Police vs. Fire at Coyazo Park, Cinema Classic Goes Global, and Ali Wong Hits Highland

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A friendly rivalry for a great cause headlines a weekend full of film, laughs, and family fun.

Redlands Now

Aug 27, 2026

Police vs. Fire at Coyazo Park, Cinema Classic Goes Global, and Ali Wong Hits Highland

A friendly rivalry for a great cause headlines a weekend full of film, laughs, and family fun.

Wine Class Redlands

From the Groves

Why This Matters

There's a rivalry brewing at Coyazo Park, and for once it has nothing to do with who gets there first.

This Saturday, the men and women who show up when we call 911 are trading badges and turnout gear for gloves and cleats. Redlands Police versus Redlands Fire, one softball field, bragging rights on the line, and every dollar raised going straight back to the foundations that support them.

If it's been a while since you've been to the Tartan, it might be time. Liz and I have loved that old-school steakhouse on Redlands Blvd for years, and lately they've leaned hard into live music, two full bands there this week alone.

This week also brings 18th-century Venice to Mountain Grove, a second weekend for a mermaid named Angelica at LifeHouse, and Ali Wong bringing the house down just up the road in Highland.

Let's get into what's happening around town. Let's stay cool and safe this weekend. The heat has been a rough one..

Carlos

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🍊 GROVE STREET HEADLINES

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🍊 Grove Street Headlines

🎓 COMMUNITY

Police and Fire Face Off at Coyazo Park This Saturday

Every so often this town reminds you why you moved here, or why you never left. Saturday is one of those days. The Redlands Sunrise Rotary Club is hosting Redlands Family Fun Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Coyazo Park, and the centerpiece is a softball showdown between Redlands Police and Redlands Fire, the same people who show up on the worst day of your life, trading their gear for gloves for one afternoon.

Proceeds support the Redlands Fire Department Benevolent Fund, the Redlands Police Foundation, and the Sunrise Rotary's youth scholarships. Add a free kids zone from the Optimist Club, live patriotic music, and a free Habit Burger meal for the first 200 through the gate. Park at Citrus Valley High School, since the lot at Coyazo fills fast.

Source: Community Forward Redlands →

🎭 ARTS & CULTURE

Redlands Cinema Classic Brings the World to Mountain Grove

Starting Sept. 2, you can travel from 18th-century Venice to modern-day Beirut, the Amazon rainforest, and the grand stages of Japanese Kabuki theater without leaving Harkins Mountain Grove 16. The Redlands Cinema Classic Film Festival returns through Oct. 1, presented by the Margaret Clark Art Education Enrichment Fund of the Redlands Art Association, with every dollar of net proceeds going back into art education programs across our schools.

This year's lineup pulls from Italy, Lebanon, Brazil, and Japan, closing with two screenings of the Manhattan Short Film Festival, where Redlands audiences vote alongside 100,000 filmgoers in over 500 cities worldwide. Tickets run $20 per film, $50 for the Manhattan Short screening, available online or at the Redlands Art Association on State Street.

Source: Community Forward Redlands →

PRIMAVERA | Official UK & IRE Trailer | In Cinemas 24 April

🌳 AROUND THE GROVES

🌳 Around the Groves

The Little Mermaid swims into its second weekend at LifeHouse Theater. Angelica the mermaid battles the evil Octavia in this original musical, Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 27 at 1135 N. Church St. Showtimes vary, so check lifehousetheater.com.

The old LOOK Cinemas site on Eureka Street just sold for $6.2 million. The buyer is a developer already behind several Redlands projects, with no plans announced yet. We'll be watching this one.

Mark your calendar for Sept. 5. The Friends of A.K. Smiley Public Library hold their monthly book bag sale downstairs in the Friends Bookstore, 125 W. Vine St. Fill a bag for $5 as a member or $8 as a guest.

Downtown's Morning Market keeps rolling every Saturday through Nov. 21 in the municipal lot off Redlands Blvd between 5th and 6th streets. More than 30 growers, bakers, and makers.

RedlandsNow Advertising: Reach 6,000 Local Readers

A few years back I watched a guy pour $2,000 into Facebook ads for his business in one month.

You know how many actual customers he got?

Two.

Two customers. For two grand. He did the math on a napkin and about had a heart attack.

Here's what nobody tells you about social media advertising: you're not advertising to people. You're advertising to an algorithm. A robot decides who sees your ad, when they see it, and whether they see it at all, and that robot changes its mind every few months just to keep you paying more for the same reach you used to get for free.

Meanwhile, almost 6,000 people in this town open my inbox every single week. Not "reached." Not "impressions." Opened. On purpose. Because they want to know what's happening in Redlands, and they've learned that RedlandsNow tells them straight, without the noise.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Ready to connect with engaged Redlands residents? Our newsletter reaches dedicated community members who support local businesses.

Contact us at info@redlandsnow.com to learn about sponsorship opportunities and tell us about your upcoming events, or next nominee for Inland Legend!

That's all for this week! Thanks for reading, and we'll see you around the groves.

Stay connected, stay local,
Carlos Samaniego, EA

The RedlandsNow.com Team