Arts & Entertainment: We double-dare you to …

Party like a corpse

Trash Film Orgy’s Zombie Walk

Resurrect your social life at the Zombie Walk! The event kicks off the Trash Film Orgy midnight-movie series with a leisurely group lurch through downtown Sacramento to the Crest Theatre. The parade begins July 9 at 10 p.m. and culminates at a midnight screening of Return of the Living Dead. (This summer’s TFO offerings also include Heavy Metal on July 23, Monty Python and the Holy Grail on July 30, and Werewolves on Wheels on August 6.) Theme zombies are always encouraged. The parade route is yet to be determined, so check the website for updates. www.trashfilmorgy.com. (B.C.)

Be an art tourist

Second Saturday road trips

Summer is a great time to check out Second Saturday. Art is the year-round focus of the monthly event, but summer evenings are also a great time to stroll around the city, stop by your favorite restaurant or check out some live entertainment. Finding Second Saturday events is easy: SN&R’s d’Art guide comes out every Thursday before Second Saturday and tells you where all the happenings are. The guide lists art walks in Sacramento, Davis, Roseville, Folsom and Fair Oaks. We dare you to check out activities in all the cities in which you don’t reside—one city per month, throughout the summer. (J.M.)

Take over the mall

Zuhg Life Store inside Westfield Downtown Plaza

Zuhg isn’t your typical mall-rat hang. The locally owned retail spot offers the region’s largest selection of locally created music; live performances every Friday, Saturday and Sunday; an open-mic night every Tuesday at 6 p.m.; a summer music camp for kids; locally produced art, jewelry and clothing; and private or group music lessons. Plus, it’s operated by actual local musicians, Bryan Nichols and members of his jam-reggae troupe Zuhg. Basically, it’s the Forever 21 for those everlastingly hooked on Sacramento’s sounds, sights and threads—and all inside the “big, evil, corporate mall.” 545 Downtown Plaza, Suite 2090; www.facebook.com/zuhglife. (N.M.)

Waltz on an island

Strauss Festival of Elk Grove

Elk Grove offers nothing more elegant and aesthetically pleasing than the Strauss Festival. The 24th annual festival is set on Strauss Island in Elk Grove Regional Park. This year’s theme for the festival honoring “The Waltz King” Johann Strauss II is “Springtime in Vienna.” The majestic event includes a 32-piece orchestra with dancers in Viennese-replica costumes dancing in the foreground. Trees and the night sky form the background. Blue water surrounds the stage, and the dancers enter on a lit bridge. For $10, if you don’t have a classical-music experience often, this is definitely worth it. July 28-31, 7:45 p.m.; Strauss Island, Elk Grove Regional Park in Elk Grove; (916) 714-2527; www.straussfestival.com. (K.Y.)

Catch a band on the patio

Music Nights on the Patio at Dad’s Kitchen

Enjoy the Delta breeze and cheap eats every Thursday night at Dad’s Kitchen with its Music Nights on the Patio series. Here’s the tip: Get there between 4 and 6 p.m. to enjoy the happy-hour deals ($1 veggie tacos! $2 pints of Pabst!), then stick around to enjoy the free live music that goes from 6 to 8 p.m. It’s a cheapskate’s dream come true. 2968 Freeport Boulevard, (916) 447-3237, www.ilovedadskitchen.com. (R.L.)

Swim on concrete

Sacramento Mermaid Parade

A mermaid parade raises the obvious question: How do mermaids parade without feet? Don’t overthink it. Just join the flippered festivities! Sacramento’s first mermaid parade kicks off in Old Sacramento. Prizes will be awarded to the best-dressed sea creatures and merfolk. Parade grand marshal Debora Iyall (of ’80s new-wave band Romeo Void) will honor those costumes that display ocean-themed creativity, quality workmanship and “confidence and poise as befits a sea creature.” The parade starts Saturday, July 16 at 1 p.m. at Rio City Cafe, 1110 Front Street in Old Sacramento; http://sacramentomermaidparade.com. (B.C.)

Take a Buddhist field trip

Sacramento Buddhist Bazaar

I have been going to the Sacramento Buddhist Church Bazaar ever since I was a kid. When I was younger, I could barely wrap my head around the idea of Buddhism, but still enjoyed the event’s fun games and yummy food (especially the tempura). Now that I’m older, the bazaar is a great place to submerge myself in another culture. From the body-shaking taiko drum line to the elegant flower arranging, the Buddhist Bazaar has something exotic for everybody to enjoy. And if it gets too hot, an icy snow cone is never too far away. August 13 and 14, from noon to 9 p.m.; 2401 Riverside Boulevard; (916) 446-1866; www.buddhistchurch.com. (J.C.)

Keep an ace up your sleeve

Ace of Spades

Big ups to Eric Rushing and Co. The music mogul and head of local management group Artery Foundation gave the central city music scene a big shot in the arm this spring when he opened Ace of Spades, the popular 900-person all-ages venue on the R Street Corridor. Spades goes off on most nights, striking a nice balance between rock and hip-hop touring acts and locals who otherwise would be relegated to the far reaches of Orangevale instead of the city’s heart. Added bonus: a great bar and cafe, 2AM Club. Mark your calendars for Mickey Avalon on June 17, Tech N9ne on June 22, E-40 on July 29 and Queensryche on September 11. 1417 R Street, www.aceofspadessac.com. (N.M.)

Amuse the muse

Art classes at the Crocker

Find your muse at the Crocker Art Museum. The downtown museum offers classes for children and adults on art and art history. Classes for kids include cartooning, film animation, printmaking, painting and using clay. Adults can choose from painting, drawing, sculpting, art and maps, and watercolor. There are also weeklong summer camps for children with themes ranging from urban art hunts to multidimensional design. 216 O Street, (916) 808-1182, www.crockerartmuseum.org. (H.B.)

Pop ’til you drop

Pops in the Park

You enjoy listening to cool tunes in the heat of the summer, but you’ve grown tired of the fight for parking at Cesar Chavez Plaza. Or the effects of the beer garden on concertgoers, or the peculiar dance stylings of its more eccentric attendees. Maybe Pops in the Park is more your style. Since 1995, City Councilman Steve Cohn has utilized the events, held in different East Sacramento parks every Saturday in June, to help fund neighborhood projects, such as extending pool hours due to cuts to city services in recent years. You’ll still find a beer garden, but with an added wine bonus. The gatherings are less concentrated, and while we can’t promise an absence of weirdo dancing, the odds are greatly reduced. As of this issue, you’ve only got two weeks left, so get to groovin’! http://eastsacpopsinthepark.com. (K.B.)

Time-travel to the past

Sacramento History Museum walking tours

Trace Sacramento’s history in this walking tour that chronicles the city’s roots from a simple tent city set up along the river to a bustling metropolis that houses the state Capitol. From Canvas to Brick, part of the Sacramento History Museum’s tour series, details the city’s past through its historic buildings and how they survived (or didn’t) everything from the gold rush and the pony express to fires, floods and redevelopment. Private tours are also available. Tours leave Saturdays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. through August. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children. 101 I Street, (916) 808-7059, www.historicoldsac.org/programs/programs-walkingtours.asp. (R.L.)

Party on the patio

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

It’s not the biggest patio in the world—or even in Davis. But on summer nights when Sophia’s Thai Kitchen invites local and touring bands to set up in the northwest corner of its famed front patio, magic happens. There’s a killer bar inside—specialty cocktails, decent suds such as Chimay in the bottle—and a beguiling fish tank for those too inebriated to do anything else but stare at life aquatic. And, duh, Thai eats! (Spicy eggplant stir-fry. Do it.) Mark your calendars for former Missouri Mule frontman Jesse Lee Miller’s new act, New Heirlooms, on July 15. 129 E Street in Davis, (530) 758-4333, www.sophiasthaikitchen.com. (N.M.)

Buy fruit in the foothills

Wednesday Main Street Farmers Market in Placerville

Every Wednesday throughout the summer, Placerville’s Main Street morphs at 5 p.m. into one of the most marvelous small-town farmers markets in the region. The Wednesday Main Street Farmers Market is “foodies meets the foothills”—a great community bonding experience. It features local farmers offering fresh fruits, seasonal vegetables and abundant flowers. Note: This market also showcases the product of many notable nearby wineries. Best of all, local bands play in the bell tower from 6 p.m. until dusk. Historic Main Street around the bell tower in Placerville; (415) 250-5337; www.placerville-downtown.org/events.html. (M.W.)