This week in #ILoveGayPalmSprings – We get right down to business with a DBA Networking Mixer at Peabody’s on Monday night, then Tuesday is the Palm Springs Chamber Mixer at Venezia, and Wednesday morning is “Business Over Breakfast” in Rancho Mirage. The Food & Wine Festival also starts Wednesday in Rancho Mirage, and Palm Springs Craft Cocktail Week continues, and the Cocktail Week Championship is Wednesday night!  Also Wednesday: Mommie Dearest Interactive with Among Friends, and the (Go Go) Boys of Runway. Friday is the Celebration of Life for Cathedral City Mayor Greg Pettis, and we have a special Club Pilates TryOUT Tuesday coming up that you’ll want to register for…today!

DBA Mixer at Peabody’s

Join The Desert Business Association as they make their annual return to Peabody’s Cafe for their networking mixer on Monday, January 28 from 6:00–8:00 p.m. — At Peabody’s, good food and a good time always awaits. What started as a coffee house in 1992 is now a full restaurant and bar serving simple American food with a “Southern California Twist.” More info

Palm Springs Chamber January Mixer

Join the Palm Springs Chamber for their January Mixer on Tuesday, January 29 from 5:00–6:30 p.m. at Venezia Restaurant & Pizzeria. Complimentary appetizers and happy hour drinks will be served. Free to all Palm Springs Chamber members, guests $15. More info

Rancho Mirage: Business Over Breakfast

Please join The Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce for their monthly speaker series on Wednesday, January 30 from 7:30–9:00 a.m. at Acqua California Bistro. The topic will be the New Tax Laws of 2019 – something everyone in business needs to know!​ Cost is $15 for members, $25 for non-members. More info

Rancho Mirage Food & Wine Fest Starts Jan 30

The Rancho Mirage Wine and Food Festival, held Wednesday, January 30–Saturday, Feb 2 at Rancho Mirage Community Park, is about people coming together to celebrate a shared passion; a love for great wine and mouth-watering gourmet food. Your all inclusive ticket includes an elegant crystal souvenir wine glass, limitless tastes of award winning wines, and a dizzying variety of gourmet appetizers, prepared by Top Chefs of the Desert.  100% of silent auction proceeds goes to the Desert AIDS Project. Get tickets

Craft Cocktail Week Continues – Championship Wed Jan 30

On Wednesday, January 30, Some of the valley’s top bartenders will compete live for the coveted Palm Springs Craft Cocktail Week Championship, as well as the Audience Choice Award. Brad Fuhr from Gay Desert Guide will be among the illustrious judges, so join us in celebrating the art of the cocktail!

The 3rd Annual Palm Craft Cocktail Week runs through Saturday, February 2. Bars and restaurants valley-wide are  doing special cocktails and cocktail menus and donating a portion of the proceeds to the Desert AIDS Project and the LGBT Community Center of the Desert. More info.

Participating purveyors and their exciting creations include:

  • Rio Azul, offering the “Mango Margarita”
  • Bongo Johnny’s, offering the “Red Dress Margarita”
  • Trio, offering the “Palms Figs”
  • Lulu California Bistro, offering “Lulu’s Winter Warmer”
  • Eight4Nine, offering the “Eight4Nine”
  • The Purple Room, offering the “Old Blue Eyes”
  • …and more!

Mommie Dearest Interactive by Among Friends

Among Friends presents Mommie Dearest like you never seen before. Dress up like your favorite star for an all-star outdoor cocktail party at 6:00 p.m., then come inside for the Interactive screening of Mommie Dearest. Doors to the theater will open at 7:30. This will likely sell out, so… Get Tickets

The Boys of Runway

Runway Restaurant and Bar (directly outside CCBC Resort) is premiering a new Go Go Boy underwear night called The Boys of Runway, Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. Come for drink specials, great music, and of course, hot boys! More info

Celebration of Life for Mayor Greg Pettis

On Friday, February 1 at 10:00 a.m. the public Celebration of Life Ceremony for Cathedral City Mayor Greg Pettis will take place at Big League Dreams Sports Park. The ceremony, emceed by KESQ Meteorologist Patrick Evans, features dignitaries from our federal, state, county and local representatives, family members of Mayor Pettis, city staff, friends, and colleagues, remembering the city’s longest-serving councilmember and first openly gay public servant. The public is invited to gather together, share the memories, and pay tribute to his lasting legacy. A reception will follow the ceremony onsite. Shuttle service available. More info

TryOUT Tuesday at Club Pilates Palm Springs

Looking ahead to next week, Gay Desert Guide is co-hosting an exciting opportunity for you to try a FREE 50-minute intro Pilates class at Club Pilates Palm Springs on Tuesday, February 5 from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Come learn how a consistent Pilates practice can offer benefits to everybody––Whether you’re an experienced athlete looking to step up your training or you’re simply looking to start a new fitness routine, Pilates creates a strong foundation of balance, strength, mobility and flexibility. Registration includes a $5 gift certificate for Jus Chillin’ frozen treats! – Space is limited, call Club Pilates at 760-537-0457 to reserve your spot today. More info

Theatre This Weekend

CVRep presents White, by James Ijames, through February 17 at CVRep at The Atrium in Rancho Mirage. Gus is an artist. Vanessa is an actress. Gus wants to be presented in a major exhibition for artists of color, so he hires Vanessa to perform as Balkonaé Townsend, a brash and political artist that will fit the museum’s desire for “new voices.” Everything is great, until Balkonaé takes over and Gus has to deal with the mess he’s made. This plays spins out of control as it explores issues of race, gender, sexuality, and art. Get tickets

The Desert Rose Playhouse presents Looped, by Matthew Lombardo, through February 10 and starring Judith Chapman as Tallulah Bankhead. During the Summer of 1965, an inebriated Bankhead entered a Los Angeles recording studio in an effort to re-record (or “loop”) a few lines of dialogue from her final film Die! Die! My Darling. Though Bankhead’s outsized personality dominates the session, this dramatic comedy involves her battle of wills with film editor Danny Miller, a conservative man who guards his own deep secret. Get tickets

Palm Canyon Theatre presents Guys and Dolls through February 12. Set in Depression-era Times Square, Guys and Dolls tells the overlapping stories of high-roller Sky Masterson, who falls in love with mission worker Sarah Brown, and lovable rapscallion Nathan Detroit, engaged for 14 years to Miss Adelaide, a headliner at the Hot Box Club. Nathan runs a famous floating crap game, and an ongoing plot line involves his quest for a safe place for the game as Adelaide continues her quest to convince him to marry her. Meanwhile, Sarah, mistakenly believing that Sky set up an illegal game at the mission, tries to fight her affection for the charismatic crapshooter. Get tickets

DJ Galaxy joins the KGAY lineup

Since K-Gay Radio debuted a month ago, the feedback has been amazingly enthusiastic, and new elements are being added all the time! You won’t want to miss the new Retro Mix Show by DJ Galaxy coming soon! Details on the John Taylor morning show next week. K-GAY 106.5