Set along the scenic waterfront on G Street in historic, Downtown Rivertown, this juried outdoor market takes place alongside the popular Antioch Farmers Market and features handcrafted goods from talented local artisans.
Spaces are limited and fill quickly — don’t miss out.
Click here to apply and secure your spot in this vibrant community event!
Date: Saturday, August 2, 2025 Time: 3:00pm-7:00pm Location: Prewett Family Park Hillside
By City of Antioch Recreation Department
In partnership with Bay Area Backyard Movement, the City of Antioch Recreation Department is excited to present our fourth annual Multicultural Festival. Highlighting cultural diversity and community engagement, this event features live performances, vendors, a kids’ zone filled with games and activities, food and so much more!
Embrace diverse cultures through captivating performances, mouthwatering cuisines, and immersive activities. It’s a day of unity, exploration, and embracing our global community as residents from various backgrounds come together to share and showcase their unique heritage, customs, art, music, food and more.
Bay Area Backyard Movement is a community organization whose goal is to provide a positive atmosphere that gives small businesses the opportunity to network, bring communities together, and create an enjoyable shopping experience for everyone. The Backyard Movement mission is to inspire every vendor customer throughout their many events across the Bay Area – it’s always community and collaboration, never competition.
Backyard Movement has partnered with the City of Antioch to bring an annual Multicultural Festival to our community, and now, a monthly market for all to enjoy. Learn more about Bay Area Backyard Movement when you follow them on Instagram @thebackyardmovement.
(From left to right) Brett Swisher, VP Operations for Wayne E. Swisher Cement; Brad Middleton, Director of Safety for Drill Tech Drilling & Shoring; Antioch District 3 City Councilman Don Freitas; Mayor Pro Tem Louie Rocha; Cid Zamora, son of Joe Zamora, First Congregational Church member who stored the bell; Museum Past-President and First Congregational Church Bell project leader Dwayne Eubanks; First Congregational Church Bell project team members Tom Menasco – leading the fundraising, Laura Jacques, Carla Baker Marymee and construction manager Stan Davis joined in for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the bell tower. Photos by Allen D. Payton
From city’s first church; fundraising goal almost met, still needs support
By Antioch Historical Society
The Antioch Historical Society hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, on the museum grounds on W. 4th Street, to build a tower to house the 157-year-old First Congregational Church bell and restore it. The bell is said to be one of the oldest known artifacts in Antioch. (See related articles here and here)
A groundbreaking was held for the tower to house the historic First Congregational Church of Antioch bell on the Museum grounds on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. Rendering and photos source: Antioch Historical Museum
City officials and staff, Historical Society and project team members were joined by construction company representatives for the event.
Thank you to all who attended.
(From left to right) Brett Swisher, Brad Middleton, project team member Lucy Meinhardt; Acting City of Antioch Parks & Recreation Director Shahad Wright; Dwayne Eubanks; Tom Menasco, Laura Jacques, Carla Baker Marymee and Stan Davis participated in for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the bell tower.
Project leader Dwayne Eubanks said, “the bell rang out in 1871 a year before the City was founded. The bell stood as a symbol of unity in a city of diversity.”
“There will be a patio with benches or a concrete block wall around it,” Eubanks shared. “Almost $83,000 has been raised out of the $94,000 goal.”
Bell tower project leader Dwayne Eubanks shares details with those who attended the ceremonial groundbreaking on July 23, 2025.
Checks can be sent to: Antioch Historical Museum, 1500 West 4th Street, Antioch, CA 94509. Names of sponsors will be permanently inscribed at the exhibit site. Contributions are tax deductible. If you have questions, contact Dwayne Eubanks at the Antioch Historical Society Museum at (925) 757-1326.
We are prepared to have some great resources and services provided for our 13th Annual Stuff The Bus school supply giveaway on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. Join us at the Contra Costa Event Park (fairgrounds) on W. 10th Street in Antioch.
Please REGISTER
If you have/know of a great (preferably FREE) resource or have beneficial info that you would love to share with the community!!
The QR code below will also give you access to information including a volunteer sign-up form as well as ways to donate to this event!! Please share
For families looking to register, registration is now open. You will see that information pop up via this link: https://linktr.ee/4evermefoundation
UPDATE: Claryssa Wilson, a dedicated Antioch High School alumna, community leader, and founder of the renowned annual event, is proud to announce the return of the 13th Annual Stuff the Bus School Supply Giveaway, an event that has become a cornerstone of community support and youth empowerment in East Contra Costa County. Since its inception when she was just in the 6th grade, Claryssa has been committed to ensuring that every student, regardless of socioeconomic background, has access to the essential tools needed for academic success.
This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, August 2, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be held at the Contra Costa County Event Park (Fairgrounds), located at 1201 W. 10th Street in Antioch, CA. Over the past twelve years, this inspiring initiative has provided backpacks filled with school supplies to over 40,000 students across Antioch, Pittsburg, and neighboring communities. It has grown into a collaborative effort with numerous local organizations and sponsors, including the Golden State Warriors, the Antioch Schools Education Foundation, Adonal Foyle’s Kerosene Lamp Foundation, and many others who share a common vision of fostering educational opportunity and community resilience.
“No student should face a new school year without the basic supplies they need to succeed,” said Claryssa Wilson, founder and host of the event. “Our mission is rooted in the belief that every child, regardless of their circumstances, deserves the chance to learn, grow, and excel. By providing these supplies, we’re helping to level the playing field and inspire hope for a brighter future.”
This year’s event is expected to reach and serve thousands of students, many of whom are vulnerable and face significant barriers such as foster care, homelessness, or economic hardship. The event will feature an array of family-friendly activities, vendor booths, and entertainment designed to bring joy and support to families. Children and parents will have the opportunity to enjoy performances by Jordan Orosco, known as The Mathemagician, whose engaging magic and math demonstrations foster a love of learning. The event will also include a Stepz Dance Fitness segment, interactive games, resource tables, and much more to create a festive, supportive atmosphere.
One of the new highlights this year is a full-service Hair Salon, offering FREE haircuts, braiding styles, washes, blow-drys, and silk presses. This service aims to boost confidence and help families prepare for the upcoming school year. Services will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and registration is required.
In addition to the giveaways and entertainment, the event provides a platform for community organizations, local businesses, and educational resources to connect with families, share information, and foster ongoing support. The event’s overarching goal is to create a sense of unity, hope, and empowerment for families, especially those most in need.
All media outlets and press representatives are warmly invited to cover the event. To coordinate interviews with Claryssa Wilson or for additional information, please contact:
The Stuff the Bus School Supply Giveaway is organized by the 4ever Me Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Claryssa Wilson in 2012. Over the past decade, the Foundation has dedicated itself to supporting foster children, unhoused youth, and children facing homelessness, providing vital supplies, mentorship, and community support. To date, the Foundation has served more than 40,000 students and continues to expand its outreach and impact.
All donations, sponsorships, and gifts to the 4ever Me Foundation and the Stuff the Bus School Supply Giveaway are tax-deductible and vital to maintaining and growing this impactful community effort. Contributions can be made through the Foundation’s website or by contacting the organization directly.
Join us this August in making a tangible difference—helping empower students to succeed academically and build a foundation for lifelong achievement. Your support ensures that no child is left behind because of a lack of basic school supplies. Together, we can create a stronger, more resilient community where every student has the tools to thrive.
The groundbreaking for the tower to house the historic First Congregational Church of Antioch bell on the Museum grounds will be held Wednesday, July 23, 2025. Rendering (left) and photos: Antioch Historical Museum
Community embraces restoration of 157-year-old bell from First Congregational Church of Antioch
By Tom Menasco & Carla Baker Marymee
The Antioch Historical Museum is excited to announce a groundbreaking ceremony to restore the 157-year-old First Congregational Church Bell and construction of the Unity Bell Tower. The ceremony is scheduled for July 23, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. The community is invited to attend.
The 700-pound brass bell, donated by First Congregational Church Board member Paul Fish, is one of the oldest artifacts from the settling of Antioch by early Americans. The church bell is said to have brought early members of the church together as it rang loudly across the city. It was heard by Antioch’s founders; Rev. W.W. Smith and Captain George W. Kimball, as well as Thomas Gaines, the first known Black settler who was a sexton of the church.
“The First Congregational Church of Antioch traces its roots to June 12, 1865, when it was founded as the city’s pioneer church under the United Church of Christ (UCC) banner.
“Over its 150-year history, the church has prioritized hospitality—welcoming all without exception, including African Americans as early as 1875 and children of Chinese laborers building the Delta levees,” Dwayne Eubanks, Antioch Historical Museum board member said.
“Antioch is the third largest city in Contra Costa County with a population of more than 117,097 residents. Over the decades the demographics of Antioch have changed. We are a diverse community with an amazing history and story to tell. Our goal is to become a reflection of an inclusive, multiracial, and multicultural city that embraces all people. It is our wish that this bell and the Unity Bell Tower will symbolize growing appreciation for all people,” he said.
“We thank the Antioch community for recognizing the importance of preserving this valuable piece of the city’s history. Because of generous donations, we were able to raise $85,000.00,” Eubanks added.
Work on the Unity Bell Tower is being accomplished by Wayne E. Swisher Cement Contractor, Evan & Son Masonry, and Drill Tech who have made significant in-kind contributions to this project.
The project has also been generously supported by individual donors, the Antioch City Council, local businesses, and non-profit organizations including: Delta Veteran’s Group and Antioch Veterans Banner Program, St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Fontana Family Foundation, Antioch Rotary Club, Kiwanis Delta Antioch, and Class of ’66 Antioch High School.
There are eight sponsorship levels, providing a range of giving opportunities – diamond, gold, platinum, silver, bronze, copper, sapphire, and ruby. Names of sponsors will be permanently inscribed at the exhibit site. Contributions are tax deductible.
The project’s dedication is expected by Fall 2025, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the society’s creation and the 25th year being located at the 1910 Riverview High School site.
The Antioch Historical Museum resides within the 1910 Riverview High School, a site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum, located at 1500 W. 4th Street, is also home of the Antioch Sports Legends Hall of Fame program. The Sports Legends Hall of Fame showcases and honors the achievements of 253 individual athletes and 17 teams.
