Sunday Gazette: August 31, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! School is back, and the Gazette is cheering on every student, educator, parent and caregiver in Riverside. We want to apologize – on Friday we didn’t include every Riverside school and color. We are proud to support all our schools, students, and teams, and Hillcrest, La Sierra, and Norte Vista high schools are now all available to purchase!
To celebrate the new school year and show your Riverside pride, our 2025 Back to School Collection features signature tees in fresh colorways and youth sizes.We're offering pre-order pricing of $5 off every shirt through Sunday, September 14, with bundle-and-save options:
- 2-3 shirts: 15% off
- 4-5 shirts: 20% off
- 6+ shirts: 25% off
- Mix & match 3+ shirts across adult/youth sizes for special pricing, plus buy 5, get the 6th 50% off
Use code EARLYBIRD at checkout for an extra 10% off on top of other discounts through Monday at midnight. Grab your bundle, save, and start the year showing your Riverside pride!
NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK
Neighbor of the Week: Katie Wider
Each week, we will introduce a new neighbor. This is not a who's who list. These are regular Riversiders doing exceptional things.
Katie has called Riverside home since 1971 and has spent more than five decades volunteering across the community. Her first volunteer work began with art activities for disabled adults at the Swiss Inn, and later expanded to the Riverside City & County Literacy Program, where her efforts helped both adults and children overcome illiteracy and other learning challenges. In 1995, her dedication was recognized with a JCPenney Golden Rule Award supporting the Literacy Program.
Katie’s volunteer work also includes long-term commitments to the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center and Friends of Mt. Rubidoux. At MSRPAC, she has supported countless fundraisers, helped launch the Spay/Neuter Clinic, participated in weekly and monthly animal wellness programs, and served on the board during the building of the new Pet Adoption Center. At Friends of Mt. Rubidoux, she has been a longtime board member, newsletter editor, and creator of an educational coloring book for children. Her contributions have helped preserve, restore, and celebrate Mt. Rubidoux Park for generations of visitors.
Beyond her extensive volunteering, Katie is deeply connected to Riverside’s history, culture, and community spirit. From walking Mt. Rubidoux over 1,600 times to supporting local businesses, she embodies the city’s values of service, stewardship, and engagement. Whether through animal welfare, education, or historic preservation, Katie’s decades of dedication make her a true cornerstone of Riverside.
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COMMUNITY
Van Buren Boulevard, Where Traffic and Sleepiness Thrive
A series by Anthony Solorzano exploring Riverside through the eyes of a transplant, as the memory of a hometown slowly fades.
⚠️ WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN WILL BE FULL OF HYPERBOLE
Six months into life in Riverside, the community has been nothing but kind to me and my family. Neighbors watch out for us, readers cheer me on, and fellow writers point me toward great restaurants. No regrets. But if I had to nitpick, there is one place in Riverside that feels like pure evil in road form. A stretch of asphalt where traffic and sleepiness collide, where drivers fight boredom and the sleepy demon before they ever reach the freeway. Yes, I am talking about Van Buren Boulevard.
Read Anthony’s Full Perspective on Riverside’s Most Infamous Road...
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CREATIVE PROMPTS
New Paint Job
A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
I prefer to see flaws as a marker of time’s inexorable passage. I like finding places where time and the elements have taken their toll, where the once-smooth facade is now cracking and revealing layers beneath. That’s where the real good stories come from. Ask any beloved childhood toy and it will tell you the same.
Can you imagine a quiet story etched into every flake and curl of peeling paint? Think of an old sign with faded letters and edges where the paint curls away like dried leaves – it tells a tale of a bygone era, of a business that may no longer exist, of countless Riverside summers endured. These worn-out places, where the paint peels and fades, possess a unique kind of beauty; a form of accidental abstract art; a testament to the constant transformation of our environment.
Read and share the complete story...
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This Week in Riverside
Sunday, August 31
- Book Launch for Scouts' Honor by Carlos Cortés at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California
- Clean Campus Competition Art Contest at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce
- Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful Business Closet at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce
- Music Class Enrollment Deadline! at Riverside Arts Academy
- New Romantics Book Club | "The Love of My Afterlife," by Kirsty Greenwood at Marcy Library
- The Dollhouse Burlesque: Presents: Main Character Energy at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($15- $135)
- Alicia Villarreal DONDE TODO COMENZĂ“ 2.0 U.S. TOUR at Fox Performing Arts Center
Monday, September 1
- Volunteer Interest Hour at Riverside Meals on Wheels, Inc
- Assistance League Thrift Shop Accepting Donations at Assistance League Riverside Thrift Shop
- Bridge Card Game at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($8- $9)
- Men's Soccer vs. Air Force at UCR Soccer Stadium
- Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority at Riverside County Administrative Center First Floor Annex
Tuesday, September 2
- Challenging Bias and Bigotry in the Workplace at University of California, Riverside
- Inland Empire Chorus Open House at Temple Beth El
- Neon in the Gutters: Cyberpunk Visions of the Future at Rivera Library, 4th floor (Special Collection and University Archives)
- Tuesday Karaoke at The Hideaway
Wednesday, September 3
- Stretch & Dance Class at Janet Goeske Senior Center
- Free Reading Assistance Program at My Learning Studio
- Riverside Open Mic Music Series at Back to the Grind
Thursday, September 4
- Lincoln Park Community Group at Lincoln Park Community Center
- Architectural Walking Tour of Downtown Riverside at Mission Inn Foundation & Visitor Center ($21.20)
- First Thursdays at First Congregational Church of Riverside
- Free Admission - First Thursday of every month during ArtsWalk at Riverside Art Museum
- In Conversation: Sofia Valiente and Photo Students of Sherman Indian High School at Culver Center of the Arts
- Richard Wright and the Chicago Black Renaissance at Riverside Main Library Community Room
Friday, September 5
- Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18)
- Haggus at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($47.54)
- Tech Assistance for Seniors at Arlington Library
- Tiny Tots and Pre Ballet at Riverside Ballet Arts ($25- $52)
Saturday, September 6
- Sundance Film Festival Indigenous Film Tour 2025 at Culver Center of the Arts
- AdoptAStreet, Grand Avenue service at Mt Rubidoux Ward, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Amanda Miguel at Fox Performing Arts Center
- Emo Prom at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge
- Mon Laferte night at The Hideaway in Riverside! at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge
- SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library Groundbreaking at Bobby Bonds Park
- 9/6 @ Frets Music Riverside at Fret's Music
- Trap Karaoke at Riverside Municipal Auditorium
- Tropicaleiza Presents : Legacy - Rooted in Story, Carried by Rhythm at The Box Theatre
Save the Date
- September 8: Icons in Transformation Ribbon Cutting and Gala at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Victoria Country Club ($75)
- September 10: Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing at Cowtown Square Dance Center ($5- $7)
- September 13: 21st Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ at Magnolia Church
- October 6: Moon Festival at Heritage House
- October 18: The Riverside Citrus Classic Bike Ride at Riverside Plaza ($15- $80)
🗓️ 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.
