Sunday Gazette: May 17, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! Do you have old photos tucked away somewhere, the kind that capture a moment you still think about? We'd love to help you dust them off and share them with the community. Whether it's a night out at Spanky's with your best friends, a Festival of Lights photo from decades past, or a snapshot from some corner of Riverside history that only you remember, we want to hear the story behind it.
Send us your vintage photos and the memory that goes with them right here. We'll be sharing them with the community in the weeks ahead.
See you tomorrow!
Advertisement (Become an advertiser)
HISTORY
When Magnolia Avenue Was Riverside's Showcase of Homes
The horticulturists and entrepreneurs who settled the boulevard in Riverside's citrus heyday left behind a neighborhood and a legacy.
By 1895, Riverside was considered the wealthiest city per capita in the United States. Most of this wealth came from the growing citrus industry spearheaded by the development of the navel orange. Many of the orange growers built grand homes throughout the city on their citrus acreage. One area where several of these horticulturists were located was near and along the newly laid-out showcase street, Magnolia Avenue. Most of these houses were built away from the street, with trees and shrubs hiding the structures from view. Most of the early photographs and postcards of Magnolia Avenue do not show any of the homes, as they were set back from the street. In the 1893 Riverside Directory, 30 property owners along Magnolia Avenue were listed as horticulturists. Another four were in the citrus packing and shipping industry, and one was an official with the Riverside Water Company. Two more were bankers, handling the capital of these early entrepreneurs.
The first settler to build his home on Magnolia Avenue was George Crawford. Crawford arrived in Riverside in 1875 from Ontario, Canada, one of several family members who relocated from Canada. He built his home in the summer of 1876 on his property at 391 Magnolia. His home was described as one of the best in the area and a showplace for visitors. Situated on twenty acres with a thousand orange trees and a smaller number of lemons, the house was set on a spacious lawn with a semi-circular drive between the road and the house.
Unfortunately, a fire in the early morning of December 18, 1903, destroyed the house. While the family frantically attempted to rescue possessions and put out the fire, the streetcar along Magnolia Avenue came by. The conductor, motorman, and passengers "turned in and worked like beavers, getting furniture out of the house." The family must have rebuilt, as George Crawford passed away in this home on Magnolia Avenue on June 23, 1909. In addition to his occupation as a horticulturist, he served for several years as a director of the Riverside Water Company.
Read and share the complete story...
Advertisement (Become an advertiser)
NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK
Neighbor of the Week: Darren Conkerite
Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.
Darren Conkerite has spent nearly three decades building something that Riverside didn't know it needed until he opened the doors. A Riverside City College alum who later earned a business degree from Cal State San Bernardino, Darren spent nearly a decade working for the Golden Cheese Company in Corona before a different kind of vision took hold. By 1988, he was spending time in downtown Riverside, drawn to the Mission Inn corridor and the Fox Theater neighborhood. What he saw was a city with character but few places to simply gather. In 1996, he and his partner opened Back to the Grind on University Avenue — one of the first coffee houses in Riverside — and have been at it ever since.
From the beginning, Darren's idea of a coffee shop was bigger than coffee. He opened early and stayed open late, often until midnight in the early years, seven days a week. He made room for open mic nights, book clubs, game groups, and community organizations of every kind — political events, nonprofit meetings, baby showers. The shop became a proving ground for the idea that a neighborhood place could be genuinely useful to its community, not just a spot to grab a drink. That philosophy, more than any single program or event, is what Darren credits for Back to the Grind's staying power.
Now in his fourth decade as a small business owner, Darren still comes in most days. He's known for remembering regulars' orders, for keeping the space open to artists and causes that don't have anywhere else to go, and for the kind of quiet consistency that turns a coffee shop into a landmark. Back to the Grind recently added a 50-seat venue downstairs, hosting magic shows and mentalist performances on a regular schedule — another experiment in what a community space can be.
Advertisement (Become an advertiser)
CREATIVE PROMPTS
Differing Degrees
A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
This week, as Riverside spring tries on every outfit in the closet, we’re turning our attention to a small wall-mounted mood enhancer: the thermostat. Here’s my take on the current season. Heater in the morning. Air conditioning by late afternoon. The thermostat is there for us when weather and our own fashion sense let us down.
A thermostat is simple enough. Keep a space at a comfortable and consistent temperature. The thermostat, credited to Warren S. Johnson (1883), was created because people disliked manually managing temperature 24/7. That fact makes me wonder about how much of my creative energy gets spent managing “my climate” instead of making things?
Creative life has a preferred temperature too. When a creative deadline looms, that’s when I decide I can’t do anything until I’ve put together the right playlist, the right amount of natural light, the right amount of hydration. With a little effort, I can remove the creative output altogether and just recalibrate my artistic thermostat all day.
Read and share the complete prompt...
This Week in Riverside
Sunday, May 17
- Prayers and Public Information Meeting at Riverside Baha'i Center
- Gardening for Butterflies at Botanic Gardens
- 2026 Benedict Castle Concours and Car Show at Benedict Castle
- Anime Lovers Speed Dating at Back to the Grind ($23.18 - $44.52)
- Choir Concert at Trinity Lutheran Church
- Dancing for Fun at Janet Goeske Center
- Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social at Riverside's Heritage House
Monday, May 18
- Monday Carillon Recitals at UCR Bell Tower
Tuesday, May 19
- City Council at Riverside City Hall
- ScotSurplus Public Sale at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard
- Amordidas Acompañadas Exhibition Reception at Alumni & Visitors Center
- Karaoke Tuesday Competition at The Hideaway
Wednesday, May 20
- 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
- Riverside Unified Strategic Plan - In-Person Open House at Riverside Polytechnic High School
- A concert of art songs and arias performed by students of Dr. Ralph Cato at Arts Building, 166
- Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee at Riverside City Hall
- History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21)
Thursday, May 21
- Economic Development Committee at Riverside City Hall
- Planning Commission at Riverside City Hall
- Shrek-TACULAR! at the Marcy Library at Marcy Library
- History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21)
- In Conversation: Terry Evans, Mark Klett, and Laura McPhee on Landscape Photography and Barry Lopez at University of California, Riverside
- Mexican Music and Dance concert at University Theatre
- Mucho Gusto Presents - El Santo Golpe & Making Movies at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($23.18)
Friday, May 22
- 43rd Annual UC Riverside Pow Wow at Riverside Sports Complex
- Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18)
- GASOLINA REGGAETĂ“N PARTY (18+) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium
- Jim Morrison Celebration ft. Wild Child at Fox Performing Arts Center
- Live Joy Division tribute in Riverside! World Goth Day! at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51)
- Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show at The Old Spaghetti Factory at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69)
- Murder Mystery Dinner Theater Show at The Old Spaghetti Factory
- STRANGEWAYS a Tribute to The Smiths & Morrissey! at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23)
Saturday, May 23
- Water Smarts 101 at Western Municipal Water District
- Mosaic Art Fundraiser at Mission Inn Foundation & Museum ($108.55)
- Billy Joel Tribute by All Key'd Up! at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23)
- Bingo Loco (21+) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium
- Gothic Tea Party Fundraiser at Grace Manor ($108.55)
- Paint and Sip con El Bad Buky at The Experience Riverside ($45)
- TOPS at Farm House Collective
Save the Date
- May 29: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meetingat Zacatecas Café
- May 31: Oscars, Tonys & Grammys at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20)
- June 1: REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175)
- June 3: Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness at HRBC Insurance ($75)
🗓️ 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.