Soboba students celebrate Dr. Seuss birthday Photos by Soboba Band of Luiseño IndiansSoboba Tribal Preschool students learn their colors in English and Luiseño as part of the Dr. Seuss birthday celebration week. ■ By Mike Hiles / Contributed They ate green eggs and ham, they made hats and bowties just like the “Cat” and they wrote down rhyming words on their papers. These are just some of the things that culminated a week of Dr. Seuss related activities at the Soboba Tribal Preschool in honor of the famed children’s book author, who was born on Mar. 2, 1904. Tuukut Adame wears a Native American play on Dr. Seuss at the photo (more…)

Photos by Pam FlumerfeltJim Curry was in town to perform his famous tribute to the music of John Denver. ■ Susan Carrier / Contributed Last weekend, the Historic Hemet Theatre celebrated a series of special milestones, further elevating the profile of the valley’s vintage movie house turned community arts center. On Saturday, Jim Curry was in town to perform his famous tribute to the music of John Denver. The sellout crowd included fans from all across Southern California and Arizona, celebrating the music of “America’s Troubadour.” John Summers at the Hemet Historic Theatre. Curry has appeared four times at HHT, but this time, the show included a very special guest appearance. (more…)

Inland Empire Science Festival returns to the Western Science Center ■ Western Science Center / Contributed Science is happening in the Inland Empire and the Western Science Center, Riverside County’s largest natural history museum, is ready to show it off. The museum will be bringing together scientists and organizations from across Southern California to celebrate science in the region during the Inland Empire Science Festival on Saturday, April 13. For the price of regular admission, guests will be able to explore the museum while meeting the scientists and representatives from museums and companies who make science happen in the Inland Empire. Those who attend will discover how scientists can turn flesh (more…)

Impersonator lives in Texas, but roosts in Hemet Rusty StraitUp on Gibbel Road in Hemet, Danny occupies the top floor of what can only be described as a Southern Plantation-style home, transported from the pre-Civil War deep south to Southern California. ■ By Rusty Strait / Senior Reporter Internationally known Elvis Presley impersonator, Danny Lee Roth, is no stranger to the San Jacinto Valley. His personal appearances here over the past years have always been sell outs and he’ll be back for an appearance at the Historic Hemet Theatre on Mar. 19. That’s in the future. But let’s backtrack a bit. Roth was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. He (more…)

Pam Flumerfelt / Hemet Historic TheatreBonfire, has taken on the task of performing the music of AC/DC with a deep passion. ■ Susan Carrier / Contributed On Saturday, Mar. 23, heavy metal rock fans will be packing the auditorium at the Historic Hemet Theatre to hear a thundering tribute to AC/DC performed by one of the nation’s top tribute bands. AC/DC is an Australian rock band that gained prominence in the mid-1970’s, building on the heavy metal popularity of pioneers Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. The group recorded a long list of hits, selling more than 200 million albums. In 1980, their “Back in Black” album became the highest (more…)

11th Annual Hemet High Talent Show took to the Ron Murray PAC center Photos by Corey EvanBrianna Perez and Kaliyah Lloyd. ■ By Corey Evan / Reporter When it comes to talent, you don’t “light a candle and hide it under a bushel,” you let that light shine. The talented Bulldogs of Hemet High School would shine their lights at their 11th annual talent show, hosted by the Ron Murray Performing Arts Complex. Olivia Sorensen. The show is put together annually by the Hemet High Associated Student Body grade 10 class, headed by Albano Fernandes. Kaili Uy, Gisele Burton, and Maria Donan, all 2021 class officers, hosted the evening. According to (more…)

Official grand opening celebrations being planned in March Photos by Soboba Band of Luiseño IndiansThe iconic Soboba Casino sign that graced the entrance to the legacy facility built in 1995 has found a home at the Soboba Casino Resort – a reminder of how the past is an important part of the future. ■ By Mike Hiles / Contributed A soft opening on Feb. 20 allowed guests to finally see the result of a construction project in San Jacinto that started with a groundbreaking two years ago. The parking lot of 2,000 spaces was full by mid-afternoon. Casino employees parked at the old location and were shuttled over to make room (more…)

Hemet Historic TheatreThis will be the fourth performer’s by Jim Curry in the foundation’s six years of operations, starting back in 2014 with one of the first concerts to pay tribute to the legends of classic rock and country music. ■ Susan Carrier / Contributed On Saturday, Mar. 9, John Denver fans will be on hand at the Historic Hemet Theatre for the return of Jim Curry and his popular show “The Music of John Denver.” But the crowd will also be thrilled to be on hand for two exciting foundation announcements that same night. This will be the fourth performance by Curry in the foundation’s six years of operations, starting (more…)

Pala CasinoBad Company has put its indelible stamp on rock ‘n’ roll with a straight-ahead, no-frills musical approach. ■ By Coley McAvoy / Contributed One of the most acclaimed bands of the classic rock era, Bad Company, has joined the Pala Casino upcoming summer concert series. Bad Company has put its indelible stamp on rock ‘n’ roll with a straight-ahead, no-frills musical approach that has resulted in the creation of some of the most timeless rock anthems ever. Led by the incomparable singer and songwriter Paul Rodgers, arguably the finest singer in rock ‘n’ roll and a huge songwriting talent. Bad Company was an instant hit worldwide. Their 1974 self-titled debut (more…)

Hemet Sunset RotaryPictured from left to right: Ben Collier, Megan Crowe, Curt Welson past president, Pamela Jansen, Marah Alley, Sara Oike, Patricia Wilkison, Jessica Greenman. ■ By Stacey Bailey / Contributed The Hemet Sunset Rotary held its annual Rotary 4 Way Speech Contest on Feb. 13 at the DVAC on Harvard Street. Students from three of the local high schools competed to go on to the Rotary District Competition. From Hemet High, the contestants were Jessica Greenman and Ben Collier; from West Valley, Pamela Jansen and Megan Crowe and from the Western Center Academy, Marah Alley and Sara Oike. For this contest, students are asked to pick any topic and apply (more…)