🍊 Sunday Gazette: March 9, 2025

Sunday Gazette: March 9, 2025

Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday.

It's been a big week at the Gazette; we celebrated Ken's one-year anniversary on Tuesday and crossed 9,000 readers on Friday! As a "morning person," I'm not even sad about today's time change (though I'm grateful my kids are finally old enough that it doesn't ruin my life twice a year)! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your readership. Whether you're one of our 419 paid members helping us sustainably grow our reporting capacity or a free subscriber reading each edition and supporting our advertisers, I am so grateful to have you as a reader.

Have you had a torta ahogada? The name of this Guadalajaran specialty translates literally to “drowned sandwich.” It’s in the same juicy branch of the sandwich family tree as LA’s French Dip and Chicago’s Italian Beef, a sandwich subcategory characterized by the fact that the whole shebang, bread meat and all, is dunked in a soupy concoction just before being served. Whereas the French Dip and the Italian Beef are dipped in au jus repurposed from the cooking pot, the torta ahogada is drenched in a spicy chili sauce (or milder tomato salsa) and served in a bowl or a plastic-lined basket with a spoon to facilitate further basting as needed if unsoaked bread presents itself. According to my buddy Michael, some specialists in Mexico go so far as to provide a plastic glove along with the sandwich to make it easier to get a hold of the slippery beast without drowning your hand in salsa along with the torta. 

Read or share the full torta ahogada experience—and more...

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NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK

Neighbor of the Week: Dee Keoski

Each week, we will introduce a new neighbor. This is not a who's who list. These are regular Riversiders doing exceptional things.

Dee Keoski has called Riverside home for 40 years. She and her husband raised their children here, and Dee’s deep commitment to the community has been evident through her many volunteer efforts. From working with the Salvation Army in the late 1980s to serving as a PTA officer and helping build a library in Woodcrest, Dee’s dedication to Riverside is unwavering. After earning her Bachelor's, Master's, and teaching credentials, she spent years as a public school teacher, finishing her career in Corona before retiring.

Dee has volunteered and worked for the Janet Goeske Center for many years, assisting Riverside senior citizens with everything from navigating the DMV website to assessing housing options for seniors in the area. As a kindly clever neighbor, she continues to serve as a Senior Resource Advisor at the Goeske Center, helping seniors navigate complex systems and advocating for their needs.

Get to know Dee...

CREATIVE PROMPTS

Dreaming is Free

A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.

This week, we're embarking on a journey into the ethereal realm of dreams. Sometimes dismissed as fleeting and inconsequential, dreams hold a wealth of creative inspiration waiting to be unlocked. Humans across history have thought of dreams as a window into our subconscious minds, a playground for our imaginations, and a source of unexpected ideas and insights. I try not to read too much into my dreams, but when I have a good one, I use it as an excuse to have a nice day.

Dreams have captivated humanity for millennia. Some civilizations believe dreams are messages from the gods or glimpses into the future or even journeys outside of normal space and time. The first agrarian cultures documented their dreams on papyrus scrolls, while the Greeks built temples dedicated to the god of dreams, Morpheus. I'm not asking us to embark on either one of those creative endeavors. Just rewatch "The Matrix" while you try to come up with a creative idea of your own.  

Read or share the complete story...

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This Week in Riverside

Sunday, March 9

• Annie Jr at The Box ($18 - $20)
• Baseball vs. Hawai'i at Riverside Sports Complex
• The Brutalist at Culver Center of the Arts
• Celebrate Riverside County Arts and Culture Month at Participating Locations throughout Riverside County (Free- $35)
• Charlotte's Web at Riverside Community Players
• UCR Chorale and Chamber Singers at University of California, Riverside

Monday, March 10

• Board of Library Trustees at Riverside City Hall
• Board of Public Utilities at Riverside City Hall
• Land Use Committee at Riverside City Hall
• Flowers in a Tin Can- Paint and Sip at The Old Spaghetti Factory
• REEF's Best. Event. Ever! Take 8 at Fox Performing Arts Center ($10 - $60)
• Monday Carillon Recitals at UCR Bell Tower
• Taize Interfaith Worship at All Saints Episcopal Church

Tuesday, March 11

• Volunteer Interest Hour at Riverside Meals on Wheels, Inc
• Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee at Riverside City Hall
• Lunchtime Jazz at RCCD Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties
• Inland Empire Chorus Rehearsal at Temple Beth El Synagogue
• Tuesday Karaoke at The Hideaway
• UCR Taiko Ensemble Recital at Barn, Outdoor Stage

Wednesday, March 12

• Certified Farmers Market at 10th & Lemon Streets
• Riverside East Rotary Club at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
• Stretch & Dance Class at Janet Goeske Senior Center
• Rally in Support of The Rule of Law at Outside the George Brown Federal Building & Courthouse
• Commission of the Deaf at Riverside City Hall
• Finance Committee at Riverside City Hall
• Baseball vs. San Francisco at Riverside Sports Complex

Thursday, March 13

• Budget Engagement Commission at Riverside City Hall
• Airport Commission at Riverside City Hall
• Mobility and Infrastructure Committee at Riverside City Hall
• 2025 Far Western District Spring Convention at Fox Performing Arts Center
• The Black Jacket Symphony Presents Van Halen's '1984' at Fox Performing Arts Center ($25- $40)
• Mind the Gender Gap ii at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California
• UCR Jazz Ensembles at Culver Center of the Arts
• Softball vs. Cal State Bakersfield at Amy S. Harrison Field

Friday, March 14

• Riverside Sunrise Rotary at Zacatecas Mexican Cafe
• Orange Terrace Library | Crafternoon: Spring Wreaths at Orange Terrace Library
• MoR Exhibition - "First Comes Love: Courtship in the Victorian Era" at Heritage House
• Siouxsie & The Banshees live tribute in Riverside! at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge
• Riverside Luck Of The Irish Bar Crawl at Killer Queens Social House
• Leprechaun Battle 2025 at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($20- $25)
• Drive In Cruise Night at Tuxie's Drive In

Saturday, March 15

• ParkRun at Ryan Bonaminio Park
• Downtown Certified Farmers Market at Main Street at 5th
• Yoga at Euryale Brewing Company
• Love Your Neighborhood: Magnolia Corridor Clean-Up at O'Reilly Auto Parts (Parking Lot)
• Victoria Avenue Forever Workday at Meet at Lewis Garden
• Cars and Coffee at Harvest Church
• Crafting with Canines - A St. Paw-trick's Day Event! at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center ($20)
• Fresno State Water Polo at CBU
• Blink 182 Tribute at The Concert Lounge (Romano's Mission Grove)
• Mardi Goth at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge
• Lucky's St. Patrick's Day Bar Crawl at Lake Alice Trading Co.
• St. Patrick's Day Bar Crawl at Killer Queens Social House

Save The Date

• March 16: Annie Jr at The Box ($18 - $20)
• March 16: Celebrate Riverside County Arts and Culture Month at Participating Locations throughout Riverside County (Free - $35)
• March 22: "The Science of Scent" - Bath Bomb Workshop at Heritage House ($10)
• March 28: Goeske Spring Festival at Janet Goeske Center
• April 4: World Premier Melodrama by Westmont Village Masquers Theatre Club at Westmont Village
• April 5: Alzheimer's & Dementia Support Group at Discovery Commons Raincross
• April 5: In/VISIBLE, Un/HEARD: Riverside’s Civil Rights Stories at Multiple Sites

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🏆 Nominate a remarkable Riversider as Neighbor of the Week.