The cross atop Mt. Rubidoux stands against a clear blue sky during Easter weekend. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? Share it with us and help celebrate the beauty of our community!
Sunday Gazette: April 5, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! Whether you're catching the sunrise service at Mt. Rubidoux this morning, hiding eggs for the kids or grandkids, or simply enjoying a quiet Sunday, we hope your day is a good one. Whatever today looks like for you, we're glad you're here.
See you tomorrow!
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Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Kevin Dawson. Your ongoing financial support is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves!
When Riverside held its first Easter Sunrise Pilgrimage in 1909, Gustav Hilverkus was there — cornet in hand, music echoing off the mountain.
Photo of First Easter Sunrise Service on Mount Rubidoux on April 11, 1909. Hilverkus is standing, playing on his cornet. Just to the right of Hilverkus is Allis Miller on a portable organ. Frank Miller is seated second from the left in the bottom corner of the picture with Marion Clark next to him. (Courtesy of the Local Archives of the Riverside Library)
When the first Riverside Sunrise Easter Pilgrimage was held on Mount Rubidoux on April 11, 1909, Gustav Hilverkus was among the main participants. In this simple ceremony, Gustav played on his cornet, accompanied by a portable organ and a violin. The Holy City, a Victorian ballad was written about 1892 by Stephen Adams. The words were by Frederick Weatherly and in three verses describe Jesus' Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, His Crucifixion outside Jerusalem on Good Friday and the eventual triumph into the spiritual New Jerusalem. The Riverside Enterprise reported, "He played The Holy City in tones of exquisite harmony, and the sweet notes of music were wafted away on the chill mountain air, echoing in the distance." For twelve of the first fourteen services, Hilverkus played this song on his cornet. In 1915, Marcella Craft sang The Holy City, and in 1919, the song was not part of the service. Then, from 1925 through 1929, Gustav Hilverkus was part of a brass quartet that played The Holy City. The Holy City became a fixture in almost every Easter Pilgrimage Service for as long as the Miller family was connected to the service.
In an interview in March of 1959, he showed the reporter a photograph in his personal collection taken at the first service in 1909. In this photo published in the newspaper, Hilverkus identified himself, Mr. and Mrs. Miller (Mrs. Miller would still have been Marion Clark at the time of the first service), Allis Miller (later that same year, Allis married DeWitt Hutchings), and DeWitt Hutchings.
Hilverkus was also part of the first Armistice Day Sunset Service held on Mount Rubidoux on November 11, 1919. For this service, he opened the program with a cornet solo of The Star-Spangled Banner. For the 1920 Armistice Day service, he played The Holy City on his cornet. In 1921, Hilverkus directed the Riverside Military Band as it played the Star-Spangled Banner while a chorus led the people in singing the words. The band also played the Garibaldi Hymn while the Italian flag was raised, as Italy was the honored nation that year.
Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.
Caitlyn Cohen reviews FPR's Wednesday Wishlist in the organization's resource closet. (Brenda Flowers)
Caitlyn Cohen has been serving on the board of a nonprofit, running a cognitive science research project, and leading her school's National Honor Society — all while finishing her senior year at John W. North High School. Caitlyn has been a board member and social media manager for Family Promise of Riverside (FPR) since 2022, when the organization was still in its early years. Founded in 2020, FPR supports unhoused families in the Riverside community through a rotational housing model, connecting them to shelter, case management, and a path toward long-term stability.
In her role at FPR, Caitlyn runs the organization's weekly "Wednesday Wishlists" social media posts and has spearheaded several campaigns, including an informative series last fall drawing attention to the potential impact of losing SNAP benefits. At North, she juggles an impressive slate of commitments: she serves as president of the National Honor Society, has captained the Mock Trial team (earning two county awards for witness roles), and is both an actor and club officer in the theater club. Last year, she took the lead role in North's production of The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, written by Mike Eastman.
Beyond high school, Caitlyn is a researcher with a cognitive sciences lab at Cal State San Bernardino and will be presenting her work at a research conference in late April.
This week, we’re reaching for something softer that finds its way into most of our places where we keep “extras” of things just in case: a disposable napkin. They are arranged in neat stacks, tucked alongside takeout containers or handed out in hopeful excess by considerate service employees. Those never-ending dispensers found everywhere make them seem like an inexhaustible resource. You need one, you take seven. You use maybe two. The rest migrate into glove compartments, kitchen drawers, coat pockets, waiting ready for a random spill or sneezing fit.
They’re symbols of convenience, sure. Each one is designed for a single, fleeting purpose. A quick wipe, a polite dab, and then…out of sight, out of mind.
But what if we interrupted that lifecycle? What if those extras became something else instead of banishment into oblivion. Temporary art. Ephemeral expression. Creativity with an expiration date and a guilt-free recycling bin ending.
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