Sunday Gazette: July 5, 2026

Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! This week will look a little different around here. The newsroom is taking a short summer break, so you won't see a newsletter Tuesday, July 7 through Saturday, July 11. We'll be back Sunday, July 12 with a light edition, and Monday, July 13 with This Week in City Hall.

Consider it a breather, for us and hopefully a little extra sunshine time for you too. Thanks for your support and understanding.

Advertisement (Become an advertiser)

HISTORY

The Sesquicentennial in Riverside: 1926's Most Talked-About Fourth

From rowboat races on Fairmount Lake to Roman Warren's fireworks-laced flight over Mt. Rubidoux, Riverside marked the nation's 150th birthday in unforgettable fashion.

From June 1 to December 31, 1926, the United States celebrated 150 years of American Independence. The main Sesquicentennial Celebration took place in Philadelphia and featured an International Exposition. President Calvin Coolidge delivered a speech on July 5, 1926, at the Philadelphia site, emphasizing the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

Celebrations transpired across the nation, especially around the Fourth of July. Riverside and its people joined in commemorating our country's 150th anniversary with events, especially on July 5. Merchants used the event to tie together their businesses with the historical occasion.

With July 4 falling on a Sunday, some local ministers joined in by preaching sermons connected to the celebration. Dr. W. C. Selleck of All Souls Universalist Church spoke on "The Achievement of American Independence," focusing on the works of Thomas Jefferson. G. H. Hillmer, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran, delivered a sermon titled "Why We Love Our Country." Calvary Presbyterian Church and the First Congregational Church held a joint union service that Sunday morning with patriotic music and a sermon. On Sunday evening at the Y.M.C.A. city-wide patriotic service featured representatives from many of the Riverside churches with music beginning with "America" and ending with the "Star-Spangled Banner." Dr. Ira W. Barnett of Calvary Presbyterian delivered the sermon on "The Patriotism of Jesus."

Read and share the complete story...

Advertisement (Become an advertiser)

NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK

We The People...

This Independence Day, we set aside our usual single profile to gather the voices of nine Riversiders: different ages, different roots, different neighborhoods, all reflecting on what this city means to them.

Riverside is not one story. It is eleven relatives resting beneath Mt. Rubidoux, a carriage ride circling the Mission Inn on Christmas Eve, a pole vaulter clearing the bar at Martin Luther King High School, a classroom full of students still teaching their teacher something new. It is a city built by people who came from somewhere else and people whose families have never left, and somehow, we all call it home.

This week, in the spirit of the holiday that asks us to remember who "we" actually are, we set aside our usual single Neighbor of the Week and instead gathered the voices of nine Riversiders, different ages, different roots, different corners of the city, and asked them what Riverside means to them, who shaped them, and what they hope comes next. Their answers, together, are a small portrait of a big-little city.

Get to know We The People...

Advertisement (Become an advertiser)

CREATIVE PROMPTS

Independent Streak

A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.

This week, we put down the ruler and pick up something much harder to measure: the sights, smells, and sounds of the Fourth of July.

And not just any Fourth of July. This one lands on America’s 250th birthday, which means our nation has officially reached the age where it should start stretching before getting out of bed. Two hundred and fifty years is a lot of history and argument.

Maybe that’s why this year’s smells include the usual summer suspects—sunscreen, chlorinated pools, barbecue smoke, fireworks haze—and also, in honor of the semi quincentennial, let’s add birthday cake icing and melting candle wax. That is a load of candles. That is also a serious fire safety concern; it’s not shooting-fireworks-from-a-dry-hillside concerning, but still.

Read and share the complete prompt...

This Week in Riverside

Sunday, July 5

• Special Tours at Riverside Heritage House
• Learn Origami at UCR Botanic Gardens
• Storytime in the Gardens at UCR Botanic Gardens
• Prayers and Public Information Meeting at Riverside Baha'i Center
• Antenna Releasing Roadshow - Film: Coroner to the Stars at Mission Grove ($12.49)
• Sunday Experiment After Dark at Downtown Experiment

Monday, July 6

• Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240)
• BCOE High School Summer Camps at Winston Chung Hall
• Jr Titan Youth Summer Camp at Notre Dame High School ($160)
• Volleyball Youth Summer Camp at Notre Dame High School ($160)
• Human Resources Board at Riverside City Hall

Tuesday, July 7

• ScotSurplus Sale at Corporation Yard
• Resume & Cover Letter at My Learning Studio ($42)
• Money Money Money at My Learning Studio ($27)
• The Art of Reading & Writing at My Learning Studio ($57)
• City Council at Riverside City Hall
• Reading Comprehension Group at My Learning Studio ($57)
• Trivia Night at Back to the Grind
• Karaoke Tuesday Competition at The Hideaway

Wednesday, July 8

• Riverside East Rotary Club at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
• Stretch & Dance Class at Janet Goeske Senior Center
• Essay Writing 8th+ at My Learning Studio ($42)
• Writing Skills at My Learning Studio ($57)
• Finance Committee at Riverside City Hall
• "I Beg Your Garden" Oops, All Druids (D&D) - Adult Summer Reading Program at Main Library

Thursday, July 9

• Miss Nelson is Missing at Landis Performing Arts Center
• Leveraging AI: Stronger Neighborhood Groups with AI at Empire Underground
• The Dead of Summer Author Ryan La Sala and Drag Queen Story Hour Combine! at Cellar Door Bookstore ($42.80)
• Paint and Sip -Citrus and Chardonnay - Riverside - One Drink Included at ($60.54)

Friday, July 10

• Courthouse, Murals, & Heroes Tour at Mission Inn Foundation & Museum ($23.18)
• Live Rock en Español classics in Riverside! at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51)
• Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69)

Saturday, July 11

• Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28)
• K-POP Superstars at Fox Performing Arts Center
• Olivewood Cemetery Tour at Olivewood Memorial Park ($23.18)
• Painting Pop Stars Comedy Sip and Paint Event at BACK TO THE GRIND ($23.18)
• Reading Foundational Skills (RFS) at My Learning Studio ($196)
• Ripperside Cinema Galore Presents: Black Roses at Back to the Grind ($12.51)
• Songs From the Big Screen at Antioch Church ($7.18)
• Speed Dating for Ages 50+ at Cactus Cantina ($28.52 - $33.85)
• The Stars and Pipes Forever at First United Methodist Church of Riverside
• DSB The Tribute to Journey! at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($25.35 - $53.48)

Save the Date

• July 6: FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA at Community Yoga Center
• July 10: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
• July 11: The Stars and Pipes Forever at First United Methodist Church of Riverside
• July 13: River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors at Martha McLean Park ($235)
• July 20: Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200)

🗓️ See More Events     📝 Submit Your Event

📸 Submit a photo to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts.

🏆 Nominate a remarkable Riversider as Neighbor of the Week.