The Mayor’s Celebration for Arts and Innovation, which spotlights art, music, technology and food to raise money for the Riverside Arts Council and SmartRiverside, just got a little more hip with the addition of The Spazmatics, the only band to combine nerd culture, spot-on renditions of 80s rock classics and a healthy dose of irony.
The Oct. 11 event at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium, dubbed “This is Riverside,” is jam-packed with local entertainment that includes the Riverside County Philharmonic, the Raincross Chorale, Ballet Folklorico de Riverside, Riverside Repertory Theatre, Performance Riverside, Inlandia Institute and the Riverside Community Players.
Attendees will nosh on “The Art of Food” offerings from nearly 20 local restaurants organized by Mario’s Place and browse works from such diverse exhibitors as the Riverside African American Historical Society, March Field Air Museum, WomenWonderWriters and Division 9. Riverside technology firms, colleges and universities will provide exhibitions and demonstrations that show the city’s commitment to innovation and high-tech business growth.
“I’m beyond thrilled by the line-up we have at this year’s Mayor’s Celebration. There’s literally something for everyone,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “The combination of our local talent, restaurateurs, artists and authors, combined with The Spazmatics – it’s going to be a great night for a great cause.”
The event has always been the year’s primary fundraiser for the Riverside Arts Council, the largest umbrella group representing and supporting arts agencies across Riverside. For the first time, the event also is raising money for the SmartRiverside Digital Inclusion Program, which bridges the digital divide in our community by helping low-income families gain access to technology.
The Mayor’s Celebration, formerly the Mayor’s Ball for the Arts, starts at 6 p.m. with entertainment continuing through 7:30 p.m. Mayor Bailey will welcome attendees at 7:30 p.m., with the live auction and additional entertainment until 9 p.m., when The Spazmatics are scheduled to take the stage.
A silent and live auction will make available a guitar signed by the members of U2, a drumhead signed by the Eagles, a New York Broadway package, including airfare, an African game reserve safari package, sheet music signed by Katy Perry and posters signed by the casts of “Breaking Bad,” “The Walking Dead,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay,” “Star Wars” and “The Big Bang Theory.”
“The food, the local entertainment and the opportunity to help others are enough to make the price of admission a bargain,” Mayor Bailey said. “Throwing The Spazmatics into the mix takes this Celebration to a whole new level of fun!”
The Spazmatics boast that they capture the best of the worst from the decade that gave us the side ponytail, hair metal bands and MTV. They routinely sound the “nerd alert” before blowing through a high-energy repertoire that spans the Devo classic “Whip It” to Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine.” Decked out in horn-rimmed glasses, an abundance of polyester and an assortment of headgear, the band takes you back to the decade you’d probably like to forget, but just can’t.
Tickets for the Mayor’s Celebration are $75 each and include access to the food offerings, the arts and entertainment and The Spazmatics show. They can be purchased at: http://mayorscelebrationriverside2014.brownpapertickets.com
Tickets for The Spazmatics only can be purchased for $10 at the door.
More information on the event can be found at http://www.mayorscelebrationriverside.com/ or by calling (951) 680-1345. The Mayor’s Celebration can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MayorsCelebrationriverside and The Spazmatics are on the Internet at http://thespazmatics.com/
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