The Green Pig Hits the Shelf, Halloween Takes Over Redlands, and Tom Jones Plays Next Door

Two weeks ago I told you a jar was coming.

Rose Nunez Guzman had the recipe, the flavors, and a hometown grocer who wanted it. She was finishing the labels and barcodes. 

This week, The Green Pig’s salsa is on the shelf at Gerrards Market, and if you have ever wanted to buy something made by a neighbor in the same store where your parents shopped, this is your week.

Then the weekend gets loud. Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, so here is what’s inside:

• Free candy all afternoon at Mountain Grove and Citrus Plaza
• A costumed walk on the Orange Blossom Trail
• Bulldog Homecoming under the lights at Ted Runner Stadium
• Mariachi and ofrendas at Smiley Park on Sunday
• Tom Jones, Bronco and Richard Marx just up the road

Let's get into what's happening around town.

🎭 ARTS & CULTURE

Día de los Muertos: A Morning to Remember in Smiley Park

Halloween is loud. The day after is something else.

On Sunday, November 1, A.K. Smiley Public Library hosts a free Día de los Muertos celebration from 10 AM to 2 PM at Smiley Park and the Contemporary Club, 173 S. Eureka St. Día de los Muertos is a Mexican tradition, and it is not sad. Families build ofrendas, altars covered in photographs, marigolds, candles, and the favorite foods of the people they have lost, to welcome those loved ones home for a day.
It is remembering with music. Grief with color in it.

And there is no better place in Redlands to do it. Albert K. Smiley bought this downtown land in 1897, borrowed money to build the library and the park around it, and dedicated both to the town in April 1898. Smiley Park has held our concerts, our picnics and our parades for more than a century, with the Redlands Bowl and the Lincoln Memorial Shrine as neighbors. On Sunday it holds our memories.

Inside the Contemporary Club, 10 AM to 2 PM. Community groups and families will display their ofrendas alongside artwork by local artist Nancy Nieto. Kids get a Spanish-language story time at 10:05, the consul of Mexico offers remarks at 10:20, and Nieto talks about her work at 10:30. Walk the room slowly. Every altar is a story about somebody who mattered to a Redlands family.

Out in Smiley Park, 11 AM to 2 PM. Mariachi Bohemio plays from 11 to 11:45 and again from noon to 12:45. There are crafts, face painting and the library’s teen art contest on display, with winners announced at 11:45. Kids 4 to 12 can register from 11 to 12:40 for the Calavera and Catrina costume contest at 12:45, so Saturday’s face paint gets a second day. St. Mary’s Ballet Folklórico closes the celebration from 1:15 to 2 PM. Taqueria y Panadería del Valle serves free food and Nichos Ice Cream hands out ice cream starting at 11, while supplies last, so come early.

Here is my tip. Bring a photo. You do not have to build an altar to be part of this. Stand in front of the ofrendas, think of your own people, and let the kids see what it looks like when a town remembers together. Then grab a taco, find a spot on the grass and let the mariachi do the rest.

Full schedule from Community Forward Redlands

🎓 COMMUNITY

Halloween on a Saturday: Where Redlands Trick-or-Treats

When Halloween falls on a weekend, the whole town gets to play. Plan it in two parts, an afternoon of candy and an evening on foot.

Start at 1 PM. The Monsters on the Move Candy Crawl runs from 1 to 4 PM across Mountain Grove and Citrus Plaza, 27511 San Bernardino Ave. It’s free, and the candy path winds along the storefronts and food courts, with maps posted all along the way. Bring your own bag, and finish at the scavenger hunt table on the Mountain Grove food court lawn, at Spectrum Corner or at the Citrus Plaza food court.

Then the evening walk. West Olive Avenue closes to cars between Center and Cajon streets from 5 to 9 PM so families can trick-or-treat the neighborhood on foot. Those Victorian porches have been handing out candy for generations, and there is still no better block in town for it. Bring a flashlight, wear sneakers and let the kids lead.

Full Halloween guide from Community Forward Redlands

🌳 Around the Groves

The Museum of Redlands is open for regular hours. After last Saturday’s grand opening, the museum at 1 N. Center St. is now open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 AM to 4 PM, and admission is free. Thirteen exhibits, from the citrus years to Redlands on film. Go on a weekday and you may have a room to yourself.

Last call for Fright Nights. Harkins Mountain Grove 16, 27481 San Bernardino Ave., runs its October Fright Nights classics through November 2. If you have been meaning to see a horror favorite on the big screen, this is your last weekend.

Save the date: Dear Evan Hansen comes to San Bernardino. The Tony-winning musical plays at the California Theatre of the Performing Arts, 562 W. 4th St. in San Bernardino, November 13 through 15. Shows like this sell the good seats early.

🍊 Live Music Events

Thursday 10/29

The Three Stags Irish Pub — Live Music, check @thethreestags.irishpub for this week’s performer

📍 328 Orange St, Redlands, CA | 🕐 8:00 PM

Halloween week starts at the pub, with a pint and a set on Orange Street.

Friday 10/30

Hangar 24 Craft Brewery — Jaybird & Adair, then Boots on the Runway line dancing

📍 1710 Sessums Dr, Redlands, CA | 🕐 Dinner set 5:00 to 8:00 PM | Line dancing 8:30 to 11:30 PM

An easy dinner set first, then the dance floor fills up for the late crowd.

Septembers Taproom & Eatery — Live Music, check Septembers on Instagram for this week’s performer

📍 515 Orange St, Ste B, Redlands, CA | 🕐 8:30 PM

Downtown’s late set, good taps and close quarters.

The Three Stags Irish Pub — Live Music, check @thethreestags.irishpub for this week’s performer

📍 328 Orange St, Redlands, CA | 🕐 8:00 PM

Halloween Eve at the Stags. Costumes will not look out of place.

Saturday 10/31

Hangar 24 Craft Brewery — Boots on the Runway: Halloween line dancing

📍 1710 Sessums Dr, Redlands, CA | 🕐 8:30 to 11:30 PM

Once the kids are home and sorting candy, the grown-ups get Halloween night on the dance floor.

Ritual Brewing Co. — Live Music, check Ritual on Instagram for this week’s performer

📍 1315 Research Dr, Redlands, CA | 🕐 7:00 to 9:00 PM

A Saturday night set in the taproom, on the spookiest Saturday of the year.

The Three Stags Irish Pub — Live Music, check @thethreestags.irishpub for this week’s performer

📍 328 Orange St, Redlands, CA | 🕐 8:00 PM

Halloween night at the pub, the big one.

Sunday 11/1

The Three Stags Irish Pub — Live Music, check @thethreestags.irishpub for this week’s performer

📍 328 Orange St, Redlands, CA | 🕐 4:00 PM

The afternoon set, a short walk from the Día de los Muertos celebration at Smiley Park.

🎯 Your Redlands Weekend

Harkins Mountain Grove 16 — Beetlejuice (1988)

📍 27481 San Bernardino Ave, Redlands, CA | 🕐 Friday 10/30 and Saturday 10/31, check harkins.com for showtimes

Michael Keaton at full volume. The one to bring the kids to.

Harkins Mountain Grove 16 — Halloween (1978)

📍 27481 San Bernardino Ave, Redlands, CA | 🕐 Friday 10/30 and Saturday 10/31, check harkins.com for showtimes

John Carpenter’s original, on the big screen, on Halloween night. That is the whole pitch.

🚗 Worth the Drive

Big nights just beyond the groves. These are not in Redlands, but they are close enough to matter.

Yaamava’ Theater (Highland) — Tom Jones

📍 777 San Manuel Blvd, Highland, CA | 🕐 Thursday 10/29, 8:00 PM

A living legend, ten minutes up the road, on the night this issue lands. 21+, tickets through AXS.

Yaamava’ Theater (Highland) — Bronco

📍 777 San Manuel Blvd, Highland, CA | 🕐 Saturday 10/31, 8:00 PM

The legendary grupera band brings cumbia, ballads, and ranchera on Halloween night. 21+, tickets through AXS.

Yaamava’ Theater (Highland) — Richard Marx

📍 777 San Manuel Blvd, Highland, CA | 🕐 Sunday 11/1, 8:00 PM

The rescheduled June date finally arrives. A whole room singing along to the ballads you know by heart. 21+, tickets through AXS.

Gratitude & Community

Thank you for showing up for each other and for reading this every Thursday.

You know what? I spent this last week in Connecticut with the fall colors at their peak, and it was beautiful. I missed the rain we got here in Redlands, but I’m glad to be back home this week, with one more trip on the calendar for the year, to Orlando on Monday.

So get out, enjoy yourself, and make this weekend count. If you only do one thing, go to Smiley Park on Sunday morning, stand in front of the ofrendas for a minute, and remember the people who made Redlands home for you. And send me your photos from Sunday or your best Halloween costumes. I would love to share a few next week.

See you around town,
— Carlos Samaniego,
 RedlandsNow.com