Sunday Gazette: July 6, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! Today is the final day of our summer membership campaign. Starting tomorrow, you won’t hear from us asking for financial support again until later this year.
For this campaign, we set a goal of 109 new supporters — enough to cover our core monthly operating expenses. We’re still 79 folks short, so if you’re able to become a supporter before midnight, I'd be forever grateful.
HISTORY
Remembering the 1975 Powder Puff Derby: Riverside’s Role in a Historic All-Women Air Race
Fifty years ago, Riverside Airport launched the 28th annual all-women’s transcontinental air race, drawing pilots from across the nation and marking a milestone in aviation history and local pride.
Fifty years ago, on July 4, 1975, an extraordinary event took place in Riverside. The 28th Powder Puff Derby took off from Riverside Airport on its transcontinental airplane race. The annual race, featuring women pilots flying cross-country, began in 1947. It was originally called the Jacqueline Cochran All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race. The event had been scheduled for Riverside in 1974 but was canceled due to fuel shortages.
The 1975 race began in Riverside on July 4 and ended 2,591 miles later in Boyne Falls, Michigan. The planes flew through Phoenix, Arizona; El Paso and Plainview, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Lincoln, Nebraska; Moline, Illinois; and Toledo, Ohio. The airplanes were stock models with engines ranging from 145 to 450 horsepower. Pilots flew solo or with a co-pilot. The Powder Puff Derby spanned three days. Contestants were timed between stops, and their times adjusted by a handicap system. A computer was used to determine the winner. Pilots needed to finish by 6 p.m. on July 7 to qualify for part of the $14,000 prize money.
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NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK
Neighbor of the Week: Leimamo Taylor
Each week, we will introduce a new neighbor. This is not a who's who list. These are regular Riversiders doing exceptional things.
Leimamo has made the Riverside Airport Café (RAC) a true community hub. From hosting fundraisers and toy drives to organizing events like Planes & Treats, she brings people together and fosters a spirit of connection. Earlier in the year, she organized donation drives and supported those most impacted by major Southern California fires, demonstrating her deep care for community.
Under her leadership, the café also became the first restaurant in Riverside to join the Blue Zones Project—an initiative that promotes healthier living through small, sustainable lifestyle choices. The café now features a menu with Blue Zones-inspired options like veggie omelets, avocado toast, and a plant-based burger, all designed to make healthy eating more accessible.
Leimamo’s involvement extends beyond her business. She’s an active supporter of Miracles and Dreams events for underserved children, contributes to local charities, supports her Ward 6 Councilmember Steven Robillard and is a member of the Riverside Chamber of Commerce. Whether she’s serving meals or mobilizing neighbors, Leimamo shows what it means to lead with generosity and heart.
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CREATIVE PROMPTS
A Real Corker
A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
This week, we’re returning to the tangible—focusing on an object of surprising versatility: a cork, or even just a piece of one.
I’ve always been fascinated by cork, but clueless about how it was made. To be honest, I thought it was a manufactured product of plastic and wood chips! One of my most vivid travel memories is from a trip to Spain, where I encountered an 18-wheeler absolutely brimming with raw cork. It had parked next to our tour bus during a lunch stop, and I couldn’t figure out what those long, flat, wood-like sheets even were. I’d only ever seen corks in urban settings—coasters and bottle stoppers. This was my first glimpse of it in the raw. Thank goodness for the tour guide, who explained that cork comes from the cork oak tree.
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This Week in Riverside
Sunday, July 6
- Blue Zones Project Riverside Hiking Moai at Mt. Rubidoux
- Gardening for Butterflies at UCR Botanic Gardens
- Learn Origami at UCR Botanic Gardens
- Storytime in the Gardens at UCR Botanic Gardens
- Your Place: The Unexpected Power of Writing About Place at Inlandia Institute ($150- $350)
Monday, July 7
- Volunteer Interest Hour at Riverside Meals on Wheels, Inc
- Bingo at the Janet Goeske Center at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100)
- Future Vets, Helping Pets! Summer Animal Kids Camp, Week 4 at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center ($200- $240)
- Human Resources Board at Riverside City Hall
- Neon in the Gutters: Cyberpunk Visions of the Future at University of California, Riverside
- Adult Ballet Classes all levels at Riverside Ballet Arts ($25- $144)
- Notre Dame Summer Camp: Basketball at Notre Dame High School ($150)
- Notre Dame Summer Camp: Jr. Titan at Notre Dame High School ($150)
- Notre Dame Summer Camp: Theater at Notre Dame High School ($150)
Tuesday, July 8
- Riverside Magnolia Farmers Market at Riverside Magnolia Farmers Market
- Reading Assistance Program at My Learning Studio ($79- $85)
- Inland Empire Chorus Rehearsal at Temple Beth El Synagogue
- Tuesday Karaoke at The Hideaway
Wednesday, July 9
- Stretch & Dance at Janet Goeske Senior Center
- DIY Catapults at Marcy Library
- Riverside Open Mic Music Series at Back to the Grind
Thursday, July 10
- Reading + Math = Fun! at My Learning Studio ($57- $67)
- Craft and Chat at Riverside Woman's Club
Friday, July 11
- Riverside Sunrise Rotary at Zacatecas Mexican Cafe
- What’s Bugging You? At Heritage House at Heritage House
- Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18)
- Big Bubble Rave (18+) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium
- 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)
- Cruise Night at Tuxie's Drive In
Saturday, July 12
- Bingo at the Janet Goeske Center at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100)
- Riverside People's Free Market at Fairmount Park (near the tennis courts)
- Cars and Coffee at Harvest Church at Harvest Church
- Hello Kitty Comedy Painting Party at Back to the Grind
- Kitty's Rave (18+) - 2 Year Anniversary at Riverside Municipal Auditorium
- Tiny Tots and Pre Ballet at Riverside Ballet Arts ($25- $52)
- Virtual Book Launch for SEARCH PARTY by René Solivan at Inlandia Institute
- Youth Writer's Camp at Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center
Save the date
- October 18: The Riverside Citrus Classic Bike Rideat Riverside Plaza ($15- $80)
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