One of the Twitter feeds I follow religiously is that of The Devil (@LucifersTweetz) who quipped “What doesn’t kill you mutates and trys (sic) again”. And so the variants are making our collective lives a living hell. Masks are back on and vaccination proof will need to be shown in order to eat/drink on Arenas, frolic at Splash House and for many other events.
It’s easy to get your proof of immunization and we have the details below. After another week of record heat (are we in hell?), the first weekend of August offers up the Ace Hotel’s Craft Beer Fest, plus we highlight summer dining options, movies and more in this weekend’s rundown.
And a big thank you to everyone who has been welcoming the merger of Gay Desert Guide and KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs! I’ll be appearing each Monday and Thursday to provide an audio digest of this blog. And our team is continuing to find great songs – old and new-ish – to play again on the radio. No matter where you live, just ask Siri or Alexa to “Play K-Gay Palm Springs”. It’s like tapping together your ruby slippers and knowing “There’s no place like #ILoveGayPalmSprings”.
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide & KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs
P.S. If you’re not getting the weekly “Oasis Insiders” newsletter, please sign up today so we can stay in touch.
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Arenas Bars Band Together: Proof of Vaccination Required
Effective Friday, August 6, the bars on Arenas Road in downtown Palm Springs are taking steps to protect their customers and staff from COVID-19 in light of the recent surge of the Delta variant. Because their businesses encourage social interaction among unmasked individuals, proof of vaccination or a negative test result within the last 72 hours will be required for entry to: Streetbar, Quadz, Hunters, Blackbook, Eagle 501, Chill Bar, and Stacy’s.
The City of Palm Springs is backing up businesses by approving new safety requirements: Effective immediately, masks are required in indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status. And by Thursday, August 26, proof of vaccination (or negative COVID-19 test) will be required indoors at restaurants and bars. The same will also be required of city-permitted large events such as Splash House and The Dinah. Learn more
How to Get Your Digital Proof of Vaccination
You can carry around your vaccination card, but it’s not wallet-sized, and better kept in a safe place while you take your very own uniquely generated QR code which contains a digital copy of your vaccination record! Just go to the State of California’s Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record portal at myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov and enter your First and Last Name, Date of Birth, and provide a cell phone or email that would be associated with your record when you got vaccinated. You’ll choose a 4-digit pin and then receive a link to retrieve your COVID-19 vaccine record code. Get yours
Craft Beer Weekend at The Ace
Ace Palm Springs presents the return of their Craft Beer Weekend this Saturday & Sunday, August 7 & 8, from noon–3:00 p.m. each day. It’s their ninth annual frothy festival celebrating the micro-brewers, hop heads, cask masters and maltsters who make the world a better place for beer lovers everywhere. Over 30 local, regional, national and international craft breweries will keep the golden elixir flowing while live music plays. Ticket price includes unlimited beer tastings and a BBQ lunch with traditional or vegan selections. Get tickets
Greater Palm Springs Summer Eats Pass
Want to save on the best of Greater Palm Springs restaurants with a free and easy-to-use passport that lives on your phone and doesn’t even require a special app? The Summer Eats Pass helps you save and discover new ways to savor summer as you explore the deals offered by participating restaurants, from special prix fixe menus to free items with purchase and more. And just by using it to check in, you are automatically entered in a weekly drawing for a $50 gift card! Get yours
Registration Now Open for Desert AIDS Walk 2021
Registration is now open for the 2021 Desert AIDS Walk, presented by Desert Care Network, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 30. This annual event represents our community’s largest gathering of HIV advocates, walking toward ending the HIV and AIDS epidemics in the Coachella Valley. This year we will be all together in-person again, beginning at Ruth Hardy Park and following a route through downtown Palm Springs. The family and pet-friendly event includes a Health and Wellness Village presented by Walgreens. Proceeds fund the vital work of DAP Health, previously Desert AIDS Project, an advocacy-based healthcare organization that provides service to more than 10,000 individuals. More info
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RuPaul Recaps by Dante: All-Stars Season 6
Our Special Drag Correspondent Dante Noto is faithfully watching and reporting on all the weekly victories and defeats in the world of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 6. Read all of Dante’s recaps back to the season premiere [here] and check out his recap of the latest episode, “Snatch Game of Love,” where the queens do celebrity impersonations including Phyllis Diller, Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, Kim Cattrall, Divine, LaToya Jackson and more. Read it!
Haute Chile at Agua Caliente Cathedral City
Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City presents its first major concert event, Haute Chile, the high-energy and high-fashion show band, on Saturday, August 7, at 9:00 p.m. for an exclusive one-night event. See Haute Chili in action for a preview of the show. They mix the best of Jazz, Motown, Latin, Disco, show-stopping choreography, and an amazing visual and musical performance. The performance is free of charge, with priority seating reserved for ACE Club members. More info
First Friday Art Walk on Perez Road
Cathedral City’s First Friday Art Walk is taking place this Friday, August 6 from 5:00–8:00 p.m on Perez Road. This free event features 9 contemporary art galleries and 3 mid-century home stores. Wear your mask and social distance and take in some amazing art! More info
“The Great American Trailer Park Musical” – Final Weekend
The Desert Rose Playhouse presents “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” running now through Sunday, August 8. It explores the relationships between the tenants at the Armadillo Acres Trailer Park in Starke, Florida, particularly between Pippi, “the stripper on the run,” the Dr. Phil-loving agoraphobic, Jeannie, and Jeannie’s tollbooth-collector husband, Norbert. Check out the CV Independent Review [here], which says “If you could use a break from the real world for a couple of hours…the cast is clearly having a ball—and you will, too.” Get tickets
Summerific Sing-A-Long: SOUTH PACIFIC
The Palm Springs Cultural Center and The Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus present The All Summer Long Snazzy Sassy Songsational Summerific Sing-A-Long. This week, on Saturday, August 7, the evening’s movie musical is Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “South Pacific,” starring Mitzi Gaynor as Ens. Nellie Forbush. At 6:00 p.m., come for social hour in the VIP Lounge upstairs, to mingle with your fellow movie musical enthusiasts and enjoy cocktails, mocktails & soda; spontaneous singing encouraged! Dress for the songsational occasion, and at 7:00 p.m. join host Rosemary Galore and songleaders from the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus for an evening filled with film, fun, and song. The Summerific Sing-A-Long series is a joint fundraiser for Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus and Palm Springs Cultural Center and continues with a different film every Saturday through September 11. Get tickets
Intensive Story-Slam Weekend with Mina Hartong
The LGBTQ Center of the Desert presents an Intensive Story-Slam Weekend w/Mina on Saturday & Sunday, August 7 & 8, from 12:00–3:00 p.m. on Zoom. Humor and storytelling bring our community together. After a difficult year, let’s gather and share stories. In this intensive weekend workshop, solo performer and comedian Mina Hartong will guide you to a three minute live performance of your story or spoken word poem. As an LGBTQIA community we need to document and cherish our wealth of stories and experiences across the ages. Registration required. More info
Jo Koy Just Kidding World Tour
The Show at the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage presents three SOLD OUT performances of the Jo Koy Just Kidding World Tour this weekend, August 6, 7 & 8. Fresh off the release of his highly anticipated Netflix special, Comin’ In Hot, (streaming now), the comedian is currently on the first leg of his Just Kidding World Tour. More info
Taste of Summer Rancho Mirage: Final Week
The heat is ON and that means Taste of Summer Rancho Mirage is back, now through August 15. Here’s how it works: Purchase your $10 wristband online or in person at various locations, then visit participating restaurants to enjoy their Taste of Summer offers and deals on appetizers, drinks or desserts. Not only do you benefit from the savings, the proceeds from the sale of wristbands go to help the Chamber of Commerce, the Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory Foundation, and the charity you choose from the list. It’s a win/win all the way around! More info
LOOKING AHEAD
Tickets on Sale for October Events: Modernism Preview and Leather Pride
Palm Springs Leather Pride is back October 28–31, unleashing a scorching hot weekend of bar and dance events, pool parties, cruising and social favorites, as well as The Mister Palm Springs Leather Contest. After over a year of lockdown, the jailhouse doors swing wide open with Unlocked: Full Release. Package Tickets for Palm Springs Leather Pride 2021 are on sale as of Monday, August 2 at 8:00 a.m., with tickets to individual events going on sale Monday, August 9. More info
Tickets are on sale now (As of Sunday, August 1) for Modernism Week Fall Preview, taking place October 14–17, 2021. The Fall Preview is a four-day long “mini-Modernism Week” featuring more than 50 events, including tours, talks, and parties in unique locations not regularly open to the public. Spaces fill up quickly, so make sure to reserve your tickets soon. Fall Preview also includes the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale Fall Edition. More info
Next Week: Virtual Events at The Center
The LGBTQ Community 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 their programs:
Social Caring in the Face of Quarantine with Ortega – Mondays at 11:00 a.m.
Zumba for Beginners with Shaun Samaro – Mondays at 10:00 a.m.
Managing Emotions During a Pandemic with Jill Hingston, Ph.D – Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m.
Prostate Cancer Support Group – 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m.
Trans Tuesdays with Jill Hingston, Ph.D – Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.
Women’s Chat with Kim Kieler – Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.
Men’s Chat with Stuart Huggins – Fridays at 10:30 a.m.
LGBTQ+ Youth Virtual Hangout with Miguel Navarro – Fridays at 2:00 p.m.
Who Cares: Caregiver Support Group with Perry Wiggins – Fridays at 3:00 p.m.
Full list of The Center’s Zoom programs [here]
Welcome New Partner!
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