City Council will consider significant amendments to previously authorized retail cannabis regulations, including reducing the maximum number of cannabis business permits from 14 to 7.
Young folklĆ³rico dancers perform during preparations for Riversideās annual Tamale Festival, celebrating community, culture, and tradition. (Ken Crawford)
Sunday Gazette: March 23, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday.
This warm spring morning is a lovely start to National Tamale Day, which seems like the perfect time to encourage you to grab tickets to next month's Tamale Festival in White Park; all of the proceeds from the event support the Spanish Town Heritage Foundation's work to preserve and restore the Trujillo Adobe.
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Riverside's Farm House Collective Breathes New Life into Historic Motel
Bailey family preserves mid-century landmark, creates vibrant hub for food vendors, retail and live music.
Revitalized Farm House Motel sign on University Avenue, honoring a piece of local heritage. (Courtesy of Jennifer Mermilliod)
The Farm House Motel on University Avenue has been reborn as the Farm House Collective, featuring food vendors, retail spaces, and live music. The Bailey family restored the mid-century motor court, preserving a piece of Riverside's history.
Driving the news: The Collective's grand opening is set for March 29, 2025, featuring a free show by Allah-Lahs, which is already sold out. Even if you don't have tickets, the Collective will still be open for visitors to explore!
The venue's diverse concert schedule aims to make it a regional destination.
Why it matters: The project breathes new life into a stretch of University Avenue, showcasing postwar American tourism architecture.
It's seen as both a family business and a passion project for the Baileys.
The big picture: The Farm House Collective offers a mix of food, retail, and entertainment options:
Food vendors include Ga-Tang, Blue Bowl, Batter Rebellion, and Bricks and Birch.
Retail spaces feature Rat City vinyl store, Eco Now sustainable products, and Rooted in Love plant shop.
What's next: Upcoming events include performances by WAND, Elijah Fox, and Souls of Mischief.
Each week, we will introduce a new neighbor. This is not a who's who list. These are regular Riversiders doing exceptional things.
Brenda Lussier stands in the supply room at The Shower of Hope, where she volunteers her time helping Riversideās unhoused neighbors with dignity, care, and practical support. (Brenda Flowers)
When Brenda and her family moved to Riverside in 2004, it was for a job opportunity that brought them to this vibrant community. After retiring, Brenda began volunteering with BAT (Banquets at Trinity), a food program at Trinity Lutheran Church serving unhoused individuals, seniors, and families in need.
Her passion for this work is deeply personal. As a teenager, Brenda and her family experienced homelessness for several years. That experience shaped her desire to help others facing similar challenges and to offer the same kindness and support her neighbors once gave her.
A few years after joining BAT, Brenda was asked to co-manage the program. In 2021, she helped expand outreach by launching Shower of Hope, which provides showers and connections to vital resources. Through partnerships with local agencies, they now assist with obtaining ID cards, securing housing, and offering additional meals ā creating a lifeline for those in need. Brendaās mission is simple: to show love, dignity, and care to every neighbor she serves.
A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
Puddles turn downtown into a mirror ā soft lights and old buildings reflected in the rain-soaked streets. (Angel Rodriguez)
This week, we're shifting our focus to a more fluid and reflective subject: a puddle. Puddles tell us it's rained or that we have a leaky pipe. By just being themselves, they can ruin an outfit. Want to tell a movie audience that your protagonist is in trouble? Just have them step in a puddle; the deeper, the better!
Puddles reflect the world in distorted, ephemeral ways. Their literal from the ground up perspective invites us to pause, toobserve the world from a different angle, and when we are lucky, find beauty. A simple puddle at night can transform a concrete urbanscape into a canvas of light and shadow, a playground for our imaginations.
