The dog days of… July??? We endured a hot weekend, but @JerrySteffen from @NBCPalmSprings tells us Sunday’s 121 high was still 2 degrees off the record high. Jerry’s furloughed colleague, Bryan Gallo, joined us last Thursday for the #ILoveGayPalmSprings Podcast with a robust discussion on race and some of our local history.
Visit Apple Podcasts and follow us to get notified of each episode or just subscribe to the Oasis Insiders newsletter that we put out each Thursday. Sign up this week and you’ll be registered to win a $25 gift card from our friends at Grocery Outlet. Be sure to check the box for special emails from Shann Carr and our new Fun & Games Department. We have a full lineup of Virtual events like Big Gay Trivia and dating!
And thanks to Nicholas Snow at @PromoHomoTV for having me on his new Hot In Palm Springs show. We’re happy to partner with him!
I’m in Sonoma this week for Gay Wine Week and will have details on the virtual Saturday night Tea Dance in Thursday’s edition.
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide.
The Fun and Games Department of Gay Desert Guide, along with TheMenEvent.com, is planning a fun-filled month of virtual events hosted by Shann Carr, from Trivia and Game Nights on Tuesdays to Speed Dating Saturdays where you could meet a date, a friend, or a business connection.
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide himself, joined Producer/Host Nicholas Snow on “Hot in Palm Springs,” on Snow’s new PromoHomo.TV network for an up close and personal interview. Check it out!
Big Gay Zoom That Tune – July 13
The Men Event and Gay Desert Guide present the Big Gay Zoom That Tune Interactive Game Show on Monday, July 13 at 4:15 p.m. Join the fun for lots of laughing, socializing and Type A competitiveness as you test your knowledge of music in this fun interactive event. All of your favorite songs are in play including classics, pop, broadway, diva anthems, rock and more. Earn extra points by answering bonus questions. DJ Stevie Beat is famous for his gay Zoom That Tune games and this event promised to get you laughing and interacting with the other players. Get tickets
Kaye Ballard Documentary Premiere
Frequent Palm Springs performer Kaye Ballard was a once-in-generation singer, a widely acclaimed actress, trail-blazing comedian, and virtuoso instrumentalist. Her career spanned eight decades, from big bands to Broadway, radio to recordings, and television to the big screen, and now she is featured in a new documentary, Kaye Ballard – The Show Goes On, streaming premiere screenings on Tuesday, July 14 at 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, July 15 at 12:00 p.m. Both screenings will have pre and post-show surprises you won’t want to miss! The film reflects on Ballard’s achievements, featuring rare archival footage and interviews with her famous pals. Includes scenes shot at The Purple Room in Palm Springs. RSVP Required. More info
Virtual Gay Wine Week
Sonoma’s Gay Wine Weekend, produced by Out in the Vineyard, is going virtual this year with interesting, illuminating and fun events in the virtual space. All you have to do is sit back, uncork a bottle or two of Sonoma Wine, and join online! Look for reports from Brad Fuhrlive from Sonoma. [More info] – Events include:
Colors of Wine Country on Friday, July 17 at 6:00 p.m. – A conversation with Black leaders in the wine/hospitality industry.
Virtual Wine Tour on Saturday, July 18 at 10:00 a.m. – A virtual journey through the Sonoma Valley, exploring the best wines of the region.
Virtual Twilight T-Dance on Saturday, July 18 at 5:00 p.m. – Featuring past T-Dance DJ’s spinning for your at-home dance party, with special performances from Transcendence Theatre Company and more.
Drag Queen Bingo, Bubbles & Wine Auction on Sunday, July 19 at 10:00 a.m. – Join hostess Ruby Red Munro for some much needed fun and stay for the annual Wine Auction.
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Greek Mom’s Live Interactive Advice Show
The Men Event and Gay Desert Guide present Greek Mom’s Live Interactive Advice Show on Wednesday, July 15 from 6:00–7:00 p.m. on Zoom. Greek Mom will insult and inform in her Live Interactive Advice Show: “You want my advice? Good! Looks like you need it. Your life is a mess, but I’m here to help!” In this live improv advice show, the bombastic but tough “Greek Mom” will answer your questions on love, life and dealing with cousins you hate (don’t get her started about Toula). Get tickets
Virtual Events at The Center
Looking for connection in this time of self-isolation? The LGBT Center of the Desert continues to connect people, using the technology of group-meeting platform Zoom, which you can use on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Here’s just a taste of the programs they are hosting:
The California Men’s Gathering, Desert Cities Chapter presents an online seminar, Talking About Race Matters: For Gay Men on Tuesday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m. to help you grapple with a “new normal” in race relations. Jeffon Seely and Joe Hooper have spent the last two months engaged in weekly online conversations about race and will discuss how conversations might be especially difficult for gay men, who may empathize in being victims of discrimination but who may also just be becoming aware of systemic racism or how to talk about it. More info
Christmas in July on Revry
If you’d like to skip ahead–if only in your mind–to the holidays, Revry is celebrating Christmas in July with a selection of holiday-themed queer TV. Sing along with the Christmas Queens, tag along on an awkward Christmas Eve hookup, and feel the same-sex tension on a conservative Christmas tree farm in Texas.We are thrilled to partner with Revry to offer you a FREE 1 month Revry Premium subscription. Use Promo Code: M213. Visit Revry [here]. On socials @revrytv
Musculoskeletal Disorders: Relief is Possible
The LGBT Community Center of the Desert and Eisenhower Health present Treatment of Musculoskeletal Disorders: Relief Is Possible on Wednesday, July 15 from 5:30–6:30 p.m. Join Rajiv Tailor, MD, Sports Medicine Specialist, to hear about the non-surgical treatment options available. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are conditions that can affect muscles, bones and joints including conditions like tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and osteoarthritis. Sports Medicine Specialists undergo extensive training in musculoskeletal medicine and are highly capable in the management of these problems, bridging the spectrum from acute injury to rehabilitation. More info
At Home with Josh Nelson
CVRep’s Theatre Thursday presents Theatre Thursday Jazz Night with Josh Nelson on Thursday, July 16 at 6:00 p.m. Renowned jazz artist and composer Josh Nelson will perform selections from the classic Great American Songbook, as well as some of his original music. Find out more about this talented artist and composer during the Question & Answer session.
Free event, registration required. More info
Hugh Kaptur Online Exhibition
The Palm Springs Art Museum presents another installment in their series of online exhibitions: Hugh Michael Kaptur, Palm Springs architect with a unique signature style inspired by American Southwest indigenous dwellings, desert architecture, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West. Many of his projects are recognizable for their thick blank whitewashed walls, inset windows with protruding surrounds, and wide overhangs to protect the structures from absorbing the intense desert heat. See photographs, sketches, and informational descriptions in beautiful full-screen slideshow [here].
Jazz in the Pines
Idyllwild Arts Academy has reimagined their popular annual fundraiser, Jazz in the Pines, with a lineup of live and recorded performances and workshops to be streamed online July 5–17. Jazz In The Pines includes public performances, an “In Conversation” series with the artists, open masterclasses, and special events. The festival is free and open to all, catering to everyone from seasoned Jazz fans to those new to the scene. More info
Policing, Race Relations, Discrimination and Related Issues
Join the Palm Springs City Council in a Town Hall Zoom listening session on Policing, Race Relations, Discrimination and Related Issues on Saturday, July 18 at 11:00 a.m. Instructions for viewing the session and providing written, telephonic, or recorded audio/video comments are provided on our event page: More info
LOOKING AHEAD
This Weekend: Virtual San Diego Pride LIVE
On what would normally be Pride Parade and Festival Day, Saturday, July 18, San Diego Pride will bring you their first-ever PRIDE LIVE: TOGETHER WE RISE. This day-long event will showcase community organizations, volunteers, leaders, elected officials, businesses, and of course entertainers that make Pride possible every year. More info
New Dates: Palm Springs International Film Festival
The Palm Springs International Film Society is preparing for the 32nd edition of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, typically held in January, but this year the festival has been moved to run February 25–March 8, 2021 with the Film Awards Gala on February 25. Film Awards seats and tables and Festival passes will go on sale in October and individual tickets will go on sale closer to the festival. More info
Big Bear ROMP Free-For-All
While Big Bear ROMP 2020 has been officially canceled due to COVID-19 (all passes will automatically transfer to next year’s event), they will be holding three FREE happenings on the weekend that would have been this year’s ROMP. They will take place safely in the host hotel’s large outdoor amphitheater on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22. Events include: Phil’s Twisted Trivia and Anything Goes, Babette’s Boozy Bingo, and Mountain of Laughs Comedy Night. No need to register, just show up! More info
