Historic Downtown Ribbon Cutting; Barry Manilow on the Local Stage; Best of the Coachella Valley; Walk of the Inns & More

Historic Ribbon Cutting as Revitalized "Downtown" Opens

A historic renaissance is underway in Palm Springs! The City of Palm Springs and the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with P.S. Resorts, invite the entire Coachella Valley to a special grand opening ribbon cutting and time capsule dedication for the Downtown Revitalization public improvements along with a free Community Concert and Fireworks Spectacular on Thursday, Dec. 14 during Village Fest. The festivities kick off at 4 p.m. with the public dedication ribbon-cutting and time capsule ceremony on the new street facing the Palm Springs Art Museum, followed by free bundt cakes until they last and a Community Concert, presented in partnership with the Board of Directors of Academy of Musical Performance, (AMP), an innovative camp for local student musicians in the Coachella Valley and Goldenvoice, the producer of the Coachella Music & Arts Festival. Student band "Minor Emergency," managed by Mikael Jacobson, will take the stage at 5 p.m. followed by well known local Coachella Fest bands, "The Flusters" at 6 p.m. and headliner the "YIP YOPS" at 8 p.m. A spectacular 30-minute fireworks show will take place at 7:30 p.m., presented by local resident Harold Matzner.

Barry Manilow's A Gift of Love IV

From Wikipedia: Barry Manilow live at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN on January 11, 2008. Photo taken by Matt Becker from Row 8

Pop culture icon and music legend Barry Manilow will once again perform five holiday concerts to raise funds for 25 charities in the Coachella Valley.
Scheduled to take place at Palm Desert’s McCallum Theatre, Manilow’s A Gift of Love IV concerts will feature his hit songs and holiday favorites. His past holiday concerts have surprised audiences with a children’s choir, Santa Claus, and even snow!

Concerts are scheduled for December 12 and 13 and then again December 15, 16 and 17.

All tickets allow purchasers to designate which of the 25 charities benefit from their purchase. All undesignated proceeds are assigned to a general fund and are distributed equally among all the participating charities. Detailed information about the VIP Premium tickets is available online at www.agiftofloveiv.com. Tickets will not be available at the McCallum box office.

Mr. Manilow is contributing his performances to the A Gift of Love IV concerts and will not be compensated.

The 25 charities benefiting from the 2017 A Gift of Love IV concerts are:

ACT For MS
AAP-Food Samaritans
Angel View
Animal Samaritans
Barbara Sinatra Children's Center
Boys & Girls Club of Coachella Valley
California CareForce
College of the Desert Foundation
Desert AIDS Project
Desert Arc
Desert Cancer Foundation
The Desert Symphony
Gilda's Club Desert Cities
The Girlfriend Factor
Guide Dogs of the Desert
JFS of the Desert
The LGBT Community Center of the Desert
The Manilow Music Project
Martha's Village & Kitchen
McCallum Theatre Institute
"Paws and Hearts" Animal Assisted Therapy
S.O.S.
Tools for Tomorrow
United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire
The Well in the Desert

MORE INFO

PODCAST: Our Beloved Carolyn Caldwell Sits Down with KMC Chat

We love her, and Palm Springs Pride just honored her with The 2017 Friend of Pride Award, for a business and community leader who has stalwartly supported the LGBT community. KMC Chat sits down with the fascinating Carolyn Caldwell. Listen to the latest podcast here.

Best of Coachella Valley 2017-2018 Awards Show and Party!

Friday at 9 PM at The Hood Bar & Pizza, join the Coachella Valley Independent as they celebrate the winners of the Best of Coachella Valley 2017-2018!

After the awards, enjoy a performance by Best Local Band winners The Flusters! Admission is free and open to all (21 and over). It all takes place at reigning Best Dive Bar winner The Hood Bar and Pizza. More Info

7th Annual Clubs Fore Kids Golf Tournament

Wednesday at Escena from 8:00 a.m. until noon, the shotgun includes breakfast, tee prizes, a luncheon, raffle tickets and a silent auction.

The cost is $200 per player, with foursomes available at $700. The fee to attend only the lunch at Escena Grill is $45 and will begin immediately after the tournament finishes.

PSHA/PSRA will donate half of the tournament proceeds to Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs, which the Club uses to fund two scholarships for high school seniors who plan to major in hospitality in college. More Info

Walk of the Inns 2017

Walk of the Inns, set for Thursday from 4-8 PM, is a self-guided walking tour of Palm Springs’ unique collection of boutique hotels and historic inns. The city’s historic and mid-century modern gems are opening their doors for public tours as part of its annual ‘Walk of the Inns.” From 100-year old adobe inns to 1920s jewels to Mediterranean inspired villas, the “Walk of the Inns” is not to be missed. Inns participating in the event include Casa Cody, Old Ranch Inn, Orbit In, Korakia Pensione, Calla Lilly Inn and several others. The evening self-guided tour begins at any of the participating hotels or at Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Way, which will also provide free maps and flashlights for the walk.

Two Starting Points the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Palm Spring Womens Club, which will be hosting bake sale and have live entertainment. More Info

Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus Sings Joyful Traditions

In three concerts this weekend (although the Sunday matinee is SOLD OUT) in their new performance home, The Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus presents their holiday-themed Joyful Traditions – Friday and Saturday at 8 PM.

The music of Joyful Traditions will be a festive collection featuring all that is glorious with family and friends during the holidays. Imagine the melodic notes of Silent Night and the warmth of Grandma’s fruitcake while rejoicing with The Hallelujah Chorus. From O’ Come All Ye Faithful and aluminum Christmas trees to Hanukkah and holiday sweaters. This assemblage of Joyful Traditions will celebrate all the splendor and humorous holiday customs we share with our loved ones. More Info

PHOTO GALLERIES FROM "TONY IN PS"

On The Mark Grand Opening Tasting and Celebration

It was another one of those Palm Springs mega-openings, this time at new gourmet food and deli shop On The Mark Palm Springs. Fine food, beer and wine tastings… live dj, photo booth and over a hundred people!

Speaking of Mark, Executive Chef / Owner Mark Mark VanLaanen
has enjoyed a successful career for over 25 years in the restaurant industry. Mark has owned a number of different restaurants in Door County Wisconsin such as the Village café, a local hot spot for breakfast and lunch and would feature nightly traditional Door county fish boils. Mark has been a resident of Palm Springs for 5 year’s currently working with the Palm springs High School Art’s program as a mentor to kids that have interests in the culinary world. Enjoy the photos here.

A Sold-Out Holiday Socks Captured by "Tony in PS"

Holiday Socks was a holiday fundraiser for The LGBT Sanctuary Palm Springs—a transitional housing program for LGBTQ foster youth—which was held at Spencer's Bougainvillea Room on December 3, 2017. See the photos!

HAPPY HOUR FINDER

The Gay Desert Guide team would like to give a shout out and a warm welcome to Rob, the new owner of Palm Springs' Neighborhood Leather Levi bar, Tool Shed! And in case you didn’t know, Tool Shed has Happy Hour daily from 10am to 8pm with well drinks as low as $3.50, $2 beers and much more!

Lulu California Bistro is a favorite among many. And behind every great restaurant is a great owner or in this case owner(s). Barbara and Jerry Keller who own Lulu are a one of a kind duo! We would like to give a shout out to Jerry Keller who recently appeared in the Handsome Hounds fashion show benefiting the Animal Samaritans of the Desert! He looked smashing on the runway with his fabulous pup! Head over to Lulu, they have happy hour ALL DAY, and if you see the Kellers, be sure to say hello!

C'Mon, C'Mon, Get Happy!

Thai Smile, at 100 S. Indian Canyon Drive, is a Palm Springs gem in the perfect location! The menu offers healthy, high-quality flavors from Thailand. They have a full bar and happy hour specials too! With this deal, you can enjoy $50 worth of delicious food and drinks for 30% off!

How would you feel if we said you could do some gourmet shopping for 1/3 off the price? We are offering a $15 gift card for On the Mark for only $10! On The Mark is a one-of-kind gourmet food market and deli, where you can find all sorts of artisan craft goods and high-quality specialty foods that you can't find at your local grocery store. This is a great deal just in time for the Holidays. Not to mention it makes a perfect stocking stuffer!

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