Swiss mister's sister city: John Sutter is a big Sacramento name, true, but he's also well-known where Lorenz Degen comes from."Everybody knows John Sutter," Degen said.
That would be everybody in the part of Switzerland Sutter's family came from, near the German border.
Degen is a correspondent for Oberbaselbieter Zeitung, a weekly paper there. He was in the Central Library last week, reading up on Sutter. His aim, however, is not to tell the Swiss about Sutter, but about Sacramento.
Why? Because Liestal, a town of that region, is a sister city to Sacramento.
"I would really like to refresh this relationship," he said.
Refresh? We didn't know there was a relationship, but apparently it has existed for nearly 20 years. That isn't a lot of time by Liestal standards. The town was founded 800 years before becoming our sister city. It's also a cap-ital city, just like us. Unlike Sacramento, its population is only about 13,000.
Degen had enjoyed his trip when we talked to him, but he had one frustrating experience. He wanted to take a train to Oregon but found every train was sold out for nearly two weeks. …
So odd, it makes sense: "The Big Lebowski" is a Coen brothers movie centered on bowling. Namaste Children's House is an orphanage in Nepal. The connection is obvious, I'm sure.
It is to Rosemont's Laurie Blanchard, anyway. She and her husband – Mike, owner of Barber's Shop Automotive in midtown – will hold a big "Big Lebowski" party Aug. 24 at Capitol Bowl in West Sac to raise funds for the orphanage. "It's kind of a stretch," she admitted. "That's me."
Laurie had volunteered at the orphanage before. As a fan of the cult flick, she booked the quaint alley for a party. (It'll also benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society.)
It's all you can bowl for $10, followed by a party with bands. (Mike is a member of three bands, including Tattooed Love Dogs.) For more info, call (916) 706-3482. …
Good sports: The Mexican-American Hall of Fame isn't just Mexican American, and it isn't the usual hall of fame with exhibits of honorees.
It grew out of local Mexican American athletic leagues of 80 years ago, and out of the fact that other halls of fame weren't recognizing Latino athletes. In 1973, the Mexican-American Hall was established to recognize, not just athletes, but people who have contributed to the Latino community and sports.
"They're not the guys you see on TV," said Phil Barros, a Hall of Fame board member. They aren't superstars, just super people. Later, the Mexican-American Hall of Fame began to induct non-Latinos. "Two wrongs don't make a right," Barros explained.
They give scholarships and hold dinners, but mostly they rent out their hall, an inconspicuous spot on Fruitridge Road with a few photos on the walls of teams of the past.
Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá at (916) 321-1987. Back columns, www.sacbee.com/alcala.
