These days, there is never a dull moment! Whether it’s a fly on the Veep’s head or flying to and fro on Southwest Airlines, we talk about it each week on the #ILoveGayPalmSprings podcast. Shann and I had a full line up of guests talking about National Coming Out Day, our Bear Speed Dating and Desert AIDS Walk.
More good news on reopening despite being on the verge of returning to purple. Streetbar has reopened, soon to be followed by Blackbook. And in Cathedral City, the Mary Pickford has created a drive-in movie concept. The Tramway also opened this weekend.
We’re just putting the finishing touches on “Light Up the Night”, a Palm Springs Pride event co-sponsored by GayDesertGuide. We are calling on the community to light up their homes and businesses with pink or rainbow lights, to foster a spirit of community and solidarity and affirm their support for LGBTQ equality, equity, and diversity. We’ll have an online photo contest to announce soon. Speaking of pink, it’s Paint El Paseo Pink this weekend. Lots more happening… Always consult us first for the latest in what to do and where to go in the Coachella Valley and beyond!
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Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide
I Love Gay Palm Springs Podcast – Episode 66
This week, Shann Carr & Brad Fuhr talk National Coming Out Day with Jason Stuart and Belinda Carroll, who are putting on a virtual event on Sunday, Oct. 11. James Lindquist from DAP brings us to to date on Desert AIDS Walk and the new free home-based HIV test. Nino Eilets and Dr. Laura Rush dish on the debate, the pandemic and Bear Virtual Dating. Plus we have your weekend Top events and Hot Deals!
[Listen] or [Watch]
**Use discount code GDG10 to save 10% when you order from our podcast sponsor Out & About CBD.**
Big Gay Bear Hunt Virtual Speed Dating
Gay Desert Guide’s Fun & Games Dept. and TheMenEvent.com are hosting a Big Gay Bear Hunt Virtual Speed Dating evening on Saturday, October 10 at 6:00 p.m. Speed dating has never been more fun! We will make introductions, and you go on several short one-on-one dates (each lasting 5-6 minutes) then mingle with everyone with a fun game and have real conversation about dating. You could end up with a date, a friend or a business connection. This event is exclusively for Gay Men Of All Ages who love Bears! (see our other speed dating events for other ages and themes). Get tickets
Sunday, October 11 is a day to support LGBTQ individuals in “coming out of the closet.” National Coming Out Day has been celebrated in the United States since 1988, chosen because it is the anniversary of the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. It’s an opportunity to make the personal political by owning your identity in coming out to family, friends, and colleagues, living life openly, and combating the silence and ignorance that has fostered homophobia in the past. Here are some special hashtags for the day: #NationalComingOutDay #ComingOutDay #HappyComingOutDay #HappyNationalComingOutDay Learn more
Cinema ’62 A-Go-Go
The Palm Springs Cultural Center presents Cinema ’62 A-Go-Go on Saturday, October 10 from 3:00–6:00 p.m. This live virtual multi-media extravaganza is based on the book Cinema ’62: the Greatest Year at the Movies. There will be special guests, film talk, musical performances, cocktail demos, memories, and even dancing! Featuring Charles Phoenix, Ambassador of Americana, singer/pianist/recording artist Tony DeSare, Singer Mary Stanford, 1960s music expert and author Domenic Priore and singer Al Martino’s daughter, Alison Martino, authors Jeremy Arnold (Lawrence of Arabia: The 50th Anniversary, TCM: The Essentials) and Tom Santopietro (Considering Doris Day), plus, Stiletto City’s Kastle Wasserman with a cocktail demo. More info
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Palm Springs International Comedy Festival
Starting Sunday, October 11 and continuing through Sunday, October 18, the Palm Springs International Comedy Festival will feature great comedic talent from all over the world. The festival will have competitions in the following categories: Stand-up, Improv, Sketch, Feature Film, Short Film, TV Pilot, Web Series, Animation, and Music – all of which will be judged by a panel of accomplished industry influencers and creatives with the winners receiving awards and cash prizes. As part of the events, comedy icon Judy Tenuta will receive the ‘PSICF Lifetime Achievement Award’ recipient, and powerhouse Luenell will receive the ‘PSICF Breakthrough Award’ [Read more here]. For every Stand Up Competition Show, the ticket buying audiences viewing it will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite comedian. Get tickets
Indian Wells Arts Festival
The show will go on virtually for the Indian Wells Arts Festival this year, with live events Friday through Sunday, October 9, 10, and 11. Experience live video chats with the artists, demonstrations, activities and studio tours. An online Artist and Vendor Marketplace will feature paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, textiles, furniture and more. Free event. More info
Paint El Paseo Pink
The Desert Cancer Foundation presents the 14th Annual Paint El Paseo Pink as a virtual walk on Saturday, October 10 at 8:00 a.m., for breast cancer awareness, benefiting the cancer care needs of local valley residents. People can choose to walk in their own community, or in public parks and surrounding areas, individually or as teams. Using social media, they can post check-ins, images, live feeds and hashtags about their participation to further raise awareness and create community engagement in support of the event. More info
“Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” at PSCC Drive-In
The Palm Springs Cultural Center presents a new confectionary documentary this weekend at their Drive-In Experience, Friday through Sunday, October 9–11. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” features celebrated chef Yotam Ottolenghi, enlisted by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to organize a food gala inspired by the Met exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” The result is both an expression and critique of excess. Get tickets
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to Reopen
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will be taking reservations as it reopens for Friday through Monday service 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., with no walk-ins allowed. The world’s largest rotating tramcar will be limited to 10–12 passengers per trip, with face coverings required; the Tramway will also be performing temperature screenings and sanitization of tram cars between trips. More info
VirtuREAL Wine Tasting: French Wines
The crew at Bouschet invites you to a VirtuREAL Wine Tasting on Saturday, October 10 at 2:00 p.m. on Zoom and in person, this week featuring French Wines. Wine tasting includes a charcuterie sampling, the wine samples, tasting notes and 10% off featured wines. Pickup or delivery available, and seating is limited inside PS Air Bar and requires advance reservation by phone. More info
Dinner & Movie Flight
PS Air Bar is offering a “Dinner & Movie Flight” every Wednesday from 7:00–10:00 p.m. Join in for a fun night with friends, food and a different movie every week. Enjoy pizza, pork sliders, and free popcorn. Space is limited so buy tickets online or call for reservations. More info
Clothing Drive for Well in the Desert
CVRep is holding a clothing drive on Friday, October 9 from 3:00–6:00 p.m. in support of Well in the Desert. Bring in your unwanted clothes to help homeless people throughout our valley. Drive-up for contactless drop-off on the Lalo Guerrero side entrance to CVRep in Cathedral City, where volunteers will take your donation from your trunk or back seat. Donation receipts available.
Best of Coachella Valley 2020-2021
The Coachella Valley Independent has revealed the finalists in their Seventh Annual Best of Coachella Valley Readers’ Poll, covering categories from Best Art Gallery to Best Dive Bar and everything in between. You can weigh in to determine the winners, who will be announced in late November. Voting is now open through October 26. More info
Get Inspired by Artist Jim Isermann
The Palm Springs Art Museum is keeping you connected to the museum, even as they remain closed due to COVID-19. Their latest At-Home Activity invites you to get inspired by artist Jim Isermann. Follow the steps and submit a photograph of your final creation and they will be sharing a selection of submissions in the future! Get inspired
October is LGBT History Month:
31 Days, 31 Icons
LGBT History Month celebrates the achievements of 31 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender Icons. Each day in October, a new LGBT Icon is featured with a video, bio, bibliography, downloadable images and other resources. Come back to our LGBT History Month Page each day to learn something new! [See today’s Icon Here]
NEXT WEEK
70’s Happy Hour and Trivia Night
Gay Desert Guide’s Fun & Games Dept & TheMenEvent.com present 70’s Happy Hour and Trivia on Friday, October 18 at 5:00 p.m. Join us for a fun evening of stories, jokes, and 70s Trivia. Dress in your best 70’s/Disco themed outfit and meet new friends! Conversation can go anywhere, but it will be fun to make new friends in this time of social distancing. Shann Carr, your host for the evening, will guide the conversations and moderate. A round or two of 70’s Trivia will be held during the event as well. Get tickets
The Economic Future of the Coachella Valley
A free webinar series from the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, Palm Springs Life, and SBEMP Attorneys continues on Wednesday, October 14 at 2:00 p.m. to explore the question of how the Coachella Valley will bounce back from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this installment, “Education,” presenters Joel Kinnamon (College of the Desert), Jake Zhu (CSUSB Palm Desert), and Sandra Lyon (Palm Springs Unified School District) discuss the pandemic’s temporary and long-term effects on education as well as how our local institutions are innovating new ways to teach and learn. More info
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:
Social Caring in the Face of Quarantine with Alexis Ortega – Mondays at 11:00 a.m.
Zumba for Beginners with Shaun Samaro – Mondays at 10:00 a.m.
Knit Together with Doug Morris – Mondays & Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m.
Managing Emotions During a Pandemic with Jill Hingston, Ph.D – Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m.
Conversational Spanish with Guillermo Biro – Tuesdays at 2:00 p.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.
LGBTQ+ Youth Virtual Hangout with Miguel Navarro – Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m.
Seated Wellness with Lynn Simonson – Thursdays at 10:00 a.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.
Who Cares: Caregiver Support Group with Perry Wiggins – Fridays at 3:00 p.m.
Full list of The Center’s Zoom programs [here]
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Pinocchio in the Desert is a favorite among visitors and locals alike, and their air-cooled patio is a great spot for Sunday brunch, breakfast, or lunch. If you haven’t already, pick up our HOT DEAL: Get $25 of food and drink at Pinocchio in the Desert for just $17.50! That’s a savings of 30%! Get Your Deal
We also have Hot Deals at Destination PSP, Bouschet, Il Giardino, Runway, Peepa’s, Johannes, Dickey’s, and more! See All Deals