DOORS OPEN RIVERSIDE MAY 11, 2019 HOURS 6-9 PM
Once again, the public will have free access and tours of Riverside’s most iconic historic buildings. Doors Open was inspired by a French event that has swept Europe. This will be the third year for Doors Open Riverside.
Once a year Riverside celebrates it’s beautiful historic architecture with the Doors Open event. It’s an alluring evening for those who love history, architecture, mystery and all things beautiful. The doors to Riverside’s most iconic buildings are opened to the public with free tours that are gateways to Riverside’s illustrious past. Few today know that Riverside was once the wealthiest city per capita in the United States and that statesman, land developers and a who’s who of the gilded age flocked to Riverside for business, respite and entertainment.
The architecture of Riverside is eclectic and much of it was created by illustrious and famous architects. There are buildings that were designed by Myron Hunt, Julia Morgan, Arthur Benton, G. Stanley Wilson, Peter Weber and many others.
I love volunteering for this event. It’s a fast paced, fun and exciting night. It’s usually in the middle of the week, after work and school. Even though it’s at a very busy time, people come from far and wide to experience the beauty of old Riverside. It’s starts at six in the evening when the tours begin. The tours are usually short in duration and present the historical and architectural highlights of the building. There are approximately 20 buildings to see, so it’s a race to see how many you can actually tour within the allotted four hours the buildings are open.
The best part is meeting the people that have journied to see these fabled buildings. I’ve met so many wonderful and interesting people from all walks of life that love history just as much as I do and are fascinated by architecture. Many of the guests recount personal stories that took place in the buildings. Stories that have been passed down through generations in their families. People also come to see the buildings they have passed by for years and wondered what was in it and who created it; coming to satisfy their curiosity.
The grand dame of the night is The Mission Inn Hotel, created by Frank Miller in 1903 and finished in 1931. A magical wonderland of architectural styles from all over the world. Frank Miller loved the people of the world and devoted his life to promoting peace and building a beautiful community. His legacy is the Mission Inn and speaks for itself. During Doors Open a mini tour is provided that gives a good overview of Frank Miller’s vision and a primer of the varied architectural styles gleaned from around the world. It’s a teaser for a 75 minute tour that is presented seven days a week by the dedicated Mission Inn Foundation for a nominal fee.
The Doors Open event, held every May, is just one of the wonderful events held annually in the Inland Empire and makes the I.E. such a fantastic place to live.
A small group dedicated to bringing theatrical performances to the Riverside community.
Performance Anxiety is slated for it’s next performance at Back To The Grind in Riverside, California on March 23, 2019 at 8 pm.
“12 Angry Men performed by 12 Impassioned Women” This piece is usually read by an all women cast and conveys the power one person can have when they speak out in the judicial system. The event will be held on Saturday, April 6th @ 2pm at Poly High School’s Littleworth Theater, tickets are $6 and are available at Eventbrite, or at the door. This production is a collaboration with Theatre Spree and The Homespun Players, they are inviting all of the women running for City Council throughout Riverside to participate.
Get to know the creative forces behind The Homespun Players:
Stevie Taken is probably one of the most unique, energetic and talented people I’ve ever met. I met her at a community event at a local museum in downtown Riverside. She was involved in a conversation about theatre and I joined in because it’s one of my favorite subjects. I immediately realized that her depth of involvement in Riverside’s theatrical world was significant and she was one of the key players. She spoke with passion and authority about different productions that were happening about town. I was struck by her friendliness and her ability to collaborate and draw people to her projects. More importantly, it was evident that she wasn’t out for fame, but for the love of the process and collaboration. She was involved in several projects that required many key players, crossing economic and cultural barriers that usually prevent communities from accessing the world of Art and Theatre.
Currently, Stevie is the artistic director of The Homespun Players in Riverside, California. With the support of Patrick Brien, executive director of the Riverside Arts Council, they obtained non-profit status and physical sponsorship from the City of Riverside. For those who are not familiar with Riverside, it’s a fairly large Inland Empire city. The home of University of California Riverside. Despite it’s accolades for superior educational opportunities, Riverside maintains it’s small town artistic feel. It’s ranked by Forbes as the eighth coolest city in the United States. This has a lot to do with the bevy of creative communities that can be found in Riverside. The original citrus town humbly sits on the banks of the dried up Santa Ana River and the people of Riverside love theatre and almost anything to do with the Arts. It’s somewhat of an oxymoron; a city that forged it’s success with farming; morphing into a cultural hub and being a major force in Southern California’s art scene. This is where Stevie comes in.
What makes Stevie so special? It all started when Stevie was a child growing up in Riverside. She was one of five siblings raised by parents who loved the arts. Parents who encouraged their children to study dance, acting and the stage. Going as far to build a stage in their garage with lighting and a disco ball for dramatic effects. Stevie and her two younger siblings were all high energy and spent their days in a whirlwind of planning shows and performing them for anyone who was interested in their performances.
As Stevie grew, she continued to follow her love of performing and was involved in productions throughout her high school studies. She began her college education at Riverside Community College where she overcame intense struggles with math (A very common problem for artsy right brained people) to earn entrance into Cal State Long Beach’s baccalaureate program for Performance and Directing. At Cal State Long Beach. She studied under professional working actors and directors who had graduated from prestigious performance schools such as Juilliard and Yale. The students produced and directed weekly showcases to develop and refine their directing chops. In 2007-08, while at Cal State she was among a peer group of 16 who established the Alive Theatre Group and after graduating produced and directed local theatre. Her first show being iShow. The show’s theme was based on our culture’s fear of and obsession with technology. Then during 2008, the United States economy collapsed. Stevie decided to head back to Riverside, bringing her talent with her. This led to more traveling to work in the tourist industry in Alaska and Hawaii, utilizing her skill to engage people and sell them entertainment opportunities such as whale watching excursions. She loved this work, but Alaska turned out to be life changer. Due to the unusual cycles of day and night and the pathological effect on the human sleep cycle, Stevie health suffered. She decided to head back to a healthier environment in Southern California.
Stevie found herself, once again in Riverside and pursuing her dream of a life in the theatre. She ended up at the Mission Inn, where she became a waitress and tour guide. She loved the work and the flux of interesting people from around the world that flowed through the doors of the art-filled Mission Inn. There was a never-ending stream of visitors from the world of arts, theatre and history. While working, Stevie continued to pursue the arts and took Los Angeles based acting classes. She took classes with Hugh O’Gorman, who was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble and owner of a successful actor’s studio which bases it’s theory on the works of Chekhov and Stanislavsky.
In 2013, while working and taking Los Angeles based theatre classes, she formed a local group with fellow thespian, Erin Maxwell-Maroufhkani. Initially, they performed in backyards as The Backyard Players. The first show was performed in the backyard of renowned local celebrity and artist, Tiffany Brooks. Tiffany Brooks’ gorgeous paintings embellish the interiors of the Mission Inn and The Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. It was an economical way to establish the acting company and develop a grassroots following. It was a humble start and the group was dedicated. Their first show was Metamorphoses by Tony award winning, Mary Zimmerman. A complex piece, utilizing Greek Mythology to embody several plays within a play. Following Metamorphoses was Shakespeare’s A Midnight Summer’s Dream. With each performance, their popularity grew and their name was changed to The Homespun Players inspired by a line of one of the character’s in the play. “What hempen homespuns have we swaggering here?”
The next three years were years filled with success. In 2015, Stevie and her colleagues shared their success with the city and produced a children’s show based on Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The show played at the Riverside Art’s Museum and raised over $750 to fund art scholarships for children. Following this project, in 2016, Taken and colleagues produced Riverside’s Shakespeare In The Park, which had a successful run for two years. Due to construction restrictions and funding hurdles, Taken’s group was forced to discontinue the project and they moved on to new venues. Their most recent productions were Medea in October 2018, performed at The Box and Performance Anxiety, performed at the Menagerie. Performance Anxiety is slated for it’s next performance at Back To The Grind on March 23, 2019.
When interviewing Stevie, it was a lot to take in. There are so many key players and it’s obvious the success of Stevie’s group is due to collaboration and community. Stevie exudes an aura of gratitude for what she and her cohorts have accomplished. She is constantly bringing forth names of people and organizations that have contributed to the success of her productions. She remains humble, matter of fact and realistic about producing successful theatre. It’s a huge undertaking and she does it solely for the love of the theatrical arts and bringing excellent theatre to the communities that make up Riverside. I asked Stevie what her goals were for the coming next few years. It turns out, her next goal is huge and a step away from the world of theatre. For the past two years she had been drawn into the political spectacle that is currently has the United States under it’s sway. The Women’s March and surge of women representatives in Washington D.C. have inspired her to make a spontaneous and organic decision to run for the office of Ward III City Council Person of Riverside.
Stevie has realized that she has a desire to give back in a new and different way. She believes that there are huge groups from various segments of the Riverside population that are not represented. She wants to include those people in building a future for their community together. Her perspective of the the current political climate in the United States, is a large factor in her bid for City Council Member. She wants to be a part of the political landscape that is working diligently to fight current negative trends that reflect hate and resistance to positive and progressive change. In conjunction with her foray into the world of politics she is working on producing “12 Angry Men performed by 12 Impassioned Women”. This piece is usually read by an all women cast and conveys the power one person can have when they speak out in the judicial system. The event will be held on Saturday, April 6th @ 2pm at Poly High School’s Littleworth Theater, tickets are $6 and are available at Eventbrite, or at the door. This production is a collaboration with Theatre Spree and The Homespun Players, they are inviting all of the women running for City Council throughout Riverside to participate.
Towards the end of our meeting, I wanted to find out what made Stevie who she was and fueled her desires and ambitions. I wanted to know those key attributes that made her so successful and so loved. She told me that she’s never been one who thinks very far into the future. Her goal is not to do theatre just to do theatre, but to do what she feels most passionate about in the present moment. Stevie has a philosophy about theatre people. That is, theatre people are among some of the best people on the planet. They love to help others, they love having fun and making other’s laugh and feel good. And best of all, they are everywhere you go, so no matter where in the world you find people, you will find theatre people. Her main goal was to create access to the world of theatre for everyone.
To find out more about the upcoming performances of the Homespun Players, go to: www.homespunplayers.com
FRIDA'S MEXICAN CUISINE & CAFE
623 East 6th Street, Corona, CA 92879
OPEN:
9am to 9 pm daily
First time at Frida’s Mexican Cuisine & Cafe, the former iconic Cupid’s of Corona located at the corner of Grand and Sixth Street next to the historic raceway in the historic core of Corona. The restaurant is pristine and the food delicious. This is the real deal. Authentic Mexican recipes come to life. It’s fresh and there is a wide choice of dishes to choose from. To top it off, they have an expresso machine and a drive thru for commuters who want their lattes. Customer service is very good. The counter help is friendly and extremely helpful. There are lots of clean, comfy booths too, with a good view of a busy intersection. Great for people watching. The only thing I would change is to make room for a small stage and have poetry readings and art in the evenings. This is Frida’s after all, one of the treasures of the art world, who lived and breathed her art. “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?” – Frida Kahlo
Cajalco Expressway Scenic Drive, Riverside County
Being a field nurse definitely has it’s perks. Especially if you enjoy getting out and seeing the sights and the land where you live. Here’s a recommendation for a beautiful Sunday drive in the IE along the Cajalco Expressway from Dos Lagos in Corona to the Western region of Perris.
The other day I had an appointment out in the East Valley beyond Moreno Valley and decided to take the back roads from Corona. This means taking Old Temescal Canyon Road to Cajalco Road and then heading up towards Lake Mathews and then traversing along a two lane highway that passes Perris and then feeds into the East Valleys. The best part of this drive is when you reach the top. The air is cleaner and cooler up there and the sky a clear, happy shade of blue. Hawks and assorted birds are abundant. The view is spectacular. On a clear day, Mount Baldy is magnified and visible. Defining characteristics are easily made out. The cities of Chino, Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga sprawl before the mountain base and street grids lay like a tattoo against the valley floor.
Back in the 80s the Inland Empire was still a sleepy and slower kind of place. Downtown Riverside was filled with antique and thrift stores throughout the historic downtown. It was a treasure trove of history. Historic buildings remained untouched by progress. Many without plumbing to the upper floors. The shops were jam packed with vintage dating back to the 1800’s. The Mission Inn, the historic gathering place of auspicious city fathers and visiting presidents, was struggling to arise to it’s former glory. The Inn rested, waited and hosted the public in the truest sense of the word. A restoration and fight to preserve the unique national landmark was underway.
The shops were filled with old paintings that depicted the landscapes and vistas of the Inland Empire. a consistent theme was one of the mountains and valleys in varying shades of dusky blue with a hazy purple and pink sky. I always thought these artists had great imaginations and were embellishing what they saw. Now having lived in the area for more than 30 years; I realize I was wrong. At certain times of day the landscapes do become an assortment of dusky shades and of blue and green and the skies morph into a purple and pink haze. It’s absolutely stunning and moves the soul. These views beckon the past often depicted in old cowboy novels and a past that is not really that far away. Riverside had managed to stay lightly developed until just recently due to it’s distance from Los Angeles. I love that these paintings appear to embellish and veer off into fantasy, but are in fact a realistic interpretation of how the valleys and mountains appear here.
These lands are the high desert. Sometimes receiving water and sometimes not. More than a hundred years ago, brave men and women came to seek a new life, better health and opportunity in this harsh, but forgiving landscape. Leaving cold and crowded cities for the sun and room to grow. The air was dry and clean and the land unspoiled by industry and harsh chemicals. It was a place to start new and become great if you wanted to. If you worked hard enough, success was yours. The climate was warm compared to the frigid climate of the East. Muscles and tendons relaxed and the lungs opened. It was relief not to have to fight off the cold. The energy freed from the burden of fighting against the elements was directed into new and exciting adventures.
Moving across the ridge, I drive through countryside dotted with small developments. It’s scrubby and green at the same time and birds soar overhead relishing in the clean, clear currents. As I drive, I wonder how long these areas will remain fairly unspoiled and host this relaxing drive. I quickly remind myself to stay present and appreciate this. This is the best gift that anyone could receive and it’s ongoing and there for the taking.
Photo by Chantel Lucas on Unsplash
THE DICKENS’ FESTIVAL
YEARLY ON OR AROUND CHARLES DICKENS’ BIRTHDAY-FEBRUARY 7TH
Each year the city of Riverside, California hosts the Dickens Festival. The festival celebrates the life of the illustrious author Charles Dickens. The festival is now 26 years old and each year there are more offerings and fun things to do. It’s usually scheduled very close to February 7, which is Charles Dicken’s birthday.
This year, during the Dickens Festival, I found myself in downtown Riverside working on a photo shoot and decided to make my way over to the street festival portion of the festival. It was a Saturday and we had just come through the tail end of several huge rainstorms that lasted for two weeks and drenched Southern California.
The sun was out with beautiful puffy clouds passing over and the weather was perfect. I also noticed that a row of portable restrooms were available, which was really nice and there was access for those of various abilities. The scene was full of people walking down the main thoroughfare, eating Victorian treats such as homemade scones and tea and shopping at the unique vendor stalls. There were people dressed up in all sorts of beautiful Victorian and Steampunk regalia. It was a feast for the eyes. If you love Cosplay, this is another great place to meet with your teams.
The stalls were varied and fascinating. There was vintage jewelry, books, magic charms, a phrenologist, toys and clothing. There were stalls where you could wardrobe yourself in Victorian fashion or Steampunk fashion with prices ranging from 100.00 to 300.00 for the complete outfit.
There were several venues set up for performances portraying characters in Dicken’s works. When you enter the venues, you are immersed into the world of Dickens and Victorian England. Actors stay in character and draw you into the experience so much that you forget you have just strolled in from Riverside, California circa 2019. You can meet other great authors of the era such as Edgar Allen Poe, Mary Shelley, Nicola Tesla and Jules Verne. There was the Royal Victorian Theatre, The Tea Corner and Hyde Park Corner, just to name a few. As I strolled down mainstream there were more than enough different and engaging performances to enjoy.
This is a family event and children have more than enough to do and see. I stopped to watch a Punch and Judy puppet show and when I turned around, I was also able to catch Queen Victoria in full regalia with her court promenading as well. Several people curtsied as she passed. This is just a brief snapshot of the Festival. There is so much to do and it’s well worth the a weekend of your time if you love the works of Charles Dickens and want to immerse yourself in the era in which he lived and his famous literary works.
For the best experience, I highly recommend staying at the historic Mission Inn which is adjacent to the festivities. It’s easy to walk to everything from this location and you can easily go back to the hotel whenever you need to rest.
For more information go to: http://dickensfest.com
POMONA-GODDESS OF THE IE
A day trip to Pomona is a great local weekend getaway, here is an overview from a unique perspective and may help you to plan your trip.
As you travel from Los Angeles via the interstate 60 towards the Inland Empire, the first Inland Empire city you reach is Pomona. Pomona, named for the goddess of fruit and trees. A land that was once filled with vast ranchos, orchards, farms, wineries and dairies. In the center of this hub of agricultural activity the city was built. A functional and sturdy downtown that today is the location of Western University, a fairly new university devoted to the sciences. Pomona was also the birthplace of Pomona College which eventually transformed into the Claremont Colleges.
To travel to Pomona, is to travel to the farming past of Southern California. The city became famous due to it’s citrus heritage and the wealthiest man in Los Angeles county during the 1890’s; a Jewish rancher named Louis Phillips. Louis Phillips made his fortune in ranching that produced wool, honey and wheat. He was a leader and an accomplished businessman that devoted his life to developing the region and prosperity. His home was built in 1875 along the Butterfield Stage route and is still standing today. It became a Registered National Historic Place in 1974.
Louis Phillips’ time was an era when families went into town only when needed to conduct business, attend church or other important social functions. A typical day in Southern California was hot, quiet and purposeful. Seemingly slow, but most likely just as industrious. The old downtown at face value is functional; yet jewels of architecture are imbedded within it’s practical face. Driving through, it’s evident that several of the buildings are large-very large and there is parking. Vast empty lots of free parking. It’s a city with a spacious floor plan. Large buildings on wide streets that are straight and easy to navigate. A fairly small downtown that accommodates a swelling population during business hours. It’s a thrifting paradise teeming with funky antique stores, thrift stores, art galleries and a concert venue. There are several cool, fairly priced restaurants and cafes to provide a respite from the heat.
photo by Kit Junglist on Unsplash
And then there are the churches. The soul of Pomona is it’s churches, and there are over one hundred. The architecture of Pomona’s churches serves well as a guide to turn of the century, ecclesiastic architecture. The churches are old and varied and make for a fascinating afternoon of surveying religious architecture. Western University is also here. The university is fairly new and just a mere 40 years old, but quickly gaining prestige as many brilliant young minds gather here to become the best practitioners of the sciences. Osteopaths, optometrists, nurses and many other vocations.
It’s not only historic architecture that Pomona is know for, but also is home to Diamond Ranch High School designed by Thom Mayne, co-creator of the Southern California Institute of Architecture, or SCI-Arc. The school has been utilized in several television and films productions due it’s amazing and mind bending design. It’s worth the drive to take in the breathtaking modern design that is inspirational and will open your mind to the coming new age.
A day trip to Pomona makes for a relaxed and funky afternoon. It’s a step into the past and a gateway to the future. Pomona is a perfect example of where cities are headed in Southern California. Celebrating a proud heritage, preserving beauty from the past and creating a new culture that incorporates history in a new and though provoking way.
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JANUARY 2019 -New Years Visit To The Redlands Glass Museum
January is always an interesting month. It comes after a slew of celebrations, communing with family and marks a new start. A New Year to make your life anew. It’s cold, even in SoCal. In SoCal you can have a sunny brilliant day one day and the next it’s cold and dark, snow clouds hover close to the earth casting gloom over everything.
On such a day, I made a trip to a place I had been meaning to visit for several years. Several years ago I attended an antique glass auction to benefit the Redlands Glass Museum. It was such an unique experience and the glass so beautiful, I promised myself I would visit the museum one day.
Redlands is beautiful city located in the Far North Eastern portion of the Inland Empire along the 10 freeway and is the last large city before you get to Palm Springs, which is about 45 miles East of Redlands. Redlands is the home to a multitude of historic homes and mansions. The types of architecture represented is abundant and it’s worth a day trip just to drive up and down the old boulevards to drive past the old mansions and homes. Redlands founders made their fortunes in Citrus, like many of the neighboring cities.
The Redlands Glass Museum is located on the Northeast sector of town and located in a home that was built in 1905 by Jerome Seymour who owned a successful and popular mill in Redlands. The home is a large Queen Anne bungalow and embellished with all sorts of lovely cornices and trim. Guest parking is to the rear of the house. There is parking for differently abled guests and a ramp to the rear entrance.
Everyone enters through the rear and the front doors are kept locked.
Admission is voluntary donation of 3.00 and they allow photography, which is wonderful. The volunteers are dedicated and know everything you every wanted to know about historic American glass. The museum has the largest collection of historic glass West of the Mississippi. A large part of the collection was manufactured East of the Mississippi in great glass factories.
It was a different time and those fragile treasures created in those factories have survived, (some almost 200 years), and now are cared for and cherished by the museum in Redlands. The museum is constantly receiving donations and rotate collections on a regular basis.
The house itself, is a treasure and well-preserved. The carved moldings are in their original condition and exquisitely carved. There are transoms above the doors that open to circulate air, (a personal favorite). There are several rooms that center around a foyer and then move back through the house plan spaced evenly and parallel to each other. The front entrance is no longer utilized and guests are asked to enter through the back door which has a convenient ramp for those of us who can’t take stairs. There is a welcome room with a nice clean bathroom to the right for guests use and a small gift shop located in the old kitchen.
Each room is filled with case filled with various collections of antique glass. My favorites were the depression glass and children’s glass objects (child size dishes, cups and salt cellars). The rooms are filled with sparkling light in all shade of the rainbow reflecting off the glass. Each collection is carefully marked and described so that you know what you are looking at. The docents at the museum are friendly and excited to share the unique history of vintage glass and how they came to love antique glass objects. The stories are fascinating and I would have loved to pull up a chair and spend the day chatting.
For more information and history, The Historical Glass Museum Foundation has a wonderful website full of information to help you plan your visit: