Chasing Leaves to Boston, Autumnfest in Uptown Yucaipa, and a Museum 26 Years in the Making

Hello, Redlands neighbors.

By the time this lands in your inbox, I am in Boston. The air is crisp, and some of the leaves are starting to turn, just enough to remind you what fall is supposed to feel like. The best part of the trip is still ahead. I get to see our daughter at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, then sit in the stands at MIT while she plays volleyball. A dad does not get many trips better than that one.

Here is the funny part. I flew across the country to find fall, and back home it already showed up twenty minutes from my house. Pumpkin season is open out on Live Oak Canyon Road, and Saturday, Uptown Yucaipa throws its free Autumnfest, haunted house and all.

Also this week: the Museum of Redlands finally has an opening date, the Redlands Symphony turns 75, a free fall market on the lawn at Edwards Mansion, and a car show at Sylvan Park that raises money for kids who need it.

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

🍊 Grove Street Headlines

🏛️ HISTORY & HERITAGE

The Old Daily Facts Building Opens as the Museum of Redlands on Oct. 24

If you have lived here long enough, you remember 1 N. Center St. as the place the news came from. On Saturday, October 24, at 10 a.m., the old Redlands Daily Facts building opens its doors as the Museum of Redlands. Admission is free. After opening day it runs Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This one took 26 years. The Redlands Historical Museum Association started working with the city and A.K. Smiley Public Library back in 2000. Philanthropist Clara Mae Clem's gift made the 2014 purchase of the building possible, construction started in 2021, and the city took ownership in 2025. Donors raised $28 million, and 80 percent of the building was paid for by independent donors. That is a town deciding its own story was worth keeping.

Thirteen exhibits open on day one. A South Gallery devoted to the citrus industry. Chinatown. The fire department. Redlands on film. Phil Dike watercolors. An "I am Redlands" wall of rotating family portraits. And a flight simulator that lets you land at Redlands Municipal Airport. The ribbon cutting brings the Redlands Fourth of July Band, a commemorative pin, and a Joseph Stoddard watercolor postcard of the building. Put it on the calendar now. You will want to say you were there.

Source: City of Redlands and Community Forward Redlands

🎭 ARTS & CULTURE

The Redlands Symphony Turns 75, and Opening Night Moves Across Town

Seventy-five seasons. That is how long the Redlands Symphony has been playing for this town, and the anniversary season opens Saturday, October 3, with a program called "Shostakovich's Fifth."

One twist this year. Unscheduled maintenance at Memorial Chapel sent opening night to Clock Auditorium at Redlands High School, 201 S. Church St. The downbeat is 7 p.m., a little earlier than usual so the orchestra can clear campus by 10, and Music Director Deanna Tham gives a pre-concert talk before the music starts. Doors open at 6. Parking is free, with shuttles from the lot. Tickets run $20 to $80, with discounts for kids and students.

The program pairs Derrick Skye's "Prisms, Cycles, Leaps" and Mélanie Bonis's "Three Legendary Women" with Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. If you have never taken a kid to hear a full orchestra, a 75th birthday party in a high school auditorium they already know is a pretty good first time. Tickets at RedlandsSymphony.com or 909-587-5565.

Source: Community Forward Redlands

🌳 Around the Groves

Hill House comes to the Footlighters. Redlands Footlighters open "The Haunting of Hill House," F. Andrew Leslie's stage version of the Shirley Jackson novel, directed by Pamela Lambert. It runs October 9 through 25, which is exactly the right stretch of the calendar for a good ghost story. Details at redlandsfootlighters.org.

Zombie Prom at The Hideout. Saturday, October 10, 7 to 11 p.m. at The Hideout, 922 New York St., Spooky Baby Events throws a 16-and-over zombie prom with a DJ, on-site makeup artists, and a crowned Zombie Prom King and Queen who walk away with cash prizes. Dig the old tux out of the closet and let it rot a little.

Save Halloween afternoon. Mountain Grove and Citrus Plaza host the Monsters on the Move Candy Crawl on Saturday, October 31, from 1 to 4 p.m. Costumes on, candy bags ready, and nobody has to walk a dark street to fill them.

🍊 Live Music Events

Thursday 9/24

Citrus Plaza — Brandon Wildish (Solo Sessions)

📍 27510 W Lugonia Ave, Redlands, CA | 🕐 7:00 PM

Free music by the food court, and one of the last Live & Loud nights before the series wraps.

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

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

A downtown pub night that never needs a reason.

Friday 9/25

Mountain Grove — Travis Humble (Solo Sessions)

📍 27511 San Bernardino Ave, Redlands, CA | 🕐 7:00 PM

Grab dinner, find a spot outside, and let the evening cool off around you.

Hangar 24 Craft Brewery — Caleb & The Customs, then Boots on the Runway line dancing

📍 1710 Sessums Dr, Redlands, CA | 🕐 5:00 PM

A dinner set by the airport, and then the boots come out.

Septembers Taproom & Eatery — Live Music, check @septemberstaproom for this week's performer

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

Friday nights on Orange Street are better with a band in the corner.

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

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

Pints, a crowd, and whoever is on the little stage that night.

Saturday 9/26

Hangar 24 Craft Brewery — Coleslaw, then Boots on the Runway line dancing

📍 1710 Sessums Dr, Redlands, CA | 🕐 5:00 PM

A good Saturday landing spot after a day at the markets.

Ritual Brewing Co. — Live Music, check @ritualbrewingco for this week's performer

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

Saturdays at Ritual are for live music and a pint of something brewed right there.

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

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

Close out the weekend downtown with the regulars.

🎯 Your Redlands Weekend

🚗 Worth the Drive

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

Autumnfest (Yucaipa) — Free fall festival in Historic Uptown Yucaipa, Saturday 9/26

📍 12062 California St, Yucaipa, CA | 🕐 Noon to 9:00 PM

Free entry, the YHS Marching Band at 12:30, a car show, a beer garden, and Ridin' the Storm Out, a REO Speedwagon tribute, closing the YPAC Outdoor Stage at 7:30. The haunted house runs a No Scare version from noon to 4:30 ($7 at the YPAC box office) and a Full Scare version from 5 to 9 ($12 at the box office); Kids' Zone and haunted house are card only, and bring your own low-back chairs. Details

Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch (Yucaipa) — Pumpkin season, open now through Nov. 2

📍 32335 Live Oak Canyon Rd, Yucaipa, CA (Redlands mailing address) | 🕐 Fri 4 to 10 PM, Sat 10 AM to 10 PM, Sun 10 AM to 9 PM

The farm bills itself as Southern California's largest pumpkin patch, with a train ride, petting zoo, corn maze, and more than 50 rides, games, and attractions. Admission varies by day, kids 2 and under are free, and it is closed Monday 9/28 and Tuesday 9/29. Weekday afternoons at 4 are the smart play if you hate lines. Hours and admission

Gratitude & Community

This weekend I will be in a gym in Cambridge cheering for our girl, but my heart stays on this side of the country.

If you do one thing Saturday, walk the Citrus Blossom Fall Market at Edwards Mansion. It is free, the dogs are welcome, and there is no better backdrop in town for the first real weekend of fall.

Snap a photo while you are there and hit reply. I would love to see what fall looks like back home while I am out chasing it.

See you around town,
Carlos Samaniego 
RedlandsNow.com