A weekly program focusing on the arts and entertainment

Things seem to be moving a bit slowly but effectively in downtown Riverside with work progressing on the Fox Theater and Municipal Auditorium.

But now, Arts and Entertainment Editor Bob Sokolsky notes, there is another Riverside County icon that deserves some attention.

It is the Ramona Bowl, home of the famous Ramona Outdoor Play, and it is in definite financial trouble. A 2009 production is likely to take place as scheduled, but after that some large problems will have to be faced.

Sokolsky asks what might happen if the county does not purchase the bowl and says there could be a large cultural loss if “Ramona” is forced to shut down.

The bowl, he admits, has had its problems, several of its own making. But, he asks, is it not worth saving “as much as and aged movie house famous for the first screenings of “Gone With the Wind”?