A great service, though an unusual one for a county with funding woes.
County department cooks up complete outdoor gatherings
By M.S. Enkoji - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, June 12, 2007
It might not be the typical government job description -- dressing up as an otter to entertain children -- but it's part of a unique service offered by Sacramento County's Department of Regional Parks.
As the season kicks off this month for picnics and barbecuing, Regional Parks' Picnics and Parties service is moving into high gear to offer amenities like stand-up comedy and slabs of barbecued ribs.
For two decades, Regional Parks has been encouraging people to use its four larger parks with reserved picnic sites by offering to do everything: entertainment, food, equipment and, of course, cleanup.
"It's the best kept secret in Sacramento," said Jill Ritzman, deputy director of regional parks. "People can just call and say, 'Here, plan my picnic.' "
Sacramento County is the only county she knows of that has its own in-house picnic services, she said.
The idea was to fill bookings for the large gathering sites by offering the extra services, she said, and it just stuck.
