Wednesday Gazette: August 19, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday! If you haven't made it out to the Downtown farmers' market yet, today's your day. Rain or shine, from 8:30am to 1:30pm, you'll find fresh flowers, hummus and pita worth planning your morning around, a fun new kefir flavor to try, and plenty of fresh veggies to stock up on. Whether you're there for the necessities or just want to treat yourself, it's one of the easiest ways to get out and enjoy your city.
Find all the details, plus the rest of this week's local events, on our community calendar.
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SPORTS
Riverside Has a Sports Culture. Now It Needs a Pro Team.
The support that it brings will help dictate the future of sports in the city of trees.
The culture of Riverside is engraved into the sports of the city. There's old rivalries still going strong, there are athletes who have come up through the ranks of the city and into the big leagues, there's tradition, according to Pep Fernandez, host of Riverside TV's "Riverside Sports Update."
"It's easy covering Riverside because they love sports and the city does such a great job helping the high schools develop these great athletes," he said.
High school sports have a tradition that has developed fandom with history. There are rivalries with Riverside Poly High School and Norte Vista High School. There's bad blood between Martin Luther King High School and Ramona High. The competition isn't just in the confines of the gridiron; the friction goes into other sports, said Fernandez.
"There's some schools in Riverside that have a long tradition with a lot of huge names in the sporting world," Fernandez said. "To see a city who not only remembers their history and their tradition, they're continuing to build upon that."
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COMMUNITY
Castle Park at 50
The Riverside Attraction Boasts a Bright Past and an Unpredictable Future.
La Sierra native Glenn Freeman visited Castle Park with his father not long after the attraction opened in the Spring of 1976.
The little boy was blown away by the sights, sounds and textures of the multi-dimensional family fun center.
Originally known as Castle Park Golf-n-Fun, the park was built just off the Polk Street Exit on the Riverside Freeway on land paid for in cash by Wendell "Bud" Hurlbut, a longtime amusement park veteran who developed some of Knott's Berry Farm's most popular attractions.
Castle Park was a passion project for Hurlbut which he financed privately and designed to his specifications. It was a 72-hole miniature golf hub with four, color-coded, multi-tiered, marvelously designed courses of differing levels of difficulty. The immaculately maintained holes featured dozens of themes—lakes, waterfalls, haunted houses and historical oddities. An exquisite sound system lent further drama to each hole.
"I remember thinking it was the Disneyland of miniature golf," said Freeman, who wrote a research article on the park's history for the October issue of the Journal of the Riverside County Historical Society.
Just as essential to the Castle Park story was the medieval castle that served as the attraction's center of gravity and housed its world class arcade—a three-level structure filled in the 1970s with games of skill like SkeeBall, Air Hockey, 21 and pinball, later to be augmented by video games.
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CITY HALL
Linden Street Could Shrink to Two Lanes Under Safety Pilot
City committee advances study of restriping near John W. North High School.
City officials are weighing a plan to cut Linden Street to two lanes near North High School.
Why it matters: Drivers between Chicago and Iowa avenues could see permanent striping changes, while cyclists gain buffered bike lanes and students get a formalized loading zone outside North High.
Driving the news: The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee unanimously directed staff Thursday to begin community engagement on the proposal, building on the Transportation Board's June 3 recommendation.
- The corridor saw 36 reported collisions between 2021 and 2025, with improper turning the top cause.
By the numbers:
- 33% of crashes involved improper turning
- 19% involved unsafe speed
- 17% involved right-of-way violations
Yes, but: Resident Jerry Good asked the city to study traffic data from a similar Brockton Avenue restriping before moving ahead, citing concerns about speeding and bike lane use.
- Traffic engineer Brett Craig said the Brockton project underwent "extensive analysis" and has worked well for years.
What's next: Staff will conduct further outreach before returning findings and a recommendation to City Council. No date has been set.
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What's Happening in Riverside
Today
- Riverside East Rotary Club at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
- Stretch & Dance Class at Janet Goeske Senior Center
- About Writing at Janet Goeske Center
- County Planning Commission Meeting at 4080 Lemon St., 1st Floor
- Foundations of Yoga Instruction at University of California, Riverside
- FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner at All Saints Episcopal Church
- History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21)
- Riverside Mission Belles at Victoria Presbyterian Church
Tomorrow
- History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21)
- LUCKI at Riverside Municipal Auditorium
Save the Date
- Aug 21: FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Aug 21: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- Aug 22: FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray at Community Yoga Center
- Aug 22: FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Aug 24: FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour at Community Yoga Center
- Aug 26: FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner at All Saints Episcopal Church
- Sep 3: Orange Street Mural Unveiling at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street)
- Sep 9: FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing at Cowtown Square Dance Center
- Sep 18: Open Mic Night at Riverside Baha'i Center
- Oct 3: Aquamotion Aquathon at Shamel Pool
- Oct 7: Fifty & Better Health Fair at Janet Goeske Center
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