New place for the arts

CITY LIFE & FINE LIVING
RIVERSIDE
F E B R U A RY– MA R C H 2 016
m ag a z i n e
New
space
for
the
arts
RCC President
Wolde-Ab Isaac, left,
RCCD Chancellor
Michael Burke
RCC brings performance, culinary programs downtown
WATER
INDEPENDENCE
MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF IT.
DO YOU KNOW? In 2008, Riverside became water
independent with the completion of the John W. North
Water Treatment Plant, a state-of-the-art facility that
can treat 10 million gallons of local water every day.
This means no more relying on the Colorado River or
the State Water Project to meet our water needs – just
local, reliable water to keep us thriving.
For more on the John W. North Water Treatment Plant go
to RiversidePublicUtilities.com/assets.
2 | riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
RiversidePublicUtilities.com
contents
RIVERSIDE
M
A
G
A
Z
I
N
E
b roug ht to you by:
f e b r u a ry- M a rc h 2 016 • VO L U M E 9, I S S UE 1
6
Ron Hasse
PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER
Joseph on the road
The life of a traveling thespian-singer isn’t necessarily what
everyone wants, but it suits JC McCann just fine. After roles
in “Les Misérables” and “Sunset Boulevard,” he’s enjoying his
turn in the lead role of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat,” coming to Riverside, April 10.
Don Sproul
MANAGING EDITOR
Jerry Rice
EDITOR
Jim Maurer
V.P. SALES & MARKETING
C O N T R I BU T I N G W R I T ER S & E D I TO R S
Amy Bentley, David Cohen, Elaine Lehman
George A. Paul, Canan Tasci
e dito r i a l g r a p h i c D E S I G N
Steve Ohnersorgen
Rick Sforza
PHOTO EDITOR
PH OTO G RAPHERs
Frank Perez, Eric Reed
10
Tom Paradis, Jack Storrusten
Education, food & arts: A new nexus
Downtown Riverside has a lot going on — the Convention Center, the Fox
Performing Ar ts Center, the Mission Inn, the pedestrian mall, ar t museums,
shops — and now add to that an educational ar ts and culinary center that
takes up a whole city block. Riverside Community College District’s $80-million
Centennial Plaza means oppor tunity for students and even more vitality for the
city’s central core.
Key moments in RCC history, a timeline 14
Also inside
Calendar 4
Grow Riverside 18
Dining at Sam’s Bann
Thai restaurant 24
Seens and Nonprofit
Calendar 26, 28
Riverside Airshow 30
20
Hot metal, cool creations
He’s known as “Metal Mike.” On a routine day,
you’ll likely find him crafting gates, railings,
possibly furniture made from reclaimed objects.
But Mike Grandaw’s work has another side, one
filled with whimsy and giant creations that have
made their way out into world via the Coachella
Valley Music and Ar ts Festival. He’s a guy who
went the long way round to come home
to Riverside and Studio Steel Welding.
On the cover
Dr. Wolde-Ab Isaac,
Riverside City College
president, left, and
Dr. Michael Burke,
Riverside Community
College District chancellor,
in front of the new
Centennial Plaza complex.
SALES MANAGERS
A DV ERT I S I N G S A L E S E X ECU T I V E S
Carla Ford-Brunner, Sue Glynn
Cindy Martin, Adil Zaher
S A L E S A S S I S TA N T s
Vikki Contreras, Dixie Mohrhauser
Victoria Vidana
m a r k e ting
Veronica Nair, Ginnie Stevens
LANG Custom Publishing
Frank Pine
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
CONTACT US
Editorial: 951-541-1825; fax 909-885-8741
or [email protected]
Advertising: 909-483-9312; or [email protected]
Riverside Magazine is produced by LANG Custom Publishing
of The Sun and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
Single copy price: $3.95. Subscriptions $14.95 per year.
Postmaster: Send address changes to 9616 Archibald Ave.,
Suite 100, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730.
Copyright ©2016 Riverside Magazine.
No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the consent
of the publisher. Riverside Magazine is not responsible for
unsolicited manuscripts, photos or artwork even if accompanied by
a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Photo by Eric Reed
Conn e c t !
Follow us on Twitter @RiversideMag
and like us on Facebook.
february-march 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 3
hot list
DICKENS FESTIVAL
FEB. 26-28 – Annual celebration of all
things Dickens, with costumed characters
portraying eminent Victorians and characters
from his novels, musical acts and a themed
marketplace. General admission is free,
however there is a charge for some activities
including Picwick’s Pub Night (Feb. 26),
Mr. Fezziwig’s Ball (Feb. 27) and, at the
Riverside County Historic Courthouse,
the trials of Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden
and John Wilkes Booth (Feb. 27-28).
Downtown Riverside; 951-781-3168;
www.dickensfest.com.
STAR PARTY
MARCH 4-5 – Riverside Astronomical
Society spends the weekend scanning the
heavens and on Saturday afternoon enjoying
a potluck “Star-B-Q.” Membership is not
required. Goat Mountain Astronomical
Research Station, Landers; 760-364-1952;
www.rivastro.org.
RIVERSIDE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
MARCH 6 – Eighth annual event presented
Peter Frampton
File photo
by Temple Beth El in cooperation with city
of Riverside. Screenings of “Dough” (2015,
United Kingdom) at 1 p.m., “To Life!” (2016,
Germany) at 3:30 p.m., and “Wunderkinder”
(2011, Germany) at 7 p.m. The Box Theater,
3635 Market St., Riverside; $10 for one or
$25 for all three; 951-684-4511;
www.tberiv.org.
PETER FRAMPTON
MARCH 13 – In concert, part of his
acoustic tour. Fox Performing Arts Center,
3801 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside,
951-779-9800, www.riversidelive.com,
concerts.livenation.com. Also: Joe Satriani,
March 3; Puscifer, March 17; Elvis Costello,
April 5; Alton Brown, May 16; Jewel, May 19.
‘BLACK COFFEE’
APRIL 1-17 – Agatha Christie’s first play.
Riverside Community Players,
4026 4th St., Riverside; 951-686-4030;
riversidecommunityplayers.org.
Also: “The Murder Room,” May 20-June 5;
“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,”
July 15-31.
calendar
Attack, April 9 and 16; Riverside Children’s
Theater Performance, April 16.
3545 Central Ave.; 951-683-1066;
www.shopriversideplaza.com.
ORANGE EMPIRE RAILWAY MUSEUM
THROUGH MARCH 13 – Spring Railroadiana
Swap Meet, with railroad antiques, collectibles,
art, books, photos, as well as model and toy
trains, March 5; Bunny Train with the Easter
Bunny, March 12-13. 2201 S. A St., Perris;
951-943-3020; www.oerm.org. Also: Iron Horse
Family Steampunk Carnivale, March 19-20.
‘SECOND WAVE’
THROUGH MARCH 19 – Aesthetics of the
1980s in today’s contemporary art. UCR/
California Museum of Photography, 3824 Main
St., Riverside; 951-827-4787; artsblock.ucr.edu.
Also: “Flash: David Weldzius,” through March 5;
“CMP Projects: Marie Bovo,” through April 16;
“Myth and Majesty,” photographs of the
American Southwest, through May 21;
“Flash: Cauleen Smith,” March 12-July 2.
CULVER PERFORMANCES
THROUGH APRIL 9 – Open Expressions,
March 3; Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble,
March 8; The Art of Migration: Moving Matters
Traveling Workshop,” March 10; “Show & Prove
2016,” hip-hop performances by Rickerby Hinds
and Raphael Xavier, April 9. Culver Center of
the Arts, 3824 Main St., Riverside; 951-827-4787;
sweeney.ucr.edu.
RIVERSIDE PLAZA
THROUGH APRIL 16 – Photos with the Easter
Bunny, March 11-16; K-FROG Stagecoach Ticket
4 | riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
LAKE ALICE TRADING CO.
THROUGH APRIL 16 – Factory Tuned Band,
March 4 and April 8; Driven, March 5 and
April 9; Johnny on the Spot, March 11 and
April 15; David Paul Band (classic and dance to
today’s hits), March 12; Band of Bros., March 18
and April 16; Gravity Guild, March 19 and
April 29; Eclipse (classic and dance to today’s
hits), March 25-26; Brigade, April 1; Time Bomb
(1980s), April 2. 3616 University Ave., Riverside,
951-686-7343, www.lakealicetradingco.com.
Jason Uyeyama
Courtesy photo
LA SIERRA CONCERTS
THROUGH APRIL 10 – Student recital,
featuring pianist Jonathan Mamora, Feb. 27;
La Sierra University Wind Ensemble,
conducted by Professor Giovanni Santos,
March 12; Student Recital, with Victoria
Bellaird on violin, April 8; Chamber Music
concert, with a quintet of musicians who are
regulars with the Los Angeles Philharmonic,
including violinist Jason Uyeyama, April 10.
Hole Memorial Auditorium, 4500 Riverwalk
Parkway, Riverside; Free; 951-785-2036;
music-events.lasierra.edu.
FILM SCREENINGS
THROUGH MAY 12 – Domestic and foreign
films: “Is it Really So Strange?” March 4-5;
“Heart of a Dog,” March 11-12; “Drive,”
March 18-19; “Avalon,” March 25-26;
“The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the
Farmworkers’ Struggle,” April 1; “Cesar’s Last
Fast,” April 2; “Dope,” April 8-9. Culver Center
of the Arts, 3834 Main St., Riverside;
951-827-4787; culvercenter.ucr.edu
‘CHASING THE SUN’
THROUGH JUNE – Photographs, taken from
1880-1930, show the early days of Riverside and
the entrepreneurial spirit of the city’s pioneers.
Metropolitan Museum, 3580 Mission Inn Ave.,
Riverside; 951-826-5273; www.riversideca.gov/
museum. Also: “Cahuilla Continuum,”
“Discovery Days” and “Nature Lab,” all ongoing.
COTTON CLUB
MUSICAL REVUE
MARCH 5 – Music from the 1920s
through ’50s and dancing. Riverside
Community Players Theater, 4026
14th St., Riverside; 951-781-9561;
www.riversidelyricopera.org.
‘CASABLANCA’
MARCH 6 – Classic movie starring
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren
Bacall. Fox Performing Arts Center,
3801 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside;
5 p.m.; $11; 951-779-9804;
www.riversidelive.com.
“Dancing” by Denise Kraemer
‘RESOLVE, RESOLVED,
RESOLVING’
THROUGH MAY 15 – The
works of local printmaker
Denise Kraemer, who became
an artist after being inspired by
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,
Kathe Kollwitz, Alfonse Mucha
and other artists. Riverside Art
Museum, 3425 Mission Inn Ave.;
951-684-7111;
www.riversideartmuseum.org.
Also: Gregory Adamson
Showcase, including box lunch
demos/lectures, every Thursday
in March at noon, exhibit
continues through April 25.
ARTS WALK
MARCH 3 – Browse more than 20
art galleries, studios and museums
with exhibits in various art
mediums. Continues the first
Thursday of every month.
Downtown Riverside; 6-9 p.m.;
951-682-6737;
www.riversideartswalk.com.
UCR IS DANCING 2016
MARCH 3-5 – Showcase for new
ideas and experiments in original
choreography by UC Riverside
undergraduate students. University
Theatre, 900 University Ave.,
Riverside; 951-827-4331;
events.ucr.edu.
‘PIRATES OF PENZANCE’
MARCH 3-6 – Gilbert & Sullivan’s
classic comedy, presented by
La Sierra University’s Vocal
Department. Hole Memorial
Auditorium, 4500 Riverwalk
Parkway, Riverside; $3-$20;
951-785-2036;
music-events.lasierra.edu.
‘FORBIDDEN BROADWAY’
MARCH 12 – Sunny Thompson
stars as the Hollywood sex symbol
who longs to be respected for her
talent and loved for who she really
is rather than the character she has
created. Fox Performing Arts
Center, 3801 Mission Inn Ave.,
Riverside; 2 and 7 p.m.;
$21-$38.50; 951-335-3469;
www.riversidelive.com.
Also: “Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat” (story
on Page 6), April 10.
CLASSIC CAR SHOW
MARCH 13 – Monthly event,
continues the third Sunday of each
month. Canyon Crest Towne
Centre, 5225 Canyon Crest
Drive, Riverside;
1-4 p.m.; 951-686-1222;
www.shopcanyoncrest.com.
QUEEN NATION
MARCH 19 – Queen tribute
band. Romano’s Concert Lounge,
5225 Canyon Crest Drive,
Riverside; 10:30 p.m.;
951-781-7662;
www.theconcertlounge.com.
Also: The Curse (The Cure
tribute), Feb. 27; No Duh (No
Doubt tribute), March 5; Pretty
Hate Machine (Nine Inch Nails
tribute), March 11; The English
Beat, April 1; Mistress of Reality
(all-female Black Sabbath tribute),
April 8; Wanted (Bon Jovi
tribute), April 16; Strange Days
(The Doors tribute), April 23.
LED ZEPAGAIN
MARCH 25 – Led Zeppelin
tribute band in concert.
Riverside Municipal Auditorium,
3485 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside;
7 p.m.; $15; 951-779-9800;
concerts.livenation.com,
www.riversiderma.com.
LECTURE SERIES
MARCH 31 – “Childhood
Obesity: Our Youth’s Epidemic”
is the topic of the 27th annual
Dr. Richard N. Boylan Memorial
Lecture. A question-and-answer
session will follow the speakers’
presentations. Admission-free and
open to the public, the event is
sponsored in part by Epic Systems
Corporation and Riverside Medical
Clinic. California Baptist University’s
Innovators Auditorium (in the
School of Business Building),
8432 Magnolia Ave. Riverside;
6-8 p.m.; make reservations
at RMCcharity.org or call
951-682-2753.
‘BIG RIVER’
APRIL 1-10 – Adaptation of Mark
Twain’s timeless classic about
Huckleberry Finn, with music
and lyrics by Roger Miller and book
by William Hauptman. Landis
Performing Arts Center,
4800 Magnolia Ave., Riverside;
$29-$50; 951-222-8100;
www.performanceriverside.org.
SPRING PLANT SALE
APRIL 2-3 – Nearly 10,000 plants
in more than 600 varieties will be
available for purchase, including
drought-tolerant and California
natives, plants that attract
hummingbirds and butterflies, and
plants that are suitable for cut
flowers. UC Riverside Botanic
Gardens, 900 University Ave.;
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Sunday; 951-784-6962;
www.gardens.ucr.edu.
UCR FILM FESTIVAL
APRIL 7-8 – Original short films
by UC Riverside students, faculty
and alumni featuring “Bad Timing”
by Stu Krieger. University Theatre,
900 University Ave., Riverside;
8 p.m., $12-$14 general, free for
students, alumni cardholders,
seniors and children, 951-827-3245,
events.ucr.edu.
INTER-TRIBAL POW WOW
APRIL 16 – Highlights include
grand entry, gourd dancing, arts,
crafts and food. Ira Hayes Stadium,
Sherman Indian High School and
Museum, 9010 Magnolia Ave.,
Riverside; 951-276-6719, ext. 321;
www.shermanindian.org.
TAMALE FESTIVAL
APRIL 16 – Experience and
celebrate the region’s rich Latino
heritage through delicious food,
lively music and fun entertainment
during this fourth annual event.
Beer garden. White Park,
3936 Chestnut St., Riverside;
951-235-3586; bit.ly/TAMALEFEST.
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february-march
2016
| riversidemagazine.com
5
february-march
2016
| riversidemagazine.com
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STAGE
‘Joseph’
journey
and the amazing
Written by Amy Bentley
W
ith credits that
include some of the most
popular musicals ever
produced — “Les
Misérables,” “Forever Plaid,” “Sunset
Boulevard” — it’s no surprise that JC
McCann is a wonderful fit for “Joseph
and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
Before the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd
Webber production lands at the Fox
Performing Arts Center on April 10,
we had a few questions for the
28-year-old actor.
What has been the biggest challenge
playing the role of Joseph?
The show is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Andy
Blankenbuehler, who is really big on
Broadway right now. I’m kind of a singer
first, and Andy has challenged us as
performers to take the show to a new
level with movement and choreography.
My biggest challenge was applying that to
the way Andy wanted it. He’s really good
at getting what he wants out of a cast.
6 | riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
It’s inspiring. It pushes you to do better.
This show has been playing somewhere
almost constantly since its 1968 debut in
England and its 1970 debut in the United
States. Why is it so enduring?
It has every genre of music, from
country to an Elvis Presley tribute. It hits
everyone of any age. It’s also got the
classic themes of endurance, hope and
persevering through. Everyone has unique
challenges that they overcome in life, and
this show is good at connecting that.
How has life on the road with this
show been treating you so far?
Traveling the country has always been
a dream of mine. It’s amazing to be in
different places and meet different people
JC McCann, below,
and in the title role
in “Joseph and the
Amazing
Technicolor
Dreamcoat.”
Photos by
Daniel A. Swalec
and see different towns. I’m a fan of
architecture so that’s kind of fun. One
place that stood out to me was Memphis.
The music scene was amazing. My
girlfriend has been able to come and see
me often, which is great. There are things
you don’t think about, like doing laundry.
But you get into a little bit of a routine;
you get used to the bus, and you see
fresh new things along the way. I’m still
enjoying it. It’s a cool thing to experience.
Finish this sentence: “The pinnacle
of my career would be…”
To play the role of Inspector Javert
in “Les Misérables.” I would love to be
in that show on Broadway. And also
to sing with Justin Timberlake.
‘Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat’
Where: Fox Performing Ar ts Center,
3801 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside
When: April 10 at 1 and 6:30 p.m.
Tickets: $33.50-$71
Information: 951-335-3469, 951-779-9804,
www.riversidelive.com
JC McCann
Instagram: superjmccann
Facebook: jc.mccann
music
Photo by Jiro Schneider
A
gu ccla
fo ita im
w r a rist ed
or co jo cl
ks n in as
by cer s T sic
Vi t fe he al
va at P
ld ur hil
in
i
g
tring session
Written by George A. Paul
W
hen William Kanengiser
performs with the Riverside
County Philharmonic on March 5,
the audience will be transported
to a musical paradise thanks to a program that
features the award-winning classical guitarist on
three Vivaldi works.
“They’re so engaging, colorful and joyous and
have all the hallmarks of the great Vivaldi style —
projecting pure emotion,” Kanengiser said. “The
middle movements are beautiful frozen moments
in time.”
One of them, the C Major Concerto for
Mandolin, is a high-demand piece and tricky to
play because it wasn’t written for guitar. Some
people might recall it from “Kramer vs. Kramer,”
the Oscar-winning 1979 drama.
“The most popular and recognizable of the
three is the Concerto in D, written for lute,” said
the musician. “It has been expanded to become
an orchestral piece for strength and continuum.
The second movement of the D Major is
gorgeous; a simple little melody, but the delicate
sound of the guitar floats over this atmospheric
pad of the strings. To me, it’s almost like a
spiritual experience.”
No stranger to the area, Kanengiser played
with the symphony several years ago and has
done solo recitals at Riverside City College.
Kanengiser is a founding member of the
acclaimed Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, which
formed in 1980 and saw its “Guitar Heroes” win
a Grammy for best classical crossover album in
2005. He obtained music degrees at USC when
world renowned classical/flamenco guitarist
3 FAVORITES
William Kanengiser, considered to be one of the country’s top
classical guitarists, finds himself inspired by the talents of other
guitarists. Three of his favorites:
Pepe Romero
“The elder statesman who carries on the role that Andrés
Segovia played. Pepe represents the essential Spanish vir tuoso;
he’s also a phenomenal person and teacher.”
David Russell
“From the next generation. He plays all styles of classical guitar.
I heard him in my second year at USC, and he changed my life.
I love his musicality, and his technique is flawless. He does
everything with joy.”
Paul O’Dette
“(He is) the greatest living lutenist and one of the great scholars
of early music. Paul’s music-making is always tied to emotion
and expression and human feelings. He represents the pinnacle
of complete ar tists and scholars.”
Pepe Romero was artist in residence and has taught there
for more than three decades.
While serving as music consultant and player (Mozart’s
“Turkish March”) on the 1986 Ralph Macchio drama
“Crossroads,” Kanengiser coached the actor on how
to look like a classical player and project finger dexterity.
Last year, LAGQ released the album “New Renaissance.”
The centerpiece is a 16-movement suite that was originally
commissioned for its 2009 theatrical work, “The Ingenious
Gentleman Don Quixote,” and featured narration by John
Cleese. Since the British comedy legend couldn’t perform it
on a nationwide tour with the group, Phil Proctor of American
troupe Firesign Theatre was recruited instead.
“When I was in high school, the only thing I spent more time
on than guitar was listening to and memorizing Monty Python
and Firesign Theatre” (skits), recalled Kanengiser. “Flash
forward 30 years later and I created this show for four guitars
and an actor based on Don Quixote.
“The chances of that happening — sharing the stage with my
two (early) comic heroes — I still have to pinch myself.”
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William Kanengiser
What: Guitar + Chamber Music = Match Made in Heaven,
a concer t with the Riverside County Philharmonic
Where: Fox Performing Arts Center, 3801 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside
When: 7:30 p.m. March 5
Information: www.foxriversidelive.com, www.thephilharmonic.org
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY: WILLIAM KANENGISER
Studio session credits
Solo albums
Mark Isham, “Pride and Glory”
“Classical Cool” (2003)
soundtrack (2008)
“Caribbean Souvenirs” (2003)
John Tesh, “Holiday Collection”
“Echoes of the Old World”
(1996)
(1993)
Danny Elfman, “Sommersby”
“Rondo alla Turka” (1991)
soundtrack (1993)
All are available for purchase via
www.kanengiser.com
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february-march
2016
| riversidemagazine.com
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february-march
2016
| riversidemagazine.com
| |9
COVER STORY
Riverside’s
newest Gem
Riverside Community College District’s
Centennial Plaza fills an entire city block
at the intersection of University Avenue
and Market Street.
Photos by Eric Reed
Centennial Plaza is getting ready for its big debut
Written by Canan Tasci
F
or much of her life, Andrea Lara-Jara has wanted to become a chef. As a toddler,
she would escape to the kitchen with her father at every opportunity. Her first dish:
fresh guacamole. “Part of it was culture, the other part was because I loved being in the
kitchen,” she said.
Once complete, the 450-seat concert hall can be acoustically tuned to maximize sound quality for a variety of performances ranging from those by
small choral groups to that of a large orchestra.
Today, the 26-year-old Riverside City
College student is on her way to receiving
a culinary arts degree with aspirations of
running a local farm-to-table restaurant.
The icing on the cake for Lara-Jara will
be to show off her cooking skills at the
new digs for the Culinary Arts Academy,
which will be part of the Centennial Plaza
complex that the Riverside Community
College District is about to open in
downtown Riverside.
Set to debut in March, during the
college’s 100th anniversary year, the
$80 million project at the corner of
University Avenue and Market Street will
include the Henry W. Coil and Alice Edna
Coil School for the Arts and performing
arts theater, district offices, a four-level
parking plaza with 224 spaces and a
restaurant where meals prepared by
the culinary students will be served.
“I can’t wait for the building to open,”
said Lara-Jara, who recently was whipping
12 | riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
up fresh Caesar salad dressing for the
lunchtime crowd at the college’s current
culinary space on Spruce Street. “I’ve
driven by the new facility so many times.
I’m just aching to see it complete.”
The project
Centennial Plaza has been a long time
coming.
In 2000, while still in its early stages of
development, Brian Jaramillo, president of
Riverside-based Tilden-Coil Constructors,
was among those who started working
with the district on plan reviews and
budgets. Two years later, funding came via
voter-approved Measure C bonds, and
during subsequent years architects
produced a variety of designs.
A major milestone happened in
September 2010 when Henry W. Coil Jr.,
Jaramillo’s predecessor at Tilden-Coil,
donated $5 million to fund programs
at a new school of the arts, which was
going to be an important element of the
project.
In March 2014, the district broke
ground at the site and since then
everyone who works, lives or goes to
school downtown has been able to
track progress on a complex that fills
an entire city block.
Once complete, it promises to be
a busy hub for arts, culture and education,
anchored by the 36,420-square-foot Coil
building and the 60,289-square-foot
Culinary Arts school.
The two-story arts building will include
a 450-seat concert hall, equipped with the
latest acoustical technology, choir rooms,
recording studio, lecture halls, piano lab,
classroom/guitar studio, student lounges
and an outdoor courtyard. Offices and
other spaces will be large enough for
one-on-one sessions with students and
their instruments.
The concert hall is designed to serve
Past to present
Centennial Plaza is coming to
a corner of downtown Riverside
that for 130-plus years has
primarily been home to one type
of lodging or another, says Kevin
Hallaran, archivist at the
Riverside Metropolitan Museum.
In the early 1880s, Dr. Clark
Whittier filled in a 2.5-acre pond
at the site and used par t of the
area to build a health spa. Frank
Miller, of Mission Inn fame,
leased the proper ty from
Whittier and operated it for
several years.
In 1894, Whittier’s widow sold
the proper ty to David Cochrane,
who upgraded it and renamed it
Hotel Holyrood to celebrate his
Scottish homeland.
After ownership changes,
Pliny T. Evans, son of an early
Riverside leader, Samuel C.
Evans, gutted the proper ty and
built a new structure in the
1920s. For decades, it was Hotel
Plaza, with rooms on the upper
floors and street-level businesses
— including a furniture store,
market and, from the early 1940s
Hotel Holyrood, circa 1900
Hotel Plaza, circa early 1970s
Centennial Plaza, October 2015
Centennial Plaza artist rendering
to 1974, the popular Chungking
Restaurant.
Hotel Plaza was one of the
structures demolished to make
way for Centennial Plaza, which
includes Riverside City College’s
Culinary Ar ts Academy.
A terrace catering kitchen is
named in honor of Voy and Fay
Wong, Chinese immigrants who
owned and operated the
Chungking and, for a time after
immigrating from their homeland,
lived in an apar tment across the
street.
— Jerry Rice
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february-march
2016
| riversidemagazine.com
13
february-march
2016
| riversidemagazine.com
| |13
H I STORY
RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
A
s its name implies, the opening
of Centennial Plaza will be the
latest milestone in the 100-year
history of what now is the Riverside
Community College District. Here’s a
decade-by-decade look at district highlights.
Rex Brandt
The Quad in 1924
• In 1916, Riverside
becomes home to the
state’s seventh junior
college, opening at the
site of Riverside
Polytechnic High School.
Suppor ters make the
case for the educational
and economic advantages
provided by a junior
college and a “strong
plea for democracy” that
include what, at that
time, were two novel
ideas: vocational
education and serving
par t-time students.
• First class schedule
includes courses in
agriculture, business,
history, logic, political
economy, science,
surveying and “shop
work to be arranged.”
Initial student enrollment
is 114.
• Faculty member
Arthur Gordon Paul in
1920 is promoted to the
dual role of principal of
Riverside Poly High and
Riverside Junior College.
He oversees both until
1945, when the Board of
Education separates the
chief administrative roles
and makes Paul
responsible only for the
college. He retires in
1950.
• The Quad’s first two
wings (east and nor th)
are constructed in 1924.
Today, the structures are
historic landmarks and
the oldest buildings
dedicated to community
college instruction in
California.
• The era of the
Cooperative Education
Program/Coop (early
workforce preparation
program) begins,
including nursing, which
star ts in 1924. Alumni
include Chester Carlson,
a Coop student who
later invents the process
of Xerography, a printing
and photocopying
technique.
• Catherine S. Huntley
begins teaching physical
education in 1926, a role
she continues until 1962.
Today, a gym on campus
is named in her honor.
SOURCES: RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY
COLLEGE DISTRICT, STAFF RESEARCH
Mr. and Mrs.
A.C. Lovekin
• Mr. and Mrs. A.C.
Lovekin donate 2.5 acres
of land in 1932, which
later becomes home
to the cosmetology
program.
• New vocational
education shop buildings
(A&B) open in 1935;
Wheelock Field opens
in 1937.
• The college forms
a par tnership with
Riverside Community
Players in 1937.
• First discussions about
dropping the word
“junior” from the name
of the college.
• Rex Brandt, an
alumnus and nationally
recognized watercolor
ar tist, becomes director
of the Lovekin Ar t
Center, housed in what
was once the Lovekin
family home.
Orland W. Noble
• 60 Poly High School
seniors take par t of their
coursework at RJC as
par t of a program to
accelerate academic
passage of students
who can then contribute
to the war effor t.
• Marie Bonnett is the
first woman to serve as
president of the
Riverside Board of
Education, which at the
time oversees RJC.
• In 1945, the name is
changed to Riverside
College.
• After World War II,
many veterans need both
review and remedial
courses. For the first
time, the college
introduces courses below
the transfer level.
• Alumnus Orland W.
Noble, who oversaw
college’s effor t to
welcome returning
veterans as students in
the late 1940s, becomes
president in 1950.
• Construction of the
Quad is completed in
1951.
• In 1956, the city of
Riverside and Riverside
College trade proper ty
— Cutter Park for Evans
Park. Cutter Park is now
home to Cutter Pool and
the Riverside Aquatics
Center. Evans Park is a
shared-used baseball/
softball facility.
• During the decade,
faculty numbers double
as enrollment grows
(from 681 to 2,188),
par ticularly in the
vocational-occupational
programs and evening
classes.
1910S 1920S 1930S 1940S 1950S
14 | riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
• Baseball team wins the
first of three straight
state championships in
2000. The Tigers win
another title in 2007.
• Moreno Valley College
breaks ground on
College Park, a joint
par tnership with city of
Moreno Valley, in 2003;
the park opens a year
later.
• RCCD Foundation
receives a $1.45 million
endowed gift to establish
a veterans scholarship
fund at RCC.
Gary and Sheila Locke
Jerry Tarkanian
• Thomas Mark Johnson
is the new track coach
and athletic director
star ting in 1960. During
his two decades as AD,
he increases men’s
athletic programs from
five to 12, women’s from
seven to eight, and
co-educational activities
from six to 24.
• Jerry Tarkanian
becomes the men’s
basketball coach in 1961,
leading the team to three
consecutive state junior
college championships
including a 35-0 season
in 1963-64. In 1966,
Tarkanian leaves
Riverside for Pasadena
City College, where that
team wins a state title in
his first season.
• The first program
for deaf students at a
California community
college is established
in 1961.
• Enrollment tops 10,000
students (5,654 day,
4,900 night) by the end
of the decade.
Noticeable diversity
begins on campus,
primarily with increases
in the number of Black
and Latino students.
Charles Kane
• Curriculum is revised
in 1975 to include
computer programming,
advanced assembly
language and information
management systems
as par t of the tech
revolution.
• Riverside Community
College District
Foundation is launched
in 1975.
• Automotive
Technology Building
opens at RCC in 1976,
followed by the launch
of successful par tnership
programs with Toyota
and Ford.
• Child Development
Center opens in 1976.
• Alumnus Charles Kane
is appointed
superintendent/president
in 1978.
• Evening classes account
for 50 percent of
enrollment.
• Joseph Aguilar, an
alumni, local business
leader and a proponent
of racial and ethnic
equality, is elected to the
Board of Trustees in
1964, serving the first
of two terms.
• Early in the decade,
the Board of Trustees
explores opening two
new campuses, one in
Moreno Valley and the
other in the Corona/
Norco area.
• In 1984 the district
receives 141 acres of
surplus government land
in Norco, the future site
of a campus.
• The RCC Marching
Tigers are formed in
1984. Under the
direction of Gary Locke
and his wife, Sheila, the
band has been a frequent
performer in the
Tournament of Roses
Parade, and has
appeared in parades and
other special events
around the globe.
Referred to as
“Hollywood’s Band,” the
Marching Tigers appear
in dozens of movies, TV
shows and commercials.
• In October 1985, the
Rober t C. Warmington
Co. donates 112 acres
of land in Moreno Valley
for a future campus.
• Board formally
approves the sites for
future college campuses;
dean positions
established for both
campuses in 1986.
• Board changes the
name of Riverside City
College to Riverside
Community College
in 1986.
• California Board of
Governors approves
campus expansion plans
in 1988.
2000S
Salvatore Rotella
• Moreno Valley and
Norco college campuses
open on March 13, 1991,
with a torch run and
other activities,
celebrating the 75th
bir thday of Riverside
City College.
• In 1992, Salvatore
Rotella becomes RCCD’s
seventh president.
• Groundbreaking at
Moreno Valley College
for Phase II construction
— Humanities building;
Phase II construction at
Norco College for the
Airey Library and
Applied Tech buildings.
Phase III construction at
Norco for the Industrial
Tech building and soccer
field.
• RCCD Foundation
raises $1 million through
its Endowed Scholarship
Campaign.
• RCCD Foundation/
District launch the
Passpor t to College
campaign/initiative
in 1996 for 7,000 fifth
graders; Passpor t to
College surpasses is
$1.5 million goal in 1999.
• California Community
Colleges’ Board of
Governors recognize
Moreno Valley College
and Norco College as the
state’s 111th and 112th
community colleges,
respectively, in 2010.
• Riverside Aquatics
Complex opens in 2011,
quickly becoming a
sought-after venue for
local, regional and
national competitions.
• The Center for Civil
Liber ties & Social Justice,
the initial building in the
Centennial Plaza
complex, opens in 2012.
• Wolde-Ab Isaac is
named the college’s 11th
president in April 2015.
• Riverside City College
celebrates its 100th
anniversary in 2016.
1960S 1970S 1980S 1990S 2010S
february-march 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 15
At a glance
Centennial Plaza
• It took three days and 380
truckloads to pour the footing
concrete into the foundations of the
Culinary Ar ts Academy and district
office, the Henry W. Coil Sr. and
Alice Edna Coil School for the Ar ts
and parking structure.
• Cubic yards of cement used: 1,000
for the Culinary Ar ts Academy;
1,200 for the Coil School, and 1,600
for the parking structure.
• 386 geopiers were used to create
a foundational structure for the
parking facility.
• More than 2,000 pieces of steel
were used in the Coil School of Ar ts
performance hall.
• While Riverside’s Tilden-Coil
Constructors played a leading role
in building Centennial Plaza, other
contractors also were involved
including Caston, Inc., San
Bernardino; Columbia Steel, Inc.,
Rialto; Corona Aluminum Co.;
Inland Building Construction Co.,
San Bernardino; and Maguire
Contracting, Fontana.
• Centennial Plaza received
a Project in Design award from
the Community College Facility
Coalition in 2014.
SOURCE: RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY
COLLEGE DISTRICT
16 | riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
individual artists as well as quartets,
ensembles and even full orchestras. And,
thanks to input from the college’s music
faculty and others, Chris Carlson, chief
of staff and facilities development for the
college district, says that audiences will
enjoy a sound quality during performances
that rivals the Walt Disney Concert Hall
in downtown Los Angeles.
“This is the type of facility that can
be used for years to come,” she added,
noting that it’s the only mid-size concert
venue in the region.
The band, orchestra and choir rooms
can be adjusted to change the sound
dynamics as musicians and vocalists
perform, and the percussion room will be
perfect for students to learn both the
technical and pedagogical aspects of
percussion, Carlson says.
The top-flight recording room will have
24-track analog and digital capabilities,
with recording and editing consoles,
digital synthesis instruments, networked
computers and video equipment.
Steps away from the arts school will
be the three-story culinary academy. The
first floor will have four demonstration
and teaching kitchens, an ice-carving
room, dining hall and a 240-seat meeting
room that can be divided into three.
Students, including Lara-Jara, will have
new cooking equipment to use as they
develop their meal preparation skills. The
dining hall has space for 120 guests, and
one of the seating areas has bar stools
along the windows for those who like to
people watch while they eat.
As for those pedestrians outside, they’ll
be able to look through a glass wall to see
what the student chefs are whipping up in
the kitchen.
“With a new facility, you have less
headache than you would have from an
old building,” said Bobby Moghaddam, the
college’s executive director of hospitality
and culinary arts. “It’s like making
something from scratch versus following
a recipe.”
Another feature is a rooftop terrace,
with raised planters and an area for a
garden where the student chefs can grow
herbs and vegetables for their recipes.
The district plans to host social events on
the terrace, which offers a vantage point
for spectacular views of Mount Rubidoux,
Box Springs Mountain and the San
Bernardino Mountains.
“Our students, faculty and community
deserve this type of facility,” said Michael
Burke, Riverside Community College
District chancellor. “These are quality
programs, and they deserve to be in
state-of-the-art facilities.”
The neighborhood
Downtown Riverside already has much
going on.
Within walking distance of Centennial
Plaza is the Fox Performing Arts Center,
a Spanish Mission-style theater that hosts
live musical and cultural performances.
To the east is the Mission Inn Hotel
& Spa, which is famously known for its
lavish décor and cuisine and also its
dazzling holiday display, the Festival
of Lights.
And, in another direction is the newly
renovated and expanded Convention
Center, which hosts major community
and regional events throughout the year.
With Centennial Plaza in the midst of
the action, district officials believe it will
be a game-changer for both the college
and the city.
“Riverside claims to be the City of Arts
and Innovation, and we can make no
better contribution than to put one of
our best artistic facilities right in the heart
of downtown,” said Dr. Wolde-Ab Isaac,
Riverside City College president.
Also part of the complex is the Center
for Social Justice & Civil Liberties, which
sits adjacent to the new construction and
occupies a structure that was built in
1926. Later, starting in the 1950s, it
served as the Citrus Belt Savings and
Loan building.
Today, the center is an RCCD-operated
museum, archive and educational
resource. Its featured exhibit is a
collection by Miné Okubo, a JapaneseAmerican artist and RCC graduate who
was sent with her family to an internment
camp in the Utah desert during World
War II. She documented her experiences
and those of fellow Japanese-Americans in
“Citizen 13660” and other works.
What Burke, the district’s chancellor,
likes about Centennial Plaza and the
Center for Social Justice is that they
showcase the college and the important
role it plays.
“We served 51,967 students in the last
school year but that sometimes get
overlooked because we are a community
college,” he said. “This puts us on the
map as players in downtown and in the
arts, telling a profound story about
Riverside’s rich history and civil rights.”
The excitement
Bruce Dichter is not your average
college student. The 62-year-old bypassed
college after graduating high school and
instead went straight into the restaurant
business. He started working at the age
of 14 at McDonald’s and by 18 was
a corporate manager.
Dichter now is a freshman in RCC’s
culinary arts program.
“The way I look at it, it’s never too late
to plan and continue my education. I’ve
always been in the kitchen, but I’ve never
had professional training,” said the
Riverside native. “I want to be the
creative force behind a restaurant, and
that’s why I’m here.”
At the academy’s Spruce facility, Dichter
says that 20 to 30 plates of food are
generally served per day during the
morning and afternoon dining sessions.
In the new building, because of its prime
location, he’s expecting to plate about
200 meals.
“We don’t get many people now
because we’re off the beaten path,”
Dichter said. “But at the new place I can
see it being busy, where we will get so
many people we could run out of food.
That’s a good thing, of course. It will
encourage all of the students to work
as a team.”
For Antonio Armijo it’s the arts
building’s 63 practice rooms that he can’t
wait to get into. Each of the 110-squarefoot spaces can accommodate small
groups of musicians or individual artists.
The rooms are double the size of the
ones currently in use at the music hall on
RCC’s main campus. For musicians, who
Armijo compares to athletes, having the
“We have one of the largest and most comprehensive music and fine arts programs around,”
said Dr. Wolde-Ab Isaac, Riverside City College president. “This facility will be attractive to
faculty who will want to come here and teach and it will also attract some of the best students.”
Chris Carlson, the college district’s chief of staff who also oversees facilities development, looks
over what will be a courtyard during a tour of Centennial Plaza in early February.
proper space to fine-tune their craft
is essential. And since the 31-year-old
musician plays a tuba, which weighs about
40 pounds, he is looking forward to the
larger practice rooms.
“It’s important to have enough space
to unload and move around,” he said.
Students aren’t the only ones looking
forward to Centennial Plaza’s debut.
“It’s a fantastic set of buildings, and
I’m really excited for the city that RCC
invested in downtown in that capacity,”
Jaramillo said. “They could have put it
on their own campus, but I think putting
it downtown is a testament of their
commitment to the city and the shared
use of the facility. This is more than just
the college’s facility, this is for the entire
community.”
“Centennial Plaza is an incredible
investment from a community partner
that has played a strong role in the
development of our city,” Mayor Rusty
Bailey said. “I look forward to seeing how
this community asset brings new luster
to downtown Riverside.”
february-march 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 17
Deborah Ghamlouch grows
organic fruits and vegetables
on property that her family
has owned since the early
1970s. She sells much of that
bounty at the Riverside
Downtown Farmers Market
on Saturdays during the
growing season for her farm,
from November through June.
Photos by Fr ank Perez
agriculture
Cultivating
a movement
Food for thought will
be dished up in March
during Grow Riverside
Written by Jerry Rice
D
eborah Ghamlouch,
who grows Washington
navels, lemons, tangerines
and many other items on
her 10-acre Riverside farm, is a champion
of the farm-to-table movement.
While that may not be a surprising
position for a farmer, she’s at a loss
to explain why only a small percentage
of the population follows suit.
“I think there’s a disconnect and
people don’t really understand the
importance of buying locally-grown,” she
said. “Price is always important, even for
my family, but by spending a few more
pennies you’re supporting a local farmer
versus a big commercial (enterprise).
“And because you don’t have to put
pesticides on it or wax to preserve it,
the food tastes better and it’s more
nutritious, so it’s better for you. It’s a
win-win all the way around.”
Getting that word out is a goal of the
Grow Riverside conference, March 21-22.
The third-annual event, which
encourages farming in the city’s
“I think there’s a
disconnect and people
don’t really understand
the importance of buying
locally-grown.”
greenbelt, will include presentations
at UC Riverside by food, nutrition and
farming experts and a keynote address
by Karen Ross, secretary of the California
Department of Food and Agriculure.
Also on the schedule: a tour of a local
farm and a dinner that showcases a UCR
initiative to serve delicious food that is
healthy, sustainable and socially
responsible.
“The Grow Riverside movement, if it
hurries up and catches on, will really be
something,” Ghamlouch said. “We have
this great thing — agriculture land in a
major city surrounded by Orange County
and Los Angeles — and more people
in Riverside should know how important
it is.”
For more information, visit
www.growriverside2016.com.
Riverside food facts
• Riverside has more than 4,600 acres of
agricultural land, including an estimated 800
acres that are vacant awaiting cultivation.
• Citrus, especially oranges, is primarily
what’s grown in Riverside’s greenbelt, but
other items include avocados, lettuce,
mushrooms, onions, squash, strawberries
and tomatoes.
• Water for irrigation is available from local
sources. Much of it is delivered via the
Gage Canal, which dates to the 1800s.
• At least half of the salad bar items served
in Riverside Unified School District
cafeterias come from local farmers.
Sometimes during the year, it’s as much
as 100 percent.
• UC Riverside is committed to 20 percent
sustainable food procurement by 2020.
SOURCES: CITY OF RIVERSIDE,
RIVERSIDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
february-march 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 19
craft
Caterpillars,
Robots & Steel
Riverside’s ‘Metal Mike’ goes for big art
Written by John Welsh
O
n a warm, fall night
in downtown Riverside,
a couple of men showed
up on the Main Street
pedestrian mall with a 700-pound,
1950s-inspired robot.
The nine-foot-long creation, made of
junkyard parts, including an oil cylinder
from a 1950s Ford, steel rods and a
handful of old propane tanks, was towed
in on a flatbed truck and then carted to
its location, just a stone’s throw from the
city’s famous Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.
Reclining horizontally, “Out of Batteries”
looked as if it was ready for a nap. It did
not move, make cute noises or feature fun,
flashing lights, but for at least one night,
it was the coolest, do-nothing robot in all
of the land.
Passersby at Riverside’s “A Long Night
of Arts & Innovation” paused in front of
the silver-black-teal robot to pose and take
pictures.
“I love the sleeping robot,” said Anika
Hayes of San Jacinto. “I just love the
colors. It’s plain, rustic.”
One of her sons, Liam, was impressed
and curious.
“Why is he sleeping?”
The artist who built the robot might
answer with a rhetorical, “Why not?” He
is childlike in his cheerfulness with a thick,
reddish, monk-like beard that cannot hide
his smile.
Mike Grandaw, known as “Metal Mike”
in Riverside and surrounding parts, enjoys
making large-scale art pieces that generate
reactions such as little Liam’s.
And if someone is scratching their head
or doing a double take, that suits Metal
Mike just fine.
To date, he has produced two massive
installations for the Coachella Valley Music
and Arts Festival. The submissions were
vetted by the world-renowned festival’s
Mike Grandaw at his Studio Steel
Welding workshop in Riverside
Photo by Eric Reed
20 | riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
“It’s an opportunity to
do something fun and
weird, creative, maybe
make some money –
better than a job.”
art committee. He sent committee
members another pitch last fall, but
the project was not greenlighted.
Nonetheless, Grandaw hopes the idea
might be something another festival
or community event finds of interest.
Grandaw’s regular work requires
heavy lifting and lots of welding in
sweltering heat.
His welding and fabrication business,
Studio Steel in downtown Riverside,
specializes in creating ornate gates,
entryways, doors, custom furniture and
railings. This is his “day job,” which often
stretches late into the night.
A 12-hour day is common for him.
Photo by john welsh
Mike Grandaw jokingly kisses his robot creation, “Out of Batteries.”
But these are the paying jobs that help
support his wife, Tania, and the couple’s
two girls, Venice and Geneva, ages 7
and 5, respectively.
Grandaw said he loves creating
gates and rails and doors that help a
homeowner’s property pop, but it’s the
big artwork, his side projects, that bring
out a twinkle in his eye. His laid-back, hip
vibe might mask just how excited he is
when it comes to the major projects that
could be enjoyed by tens of thousands.
Big and bold? Take “Supporting
Nature,” his first accepted submission,
in 2011, at the Coachella Valley Music
and Arts Festival.
It involved suspending an 18-foot tree
above the ground. Its trunk dangled,
In addition to top headliners, the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts
Festival also is known for its colorful
and massive art installations.
Below, festivalgoers linger around
Mike Grandaw’s giant caterpillar
at the 2014 event.
Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio maher
february-march 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 21
Installations at
the Coachella
Valley Music
and Arts Festival
are more than
just fantastically
large and
beautiful. In the
case of Mike
Grandaw’s giant
caterpillar in
2014, it provided
shelter from
the sun during
the day and a
place to hangout
in the evening.
Photo by
Zach Cordner
Invision/AP
precariously one might think, above the
earth. But the tree was fully supported,
its limbs rested on a custom-designed
metal framework and Grandaw had
transformed metal to resemble branches
the tree never had.
The tree had been left in the backyard
of a friend’s house. He was going to cut
it up, but Grandaw had a vision: the dead
tree was not dead to him — it was art.
After the Coachella festival,
“Supporting Nature” was bought by a
Riverside resident. It now sits, exactly as
designed, in a yard in the Pachappa Hill
neighborhood. An old car battery on
a timing system illuminates it at night.
Nature is a recurring theme in
Grandaw’s work. His ornate designs
often involve images of succulents, suns
and birds. Riverside’s Raincross pattern
is one of his specialties, and it’s popular
— many of his clients request it in gate
designs.
In late 2013, the Coachella commission
approved his vision for “Giant Green
Caterpillar.”
It appeared at the 2014 festival and
was described as “something that looks
natural, a place to cool off, cool out.”
22 | riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
As the caterpillar was trucked from
Riverside to Indio, motorists along I-10
could have easily thought it looked like
playground equipment gone wrong.
The head of the piece, when it
was getting finished at Studio Steel,
resembled one of those dome-shape,
climbing apparatuses popular in
neighborhood parks during the 1970s.
But when the project’s five segments
were pieced together, and the roughly
1,600 flowers-and-succulent lined panels
were connected to the framework, the
caterpillar came to life.
The plants gave the piece “living skin,”
to borrow a phrase from the Coachella
website. The description went further:
“The people on the inside give it a
heartbeat. …”
For Grandaw the piece was more than
art, he also wanted to give festivalgoers
a place to get relief from the high
temperatures.
The mega art projects come straight
from Grandaw’s why-not? spirit.
“It’s an opportunity to do something
fun and weird, creative, maybe make
some money — better than a job,”
he said during a sit-down at his
Riverside workshop.
The tail-end of that comment, the
maybe-make-some-money part, ended
with him laughing.
Although Coachella provides some
funding for commissioned pieces,
Grandaw doesn’t make any significant
money on the work.
Of course, the hope is that the mega
projects help bring attention to his skills,
his Studio Steel work. But most
concertgoers are not the type to
commission such work.
Nonetheless, Grandaw appreciated
seeing strangers enjoy “Giant Green
Caterpillar.”
“Some were absolutely in love with it,
feeling up the plants with their faces,” he
said, smiling, hinting that some of the
visitors might have had too much drink
or, ahem, something else in their systems.
“We got some awesome pictures of
people sleeping up against the caterpillar.
I guess they felt comfortable.”
Grandaw grew up mostly in Riverside,
then the family moved to Grand Terrace
for his high school years. He graduated
from Colton High School in 1992 and
bounced around a bit.
He was involved in the hot rod
community, remodeling cars and also did
custom work on motorcycles.
He landed in the San Francisco area,
planned to attend art school, but he
didn’t get in and struggled to keep things
going artistically and financially.
A family connection helped him find
work in the Oakdale area, northwest
of Modesto, at a company specializing
in custom-made fire trucks.
It was there, living near almond
orchards, where he felt a deeper
connection with nature. He watched the
seasons come and go, the trees flower
and fruits sprout. He also watched
blankets of Tule fog and winter’s chill
resolve the trees into barren skeletons
of what they once were. Even the stark
groves in the dead of winter were
beauty to him.
He eventually returned to resettle
in the Riverside area, met Tania and
married her six years later.
The couple currently resides in
Riverside’s Wood Streets area. Part of
his 12-hour work days include his duties
as a “modern dad,” as he put it. He
makes breakfast. The girls get the hugs
and the kisses and off to school they go.
Tania Grandaw helps her husband with
bookkeeping, assisting clients and
scheduling.
Grandaw says his wife loves him,
but he knows he drives her crazy.
Case in point: robot’s night out. He
called his wife from the shop. “Hey, I’m
thinking of taking the robot downtown.”
Tania’s reaction? “She said, ‘Do you
think that’s necessary?’ ” recalled
Grandaw.
A side note to the robot’s night out:
Grandaw didn’t actually have permission
to participate in the Main Street event.
Grandaw said he learned of it after the
submission period had closed, but loved
the concept and wanted to be there.
So he rolled the dice and hoped he and
“Out of Batteries” wouldn’t get the boot.
(They didn’t.)
“Go do it is my attitude in life,”
Grandaw said. “Don’t be afraid of
Studio Steel Welding
Mike Grandaw’s shop is a place where
he handcrafts custom gates, fencing
and railings, both modern and classic.
In addition to traditional projects,
Grandaw builds furniture and enjoys
using reclaimed and recycled items.
Information about Grandaw’s shop
is available at www.studiosteelwelding.com.
anything. All the people in life who make
it — yes, some of them get lucky — but
so many worked hard, and worked and
worked, and that’s just it. They did it.”
Tania and the girls eventually showed
up that evening on Riverside’s Main
Street pedestrian mall. They danced
around their mother, held their dad’s
hand too. Grandaw stepped back several
feet, became a fly on the wall, and simply
enjoyed the parade of people taking
pleasure in his work.
The robot’s eyes are made from
threading machine parts, and the teeth
are from a pipe threader. He didn’t want
the robot to have a laser gun.
“No guns, nothing scary, but nothing
kooky either, something kinda cool,”
Grandaw said, his arms folded, feeling
a sense of pride.
Grandaw had been commissioned
to make the “Out of Batteries” for a
customer. It took about two months
to complete it. He put the finishing
touches on the robot just prior to the
Long Night of Arts & Innovation event.
The customer was out of town, so the
robot had its spontaneous public debut
before it would land in its permanent
resting place as landscape art in front
of a home.
The other night Grandaw drove past
his client’s property. He slowed down to
a near stop, observing. Does he miss his
robot buddy?
“Yeah, a little bit,” he confessed.
When the project was still in its
planning stages, the man who commissioned it asked him if he had ever
built a robot sculpture before. “No, but
I can do it,” Grandaw said. “If it’s metal,
I can do it. I am a dive-in sorta guy.”
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february-march 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 23
february-march 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 23
DINING
Taste of
Thai
Restaurant dishes up
the authentic flavors
of Bangkok and beyond
Written by David Cohen
Photos by Eric Reed
W
ith dozens of items
from which to choose,
you’d be hard pressed
to not find something
that strikes your culinary fancy at Sam’s
Bann Thai Restaurant.
Owner Sam Arch and his wife, Emmaa,
both shortened from their lengthy Thai
names, operate two locations
in Riverside: one on
Brockton Avenue
and the
new incarnation on Mission Inn Avenue
across from the Old Spaghetti Factory.
We opted for the newer place for
a recent visit. With its high ceiling and
gray painted ducting, red walls, green
booths and polished dark wood chairs,
the ambiance is both modern and
industrial. Folding three-section screens
adorn the space as do scenes of Thailand
on the walls.
The cuisine is typical of what you’d
find in central Thailand, more specifically
in and around Bangkok. Everything is
made in-house, and authenticity is the
watchword here. You’ll also find a
smattering of dishes inspired by those
from Isan Province in the northeastern
part of Thailand, including shredded
green papaya salad and larb.
It’s a cold ground chicken
Green beans
with spicy pork
in garlic sauce
Tofu salad
Chu chee curry with chicken
Sliced beef salad
salad mixed with roasted rice powder.
Granted, it’s tough to put a dent in
the 100-plus items served, but we tried
to cover a number of dishes from various
sections of the menu to provide an
overview.
From the appetizers, we sampled spicy
tangy fried calamari with a bit too much
breading, but assertively flavored with a
sauce that was chile- and vinegar-based.
As with many of the selections, the
vegetables that accompany them are
plentiful and invariably include sliced
cucumber, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and
carved strings of carrots.
From the hot pot soups came a
scintillating tom kha with a base of
coconut cream and broth and a choice of
very plump shrimp, chicken or vegetables.
Meaty straw mushrooms, green onions,
cilantro and fresh chile are incorporated
as well as highly aromatic kaffir lime
leaves, slices of galangal (a relative of
ginger), and pieces of lemongrass resulting
in a cacophony of flavors that explode
on the palate leaving a pleasant glow
at the back of the tongue.
The sliced beef salad contained
perfectly medium grilled beef, tomato,
lettuce, cucumber, carrots and red onions
tossed with a dressing of fish sauce and
lime providing a pungent acidity
throughout. The red onions were rather
strong and could have used 15 minutes
Last but certainly not least was the chu
chee curry with tender pieces of chicken
cooked in chi chili paste, which is similar
to red chili paste but not as fiery. It’s
blended with coconut milk, which
provides a cooling component along with
highly aromatic kaffir lime leaves and both
red and green bell peppers. I could drink
this broth by itself as a nightcap! There
are eight curries from which to choose
including massaman curry from southern
Thailand.
Given the breadth and depth of the
menu, it will take several visits to work
your way through the prodigious number
of offerings.
One last note: Sam and his wife are
planning to open an orphanage for 30
to 50 kids in central Thailand, using the
proceeds from their restaurants — truly
a noble endeavor!
Owner Sam Arch, right, with his son and
restaurant manager, Matthew Arch
soaking in a 50/50 mix of water and
vinegar to take away some of the
harshness.
Moving to the entree section, we opted
for grilled salmon in a ginger sauce. The
sauce was described as a blend of ginger,
garlic, green onions and some other
unspecified ingredients. While the fish
was impeccably fresh and exceedingly
tender, I found the sauce too subtle for
my palate, expecting more heat from the
ginger component.
The pork with green beans in a pepper
and garlic sauce was superb — the meat
melting in the mouth and the green beans
providing a contrasting crunch when
bitten into. The garlic and pepper
provided a warming spicy pungency
to the overall dish.
Sam’s Bann Thai Restaurant
Where: 3203 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside
Information: 951-742-7694;
www.bannthairiverside.com
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through
Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday; noon
to 9 p.m. Sunday
Prices: Lunch specials $6.95-$7.95 (comes
with two appetizer pieces, salad and jasmine
rice); appetizers $6.95-$9.95; salads
$6.95-$13.95; entrees $8.45-$13.95.
Notes: All major credit cards accepted. Beer
and wine. Catering: par ty trays. Delivery
within a 5-mile radius.
february-march 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 25
seen
Mayor “Rusty” Bailey
detailed both
accomplishments
and opportunities
for Riverside and its
residents during his
annual State of the
City address,
presented recently
at the Convention
Center. More than
1,100 people attended
— the most in the
event’s 39-year history.
State of the City Address
1
3
2
4
(1) Mayor “Rusty” Bailey, left, Nancy Melendez
and Dr. Carlos Cortes (2) Howard Saner, left,
and Bob Stockton (3) Rachel Rosen
(4) Gary Locke
Ph o t o s c o u r t e s y S t eve J a c o b s ,
C i t y o f R i ve r s i d e ; M i c h a e l J . E l d e r m a n
a n d t h e G r e a t e r R i ve r s i d e
Chambers of Commerce
sav e th e date
Riverside City College, 4800 Magnolia Ave.,
Riverside; 5:30 p.m. VIP reception, 6 p.m.
general admission, 7:15 p.m. showtime;
951-525-4137; jgc4seniors.com.
CHARITABLE EVENTS
Feb. 20 – Red Dress Fashion Show & Health
Expo, hosted by Riverside Community
Hospital’s Hear tCare Institute. Featured guest
is celebrity makeup ar tist Edgar Santos. Health
expo, workshops and free screenings,
10-11 a.m.; gourmet lunch and presentation,
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Riverside Convention Center,
3637 Fifth St.; 951-788-3463;
www.rchreddressfashionshow.com.
March 5 – Banquet for Life is the annual
benefit for Riverside Life Services, a nonprofit
that offers free medical care and counseling to
pregnant women. The organization has helped
more than 10,000 local women during the last
four decades. Riverside Convention Center,
3637 Fifth St., Riverside; 6 p.m.; 951-784-2422,
www.riversidelifeservices.org.
March 5 – Dress for Success Special Inventory
Sale. Great clothes and accessories star ting as
low as $5; vendors, hair, makeup and clothing
consultants on site. Christ The King Lutheran
Church, 1505 Ford St., Redlands; noon
to 5 p.m.; free admission; 909-800-5202
(ask for Gina).
March 12 – Saturday of Service and the ninth
annual Live Your Dream Conference,
presented by Soroptimist International
of Riverside. California Baptist University,
8432 Magnolia Ave., Riverside;
soroptimistriverside.org.
March 24 – 116th Inaugural Celebration,
presented by the Greater Riverside Chambers
of Commerce. Riverside Convention Center,
26 | riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
April 26 – Salute to Service Awards
Ceremony, presented by Soroptimist
International of Riverside. Riverside
Convention Center, 3637 Fifth St.;
soroptimistriverside.org.
March 19 – Walk with the Animals is a
benefit to suppor t Mary S. Rober ts Pet
Adoption Center programs. The 24th
annual event opens with a pancake
breakfast at 8 a.m. followed by a 1.3-mile
walk around Fairmount Park. Dogs on a
leash are welcome. Also: K-9
demonstrations at 10 a.m. and a vendor/
exhibitor area will be open throughout the
morning. Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount
Blvd., Riverside; 951-688-4340, ext. 305,
www.petsadoption.com.
3637 Fifth St., Riverside; 951-683-7100;
www.riverside-chamber.com
April 16 – A Senior Salute, 11th annual
signature event hosted by the Janet Goeske
Foundation. Event is a benefit to enhance the
Goeske center’s programming effor ts, as well
as create new programs, resources and
activities. Landis Performing Ar ts Center,
April 30 – 35th annual Banquet and Auction
Gala, a benefit for the Riverside Area Rape
Crisis Center. Dan Bernstein will serve as
master of ceremonies, with NBC4 news anchor
Colleen Williams as auction hostess and Paul
Gill as auctioneer. Proceeds suppor t programs
that help victims of sexual assault and also
promote community education provided by
the RARCC. Victoria Club, 2521 Arroyo Drive,
Riverside; doors open at 5 p.m.; $125;
951-686-7273, www.rarcc.org.
May 15 – Primavera in the Gardens, the
17th annual wine and food tasting event, will
feature appetizers from local restaurants and
caterers, and wines from regional vineyards and
wineries. Proceeds benefit projects at the
UC Riverside Botanic Gardens, including
hosting thousands of local school children every
year. 2-5 p.m.; 951-784-6962, gardens.ucr.edu.
June 13 – 24th annual A. Gary Anderson
Memorial Golf Classic, to benefit effor ts by
Children’s Fund to help at-risk and abused
children. Since its inception, the event has
raised more than $6 million. Red Hill Country
Club, 8358 Red Hill Country Club Drive,
Rancho Cucamonga; 909-379-0000;
www.childrensfundonline.org.
The Riverside Convention Center
Your Business is Our Business
“Let us help you plan
your next meeting in
an atmosphere that is
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perfect for progress and
pleasing to your palate.”
-Debbi Guthrie
Executive Vice President
Raincross Hospitality Corporation
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3637 Fifth Street at Main
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call 951.346.4700
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Please consult your meeting
concierge for details.
2/11/16 10:58 AM
seen
The legacy of Martin
Luther King Jr., the slain
civil rights leader, was
honored recently by
more than 600 people
who participated in the
MLK Day Walk-a-Thon.
Students, church
members and
community leaders
were among those who
took part in the 23rd
annual event, which
started at the Stratton
Community Center and
ended at White Park.
Landmarks along
the route through
downtown Riverside
included the King statue
on the Main Street
pedestrian mall.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Walk-a-Thon
1
2
3
4
5
(1) Karla, Harlan and Myrna Leonard (2) Katie Greene, left, Irma Asberry and Councilman Mike
Soubirous (3) Antoinette and Dr. Barnett Grear (4) Dr. Lula Mae Clemons and Ron Loveridge,
former Riverside mayor (5) Kacia Gist, left, Councilman Andy Melendrez and Delena Bronson
Ph o t o s by Fr a n k Pe r e z
RAM’s Gregory Adamson Showcase
The career of an
acclaimed local
performance artist and
studio painter is being
celebrated in a Riverside
Art Museum exhibit,
“Backward Forward and
Upside Down: Gregory
Adamson, a Ten-Year
Beginning.” Fans of his
work recently attended
an opening reception
at the museum. During
the remainder of the
exhibit’s run, through
April 25, Adamson
will be returning for
demonstrations,
lectures, a two-day
workshop and other
events. Information:
riversideartmuseum.org
28 1
3
2
4
5
(1) Charlotte McKenzie, left, Shannon Murphy and Drew Oberjuerge (2) Gregory Adamson,
left, Virginia Werly and Kevin Floody (3) Susan Rothermund and Bob Harris (4) Kathy Wright
and Dwight Tate (5) Drew and Antoinette Simmons (6) Brian and Sarah Mulford
Ph o t o s c o u r t e s y R i ve r s i d e A r t M u s e u m
| riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
6
GOOD
TIMES
AT SOCAL’S BEST CASINO
BLACKJACK AT MORONGO
CIRCA 2016
MORONGOCASINORESORT.COM
888.MORONGO
OUT & ABOUT
Julie Clark sits on
the wing of her
T-34 Mentor. At
left, she pilots the
plane through an
aerobatic routine.
Main photo by
David Henry
Pilot’s signature will color the heavens during the Riverside Airshow
Written by Amy Bentley
W
hen the 24th annual
Riverside Airshow takes
flight on Saturday, April 2,
red, white and blue
smoke will fill the skies as veteran pilot
Julie Clark returns with her patriotic
aerobatic show choreographed to Lee
Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
Multi-colored smoke trails and great
entertainment are the hallmarks of Clark’s
performance, “Serenade in Red, White
and Blue.” She has been flying to
Greenwood’s song since 1984 and listens
to it on an iPod while piloting her
restored T-34 Mentor warbird to the
music and a choreographed routine.
“People who are really patriotic come
up to me after the show and they are still
30 | riversidemagazine.com | february-march 2016
crying, they are so moved,” Clark said.
A retired Northwest/Delta Airlines
pilot, Clark has enjoyed a career spanning
more than 30 years as a solo aerobatic air
show pilot and has performed at the
Riverside Airshow many times. Clark
purchased her T-34 Mentor, named the
“Smokin’ Mentor,” at a government
surplus auction.
Her unique routine has brought Clark
many fans and accolades over the years
in the male-dominated world of flight. She
was inducted into the Women in Aviation
Pioneer Hall of Fame International in
2002, the ICAS Foundation Air Show Hall
of Fame in 2011 and also is a “Living
Legend of Aviation.”
As a female pilot, she said, “You have to
prove yourself and prove you can be even
more solid than your peers.”
People often ask Clark when she plans
to retire from the air show circuit. Her
answer: “When someone says, ‘Julie Clark
is getting ready to fly, I’m getting a hot
dog.’ It’s entertainment. You fly for the
audience. I just want to ignite a spark in
someone. If I can inspire one person at an
air show, I feel like I’ve passed the torch.”
Riverside Airshow
What: Flying demonstrations, aerobatics
and skydivers; displays of military aircraft
and helicopters; authentic war birds and
replica planes; classic cars; military vehicles;
K-9 demonstrations; food; exhibits and
aviation vendors.
Where: Riverside Airpor t, 6951 Flight Road,
Riverside
When: April 2, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets: Free
Information: www.riversideca.gov/Airshow
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Conference Day
March 21
Citrus Circle Farm-to-Fork Dinner
March 21
One-Day Farm Field Trip
March 22
ALSO, JOIN US FOR PRE-CONFERENCE EVENTS
COMMUNITY
Gathering
February 24, 2016 • 6:00 – 8:30 pm
GROWERS
Forum
March 4, 2016 • 8:00 – 11:00 am
Health’s Kitchen
10120 Indiana Ave., Riverside
California Citrus State Historic Park, Sunkist Center
9400 Dufferin Ave., Riverside
Want to turn your brown thumb into a green thumb?
Interested in selling what you grow? Are you looking for land
to grow on? Local experts will be on hand to answer your
questions. It’s also a chance to network with others interested
in the local food system and try samples of local food.
The role of Riverside’s Greenbelt in providing opportunities
for growing food, revenue generation and job creation
are untapped. This half-day event will consist of workshops
discussing challenges and opportunities for smaller-scale farm
operations in the Greenbelt.
Register now at GrowRIVERSIDE2016.com
GROW LOCAL
EAT LOCAL