The Cross on top of a particularly green Mount Rubidoux after a rainy couple of weeks. (Pamela Kaptain)
Friday Gazette: March 14, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!
The Mount in all her majesty! We are keeping it green this weekend for St. Patrick’s Day, and the gloomy grey may be on its way out for a while. Enjoy Riverside at its most beautiful, and watch out for pinching leprechauns and those that do their bidding.
Thanks to Pamela Kaptain for the incredible photo. We love showing the best side of our city. While you are out and the hills are still green, and the flowers start to bloom, snap a pic (landscape format, please) and shoot it over to tips@raincrossgazette.com.
Sports Shorts: March Madness for Riverside D1 Basketball Programs
CBU Looking to make first trip to the NCAA Tournament as Standout Guard makes All-Wac first Team.
Dominique Daniels Jr. All WAC guard will return to CBU for 2025/26 season. (Courtesy of CBU Men's Basketball)
Lancer Hoops Star Commits to One More Season
No matter what March looks like for the Lancers, next season is off to a good start with second-time, first-team All-WAC guard Dominique Daniels Jr. signing on to stay in Riverside. Daniels averaged 19.85 points per game, leading the WAC. We can, hopefully, watch him play deep into March Madness. If not, make sure to see him next season. His high-paced style electrifies the arena, and he may be an “I saw him when…” type of player in the future.
NCAA Basketball Tournaments
It’s NCAA tournament time, and things are moving fast. As of the deadline for this story, all four Riverside teams are still in their conference tournaments. Follow the links below for current progress, and check back here for scores as they come in.
Paint the Town Green: Riverside's St. Patrick's Day Guide 2025
From pub crawls to karaoke—your guide to Irish celebrations across the City.
The RCFA Pipe and Drum Band will be leading a Pub Crawl through Downtown on St. Patrick’s Day. (Courtesy of RCFA Pipe and Drum Band)
Riverside Celebrates St. Patrick's Day with Festive Weekend Events
Riverside has a solid lineup of St. Patrick's Day celebrations spanning the entire weekend. From March 15-17, 2025, venues across the city will be decked out in green, offering everything from traditional corned beef dinners and live Celtic music to spirited pub crawls and family-friendly entertainment. Whether you're looking to enjoy dueling pianos, karaoke, bagpipe performances, or simply throwing back a pint of green beer with the other leprechauns, Riverside's local establishments have created diverse festive options.
The celebrations cover the whole city, from La Sierra to Canyon Crest. Riverside's finest, including the Riverside City Firefighters Association Pipe and Drum Band, are hosting special events, and musical acts like Cillian's Bridge and Craic in the Stone will bring authentic Irish sounds to Hangar 24. With raffles, giveaways, special menus, and themed entertainment, Riverside residents and visitors can experience the spirit of St. Patrick's Day throughout an extended weekend of community celebration.
Emerald Empire: Finding Ireland in Riverside's Hills
When late-season storms transform our desert landscape, these six local trails offer a taste of the Emerald Isle right in our own backyard—if you catch them at their brief, verdant peak.
The grassy hills around the HIdden Valley Wildlife Trail on the Riverside/Norco border showing bright green after recent rain storms. (Ken Crawford)
There’s still a week of winter, yet our thoughts turn to green. We may not have had a white Christmas, but a lush St. Patrick’s Day feels within reach. Late-season storms have given us a rare gift—a brief moment when Riverside’s hills transform into rolling waves of emerald, making our familiar trails feel almost otherworldly. For a few fleeting weeks, the landscape shifts, streams appear, and wildflowers bloom as if on cue. It’s a reminder that when nature cooperates, our city greens up quite nicely—if only for a little while.
Riverside Plans Major Pickleball Expansion as Sport Surges in Popularity
City commits to nine new courts at Arlington Park, additional facilities at Armory site.
The City has planned to significantly increase access to pickleball courts like these at the Grove Church. (Ken Crawford)
The City of Riverside plans to construct nine pickleball courts at Arlington Park, addressing growing demand and revitalizing a neglected area. The project, part of a broader effort to rejuvenate the Van Buren and Magnolia intersection, will include tournament-ready courts with spectator bleachers.
Driving the news: Riverside's Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department aims to foster community connections and encourage active lifestyles through innovative recreational amenities.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Arlington Park Pickleball Court Project is scheduled for March 26 from 1-3 p.m.
Why it matters: Pickleball is experiencing rapid growth nationwide, with participation up 158.6% over three years and reaching 8.9 million players in 2022.
The average player age is 35, challenging common perceptions about the sport's demographics.
The big picture: Riverside's investment addresses a national shortage of dedicated pickleball facilities, with many cities 98% below the national average for courts per capita.
About 70% of existing pickleball courts are temporary conversions rather than permanent facilities.
What's next: Beyond Arlington Park, Riverside plans to include pickleball facilities in the $25 million repurposing of the National Guard Armory at Fairmount Park.
The project has moved past the request for proposals stage and is under review by city officials.
Riverside's Nightlife Evolution Creates Gap for Mid-Sized Music Venues
New 'Garden Room' at RMA aims to showcase local talent in intimate setting.
Downtown Riverside's bustling nightlife scene attracts party-goers from across the Inland Empire, yet a gap in mid-sized live music venues persists. The city's evolution has brought bigger acts to larger venues while creating a thriving nightclub district, leaving local musicians and touring bands with fewer performance options.
Driving the news: The closure of venues like The Concert Lounge and MTL, coupled with reduced live music offerings at establishments such as Back to the Grind and Pixels, has created a void in the 200-300 capacity range.
This gap affects both local talent and touring acts passing through the region.
Why it matters: A healthy music ecosystem requires venues of various sizes to support artist development and provide diverse entertainment options.
Mid-sized venues are crucial for emerging artists outgrowing small clubs but not yet ready for large theaters.
The big picture: Riverside's identity as an arts-centered community is at stake, along with potential economic benefits from live music events.
What's new: The Garden Room, located in the Riverside Municipal Auditorium, aims to partially fill this gap by offering an intimate space for local and up-and-coming bands.
What's next: Some upcoming downtown development projects have designated ground-floor entertainment spaces, potentially addressing the venue shortage.
Music fans can check the Riverside Municipal Auditorium website for upcoming shows at The Garden Room.
Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership.
Sparky is ready to be your new BFF (best fur friend). With excitement, love, and fluff to spare, he is ready to share his next adventure with you. Sparky loves to explore, eagerly sniffing out every nook and cranny. He also enjoys long walks where he can stretch his legs and nose. His playful spirit means he’ll never turn down the chance to run or romp in a yard or park, chase after toys, or splash around in water. Sparky is 1.5 years old, weighs 60 lbs, and has been waiting since January to be adopted.
Come meet Sparky and all the adoptable pets at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. – 7 p.m., or learn more at petsadoption.org. If you know someone looking for a loyal, loving companion, send them her way—he just might be the perfect fit!
Legendary Riverside artist Steve Nazar, creator of the iconic T&C surf designs of the 1980s, passed away Tuesday at home from natural causes, leaving behind a legacy that inspired generations of artists including his granddaughter Frankie.
The Mission Inn Museum’s new tours are now listed on our calendar; the Historic Church and Walking Architecture tours are both exciting and we look forward to more tours opening this Spring and Summer!
Scientists at UC Riverside discovered gases that could reveal alien life hiding in deep-ocean worlds using the James Webb Space Telescope in just 13 hours.
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