“Survey says”...the United Way of the Desert knows how to put the f-u-n in fundraising! I am honored to be a part of the 23rd annual “Rockin’ VIP Challenge” event at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa in Indian Wells. The public is also invited to experience this fun and exciting evening firsthand.
This year’s overall event theme is “The...
When you sign a Trust Agreement, you are turning over legal title, or ownership, of the funds, stocks or other property to another. You, as the person who sets up the Trust, are “the Trustor” or “the Settlor”. The person or institution that holds title to your Trust is “the Trustee”. You may be your own “Trustee”, but you...
To be a devotee of the Innocence Mission, one must
practice the virtue of patience. The band has been around for
24 years, but they have released only 10 albums.
Bassist Mike Bitts, Drummer Steve Brown, Guitarist Don
Peris and Karen Peris (ne’ McCulloch) on keyboards and vocals,
met as teenagers. All four performed in a high school production
of “Godspell” in their hometown of...
By Lisa Morgan
You never know what to expect when you get the opportunity to interview someone who is at the pinnacle of success in their field of entertainment. Granted it was a phone interview, but one can feel pretty darn small during those minutes preceding a conversation to someone who seems a bit larger than life and to whom...
Book Review by Heidi Simmons
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Beautiful Ruins
Jess Walters
Fiction
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A romantic novel, Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins (Harper, 352 pages) spans five decades, incorporates exotic locations and has multiple characters that tell a story about love and ambition.
Beautiful Ruins begins in 1962 on the little (fictional) Italian island called Porto Vergogna, translated Port of Shame, that once served as a brothel. It’s where...
For our readers out there in the greater Coachella Valley who have never attended La Quinta Arts Festival, or haven’t been in awhile, THIS event is the one not to be missed. It’s #1 and it’s in your own back yard. So what exactly makes La Quinta’s show the BEST?
For starters, La Quinta Civic Center Campus is The Best...
Hiroshima will headline Grooves on the Green, an evening of world class music in a beautiful setting under the stars at Indian Wells Golf Resort and is sponsored by Miramonte Resort & Spa. The concert is set for Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 7:30 pm. Guest vocalist Terry Steele (former Hiroshima lead vocalist) joins the 2010 Grammy nominated band....
By H. Simmons -
The smallest incorporated community in the CV is Indian Wells. It is just over 14 square miles and has 5,000 households. Approximately 2,000 of the residents reside in the town year-round and the population swells to 9,000 in season. Located between Palm Desert and La Quinta, on both side of highway 111, Indian Wells is a...
by Rachel Montoya -
Miramonte Resort & Spa introduces “Sassy and Sultry,” a weekly happy hour event showcasing select wines and smooth sounds with “songbird” Gina Carey, happening every Thursday from 5 to 8 pm in the resort’s Vineyard Lounge.
“Sassy and Sultry” highlights a different winery each month with flights of wine from the featured winemaker. On occasion representatives from...
By Lisa Morgan -
American Parlor Songbook will be a weekly podcast hosted by JP Houston live from his piano at the Ace Hotel’s Amigo Room. This unique variety and delivery of entertainment from an experienced composer and showman could prove to be just what our desert needs, bringing back all that was good and endearing of the old timey...
By Lisa Morgan -
I’m going to predict that the U.S. Geological Survey folks will be getting readings regarding strong seismic activity this Friday with all fingers pointing toward the epicenter, The Hood Bar and Pizza. The Hood presents three bands each of which include some home grown musical excellence in the collective genres of reggae, electronic, dub, rock, hip...
By Lisa Morgan -
BB King 101: “When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille” says the legend. Lucille is the name BB King christened his guitar with when, in 1949, while playing at a dance hall in Arkansas, a barrel half-filled with kerosene, lit to warm...
Getting an interview with Alex Haagen IV is not an easy task, but several weeks ago I was fortunate enough to secure an in person sit down with this extremely busy man, who, along with his father, Alex Haagen the III, own the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio. Most people know the Empire Polo Grounds as the place where...
By H. Simmons -
There is a new generation of valley visitors that are more familiar with the name “Coachella” than any other valley city. Though the City of Coachella does not host the globally renowned music festival, it is a city that proudly boasts our valley’s actual moniker.
With a growing population of 45,000, the majority of the residents of...
By Lisa Morgan -
I truly relish the chance to tell my readers (especially the women) how difficult my job is. One such opportunity was when I received a PRIVATE CONCERT from the boys of Penny Unniversity. It was just me, the band, a pizza and the amazing listening adventure that is the Penny U experience. Hearing them live for...
Are you ready to dance? Are you ready to taste Crater Lake martinis and specialty drinks? Are you ready to experience Stars of national contemporary Jazz/Pop artists for a great price with drinks and food included? Are you ready for the best new music series in the desert? Are you ready for JAZZ TASTINGS 2?
The first JAZZ TASTINGS was...
Story and pictures by Mike Bennett The Desert View tower and boulder park In-ko-pa trail - Jacumba California, 91934 -
Me and my babe love to go to Mexico at least once every three months. We usually just go to Mexicali, but this time I talked her into going to Tecate instead so we could stop and see the Desert...
It seems that a few years ago whenever some wine nut—or worse, a wine snob, would talk about or describe a wine with so many esoteric terms, we’d all roll our eyes and find any reason to get out of that conversation. These days, with so many wine lovers confident in their own description of what they like, some...
Valley Rhythms by Lola Rossi-Meza
After finishing my performance at a private party with my husband, pianist and vocalist Johnny Meza, on Valentine’s Day last Thursday, I was headed home but decided to stop by the Agua Caliente Casino to play poker. He went to his late night gig at The Desert Sage in La Quinta, where he performs from...
ShareKitchen is pleased to invite you to an exclusive evening of delectable delights, drinks and dessert on Saturday, March 2nd with Patrick Evans, Senior Meteorologist of KPSP Channel 2, Host of ‘Eye on the Desert’ and Culinary Maestro.
The evening celebrating Patrick’s Italian heritage begins at 6:30pm with passed hors d’oeuvres and bubbles followed by a seated four course dinner...
A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD
It had to happen. And don’t blame old man Bruce Willis for the monumentally disappointing fifth entry in the franchise that began 25 years ago. It all starts with great promise. The first 20 or so minutes are filled with eye-ball popping, jaw-dropping non-stop action. And then it starts to spiral downhill into a...
Who would think that the danger exists in doing such a daily household chore such as laundry? Recent incidents across the country point to the dangers of dryer fires. In fact, on average, over 13,000 fires start in our laundry rooms in the United States each year, resulting in deaths and close to $10 million in property damage says...
Unwanted animals are sometimes dropped off in rural areas by callous owners. The car door swings open and the dog is gently pushed out, left behind; confused, alone, and sometimes he may run after the car that contained the only family he ever knew. Without food and water, abandonment can be an agonizing death sentence for a domestic animal....
While I enjoy dining in the many fine restaurants here in the Coachella Valley, there are some casual restaurants that provide a high quality experience for a fraction of the price. One of my favorite restaurants that my children also enjoy is Stuft Pizza in Old Town La Quinta. This restaurant boasts a very large menu that is certain...
Two weeks ago, I focused on the changing face of retail. Long-time well-known retailers are fading from the business landscape while others are emerging. These changes are even more pronounced in the restaurant business where large restaurant chains often struggle to stay current and relevant with changing consumer preferences such as the current movement toward healthful, organic and locally...
This week we will discuss joint pain. Many of us have it, and I have been changing my diet in an effort to resolve my pesky joint aches that flare up once in a while.
The most noticeable change I had was when I cut way back on sugar, including foods that turn into sugar once you digest them. My...
Week of February 21
© Copyright 2013 Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the course of her world travels, writer Jane Brunette has seen many wonderful things -- as well as a lot of trash. The most beautiful litter, she says, is in Bali. She loves the "woven palm leaf offerings, colorful cloth left from a ceremony, and flowers that...
The Valley is gaining a new high school on the western side of our valley. According to the Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD) website, “Rancho Mirage High School (RMHS), PSUSD’s fourth comprehensive high school, is currently under construction on 60 plus acres near the Da Vall Drive and Ramon Road in the City of Rancho Mirage. With a...
Growing up living a very modest lifestyle as the daughter of farm workers, Rosie Welmas was familiar with the struggles of a low-income family. For Rosie, playing sports was her way of fitting in and feeling accepted, regardless of her family’s economic status. From the very start, Rosie knew she wanted to help kids who struggled like her to...
Last week I shared with our readers my favorite saying: People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan! This goes for everything from a will and health care directive to having the phone number of a plumber, electrician, doctor and attorney by your phone so that when you need to get help you do not have to look...
Greg Brown is the best singer-songwriter you’ve never
heard of. A hardcore troubadour in the tradition of Woody Guthrie.
Brown was born in Hacklebarney, Iowa. His father was a
Pentacostal Preacher (who later embraced the Baha’i faith) from
the Ozarks. His guitar-playing mother grew up in a musical family
on a farm in southern Iowa.
Brown grew up loving music but had an epiphany at
age...
Book Review by Heidi Simmons
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I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman
Nora Ephron
Memoir
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There are some women who are able to blaze a trail, set the world on fire and then leave it smoldering. Nora Ephron did just that. It may not have been a Russian meteor size trail, but her life and work had...
By Judith Salkin -
Albert Frey, Donald Wexler, William F. Cody, William Krisel and Stewart Williams all found a relatively blank architectural canvas when they arrived in the desert in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s.
What they created in the arid climate is a landscape filled with beautiful examples of both commercial and residential buildings that espouse the concepts of midcentury...
Over the past eight years, what started as an event with the aim of educating Coachella Valley residents on the importance of the buildings designed by men like Albert Frey, Donald Wexler, William F. Cody and A. Quincy Jones, and how to live in a midcentury home, has captured an audience of enthusiasts from as far away as Germany...
What started out as three-day weekend salute to the midcentury modern homes and buildings in Palm Springs just eight years ago, Palm Springs Modernism Week is now spans 11 days and dozens of events.
From bus and walking tours of Palm Springs’ buildings to lectures and films, retro cocktail parties, pre-fad design house and expo, slide shows and the annual...
Dearest Molly,
When we met six years ago in San Diego I never thought that someday we would be living and working in Palm Springs together. I am so thankful that we decided to move to Palm Springs and start a new chapter in our life three years ago. Working together has been awesome, especially since Bar has been open....
By Lisa Morgan -
I think there are perhaps more people like me than there are people like Darren and Kandie. I, like so many others, have experienced on more than one sad occasion the painful demise of a marriage and broken family and have struggled to pick up the pieces in the aftermath. The most painful part of these...
By Lisa Morgan -
This is the love story for those experienced in both the hopefulness of marriage and the deep disappointment of divorce. It is a story for those struggling to be the best single parent they can be, while wondering if they will ever feel that sense of wholeness as an individual or a family again. This is...
By Lisa Morgan -
I love exceptions to the rule. I idealize people who win against the odds. I love this story and idealize the people in it: This is the love story of Lauri Bono and Kal David.
It was 1977 in Woodstock, New York. Music was all the buzz in the artsy little community. Kal David was a rock...
by Lisa Morgan -
This couple knew during the two hour phone call that preceded their “blind date” that theirs was going to be a special relationship. Patti Pivaar, a young singer/actress, captain of the Dean Martin Show’s Golddiggers and very eligible bachelorette, was set up with Dale Gribow, a prominent trial attorney, president of the Beverly Hills Men’s Charities...
By H. Simmons -
On the north side of Interstate 10, the nearly 24 square miles of Desert Hot Springs sits on the valley’s west end. The city’s back is set against the vast Joshua Tree National Park. It has its own water supply, both hot and cold. The city’s hillside views include the sparkling towns and spectacular mountains of...
"Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me." ~ Sandra Bernhardt.
As the title proposes, there’s a trinity of endearment that appears eternal: we love wine, we love food and we love love.
So many of our well known restaurants in town are enjoying that special Valentine’s Day prix fixe romantic dinner such as Pinzimini,...
by Lola Rossi-Meza
Smooth jazz saxophonist, composer and producer Jeanette Harris continues as the second top notch musician featured in the new music concert series JAZZ TASTINGS™ produced by Patte Purcell of Muze Music on Saturday, February 23, from 6 until 9 p.m. at the Emerald Desert RV Resort Ballroom, 76-000 Frank Sinatra Drive in Palm Desert. Her band members...
By Rachel Montoya
The Palm Springs Classic will be held Saturday, February 16, 2013, at the Renaissance Esmeralda, in Indian Wells. This will be a unique, one of a kind event to the desert and one that you will be talking about long after.
This Bodybuilding, Physique, Figure, Bikini, and Fitness, show will not be your typical bodybuilding show! They will...
How many times have you attended a birthday party where a cake is brought out? It is typically decorated with a few candles for a young child to a near inferno for others. People then break into a verse of ‘Happy Birthday to You” or some other celebratory song. At the songs’ end, the celebrant acknowledges the well wishes...
FIVE COOL FLICKS CHALLENGE THE EXPECTED
SIDE EFFECTS
It’s hard to describe fully this twisty flick and not hurt the viewing experience for those who have yet to see it. Suffice it to say the surprises are so sneaky that it suddenly becomes a provocative thriller just when you least expected it. Certainly this is the best Stephen Soderbergh film in...
February is American Heart Month, and unfortunately, most of us know someone who has had heart disease or stroke at one time or another says Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke. These conditions are also leading causes of disability...
Glorious black cats and dogs are waiting for you to adopt them! Their shining ebony coats glisten in the winter sun, and their striking amber gold eyes peer at you longingly. Unfortunately, black cats and dogs are shrouded in negative superstitions, and have a harder time getting adopted than their light colored counterparts. Folks who visit a shelter to...
After dining in several restaurants this past week, there is one that stands out, deserving of some attention. I have heard the commercials and the buzz about Escena Lounge & Grill but finally had the chance to experience this place for myself. It is not the easiest place to find for the first time but once you do, you...
By: Bronwyn Ison
Red and pink, boxed chocolates, teddy bears, and ready made flower bouquets are omnipresent. Love is in the air. If you are a hopeless romantic you are likely to love Valentine’s Day. Regardless of attitude, Valentines’ Day symbolizes love. As humans we need love. Sounds dramatic but a true statement. Valentine’s Day is a catalyst to recognize...
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