CV DESERT DATELINE: R.S.V.P. A.S.A.P.

BYLINE: DIANE MARLIN-DIRKX

Like a disaster flick, Carmageddon II was all the rage, as in road-, last weekend when transportation head-honchos shut down a 10-mile stretch of the 405 Freeway for the second time in 14 months! We can’t help but feel sorry for LaLa Land’s fight to uphold their rights to own a car, drive free of gridlock and travel at will. Aren’t we lucky in the Coachella Valley? Where a jam is a sweet fruit condiment? Where HWY 111 zips along and you set the speed? Where the valley’s visitors stay in the slow-lane and don’t rile the residents? Where face-paint is applied at home, not in a mirrored visor? Where the only drive-bys are shot-gun starts at golf courses—for a good cause? Where we treat homeless pets to a, a limo ride, warm lap and a forever home away from peril and prey? Where we talk about and respect our differences? Go for a healthy hike? Enjoy our revolutionary history in song? Show our shorts to Hollywood? Huh? You’ve got to read on!
Saturday, October 6, 7am. Yeah, we know, we don’t need another garage. But this is a Garage Sale you won’t want to miss. La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA WEST® will present its annual sale for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), getting up mighty early to fill the resort’s Flores Ballroom with household goods, clothing, sporting goods, furniture, artwork, toys and electronics. With Christmas just around the nearest fir tree, think of the holiday gifts you’ll need for everyone on your list, Santa and Santessa! And on November 10, 7:30am, the Resort & Club and PGA West are partnering again to host the annual 5K Step Out Walk to Fight Diabetes. The 3.1 mile check-in, warm-up and 9 am walk starts from the resort’s main tennis court with a walk on the award-winning Mountain Golf Course, ending with a mini-health fair and a post-race pancake breakfast for a $5 donation. The 4-step program: Give, Walk, Eat! Love it! La Quinta Resort & Club, go to www.laquintaresort.com, or call 760-564-4111.
Sunday, October 7, 2pm – 5pm. Loving all Animals invites pet lovers to its 4th annual wait for it—SPAY-GHETTI & NO BALLS DINNER. (So much for subtlety!) This Coachella Valley organization is making big cuts, as it were, in the mission of finding “forever” homes for neglected and homeless dogs and cats—in 2011 alone, filling the arms of eager adoptees with 300 grateful pets at the Super Pet Adoption Fair. An innovative new program ferries adoptees via limousine to tour shelters on “go see” and adopt missions—probably the only program of its kind in the country. Menu: Live entertainment, a contest to name the new baby flamingo, and with a worth-the-repeat dinner featuring a delicious “Spay-Ghetti & No-Balls buffet. Location: The BG Bird Gardens, 73-179 Joshua Tree, Palm Desert. Ticket, in advance, $10; or $15 at the door. For reservations, go to info@lovingallanimals.org, or call 760-776-9397.
Monday, October 8, 9 am shotgun start. Register now for the 12th Annual Spotlight 29 Casino Charity Golf Tournament benefitting the Native American Land Conservancy (NALC) at the Classic Club, Palm Desert. The non-profit NALC, formed in 1998, has created cooperative agreements with tribes, public agencies and conservation groups, acquired threatened landscapes, and organized conferences to promote the preservation of Native American sacred lands. Entry fee: $300 per golfer and includes lunch, goody bags, and a pre-registration party on Sunday, October 7th at Groove at the Spotlight 29 Casino with food, refreshments, silent auction. Awards will be at the Classic Club after the tournament. Sponsorships are available. Classic Club, 75-200 Classic Club Blvd., Palm Desert. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46-200 Harrison Place, Coachella. For more information, call Lucas Reyes, 760-775-2346, or email lreyes@spotlight29.com
Friday, October 12, 6pm – 7:30pm. CSUSB Palm Desert Campus hosts Conversations on Diversity with a special presentation by PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) entitled “Moving Equality Forward.” A panel of heterosexual and gay couples will share their personal histories and experiences with topics that range from bullying and abuse to social pressures. John Durkin, coordinator for the PFLAG Speakers Bureau, will moderate this lively, informative discussion with David Irwin, Mike and Carol Valasa and Ron Oden, former mayor of Palm Springs. Founded in the 1970s with a global reach of 350 affiliates, PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of the PFLAG community, provides education to the general public and an opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation, identity and diversity. Free attendance and parking. Campus location: 37-500 Cook St., Palm Desert. For more info, call Mike Singer, 760-341-2883, ext. 78107, or msinger@csusb.edu.
Saturday, October 14, 8:30am. Go take a hike! It’s great for calorie-burning, stress-slashing, buddy-building, and so much more. But consider caveats! Choose a professional guide such as author Philip Ferranti (“Hiking! The Ultimate Natural Prescription for Health and Wellness” and “140 Hikes In and Near Palm Springs”), who will lead an “easy” 4 to 5 mile hike called “Back of the Cove Walkabout,” meeting at the Cove parking lot on Calle Tecate. More caveats: No stiletto heels, wear comfortable walking shoes and socks. Bring a filled water bottle holster and a healthy snack. Ferranti’s philosophy hails a hike as a “prayer in motion.” Ready, set, go! No charge. For more info, call 760-345-6234.
Saturdays, October 15, all season, 11pm. Show Your Shorts to Hollywood! That’s the invitation for budding and experienced filmmakers in the Coachella Valley whose submissions to the ShortsShowcase on air reaches 18 million viewers, plus www.ShortsShowcase.com that fills the Ethernet with a global audience. Unreeling on October 15, a new film is featured every Saturday night on KVCR. The film that gathers the most votes each month wins a prize. Students award, $100. General award, $250. The top films of the year will be screened at the Shorts Showcase Awards Ceremony in April, 2013. If you want to submit a short film, go to shortsshowcase.com. General submission $50; student submission, $25. Parting shot? “Send us your shorts.” And they aren’t kidding! Bring on the popcorn.
Thursday, October 18, 8pm. Giving you the longed-for opportunity to channel your inner rebel, the McCallum Theatre brings the revolutionary decade alive with This is the 60s, for one night only. It’s a multimedia mix of live music, historical film clips, TV commercials, dance (Twisting the Night Away, the Frug), fashion (Jackie’s pill box hat, Go-go boots), the hysteria of Beatlemania, the horror of the Vietnam War and the hopefulness of Woodstock. Producer/director Jim Duffy (Discovery Network) says, “This is the 60s takes the audience on a journey…to entertain, educate, and stimulate.” Seven seasoned performers recreate the songs that united an entire generation: The Rolling Stones, The Monkees, The Fifth Dimension, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beach Boys, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, and many more. Tickets are $25 to $55 at the McCallum Theatre Box office 760-340-2787, or online at www.mccallumtheatre.com. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Dr., Palm Desert.
“Don’t Be Clueless” wants to remind you that press releases for inclusion should be in to the Coachella Valley Weekly at least two weeks ahead of the scheduled event! Thanks!