Gold Rush Days - Sacramento’s heritage celebration-is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend. More than 200 tons of dirt will be dumped on the streets of Old Sacramento as the annual festival “turns back the clock,” transforming Sacramento’s historic district into a scene straight out of the 1850s. Costumed re-enactors, Wild West gun fights, musicians playing period instruments, and many aspects of life during the Gold Rush will be highlighted during the four-day event.

In 2008, the event will see the expansion of the number of ethnic and cultural components. Featured will be period artifacts, storytelling, food preparation and more. Dancers and musicians will perform according to long-held traditions. There will be a variety of ethnicities represented that could include European, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, African American and California Indian.

The event also features a lecture series focusing on how the Gold Rush experience unfolded for various cultures and ethnicities.

Admission is FREE; and event hours are as follows: Friday, August 29, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Saturday, August 30, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, August 31, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; and Monday, September 1, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, call (916) 808-7777.

Gold Rush Days is produced and promoted in cooperation with the City of Sacramento, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, California State Parks, the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, Old Sacramento Management and the Discovery Museum’s Gold Rush History Center. For more information about Gold Rush Days specifically, or about visiting Sacramento generally, including lodging and attractions, visit www.discovergold.org or call (916) 808-7777.