> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 🗞️ Riverside News- August 23, 2026 - URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-16-2026-c/ - Published: 2026-08-23T12:00:51.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-23T12:00:52.000Z - Description: Homegrown plant lovers build Plant Bingo, new RAM director announced, a creative prompt that reveals... - Author: Gazette Staff - Tags: Newsletter ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_20260731_072501.jpg) A family pauses for a photo among the talus rock field below the columnar basalt cliffs at Devils Postpile National Monument, part of a trip through Mammoth Lakes that also included stops at Rainbow Falls and Reds Meadow. (Samantha Akes) ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Sunday Gazette: August 23, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Last week's riddle got such a great response, we're doing it again. A hundred years ago this month, thousands of Riversiders crowded onto a bridge near Mount Rubidoux, many expecting to see a disaster. A local pilot, known by a nickname that stuck for good, was about to fly his plane through a bridge opening barely taller than his own aircraft. Who was he, and what did Riverside come to call him? [Send us your guesses](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com), we'll share the answer tomorrow morning. --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Roger Duncanson, Lady Magnolia, Hamlet Manouchehri, Evelyn McCorkle, and Yundra Thomas. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260823)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260823&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Homegrown: How Two Riverside Plant Lovers Built Plant Bingo What began as informal plant-shopping visits in a Riverside apartment has grown into a regional game-night business with DJing, prizes and a loyal following. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-13.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/homegrown-how-two-riverside-plant-lovers-built-plant-bingo/) Greenprint Collective's Plant Bingo combines plant care lessons, prizes and live DJ sets, drawing strangers together to make new friends. (Micaela Ricaforte) Plant Bingo is homegrown in the truest sense — it started in the living room of founders Donovan Moreno and Genevieve Aleman, who once invited people into their apartment to shop for houseplants one at a time. Moreno and Aleman said Plant Bingo started as informal plant-shopping appointments out of their Riverside apartment after the couple had a baby last year and were looking for extra income. Word of mouth grew — "I've been to your house," one recent Plant Bingo attendee told them — and the pair began hosting small groups at local businesses instead of one-on-one visits. The pair started the first Plant Bingo event last September with about 20 people at a cafe where Aleman was working — and it has run regularly since. What started as one-on-one plant-shopping appointments has grown into a recurring game night that combines plant care lessons with prizes, live DJ sets and, organizers and attendees say, a rare space for strangers to make friends. People can buy tickets through Greenprint Collective's website, with many events including a meal. Attendees show up, eat and socialize before the game begins. Organizers then run 20 rounds of bingo, starting slow and picking up speed — with prizes ranging from a small succulent to a mini rubber tree. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/homegrown-how-two-riverside-plant-lovers-built-plant-bingo/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260823)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260823&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Art Museum Names Vivian Zavataro as Executive Director Zavataro will start Oct. 1, joining RAM from the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-8.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-art-museum-names-vivian-zavataro-as-executive-director/) Vivian Zavataro will become executive director of the Riverside Art Museum on Oct. 1\. (Courtesy of Riverside Art Museum) The Riverside Art Museum has named Vivian Zavataro as its next executive director, the museum announced Friday. Zavataro will begin the role Oct. 1. Zavataro comes to Riverside from the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, where she has served as executive and creative director, overseeing the museum's strategic, operational and creative direction. RAM said her appointment comes as the museum has expanded its exhibitions, education programs and national profile, including through its role as home to The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture. "The Riverside Art Museum has grown from a beloved community museum into a dynamic cultural institution with an international presence," Patricia Reynolds, president of RAM's Board of Trustees, said in a statement. "Through our historic Julia Morgan building and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture, we create opportunities for people to experience, learn from, and celebrate art that reflects the diverse stories and voices of our community." Reynolds said Zavataro's combination of institutional leadership, curatorial experience and community engagement work makes her well suited to guide RAM's next chapter. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-art-museum-names-vivian-zavataro-as-executive-director/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260823) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260823&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## The Big Reveal A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![potted plant on window with curtain](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1473252812967-d565c3607e28?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEyfHxjdXJ0YWluc3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODcxMDI5NDR8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-big-reveal/) ([eduard](https://unsplash.com/@eduardmilitaru?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week’s creative nudge is a literal curtain call. The curtain gets my vote for least secure boundary in a room. It has no lock, no latch, and no instruction manual. Simply drawing a curtain signals that a space has changed. That understanding requires cooperation. Anyone can push a curtain aside. We usually don’t because curtains depend on our respect for the performance. A closed curtain says, “Whatever is happening back here is not currently part of your business,” and most of us agree. Curtains offer visual privacy while remaining remarkably unconcerned about sound, smell, temperature and conversation. We can’t see what is happening behind a curtain, but engaging all your senses, and a little imagination, can tell you everything you need to know. I regularly attend performances at the Landis Performing Arts Center on the Riverside City College campus, and I love the moment when the curtain retracts and unveils the vividly designed set for the first time. The props and performers were there all along (perhaps forever!?!); the curtain gives us a before and an after. When it opens, something must happen. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-big-reveal/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, August 23 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-23T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [PIZZA and ICE CREAM SOCIAL 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pizza-and-ice-cream-social-2026/19514745/2026-08-23T16) at TEMPLE BETH EL RIVERSIDE - [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-23T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-08-23T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, August 24 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-08-24T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/19400682/2026-08-24T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-08-24T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-24T19) at Community Yoga Center - [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19637553/2026-08-24T17) at Killer Queens Social House ### Tuesday, August 25 - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-08-25T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-08-25T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-25T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, August 26 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-26T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-26T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-08-26T17) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-08-26T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Thursday, August 27 - [Human Relations Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/human-relations-commission/19647885/2026-08-27T18) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516284/2026-08-27T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Past, Present, and Future: Bridging Memory and Modernity at the Museum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/past-present-and-future-bridging-memory-and-modernity-at-the-museum/19570614/2026-08-27T18) at Riverside Main Library - [Sight Unseen Reframed Exhibition Opening](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sight-unseen-reframed-exhibition-opening/19602744/2026-08-27T17) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Women's Soccer vs. Utah Tech](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/womens-soccer-vs-utah-tech/19588061/2026-08-27T19) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [Linea Personal: TODO Ø NADA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/linea-personal-todo-nada/19346722/2026-08-27T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Friday, August 28 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-28T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Paint Your Pet at Hangar 24 Brewing: Sip, Paint & Support Shelter Pets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-your-pet-at-hangar-24-brewing-sip-paint-support-shelter-pets/19557264/2026-08-28T18) at Hangar 24 Brewing ($55) - [ANTESDE QUE NOS OLVIDEN EN RIVERSIDE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/antesde-que-nos-olviden-en-riverside/19346725/2026-08-28T20) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-08-28T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Happy Hour Karaoke](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/happy-hour-karaoke-at-the-hideaway/19596724/2026-08-28T17) at Hideaway - [La Luz](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/la-luz/19346724/2026-08-28T19) at Farm House Collective ### Saturday, August 29 - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-08-29T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/19390096/2026-08-29T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-08-29T08) at Corporation Yard - [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-29T07) at Community Yoga Center - [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-29T09) at Community Yoga Center - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-08-29T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Teo Gonzalez and Mario Aguilar: 90 vs 60 La Comedia Perfecta](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/teo-gonzalez-and-mario-aguilar-90-vs-60-la-comedia-perfecta/19346728/2026-08-29T20) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Amor Prohibido - Tribute to Selena](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/amor-prohibido-tribute-to-selena/19438780/2026-08-29T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ## Save the Date - Aug 31: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 2: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week.