Happy Independence Day, America!
July 4, 2009
For the 12th year in a row, Tara and I have gathered a few friends to help us place an American flag in each neighbor’s yard (approximately 1,700) on the morning of our Nation’s Independence Day!
Everyone meets in the driveway of my house at 6:30 a.m., picks up a bundle of American flags, and then we set off in separate cars to different areas of this amazing historical neighborhood, befittingly named “The Wood Streets”. Believe it or not, this annual task is usually completed within two hours, depending on how many friends and family lend a hand. Afterwards, Tara and I treat everyone to breakfast at a local restaurant and reflect on our annual ritual.
During our walk through the neighborhood, our encounters with neighbors are always unforgettable, sometimes amazing, and sometimes humorous, thereby reinforcing how fortunate we are to be living in such a great country. Some neighbors have kept each flag they’ve received from us over the past decade and proudly wave all of them as we pass. Some neighbors proudly talk about their armed service history and thank us for being patriotic. Some neighbors honk their cars with pride as they pass us walking down the street. Some neighbors have written editorials in the local newspaper thanking us for displaying the flags each year.
We anticipate continuing this tradition for many years to come, and look forward to meeting more neighbors on our travels!
On this festive day, please be safe, be smart, and be thankful for current and past service men and women who have fought for our independence!
Happy Independence Day!!!
April Glatzel
Free Family Fun Day
May 1, 2009
Come visit Captain Carl and his Mobile Tidepool at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum! The Captain will bring marine life from our local ocean to discuss how climate change is affecting our fragile ecosystem.
Kids will have the opportunity to hold a starfish, squeeze a sea squirt, and touch an urchin! This unique experience will teach children about the shared responsibility in caring for these special animals and their environment.
When: Sunday, May 3, 2009
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Where: Riverside Metropolitan Museum
3580 Mission Inn Avenue
(951) 826-5273
Cost: FREE
The Family Fun Day Program at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum is generously sponsored by the Riverside Arts Council.
The Incredible BULK Event!
April 30, 2009
CURE is a program that focuses on promoting the value of having a clean city, raising consciousness of litter habits, and improving overall community pride and involvement.
As part of its CURE campaign, the city hosts periodic bulky item and electronic waste collection events for items too large to fit into residential trash containers.
If you show proof you are a Riverside resident (bring your City of Riverside utility bill), you can DROP IT OFF FOR FREE! Drop what off??? Large household items, refrigerators, furniture, washington machines, electronic waste (computers, televisions, etc.), yard waste, tires (no rims) and oil. Sorry, but NO hazardous waste* will be accepted.
There will be six FREE drop-0ff sites on SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
1. Bordwell Park, 2008 Martin Luther King Boulevard
2. Bryant Park, 7950 Philbin Avenue
3. Collett Avenue, between Golden Avenue & Stonewall Drive
4. Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Boulevard
5. Krameria Avenue, at Cole Avenue
6. Riverside Airport, 6951 Flight Road
Sponsored by the Riverside Public Works Department. For more information, call (951) 825-5311. And please remember to cover your truckload, per DMV requirements, on your drive to the drop-off site.
*For additional information on discarding household hazardous waste, please contact Riverside County Waste Management at (951) 486-3200.
Easter 2009
April 11, 2009
Most people associate Easter with the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts; however, Easter is an important annual religious feast, and according to Christian scripture, Jesus was resurrected from the dead three days after his crucifixion. Many Christian denominations celebrate this resurrection on Easter Sunday, two days after Good Friday
Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover not only for much of its symbolism but also for its position in the calendar.
Cultural elements, such as the Easter Bunny, Easter egg hunts, and festive family meals have become part of the holiday’s modern celebrations, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike.
We would like to wish everyone a pleasant Easter, regardless of how you choose to celebrate this weekend.
Tara and April
Come visit the Senior Conference ’09
March 22, 2009
The 6th Annual Senior Conference is being held at the Janet Goeske Center located at 5257 Sierra St. Riverside, CA on March 25, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. til 1:00 p.m. You will have the opportunity to learn about:
- Crime prevention
- Health
- Safety
- Fraud
- Alzheimer’s
- And other senior related topics
For more information or to RSVP, please contact Nancy Castillo at (951) 826-8721 or ncast@riversideca.gov
A Celebration to Die For…
October 29, 2008
Come join this multi-cultural event to benefit the restoration of the historic Riverside Evergreen Memorial Cemetery with a celebration that highlights the funerary traditions of many cultures featuring music, dancing, costumed characters, food, face painting, ghost hunters, and more! Wear a costume and add to the fun for you and your whole family!
The festivities at the Evergreen Cemetery (corner of 14th and Pine Streets) begin at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 1, 2008 and end at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $10 per person or $25 per family (tickets can be purchased at the gate).
There will be a live ‘New Orleans jazz funeral procession’ by the Day St. Dixielanders. In New Orleans, funerals are an occasion to celebrate life, and death is not seen as a loss but as a release from this life. Jazz was born in New Orleans, so it’s only fitting that the music is used in a commemoration of life. Jazz funerals are often held for musicians and members of social and pleasure clubs. You don’t have to go to New Orleans to experience a jazz funeral — come to the Riverside Evergreen Cemetery!
Watch the Ballet Folklorico de Riverside celebrate with Aztec dances, have your photo taken in a vintage coffin, enjoy having your face painted by Oasis Arts (former Disneyland face painters), listen to old English Dance Macabre, delight in the Hearse club collection and ghost tours by Full Tech Paranormal, and finally, feast on refreshments by Phood on Main (hip and creative food so delicious that it dances in your mouth).
Come join us for an evening of fun to benefit a great cause – the restoration of the historic Riverside Evergreen Memorial Cemetery!
Riverside Alumnae Panhellenic Home Tour
October 17, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008, marks the 57th annual Home Tour of the Riverside Alumnae Panhellenic Association (RAPA). Each year, the fundraising tour consists of four to six interesting and beautiful homes in the Riverside area, and you are guaranteed to see beautiful, artistic, and one-of-a-kind residences for a reasonable donation of $20. Proceeds support many local charities and several college scholarships to ladies graduating high school and attending a college or university with NPC (National Panhellenic Conference) sororities.
Home Tour: 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. featuring four homes (self-guided)
Tea and Cookies: 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Evergreen Masonic Center at 5801 Chicago Avenue. The tea will include two fashion shows (1:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.) with fashions by Stephenson Cree and cookies baked by members of RAPA.
Tickets: $20 pre-tour and $25 day-of. You can find pre-tour tickets for sale at the following businesses:
- Gottschalks at the Riverside Plaza
- Parkview Nursery on Jackson
- Parkview Nursery on Chicago
- The Gardener’s Cottage in Canyon Crest
- The UPS Store in Mission Grove
- The UPS Store at La Sierra Plaza
- Delights & Invites in downtown Riverside
- Riverside Visitor’s Center
- IQP Independent Quality Printing in Riverside
A quote from a 2007 recipient which reminds us why the Panhellenic Home Tour is so important: “…words alone could never let you know how you have helped me to realize my dream. I will always remember and one day plan to help someone as you have helped me.”
The 2008 Home Tour is expecting between 700 to 900 patrons! Questions should be directed to Diana Kantola and Lora Laine, Home Tour Co-Chairs at riversidepanhellenic@yahoo.com.
Halloween is just around the corner and I need a pumpkin
October 14, 2008
If you like picking a pumpkin from a farm rather than your neighborhood grocery store you might want to visit one of these three farms.
Riverside County
The Pumpkin Factory
1545 Circle City Drive, Corona, CA 92879
Phone: 805-689-4659
Riverside County, California
The Wickerd Farm
26852 Scott Road, Menifee, CA 92584
Phone: 909-672-3020
Riverside County, California
Big Horse Feed Corn Maze
33320 Hwy 79, Temecula, CA 92592
Phone: 909-676-2544
Riverside County, California
10th Annual Family Village Festival
October 10, 2008
The Riverside Museum Associates Multicultural Council is celebrating their 10th annual Family Village Festival on Saturday, October 11, 2008 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This “Gathering of Cultures” features villages from Japan, Scandinavia, Mexico, Guyana, Puerto Rico, Samoa and more. The location this year will be in downtown Riverside at White Park (3936 Chestnut Street) — cross streets being University and Market.
This FREE multicultural festival offers guests the unique opportunity to explore and learn about different cultures and their traditions through cultural cuisine, children’s activities, storytelling, arts/crafts, and music and dance performances throughout the day.
The event is hosted by the Riverside Museum Associates, the RMA Multicultural Council, and the Riverside Metropolitan Museum. For more information, please call (951) 826-5273 or go to familyvillagefest.com.
Firefighters Given the Boot (to fill)
October 8, 2008
Riverside firefighters literally have some awfully big boots to fill, and will be stationed at three city intersections from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (October 8, 9, 10) soliciting donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
“The helmeted firefighters are asking people at the intersections to drop whatever they can afford into the boots,” said Tim Strack, president of Riverside City Firefighters, Local 1067, which is organizing the effort with the city. “We’re going to try to raise $50,000 over these three days.”
This fill-the-boot fundraising effort is part of a national campaign to aid MDA, and the firefighters will be stationed at the following intersections October 8-10 from 8 a.m. to noon:
- University Avenue and Lime Street
- Magnolia and Central Avenues
- Tyler Street and Magnolia Avenue
For more information, call fire department coordinator Dave Hernandez at (909) 229-9207.
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