Sunday Gazette: June 22, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! We're now just 8 days away from our Toast to 10,000 subscribers on Monday, June 30 at 6:00 p.m. at Bar Ni Modo inside the new Farmhouse Collective. The 50 free drink tickets have all been snagged up over the last two days, but we just expanded our capacity and added 50 more free tickets! We'd love for you to join us next Monday evening, please RSVP for your free drink ticket.
NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK
Neighbor of the Week: Dominic Luna
Each week, we will introduce a new neighbor. This is not a who's who list. These are regular Riversiders doing exceptional things.
Dominic's connection to Riverside began in 2006 when he joined the City of Riverside Fire Department’s Fire Explorer Program. He quickly became a familiar face at city events, earning recognition as the program’s top volunteer. Since then, he’s remained rooted in the community, both personally and professionally.
In 2014, Dominic was hired as a firefighter-paramedic—his dream job. Serving the same neighborhoods he lives in gives him a profound sense of pride. Known for his compassion and commitment, Dominic goes out of his way to help others, whether responding to emergencies or simply being a good neighbor.
One of his most memorable moments came while mowing his lawn. A neighbor admired the flagpole in his yard and shared that her father—a 99-year-old veteran living near Fire Station 3—would love one of his own. Dominic made it happen. The touching story was captured on video.
Inspired by the community murals throughout the city, Dominic also helped bring public art to his workplace. After careful planning, Fire Station 3 became home to a mural honoring Midtown Riverside and the residents it serves.
Dominic was nominated by the Ward 1 Office for his work installing flags on the Wood Streets’ historic light poles—just one more way he brings pride and unity to the neighborhood he calls home.
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ART
Cheech Marin Finds His Comedy Mirrored in Chicano Art
Museum founder draws parallels between humor that commanded reactions and paintings that "flip" cultural tropes as The Cheech approaches third anniversary.
Cheech Marin was in Riverside this past week for a golf tournament benefiting Unidos, the Latino Network and Spanish Town Heritage, but the comedian-turned-curator was more eager to discuss art than his handicap.
The conversation centered on Benito Huerta's "Noches de la Frontera," a standout piece from "Cheech Collects IV," the fourth rotating selection now on display at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture as it approaches its third anniversary next month.
The painting immediately brought back memories of another Huerta work I'd encountered before: "Exile off Main Street." That piece stuck with me because of its unlikely cultural collision — the visual echo of Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" combined with a title that playfully twisted the Rolling Stones’ classic "Exile on Main Street." The Stones were also heavily subversive, twisting well-known aesthetics into their own frameworks.
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CREATIVE PROMPTS
Air Dry
A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
This week, we're braving those piles of unfolded laundry to give a second life to those single-use dryer sheets. Our creative nudge today helps us air out all our dirty laundry, providing some much-needed creative space. As a creative person fitting a vibrant artistic life into a busy regular one, I am used to finding these pockets of opportunity. It's less about setting aside an entire day to make capital-A art, and more about weaving moments of creative contemplation into the fabric of every single day.
Laundry is the quintessential mundane task: the repetitive motions, the hum of the machines, the warm touch of fresh laundry. I personally appreciate how laundry can help me avoid tasks I actually like—such as writing this column. To give you a peek into how I welcome procrastination into my creative process, I wrote this column between four loads of laundry.
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This Week in Riverside
Sunday, June 22
- Blue Zones Project Riverside Hiking Moai at Mt. Rubidoux
- Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour at Mount Rubidoux ($20)
- Little Paleta Cart Workshop with Artist David Flury at The Cheech Center for Chicano Art and Culture
- Writing Workshop with Lucila Tosolino at Riverside Art Museum
- Sunday Movie Matinee at La Sierra Library
Monday, June 23
- Volunteer Interest Hour at Riverside Meals on Wheels, Inc
- Notre Dame Summer Camp: Soccer at Notre Dame High School ($100)
- Board of Public Utilities at Riverside City Hall
- Academic Boot Camps - Kinder to 5th Grade at My Learning Studio ($472- $547)
- Adult Ballet Classes all levels at Riverside Ballet Arts L.L.C. ($25- $144)
- Beginners Round Dance Class Two Step at Cowtown Square Dance Center (Free- $10)
- Future Vets, Helping Pets! Summer Animal Kids Camp, Week 3 at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center ($200- $240)
- Mosquitoes Don't Deserve a Drop - Orkin Blood Drive at Orkin Riverside Call Center
- Neon in the Gutters: Cyberpunk Visions of the Future at University of California, Riverside
- RCTC Programs and Projects at County Admin. Center 4080 Lemon St. 1st
- STEAM Discovery Program at UCR University Extension ($375)
Tuesday, June 24
- Riverside Magnolia Farmers Market at Riverside Magnolia Farmers Market
- Study Skills & Test Taking at My Learning Studio (Free- $75)
- Reading Assistance Program at My Learning Studio ($79- $85)
- Riverside County Board of Supervisors Meeting at County Administrative Center
- Inland Empire Chorus Rehearsal at Temple Beth El Synagogue
- Tuesday Karaoke at The Hideaway
Wednesday, June 25
- Riverside East Rotary Club at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
- Stretch & Dance at Janet Goeske Senior Center
- 2025 Southern California Contracting Conference at Riverside Convention Center
- Half-Price Hysteria at Pet Adoption Center Thrift Store at Pet Adoption Center Thrift Store
- Sunday Movie Matinee at La Sierra Library
- Riverside Open Mic Music Series at Back to the Grind
- Deep Creek Fly Fishers Club Meeting at Izaak Walton Bldg at Fairmount Park
Thursday, June 26
- Architectural Walking Tour of Downtown Riverside at Mission Inn Foundation Visitor Center Store ($20)
- Reading + Math = Fun! at My Learning Studio ($57- $67)
Friday, June 27
- Museum of Riverside Groundbreaking at Museum of Riverside
- Riverside Sunrise Rotary at Zacatecas Mexican Cafe
- Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18)
- Fridays are Fun! at My Learning Studio ($247- $277)
- Open Mic & Karaoke at Euryale Brewing Company
- Tiny Tots and Pre Ballet at Riverside Ballet Arts ($25- $52)
- Cumbiatron - The Cumbia Rave (21+) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($20)
Saturday, June 28
- Wet Noses & Puppy Poses – Puppy Yoga at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center ($35)
- Glow and Gather Candle Making & Socializing Event at Creating Space Books and Publishing
- IE Summer Gathering at the Dog Park at Orangecrest Dog Park
- Youth Writer's Camp at Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center
- Evening Concert at Heritage House at Heritage House
- Dance Gavin Dance "Return Of The Robot" Tour at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($45.25 - $55.25)
- Buck-O-Nine w/ The Guilty Parties at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove
- Riverside Electric Light Parade Monthly Ride Experience at 4050 Main Street
Save The Date
- Jun 30: Raise a Glass with The Raincross Gazette: Celebrating 10,000 Subscribers at Bar Ni Modo at The Farmhouse Collective
- July 1: Aaron Norris Creative Fund Annual Grants & Scholarships Awards at Riverside County Office of Education
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🏆 Nominate a remarkable Riversider as Neighbor of the Week.