Maybe you've bought them in the canned fruit section of your supermarket or perhaps you've eaten them in your grandmother's Jell-O salad, but for one autumn weekend, mandarin oranges are the cream of the crop. The small citrus gem with its segments and easy-to-peel skin takes center stage at the Mountain Mandarin Festival held at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn.

Located along the Sacramento River and bustling with activities, the 28-acre Old Sacramento State Historic Park is welcoming a new visitor. Earlier this month, the Hawaiian Chieftain — a replica of a European merchant trader from the turn of the 19th century — sailed in, docked and became a temporary neighbor to the Delta Queen riverboat, which is a permanent fixture dockside.

MONTEREY — Dawn is coming soon. The lights are off, the sound system silent and the beasts of the Monterey Bay Aquarium have the place mostly to themselves: the otters, the anemones, the octopuses, the great white shark in the big tank, the lame young albatross in its rooftop cage — and Kacey Kurimura, who's at the kitchen sink in her apron and waterproof boots.