Historian Ben Jenkins of the University of La Verne has written the story of how railroads and citrus rose and fell in the Inland Empire from 1870 to 1950. “Octopus’s Garden: How Railroads and Citrus Transformed Southern California” is the title. I read it and then talked to the IE native about a time often viewed through rose-colored (orange-colored?) glasses for my Wednesday column.
A new population forecast through 2060 shows L.A. County losing people, as you may have heard. Well, the forecast also shows the IE continuing to add population, as you probably hadn’t heard. Also, Riverside got a state grant for its planned Civil Rights Walk downtown, its version of Boston’s Freedom Trail. Plus a few more items from around Riverside and the IE, all in my Sunday column.
A roundup of items for my back-from-vacation column: the Redlands Bowl, the Banning Bowl, 100th anniversaries, tales of a Chino Hills industrialist and, why not, the Three Stooges. About half of this column was written before my vacation; I added to it and rewrote it Monday. It’s nice to be back and to ease into things.
In Friday’s column, my T-shirt draws a question, a gripe and a compliment while its wearer is out to dinner. Also: some reflections on my IE coverage, a hot moment on July 4th in Claremont and a coffeehouse in Redlands with a funny wifi password. And a spicy column is promised for Sunday. Let’s just say it will appear in the blog category “Around Temecula.”
I was braced for negativity after writing on Wednesday in praise of San Francisco, from which I’d just returned from vacation. And negativity would have been fine. But the response was almost entirely enthusiastic, and there was more of it than usual. So I devote Sunday’s column to your comments, good, bad and neutral, followed by short items from Pomona and Chino Hills.
The Ontario-born publicist for “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” shares a couple of stories with me after the movie’s mention here. Also: Pomona is seen in “The Last Thing He Told Me,” a Pomona librarian retires, modest (but not that helpful) insights into the “Lisa from Temecula” character’s origins are revealed, a further local angle involving the National Trust for Historic Preservation is presented and examples of Pomona history trivia are compiled. All this in my Friday column. Now how much would you pay?
More about the Riverside County years of Disney cartoonist Carl Barks and retired Marx Brother Harpo Marx appear in my Wednesday column. The column is about 3/4 Barks, but I love them both.
Inlandia Literary Journeys, the column in our Sunday editions by a rotating series of contributors, marked 10 years with an event Sunday at which some of the contributors read their work and the two co-founders talked about how the column began and the community that’s been forged. Also: Cellar Door Books may be closed a full month as it moves, and two writers who are fans of punk music are asked the most punk thing about their daily lives. Yes, it’s an all-books Wednesday column.
Have you ever seen the “Ramona” pageant in Hemet? I drove out there last Saturday for opening day. I was impressed and charmed, if admittedly bored at times. But as a fan of tradition, I’d say everyone should see “Ramona” at least once in their lives. I tell you about the experience in my Friday column.
In an immediate sequel to Wednesday’s column, here are more responses to my query about pandemic hobbies that you’re still doing today. Some are fresh interests, others are revivals of interests that lapsed decades ago. And, unlike Wednesday, Riverside is now represented. I share the responses in my Friday column.