Results tagged “festival” from Raincross Square

Festive decorations at every corner during downtown Riverside's yearly 'Festival of Lights'
Slideshow: Out & About

On Saturday evening, we spent a couple hours browsing and shopping during the annual 'Festival of Lights' in downtown Riverside, snapping a few photos -- and finding a few nice surprises along the way.

First, it was great to once again see the storefront windows -- decorated and lit up for the holidays -- for the long-shuttered Westbrook's / Imperial Hardware building. We're hoping the windows remain on display following the holidays (possibly for historical/museum displays ... ?).

Second, the newly opened 3rd floor for Mission Galleria offered sweeping views of the pedestrian mall below.

And finally, it was nice to see fresh art sculptures (one | two) along the pedestrian mall near UCR/California Museum of Photography.

We found the newly refurbished pedestrian mall to work quite well with the large crowds, particularly alongside the Mission Inn. The new layout allowed for a larger ice rink and a larger events stage.

The Festival of Lights includes an ice rink, carriage rides, carolers, shopping, food, entertainment -- and Santa Claus. Oh, and of course, the centerpiece is the historic Mission Inn decorated with over 3.5 million lights and hundreds of animated displays.

The event runs daily (excepting Christmas) through January 3.

Slideshow: Out & About

Related

• Festival of Lights


• Mission Inn

This week marks the beginning of the yearly "Festival of Lights" in downtown Riverside. Every night for 5 weeks between Nov. 27 and Jan. 3 (excepting Christmas), several blocks of the newly refurbished Main Street pedestrian mall come alive for the holidays.

City of Riverside

The centerpiece of the Festival is the historic Mission Inn hotel, which will again be adorned with over 3.5 million holiday lights and hundreds of animated figures.
Along with the lights are an ice rink, carriage rides, carolers, shopping, food, entertainment -- and Santa Claus. Nearby shops and restaurants usually offer extended hours during the festival.

Friday, Nov. 27th is the event's official kick-off, which includes a special "switch on" ceremony and fireworks show that begins just after 6:00 p.m.

Parking for the nightly event is available in 4 municipal parking garages and on nearby streets (with free parking at all locations after 5 p.m. and all day on the weekends/holidays).

What originally began in 1993 as a hotel-only event has since grown to include city sponsorship, spreading to nearby shops and adjacent blocks. It has become one of America's largest holiday light displays.

Update

• KABC-TV - Festival of Lights kicks off in Riverside (Nov. 28)


• InstantRiverside.com - Festival of Lights begins in downtown Riverside (Nov. 28)


• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Mission Inn lights up the night in Riverside | Photo Gallery (Nov. 28)

Related

• City of Riverside - Festival of Lights


• Mission Inn - Festival of Lights


• InstantRiverside.com - Riverside's Festival of Lights Friday evening (Nov. 25) | 2009 Downtown Riverside Window Decorating Contest (Nov. 16) | Festival parking guide


• Riverside Press-Enterprise - The historic Mission Inn begins Festival of Lights preparation (Oct. 19)

Riverside Downtown Partnership

For those who missed it, Saturday April 11th was the kick-off event for the new "Downtown Street Jam" in Riverside, a free concert series sponsored by the city and local downtown establishments, including Lake Alice Trading Co. and Mission Tobacco Lounge.

Yesterday's event drew several hundred fans to a temporary stage located at Ninth and Orange streets to see local acts, including well-known, homegrown Riverside bands, The Debonaires, The Skeletones and Voodoo Glow Skulls.

The free concert series will take place at Ninth and Orange streets from 2 p.m. - 9 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month for at least the next several months. A mixture of bands and musical genres are planned in hopes of attracting all ages and various tastes (and ears). June's concert is expected to have some Jazz on the set list.

May 9th and June 13th are the next scheduled dates. So, mark your calendars!

Related

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Fans jam to downtown tunes | Vanessa Franko's blogs from the Jam | Video: Downtown Street Jam | Video: The Debonaires | Video: The Skeletones | Video: Voodoo Glow Skulls


• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Voodoo Glow Skulls will top the bill when Riverside puts some musical heat on the street this weekend (April 10)


• City of Riverside - Downtown Street Jam


• Riverside Downtown Partnership


• IE Weekly

Mission Inn's Festival of Lights by rrreynoldshome

Flickr - Raincross Square photo pool

Got a great photo of downtown Riverside or the city in general? Add it to the Raincross Square photo pool. Or view what others have uploaded.

2008
Festival of Lights


2008
Mission Inn

In case you missed it, the 16th annual Festival of Lights began this past weekend in downtown Riverside. With 3.5 million lights and hundreds of animated figures, the crown jewel of the nightly festival is the historic Mission Inn hotel. As usual, Friday night's "lighting ceremony" incorporated extra festivities, including live music and fireworks.

Also included are an ice skating rink, carriage rides and several vendors and shops along the Main Street Pedestrian Mall. Most stores have extended their hours during the festival (something we'd like to see more of them do at other times during the year).

The festival runs nightly through January 4th (excepting Christmas Day). We suggest parking in one of the two available Orange Street parking garages, particularly if you're visiting Friday, Saturday or Sunday evenings (parking is free after 5 p.m. and all day on the weekends). Another garage is also available off Market Street between Mission Inn and University avenues.

For those looking to make dinner plans (or simply grab a quick bite), several top-notch restaurants and eateries -- including Mario's, Restaurant Omakase, Duane's, Las Campanas, Cafe Sevilla, Old Spaghetti Factory, Simple Simons, Phood on Main, Pacific Stix and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf -- are all within a few blocks.

Related

• InstantRiverside.com - Mission Inn lights up downtown


• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Riverside's Festival of Lights kicks off in all its glory (Nov. 29)


• Riverside Press-Enterprise - 'Little kid' ideal shines behind Festival of Lights (Nov. 28)


• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Riverside's Festival of Lights starts Friday, with some changes planned (Nov. 26)


• Mission Inn


• Mission Inn - Festival of Lights


• City of Riverside - Festival of Lights

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - GMA does FOL (Dec. 2007)

Be sure to check out the remaining days Saturation Fest 08, which began earlier this week in downtown Riverside.

Saturation Art & Music Festival

The eight-year-old event, which runs through Sunday evening (Oct. 19) at several sites in downtown, brings together the local arts and music community for 6 days of arts and, well, music. Hundreds of artists and over 50 bands -- from rock, punk, electronic and hip hop to indie, acoustic, folk and jazz. -- will be on hand.

For the all-nighters, there's tonight's "Grindhouse" from midnight - 5 a.m. at Back to the Grind with a special performance by Riverside's very own The BellRays. Both Saturday and Sunday are chock full of events -- from the eclectic "Taco Sombrero Ride" by local cycling enthusiasts (including our friend Tanya and her husband Brian) and indie films to hands-on DIY arts workshops and day-long (and late-night) live music. Sunday evening includes a special Q&A with Ian MacKaye -- of Minor Threat and Fugazi fame -- at the Riverside Art Museum.

While strolling the festival (or while downtown between now and Oct. 25), be sure to check out "Under a Blood Red Sky," a collection of U2 photographs on display at Division 9 Gallery - South. The images, which have appeared in Rolling Stone magazine and several other publications, were shot by photographer (and local resident) Greg Wigler in 1983 during U2's widely-known concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheater outside Denver.

So get out and -- Get Downtown!

Related

• SaturationFest.com


• Back to The Grind


• Division 9 Gallery


• Riverside Art Museum


• The Bicycle Lounge


• IE Weekly


• Hip Pocket Design

This weekend, the skies over Inland Southern California will reverberate with the thundering sounds of the USAF Thunderbirds as the team performs during "AirFest 2008" at March Air Reserve Base.

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AirFest 2004


1920s
March Field


1940
March Field
USAF


2008
Aerial view
(note the outline of
the base's original quad)
MS Virtual Earth

The base, celebrating its 90th year, will once again open up the gates to the public during its annual open house/air show. The event, which attracts upwards of 250,000 people, has become the largest such air show in Southern California.

In addition to the Thunderbirds, flyovers will include the F-22, F-18, KC-135, C-130 as well an impressive short runway landing/takeoff demo performed by a March ARB-based Globemaster C-17. Also scheduled are precision parachute teams from the US Army "Golden Knights" and Canadian Skyhawks, a Red Bull MiG-17 aerial demonstration and several stunt pilots and vintage aircraft. On the tarmac will be over 50 aircraft available for up-close inspection, including several open for "walk-thrus."

Gates will be open 8:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sat. May 3 and Sun. May, 4. Free parking is available on base grounds.

March ARB was initially established in 1918 during World War I as Alessandro Flying Training Field under the command of the fledgling Army Air Service (later to become the Army Air Corps.) The base, which is the oldest Air Force base west of the Mississippi, immediately took the name March Field in honor of 2nd Lt. Peyton C. March Jr.

Through the years, the base was home to many of the nation's most celebrated pilots and commanders, including Hoyt Vandenberg, Curtis LeMay, Nathan Twining and Henry "Hap" Arnold. With its close proximity to Hollywood, March also played host to Bob Hope's first major USO show in May 1941.

Following World War II, March became part of the newly-formed Tactical Air Command (TAC), housing the 1st Fighter Wing for the Army Air Force. Upon establishment of the US Air Force as an independent branch in 1948, the base was renamed March Air Force Base, becoming a major Strategic Air Command (SAC) bomber base and headquarters for the 15th Air Force. For several years, B-29s, B-52s and KC-135s dominated the tarmac -- and the overhead skies.

In 1982, KC-10s replaced the last of March's B-52s as the primary mission changed from bombardment to air refueling and support. In 1996, as part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, the base was renamed March Air Reserve Base.

Today, as the largest air reserve base in the nation, March ARB supports all branches of the US military. The base is home to the 4th Air Force HQ and several other units, including the 4th Combat Camera Squadron, the 163d Reconnaissance Wing, the American Forces Radio and Television Service, the Southwest Interdiction Unit of U.S. Customs as well as an air wing of Homeland Security.

With Southern California's longest paved runway, the now joint-use facility includes March GlobalPort, which serves as the West Coast hub for cargo shipper DHL.

Related

• March ARB


• March AirFest


• March Field Museum


• USAF Thunderbirds

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - March Field AirFest 2006 (April 2006)

Last Friday, weatherman Sam Champion of ABC-TV's Good Morning America paid a visit to downtown Riverside for a special broadcast highlighting the Mission Inn's "Festival of Lights." The live broadcast was part of GMA's weeklong, "Light up the Holidays" special, wherein 5 different holiday displays from across the U.S. were featured during the program's weather segments.

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GMA visits the "Festival of Lights"

For those who missed the broadcast, InstantRiverside.com has a report here. For those interested in visiting the FOL, the festival runs nightly through Jan. 1, 2008. We suggest parking in one of the three Orange Street parking garages in downtown, particularly if you're visiting Friday, Saturday or Sunday evenings (parking is free after 5 p.m. and all day on the weekends). A fourth garage is also available off Market Street between Mission Inn and University avenues.

This is the 15th year of the FOL, which began as a modest, hotel-only holiday lights event that has since grown to include over 3 million lights, animated figures, carolers, carriage rides and a small ice skating rink on the Main Street Pedestrian Mall.

Related

• GMA - Light up the Holidays
  
• InstantRiverside.com - Good Morning America at FOL


• InstantRiverside.com - Festival of Lights lighting ceremony


• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Festival of Lights begins in downtown Riverside


• Mission Inn - Festival of Lights


• City of Riverside - Festival of Lights info

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - 2006 Festival of Lights

Saturday, October 6, 2007 - This past Saturday, if one ventured down to the weekly Farmers Market held on the pedestrian mall in downtown Riverside, they couldn't help but hear the sounds from a multicultural festival just two blocks away.

Flash: Out & About slideshow

The 9th Annual "Multicultural Family Village Festival" took place in front of the Riverside Metropolitan Museum, located on Mission Inn Avenue at Orange Street. Sponsored by the city-run museum, the modest festival included music, dance, arts & crafts and food from a number of local community groups.

The event gave us an excuse to revisit a special exhibit inside the Metropolitan Museum itself. The exhibit is the first of a two-part exhibit, "The Mission Inn: Celebrating 30 Years as a National Historic Landmark," which is being shared with the nearby Mission Inn Museum.

Part one -- "Creating a Legacy (1875 - 1955)" -- showcases personal artifacts from the Miller family during the Inn's early days, including paintings, photographs and a few pieces of furniture. Also on display is the original sketch (and U.S. Patent) for the Raincross symbol. The exhibit ends its 3-month run on October 14.

Part two -- "Saving the Community's Heritage (1955 - present)" -- documents the Inn during rough times following the end of the Miller family stewardship, the subsequent ownership changes and selling off of some of the Inn's treasures, the eventual multi-million dollar refurbishment and recent revival. This second exhibit opened last month at the Mission Inn Museum and runs through January 5, 2008.

Admission to both museums is free (though a nominal donation of $2 is gladly accepted).

Related

• Riverside Metropolitan Museum


• Mission Inn Museum

Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Downtown Riverside was busier than usual this past weekend as both ends of Main Street hosted separate 3-day events.

Flash: Out & About slideshow

At the south end near the Riverside County Courthouse was the 9th annual "Show and Go" classic car show. Produced by Riverside East Rotary, the car and cruising event has steadily grown to showcase several hundred hot rods. Title sponsor for this year's event was Riverside-based K&N Filters.

Just 5 blocks north down Main Street was the 2007 "Home & Garden Show" at the Riverside Convention Center at Raincross Square. The event featured everything from home improvement services to backyard patio and kitchen products. The show encompassed the entire interior of the convention center as well as the outdoor plaza adjacent to the Marriott.

Although having the event spill out into the outdoor plaza helped entice folks strolling nearby into the show itself, it also displayed the need for an expanded convention center, which the city hopes to accomplish as part of the Riverside Renaissance Initiative.

At 50,000 square feet, the 31-year-old Riverside Convention Center is half the size of the 10-year-old Ontario Convention Center. And although its interior is in relatively good shape, the exterior is indeed a bit bland and could use a face-lift.

This Friday marks the debut of an expanded Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside.

Along with the usual carolers, carriage rides, one-of-a-kind shopping/dining and millions of holiday lights, this year's FOL has grown to include a compact ice rink. Skating at the rink, located on the Main Street Pedestrian Mall between Mission Inn and University avenues, will cost $10 per hour with skate rentals running $3.

2006
Mission Inn

Of course, the centerpiece of the FOL is the Mission Inn Hotel itself, decorated to the hilt with millions of lights and several hundred animated figures (the assortment of holiday decorations grows each year).

The event is scheduled to kickoff with the "switch-on" ceremony at 6:15 p.m., Friday, Nov. 24.

Parking is free on weekends and holidays and after 5 p.m. weekdays, including within the 4 city-owned parking garages (we suggest using the Orange Square garage located at Ninth and Orange streets).

Reservations are recommended for the various horse-drawn carriages as well as dinner at any of the Mission Inn restaurants, Mario's Place or Cafe Sevilla -- particularly on weekends and days in and around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. And if you're planning an overnight stay, advanced reservations are highly recommended for either the Mission Inn or Marriott hotels.

Related

• Mission Inn
• Mission Inn - Festival of Lights
• Riverside Downtown Partnership

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - Riverside embraces the 'Lights'

Update

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Festival Lights Inland City
• Los Angeles Times - Riverside adds ice to its Festival of Lights
• Photo Gallery: 2006 Festival of Lights

Saturday, November 18, 2006 - The weekend heading into Thanksgiving finds downtown Riverside in a state of transformation as finishing touches are being made to holiday decorations ahead of the annual Festival of Lights, which officially begins the Friday after turkey day.

Flash: Out & About slideshow

This year, a new addition to an expanded FOL had workers assembling a compact ice rink. Slated to open in time for next weekend's FOL kickoff ceremony, the rink is situated on the Main Street Pedestrian Mall between Mission Inn and University avenues.

Oh, and during our stroll around downtown we noticed that the long-awaited Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is now open at the base of the California Tower. CB&TL joins fellow coffee purveyor Starbucks in joining the downtown mix.

In other news, the Mission Inn Coffee Co. has been officially replaced by Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro. Also, the small band stage outside City Hall is no more (likely in preparation for the eventual re-opening of Ninth Street thru the pedestrian mall). And the massive rebuilding of the 60/91/I-215 freeways interchange continues to move along.

Now that the Orange Blossom Festival is officially kaput, officials in Riverside are eyeing an enlarged Festival of Lights as a quasi-replacement for the annual citrus celebration.

Already a great success in its own right, the annual FOL draws tens of thousands of visitors from throughout Southern California during the winter holidays. The centerpiece of the nightly event is the historic Mission Inn, aglow with millions of holiday lights and animated figures. The festivities extend to the adjacent Main Street Pedestrian Mall where horse-drawn carriages and carolers stroll amongst one-of-a-kind shops.

The event, which began as a modest hotel-only event in 1993, has since grown into one of the premier holiday lights displays in the country:

2002
Mission Inn - Campanario


2002
Mission Inn - Spanish Patio

With the city's backing, an enlarged event will add an outdoor ice rink and expanded holiday decorations/lights throughout downtown.

In light of the growing popularity of the FOL, reservations are recommended for the various horse-drawn carriages as well as dinner at any of the Mission Inn restaurants, Mario's Place or Cafe Sevilla -- particularly on weekends and days in and around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. And if you're planning an overnight stay, advanced reservations are highly recommended for either the Mission Inn or Marriott hotels.

Although we lament the complete loss of the Orange Blossom Festival and hope the city revives some sort of citrus heritage celebration and/or arts & culture expo in the near future, we agree that an expanded Festival of Lights could turn out to be a much bigger boon to the city. After all, instead of one huge weekend event, the FOL lasts nearly 6 weeks.

Not a bad "replacement," to say the least.

Related

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Riverside rethinks signature event
• Mission Inn - Festival of Lights (2005)
• America's Best - Best Christmas Lights (2005)
• USA Today - Places to have a bright Christmas (2003)
• Boston Globe - Mission Inn's grandeur lives on (2003)

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - Festival replacement remains unknown (Aug 2006)
• RaincrossSquare.com - OBF Squashed (May 2006)

Update

• 2006 Festival of Lights

As expected, the city of Riverside officially severed ties last week with the association charged with running the annual Orange Blossom Festival, thus ending the event after 12 years. Likewise, officials are now saying there indeed will not be a replacement event in 2007, leaving open the question of whether there ever will be an actual replacement.

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Orange Blossom Festival

Sadly, cutting the ties with the OBF Association also means losing Riverside Wednesday Night, a crafts/farmers fair held each week on the downtown pedestrian mall from March through November. Though many residents were aware of the possible loss of the much-larger, yearly Orange Blosson Festival, many may be surprised to learn the weekly event is also now gone:

Although we agreed the OBF had strayed a bit in recent years, we disagreed with the knee-jerk, outright cancellation of it barely 48-hours following this year's event. Thus, our hope is that city officials keep their word on plans for establishing replacements for both the weekly and annual events. Moreover, with the quickly-growing arts presence downtown, talk of an annual "arts and culture" festival as a replacement for OBF sounds very promising. However, if city officials wait too long, they may find re-establishing the larger annual event could be much more difficult than fixing the one they had.

Photo Gallery: 2004 OBF

Related

• Press-Enterprise - Street fair's image lingers
• Orange Blossom Festival Association

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - OBF squashed (May 26)
• RaincrossSquare.com - OBF 2006 (May 19)

Less than 72 hours following the 2006 Orange Blossom Festival, Riverside unexpectedly killed the 12-year-old event. City officials claim they squashed the event due to recent violence, over-abundance of alcohol and overall lack of a cohesive citrus theme at the two-day festival.

Indeed the event had strayed from its original roots as a celebration of Riverside's historic navel orange industry and was attracting less of a family-oriented crowd, which did tend to increase the "fight quotient" somewhat. But alcohol has been flowing at the event from day one and sporadic fighting has always been an issue. When you attract upwards of 250,000 people, there's bound to be some problems -- alcohol induced or not.

2004
Orange Blossom Festival

With that said, there's no doubt the festival needed to be brought back around to its citrus roots and be less of a typical street fair. The city is promising to bring back a smaller, much-tamer and culturally-oriented celebration next year, which we fully support. But this knee-jerk reaction of outright canceling the OBF looks more like a pre-determined political ploy. Barely before the streets were swept following day one of this year's festival, a city councilman was already threatening to kill the event:

But here's the thing folks, the OBF's biggest problem stems not from the type of people it was attracting, but from the schizophrenic city in which plays host. In short, Riverside has been caught in a "big city" versus "little town" syndrome for many years. As such, a bureaucratic quagmire often develops.

With regards to the OBF, some wanted a smaller, city-funded event, while others repeatedly questioned the city's financial support of an event of any magnitude. And of course, there was always the anti-alcohol crowd (or in reality, the anti-beer crowd). The end result was an indecisive city hall that couldn't make up its mind over whether it wanted a small community event or large regional festival. In essence, this left the OBF walking a financial tightrope while trying to cater to both crowds -- a pursuit it apparently failed.

Let's hope the "new" festival has much better support and a much happier fate.

Related

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Festival ends, but talk of shaping new event begins (May 25)
• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Orange Blossom Festival axed (May 24)
• Riverside Press-Enterprise - City Council to consider ending festival tonight (May 23)
• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Bitter orange (May 23, Editorial)
• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Street fair fighting for life (May 22)

Update

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Let festival blossom (May 28, Editorial)

This weekend, May 20-21, marks the staging of the 12th annual Orange Blossom Festival in downtown Riverside. Although the festival has encountered a few bumps and bruises recently, it remains one of the largest and most successful yearly community festivals in Southern California, typically drawing crowds in excess of 250,000.

The OBF began in 1994 as homage to the city's long-forgotten, but highly successful "Orange Day" festivals during the early 1900s, which celebrated and promoted the city's navel orange industry. The first few years of the reincarnated festival were quite successful, so much so the event soon outgrew its own britches and, as can be expected in such matters, eventually lost a bit of focus as it marched toward self-support (i.e., "commercialization") from a city-sponsored festival. Fortunately, the governing committee has heard the suggestions ("more orange, less carnival") and begun to bring the event back around to its original focus of celebrating the region's historic "orange empire."

However, it is the opinion of this site that at least one other basic aspect of the festival -- the knee-jerk change made 2 years ago moving the festival one month from late April to late May -- needs to be reverted. The move was made immediately following an unseasonably rainy weekend that dampened festival attendance in 2004. Though the rain indeed did affect attendance that weekend, the fact is the festival had already been experiencing flat or declining attendance in recent years. The move to May last year proved less of a savior as attendance remained relatively flat, in part due to the warmer May temperatures. Moreover, the move has not exactly wiped out the possibility of rain, as this weekend's forecast calls for rain on Sunday. But above all, the festival simply belongs in April -- period.

With that said, the festival remains a good time for all ages -- not too mention good exposure for both downtown and Riverside in general.

Related

• Orange Blossom Festival Association

This weekend marks the return of the USAF Thunderbirds to March Air Reserve Base near Riverside. The precision flying team has been making regular stops at the base's air shows for many years, the last being 2004.

This weekend's show marks the homecoming of sorts for one of the Thunderbird pilots, Maj. Nicole Malachowski, who spent part of her childhood in Upland. She's also the first female pilot in the history of the Thunderbirds. Many of her relatives will be at this weekend's airshow.

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March Field AirFest


2004
USAF Thunderbirds

Included in this weekend's airshow will be flight demonstrations of the Air Force's primary aircraft, including the F-15E "Strike Eagle," F-16 "Viper," C-17 "Globemaster," C-130 "Hercules," B-52 "Stratofortress," KC-135 "Stratotanker," as well as the F-22 "Raptor," and F-117 "Stealth Fighter."

A U.S. Navy F-18 "Hornet" and Russian MiG-21 are also part of the flight demonstrations along with historic Air Force aircraft B-17, B-25, P-38 and P-51. Vietnam War-vintage helicopters, precision parachute teams and stunt pilots help round out the flight demostration activities. Numerous aircraft will also be on display -- and for walk-thrus -- along March's large tarmac.

The airshow is the only such USAF show held in Greater Los Angeles and is usually one of the largest in the country. And due to the proximity to the Thunderbirds' home base of Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, family members of many of the pilots will be making the trek to March ARB for this weekend's airshow.

The March Field AirFest is Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30, from 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., with the Thunderbirds performing at 3:15 p.m. both days. Admission is free.

Photo Gallery: AirFest 2004

Related

• March Field - AirFest 2006
• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Restored helicopters to fly air-show missions
• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Flying home

It's that time of year again when downtown Riverside's historic Mission Inn is aglow with millions of holiday lights and hundreds of animated figures. Each year, the crowds get a little bit bigger and the lights a little bit brighter as visitors stroll the downtown pedestrian mall, tiny shops and streets surrounding the Mission Inn hotel to view the colorful display.

2002
The Campanario
Mission Inn


2002
The Spanish Patio
Mission Inn

For 13 years, the day after Thanksgiving has served as the Festival's
traditional lighting ceremony. Inn owner Duane Roberts estimates he's spent in excess of $2 million dollars over the years in assembling and producing the yearly spectacle. And the proof is in the pudding as the Inn's "Festival of Lights" has received accolades in a number of high-profile publications, including a photo in this year's "holiday" section in People Magazine:

The Festival also received mention as one of America's Best Holiday Lights displays the past 2 years.

The Festival of Lights runs nightly through Sunday, January 8, 2006.

Related

• Mission Inn - Festival of Lights
• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Holiday lights ablaze at Mission Inn

This weekend, Riverside -- and Inland Southern California in general -- celebrates its heralded citrus heritage with the annual "Orange Blossom Festival."

The 2-day event harkens back to Riverside's "Orange Day" celebrations of the early 1900s, a time when orange groves ruled the local landscape and fragrant orange blossoms ruled the air, all in the name of the world's sweetest navel orange -- the Washington-Riverside navel.

So, put on a pair of shorts, grab those hats and sunglasses and head on down to historic downtown Riverside for a weekend of music, food, history and fun.

Related

• Orange Blossom Festival
• Los Angeles Times - Know Your Citrus? Not so Fast
• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Free festival parking limited in Riverside


• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Festival boasts a wide variety of music attractions