ZEST! A SoCal Citrus Collaborative celebrates Citrus Heritage across the Inland Empire in 2019

Riverside, CA – ZEST! A SoCal Citrus Collaborative brings arts and cultural organizations together to share the historic impact of the Inland Empire citrus industry. The partner organizations offer new and inspiring ways to experience these stories through programs, exhibitions, workshops, and performances. This collaborative hopes it will serve as a key to the region’s museums, historic sites, and cultural centers.

Spearheaded by the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum, the complete list of partners includes the A.K. Smiley Library, California Citrus State Historic Park, Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center, Loma Linda Area Parks and Historical Society, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside Metropolitan Museum, San Bernardino County Museum, and the University of California Riverside Citrus Variety Collection. Each of the partnering organizations is offering a free pamphlet with information about upcoming events and exhibitions hosted across the region during 2019, with information also available at www.missioninnmuseum.org/zest.

Four exhibitions will be available in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties in support of the collaborative.    Citrus Legacy: The Mission Inn and Riverside’s Citrus Industry opening Sunday, April 14, 2019 at the Mission Inn Museum explores how Riverside’s citrus industry influenced the Mission Inn and, in many ways, made the Mission Inn possible. Pulp Culture: A Juicy Story in the Orange Empire opens on May 19, 2019 at the San Bernardino County Museum and features a highly interactive exhibition which explores the development and growth of the citrus industry in the region, and the impact on culture and economy, with an emphasis on the stories of the laborers. The Riverside Metropolitan Museum offers Celebrating Citrus Families, a “pocket” exhibition available for viewing at the Arlington Branch of the Riverside Public Library through June 30, 2019. Two ongoing exhibitions at the California Citrus State Historic Park are on view in the park visitor center.

“The citrus boom of the late 19th century is frequently called California’s Second Gold Rush, and it was far more profitable than the first one. The impact of the citrus industry was highly influential on the formation of the Inland Empire and continues to influence many of our daily patterns in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties,” says Danielle Trynoski, Director of Marketing and Development at the Mission Inn Museum. “The climate, the soil, and the introduction of the railroad all created a perfect platform for the success of citrus, which led to the success across the region such as the development of Frank Miller’s Mission Inn as a target destination.”

In addition to the four exhibitions, the partnering organizations will offer numerous programs and events throughout 2019, all celebrating citrus. A full list of the ZEST! partners is available at www.missioninnmuseum.org/zest. ZEST! A SoCal Citrus Collaborative is generously sponsored by Gless Ranch, Riverside Metropolitan Museum, and the San Bernardino County Museum.

About the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum

The Mission Inn Foundation was incorporated in 1976 to assist in the preservation and restoration of the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, and originally, to manage the hotel during ownership by the City of Riverside’s Redevelopment Agency. The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa is now privately owned by Duane and Kelly Roberts, and the Foundation has a unique role of operating a non-profit museum within a for-profit hotel. In addition to the museum, the Mission Inn Foundation interprets the history and significance of the Mission Inn through daily hotel tours, monthly public programs and special events, the Hands On History youth educational initiative, and the continued stewardship of the hotel’s expansive art, artifact, and archival collections.