The museum at the Ramona Bowl Amphitheater is a trove of photos, scripts, costumes and other mementos of past productions of "Ramona." The venue's signature outdoor play is an annual San Jacinto Valley tradition dating to 1923.
Tucked at the back of the museum is a little-known artistic treasure associated with a noted painter, Milford Zornes, who left his mark across the Inland area.
Looming above an organ dating to the late 1800s that was used in bygone productions of "Ramona" is a fresco depicting scenes from California's mission period and the story of how white settlers interacted with native Californians. In 1942, Zornes helped oversee the painting of the fresco.
"I don't think that many people are aware of this," said William Anderson, an art gallery owner in Sunset Beach who collaborated with Zornes for 15 years, referring to the fresco's connection to Zornes. Now, as officials at the cash-strapped nonprofit association that owns the Ramona Bowl near Hemet are considering selling the property to Riverside County, relatives, friends and associates of Zornes worry about the fresco's future preservation.
"I'm really concerned that, if somebody goes in there and renovates that building, they might not recognize the mural," said Zornes' son-in-law, Hal Baker, 66, of Sacramento. "We'd like to see that it's not destroyed, if we can help it."
Louis Amestoy, the Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre board president and interim general manager, said any sales agreement would include a provision to keep the building that houses the museum and fresco intact.
Continue to full article at Press-Enterprise (www.pe.com):
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