Museum to Hold Book Signing

The is scheduled to host author Steve Lech in a gallery talk and signing for his new book "More Than a Place to Pitch a Tent.”

Do you know which nature center actually started as an up-scale gun club with members like Clark Gable and Ernie Kovacs? Which park hosted the first official Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival held outside of Japan? Which site was started by famed restaurant mogul Tiny Naylor as a thoroughbred horse facility? Learn the answers to these questions and many other tidbits about how these parks were named and the history of their beginnings. Santa Rosa Plateau, Lake Skinner Recreational Area and Idyllwild Nature Center are some of the parks discussed in the book.

Lech is a historian, author and lecturer who is a native Riversider. His interest in local history dates back more than 35 years. He has written several books about the history of Riverside County, one of which, titled “Along the Old Roads,” has been described by historians as the definitive history of Riverside county’s settlement and formation.

Steve has worked for the Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District for more than 10 years, he has been a docent with the Mission Inn Foundation for more than 20 years, and he has been president of the Riverside Historical Society for several years.

The event will be held on April 26 at 7 p.m. at the museum. The Temecula Valley Museum is located in at 28314 Mercedes Street.  

For more information and to RSVP, please call the Temecula Valley Museum at (951) 694-6450.  A donation of $2 per person is requested.