I’m in Atlanta attending the IGLTA LGBTQ travel conference and we’re learning about how you and I are feeling about travel, how we interact with others in our communities (especially the trans community), and many other topics that impact tourism, our #1 industry in Greater Palm Springs. I did my Friday update on KGAY 1065. Palm Springs with John Taylor this morning as we look at the weeenkend ahead.
It’s a solemn weekend as the 20th anniversary of the attacks of September 11 loom large on our collective psyches. We provide details on a number of ways you can participate and share in memorializing this tragic time in our history. Our rundown of the weekend’s activities follow and can always be accessed on GayDesertGuide.LGBT.
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Listen to my weekly updates on Monday and Fridays on KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs and the John Taylor morning show.
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide & KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs
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Telling Nicholas: A Film by James Ronald Whitney
The City of Palm Springs and Greater Palm Springs REALTORS® Present the 2003 Emmy award winning documentary, “Telling Nicholas” on Saturday, September 11 at 6:30 p.m. [View Trailer] The screening commemorates the 20-year Anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center Terrorist Attack. Filmmaker James Ronald Whitney will be present at Mary Pickford Theater’s Red Carpet Special Encore Presentation for a post-screening Q&A session, and included in the 9/11 commemorative program is Palm Springs Women in Film & Television’s short film, “Aftermath,“ a complimentary champagne reception ‘meet & greet’ with Palm Springs’ Mayor Christy Holstege, City Manager Justin Clifton, Fire Chief J. Kevin Nalder, County Supervisor Manuel Perez, and a host of other first responders and special guests, as well as performances by Keisha D and the Desert Winds Jazz Quartet. Proceeds benefit Variety of the Desert. More info
Palm Canyon Theatre Presents “The Guys”
On Saturday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 12 at 2:00 p.m., Palm Canyon Theatre presents The Guys, a play by Anne Nelson about the aftereffects of the collapse of the World Trade Center. Joan, an editor, helps Nick, a New York Fire Department captain, prepare the eulogies for the eight firefighters who died under his command that tragic day. Starring Judith Chapman and Michael Pacas. Get tickets
Unveiling of 9/11 Art Memorial in Cathedral City
The City Council, Cathedral City Public Arts Commission, and the Cathedral City Fire Department will officially unveil a new 9/11 art memorial on Saturday, September 11, at the new Cathedral City Fire Station starting at 8:15 a.m. and concluding with a Moment of Silence at 8:46 a.m. in recognition of the time when the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. More info
“The Modern Chair” Opens
Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center presents The Modern Chair from Thursday, September 9 through April 3, 2022. This special exhibition marks the reopening of the Architecture and Design Center, Edward Harris Pavilion, tracing the evolution of the modern chair. Discover the first cantilevered example by Mart Stam, and then onward to designs of current times including examples by Cini Boeri, Charles and Ray Eames, Frank Gehry, Eileen Gray, George Nakashima, Charlotte Perriand, Rudolph Schindler, and more. In total, The Modern Chair will include more than 50 works by designers of international scope. More info
Saturday Summerific Sing-A-Long Finale: MAMMA MIA!
The Palm Springs Cultural Center and The Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus present the conclusion of their All Summer Long Snazzy Sassy Songsational Summerific Sing-A-Long on Saturday, September 11. The final movie musical is “Mamma Mia!,” starring Meryl Streep as Donna, an independent hotelier in the Greek islands preparing for her daughter’s wedding with the help of two old friends. Meanwhile Sophie, the spirited bride, has a plan. She secretly invites three men from her mother’s past in hope of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day. And the whole thing is a big excuse to sing tons of fun ABBA songs! At 6:00 p.m., come for social hour in the VIP Lounge upstairs, with film at 7:00 p.m. featuring Rosemary Galore and songleaders from the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus hosting an evening filled with film, fun, and song. Get tickets
Caliente Comedy Night: Jamie Kennedy
Comedy Madness and Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs present Caliente Comedy featuring Jamie Kennedy on Friday, September 10 at 8:00 p.m. inside the Cascade Lounge. Actor, producer, and comedian, Jamie Kennedy has appeared in big Hollywood films like “Romeo + Juliet,” “Scream,” “As Good As It Gets,” and many more, created the TV hit “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment,” and Jamie can also be seen performing his stand up show around the country [Check him out on YouTube]. For over 10 years, Comedy Madness has produced thousands of shows in North America, including weekly showcases in Los Angeles at the Comedy Store, Laugh Factory and Ice House Comedy Club, and now they bring Caliente Comedy to Palm Springs with a different comedian featured every Friday. Upcoming comedians include: Ron Josol, Ocean Glapion, Craig Conant, Pablo Francisco, Kabir Singh, and Tom Arnold. Get tickets
Tower of Power and Average White Band
The Show at the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage presents Tower of Power & Average White Band on Saturday, September 11 at 8:00 p.m. Since its formation in Oakland, California in 1968, Tower of Power has forged a reputation as a crack band of high achieving musicians fluent in all realms of Soul, Rock and Pop music with a sophistication and punch like that of a Jazz big band. The interracial band became pillars and signatures of The Bay Area Music Scene that included pioneering like-minded bands such as Sly & The Family Stone, Cold Blood, Graham Central Station, The Pointer Sisters and The Sons of Champlin, plus rock-oriented outfits such as Santana, Betty Davis and Journey. Get tickets
Chicago Live in Concert
Fantasy Springs Resort Casino presents Chicago in concert on Saturday, September 11 at 8:00 p.m. Formed by a collective of college students in 1967, the band Chicago quickly made an impact on the world of rock music with its distinct jazz-infused sound. Boasting some of the most well-known hits in the American classic rock canon, Chicago continues to deliver high-energy performances featuring fan favorites like “25 or 6 to 4,” “Saturday in the “Park,” and “If You Leave Me Now.” Get tickets
The Rocky Horror Show Final Weekend
The Desert Rose Playhouse presents “The Rocky Horror Show,” running through Sunday, September 12. A humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple getting caught in a storm and coming to the home of a mad transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter. The doctor unveils his new creation, a sort of Frankenstein-style monster in the form of an artificially made, fully grown, physically perfect muscle man named Rocky, complete “with blond hair and a tan.” Get tickets
Women’s Monthly Walk
The LGBTQ Center of the Desert presents the Women’s Monthly Walk, a gentle walk led by Barbara and Gail on Sunday, September 12 at 8:00 a.m. at Covington Park Community Center in Morongo Valley. The walk lasts approximately 2 miles and will be followed by coffee and nibbles at 9:00 a.m. The Center will supply coffee, cups, napkins and cream and sugar. Also cookies. For location click here. Be sure to check The Center’s website and Women’s Weekly Newsletter for announcements of dates, times and locations. More info
Best of Coachella Valley Nomination Round
The first round of voting in The CV Independent Best of Coachella Valley 2021-2022 is about to close on Monday, so it’s your last chance to nominate your favorites in various categories from Arts to Nightlife, Family to Fashion, and Professionals to Food and Restaurants. This is fill-in-the-blank voting, so you can nominate whoever you feel is most deserved of the “Best” honor! This nomination round is open through Monday, September 13, with a final round of voting on finalists to follow. Nominate now
LOOKING AHEAD
Friday–Sunday, Sept. 17–19: Gay Days Anaheim
At Disneyland on the weekend of September 17–19, Gay Days Anaheim will “rechristen the park” with a sea of red shirts, and Friday, September 17 will feature two icons of the stage: first “An Intimate Conversation with Chita Rivera” followed by “An Evening with Audra McDonald.” There will be Gay Days activities at Disneyland park on Saturday and Disney’s California Adventure on Sunday, plus the Kingdom dance party on Saturday night, Plunge! pool party on Sunday, and shows from RuPaul’s Drag Race Stars Jackie Cox, Nina West, and Jan Sport [Read more]. This “family” gathering is a little different these days, as Disneyland requires park reservations (only available once you’ve purchased a ticket) for the specific days you wish to attend. More info
Friday, Sept. 17: Out on the Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain‘s annual “Out on the Mountain” LGBTQ Night returns on Friday, September 17 from 6:00 p.m.–1:00 a.m. The entire park goes gay for the night, which provides a safe and inclusive environment of fun for the LGBTQ community, with rides, dance parties, and performers, including music by DJ Ray Rhodes and performances by RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Trinity the Tuck and Morgan McMichaels. Get tickets
Cinema Diverse is Just One Week Away
Cinema Diverse, The Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival, takes place Thursday, September 16–Thursday, September 30, both in-theatre at the Palm Springs Cultural Center and streaming. Cinema Diverse is dedicated to advancing and further strengthening our diverse gay community through the establishment of a world-class film festival that presents lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cinema from around the world. Cloris Leachman‘s last film JUMP, DARLING officially opens the festival the evening of September 16. It’s a bittersweet story of a rookie drag queen, reeling from a breakup, who escapes to the country and finds his grandmother in steep decline but desperate to avoid a nursing home [View trailer]. Passes and tickets on sale now. More info
ELECTRICITY – The Hottest Play in Palm Springs
Oscar’s Downtown Palm Springs presents the play Electricity, resuming its record-breaking run as the longest running play in Palm Springs, every Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Written by Terry Ray and starring Ray & Mel England, it’s a deliciously hilarious, sexy and at times heartbreaking romance between Brad and Gary, once closeted gay classmates who make an unlikely couple after sharing a motel room following their 10th high school reunion. There’s an “electricity” between them (“Do you feel it?”) that brings them back to that same room after every successive reunion from 1983 to 2013. The Advocate calls Electricity “The hottest play in Palm Springs.” Get tickets
Jazzville Palm Springs: Stardust Revue
Jazzville, the live jazz scene presented by Barry Martin/DJ Baz and Take Five Entertainment, presents Stardust Revue on Thursday, September 16 at 7:00 p.m. at the vibrant Cascade Lounge inside Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs. This one-night-only showcase features a 9-piece troupe of musicians, showgirls, comedians, and burlesque artists, and it’s already SOLD OUT! Cocktails, wine and delicious small bites will be available to order and enjoy while bopping to the tunes of the evening. More info
International Bear Convergence 2022 – Get Tickets Now
The International Bear Convergence (IBC) is the premier event for Bears and Admirers, and organizers are working diligently to make IBC 2022 one hell of a party. February 24–27, 2022 will be an an amazing weekend of “Fun, Frolic & Fur,” after what seems to have been an eternity of isolation, and in the case of bears and friends—hibernation! If you have not done so yet and are planning on attending IBC 2022, the time to get your ticket is now. World-class DJs, awesome entertainers, and several surprises are in the works. IBC will always be a magical place to celebrate our diversity and to bring us closer together for four fun-filled days to truly shine and be ourselves with our fellow friends, and admirers. Get tickets
Welcome New Partners!
Rancho Relaxo is retail with a mission to inspire and delight. They believe commerce is a tool to drive sustainable growth, connecting customers with the craftsmen and artisans they love and empowering them through the cultivation of their unique style. Come learn possibilities for how you present yourself to the world in what you choose to wear, amplifying any aspect of your personality you want on any given day! Learn more
Ken Gentry Real Estate Better Homes & Gardens is a boutique brokerage with a global and international reach, representing Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley and all of California. With a background in business management and real estate, along with a nearly 20-year history of living in the Coachella Valley, Ken Gentry will guide you in the direction that best suits your needs. Learn more
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Rick Seidner’s Cuban and American style of preparing food has been a favorite place with the locals for many years at both Rick’s Restaurant and Rick’s Desert Grill. If you like a simple family-run restaurant that takes only the best ingredients and makes scrumptious home-cooked meals, Rick’s is for you! With this HOT DEAL, SAVE 40% and get a $25 gift card good at either Rick’s Restaurant or Rick’s Desert Grill for just $15.00! Get Your Deal
We also have Hot Deals at Thai Smile, Desert Mischief, Destination PSP, Grand Central, Lulu California Bistro, Runway, Monster Shakes, Bear Wear, V Wine Lounge, Johannes and more! See All Deals