone at 916-808-7973. Interested visitors are encouraged to secure reservations early as tickets are expected to sell out quickly. Underground visitors will need to be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces in areas that have low ceilings and in occasional small spaces. While the last underground tours for 2010 will take place on Sunday, October 31 (Halloween), the program will resume in April 2011 and continue indefinitely.
