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

BYLINE: DIANE MARLIN-DIRKX
With every dizzying spin of the planet Earth, where happily it has been decreed that happy is not limited to an hour, where a day without sunshine is ridiculous, where whatever your pleasure, we have it all from sun-up to sun-dip behind the Santa Rosas, San Jacintos and whatever other photogenic peaks surround our home on the range, it has been discovered that the Coachella Valley has it all. Pick a pleasure, sportive or spa-tive, starry-night or starry-eyed, putting on the green or putting the greens in a good cause, we welcome visitors, strangers, family and friends of all ages, creeds and screeds to enjoy the bounty of our particular land—the fun, food, and fundraising, which is a serious business hereabouts! And of course, the flora and the fauna of our desert creatures that may draw applause or a pause, depending on what or when. That’s extra. Read all about it.
Thursday, September 27, 6 – 8 pm. Tonight, savvy spa-sters! Get your gal posse together, and head for the poolside launch (how apropos) at The Spa at Desert Springs, JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Palm Desert. You don’t want to be left behind dry-docked when the second annual Greater Palm Springs Spa & Salon Month featuring “health, wellness and beauty” is making waves all of October at the best spa-ts in the Coachella Valley: Ace Hotel & Swim Club “Feel Good Spa,” Hilton Palm Springs “Elements Spa,” Hyatt Regency Indian Wells “Agua Serena Spa,” Miramonte Resort & spa “The Well “ Spa, Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa “Spa Las Palmas,” Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa “Spa Esmeralda,” and the Synergy Wellness Clinic and Rejuvenation Spa. Every spa will be represented to give you special previews of the month’s packages. Plus, the party-hearty will enjoy a silent auction, “lollipop raffle,” complimentary Little Black Dress wine and appetizers. (They had me at “lollipop!”) Best news: As you unwind and re-wind for the brutally busy desert “Season” just ahead, you’ll be helping women who benefit from the Girlfriend Factor’s GO GIRL! GRANTS. Ticket $15. Location: The Spa Desert Springs at JW Marriott, 74855 Country Club Dr., Palm Desert. RSVP 760-772-9594, or online www.spa.salon.month@gmail.com
Saturday, September 29, 5 – 10 pm. Blonde and Autism Speaks: Teaming up for a cause. The trendy fashion boutique “Blonde” in The River (Rancho Mirage) will provide a unique shopping event to benefit “Autism Speaks,” founded in 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, grandparents of an autistic child. Today Autism Speaks is the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization. When you RSVP, you will receive an email with exclusive deals, coupons and a voucher for gourmet cupcakes and treats. Open to the public, Blonde will have a raffle every 15 minutes for gifts from generous sponsors —20 at the last count, including theatres, restaurants, specialty stores, jewelry designers, gift baskets, and other who’ve stepped forward, eager to help the important cause. How ‘bout a pair of custom UGG boots? A deluxe, mouth-watering basket from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory? All $5 raffle ticket sales go directly to the Autism Speaks Foundation here in the desert. Raffle prizes are valued from $10 to $200. Go to www.facebook.com/events/317157878376901/. Blonde at the River, 71800 HWY 111, Rancho Mirage. Or call 760-574-0589.
Saturday, September 29, 7 – 10 pm. Just give me an earful of the bluesy song Stormy Weather and I think of Lena Horne, whose star will rise in the West—Palm Springs actually, if the Palm Springs Walk of Stars and La Quinta’s La Brasserie Bistro & Bar have their way. Partnering for an evening of entertainment, a special menu and fundraising the two partners will make sure her star is born and installed in the desert city she called home with her husband Lennie Hayton. Born in 1917, Ms Horne at sixteen was performing at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club when Hollywood beckoned for the 1942 film Panama Hattie that gave the songstress her signature song. However she was more than an American singer, actress and dancer; she broke the color barrier in the movies and was a civil rights activist, talking the talk and walking the walk by marching in Washington in August, 1963. After retiring in 1980, she starred in a one-woman show, Lena Horne: the Lady and Her Music which ran for more than 300 performances on Broadway to many awards and accolades. She died in 2010 at 93 years of age. The dynamic singer/pianist Yve Evans headlines the evening with E&J Movement featuring Angie Whitney. Tickets, $20 per person. La Brasserie Bistro & Bar , 79-477 HWY 111, La Quinta. Call 760-771-4400. For more info contact Eddie Gilreath by email: EGilr41507@aol.com, or 760-409-6629.
Saturday, September 29, 2 pm. One performance only! The award-winning original drama Vincent Van Gogh, based on the life of troubled Dutch painter (Starry Night), was written by Dolores Becker-Trost, an artist who has always admired his work. The resulting play after extensive research of seven years, including the reading of Van Gogh’s journals and letters to his brother Theo, brings new revelations and meaning to the artist’s life, art, and relationship with God, his quest for a woman’s love, and ultimately, the loss of his sanity and will to live. “I have always been touched by his sadness and his continual attempts to follow his preacher father into the clergy,” says Becker-Trost, who also directed the production. Dean Apple reprises his award-winning performance as Van Gogh, along with the capable cast and stage settings that include several copies of Van Gpgh’s Impressionist paintings done by Becker-Trost. Tickets, $10 per person. The Arthur Newman Theater in the Joslyn Center, 73750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert. For more info, call 760-671-5584.
Sunday, September 30, 9-4 pm. Ever since Mrs. Rattler slithered into our garage and I snapped a shot eyeball-to-eyeball to send to a friend for ID, to which she responded, “That’s a rattlesnake, you doorknob,” I’ve been fascinated and frightened of the first inhabitant of the Garden of Eden. In a program called Desert Snakes: Fang, Rattle, and More, William Hayes, Ph.D. and Professor of Biology at Loma Linda University will give an all-day field class on the variety of venomous and non-venomous snakes that inhabit our deserts. He will explain the desert ecosystem of morphological, physiological, behavioral, and ecological traits that allow the many essential adaptations that are essential for snakes’ survival. He’ll discuss venom delivery and its beneficial aspects. The class will explore reptile habitat and hopefully see some snakes, says the Press Release! Yeah, right. Sponsored by the Desert Institute at Joshua Tree National Park, this field class will meet at the Black Rock Visitor Center, 9800 Black Rock Canyon Road, Yucca Valley. Offered for 0.5 unit of credit through the University of California Riverside Extension for $85, or non-credit for $60. $10 less for JTNPS/PINE members. For more info and registration call 760-367-5535. Or visit www.joshuatree.org.
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) which is on October 8 at the Classic Club, Palm Desert. The non-profit NALC was formed in 1998 and since 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 for the tournament is $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 from $1400 to $8000. 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
“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!