City Pages

CITY MANAGER’S MESSAGE

By: Jon McMillen, La Quinta City Manager

Happy holidays! As we roll toward the end of 2022, we do so with a variety of holiday-themed events the whole family can enjoy. But first is the return of the IRONMAN 70.3-mile triathlon on Sunday, December 4, which brings thousands of athletes, their families and supporters to La Quinta for the one-day event. The race takes place from 7 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m., starting with a 1.2-mile swim at Lake Cahuilla. From there, athletes bike 56 miles through La Quinta, Thermal then on to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where they finish with a 13.1-mile run through the Indian Wells Golf Resort and tennis garden. Cyclists will be using the same route as 2021. Businesses will be open as usual. Please visit https://www.laquintaca.gov/IRONMAN for more information, including the path cyclists will be traveling and any impact on your neighborhood or plans for Sunday morning. To receive regular race updates the day of the event, text IWLQ to 888-777 for news and alerts.

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS

Gingerbread Lane Saturdays, November 26-December 17 / Noon-5 p.m.

Location: Old Town Artisan Studios The campus has once again been transformed into a magical lane to celebrate the holidays. The family-oriented event is free and open to the public. Check https://oldtownartisanstudios.org for more details.

La Quinta Museum Casita Lighting December 1 / 5-6 p.m.

Location: La Quinta Museum The lighting of the Historic Casita is a free event for all ages and includes mariachi, refreshments and crafts.

Tree Lighting Ceremony December 2 / 6-8 p.m.

Location: Civic Center Campus Bring the family for the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and all the festivities, including a train, a visit from Santa, performances by Dance, Play, Pretend/Beginning Ballet students, La Quinta High School Wind Symphony, La Quinta residents Doug Hassett and Natasha Terrell. There will be a photo booth and table where kids can write their letters to Santa, and more.

Open House Meet & Greet December 6 / 5:30 p.m.

Location: City Hall The Mayor and City Council invite you to our annual Open House Meet & Greet with refreshments.

Art on Main Street December 10 / 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Location: Main Street, Old Town La Quinta More than 100 artists – many of them local – show and sell their work in all mediums.

Certified Farmers Market Sundays (except Dec. 25) / 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Location: Main Street in Old Town La Quinta Come load up on the freshest locally grown and produced fruits, vegetables, eggs, flowers, honey, gourmet chefprepared foods, one-of-a-kind artisan goods and more.

CITY UPDATES

Jefferson Street / Highway 111 Intersection Improvements

The City of La Quinta and City of Indio are partnering on this road rehabilitation project at the Highway 111 and Jefferson Street intersection. Construction is scheduled to begin in December, after IRONMAN, and be completed by end of the year. Indio is the lead agency on this project with jurisdiction over a larger area of the intersection. The entire stretch of Jefferson Street is scheduled for slurry and seal in the spring.

Moon River Drive Pavement Rehabilitation

About 800 feet of Moon River Drive, from Avenue 50 to the Desert Sands Unified School District right-of-way, is scheduled for a major overhaul to include pulverization of existing roadway, overlay and striping. The work will be done December 19-30 when the schools are closed for winter break.

Blackhawk Way Crosswalk

Reconstruction of the asphalt crosswalk between the La Quinta High School and La Quinta Park with concrete pavement will include the curb ramps and sidewalk to bring to current code, relocating the current rapid flash beacons onto compliant traffic signal poles and replacing the in-roadway warning lights system. The work will be done December 1930 when the high school is closed for winter break.

Landscape Renovation Improvement

The landscape renovation contractor will be starting the Desert Club, Sierra Del Rey and Marbella developments around the first of December.

Dune Palms Bridge

Construction is scheduled to start in January on the allweather bridge at Dune Palms Road, over the stormwater channel, with expected completion in November 2024. Dune Palms will remain open during construction and a bypass lane will be constructed so the bridge can be built one half at a time.

IT’S YOUR LIBRARY

La Quinta Public Library is located at 78-275 Calle Tampico. Enjoy FREE programs for all ages! Questions? Call 760-564-4767

FEATURED PROGAMS

Message in a Bottle | Ages 8 - 17 Saturday, December 10 @ 1:00 m-2:00pm and 4:00pm5:00pm | In-Person

Create a poem, message, or fun decoration in a bottle using words torn from actual book pages! Supplies are limited to 30 per session, so be sure to get there early to make sure you get your bottle.

Escape from Mrs. Klaus’ Kitchen | All ages Saturday, December 17 @ 12:45pm-5:45pm | In-Person Monday, December 19 through Wednesday, December 21 @ 1:00pm-5:00pm | In-Person

Race against time and complete puzzles to try and steal Mrs. Klaus’ secret gingerbread recipe! A fun, family-friendly, and puzzling experience for patrons of all ages. Registration required.

Zany Zoe | All ages Monday, December 19 @ 3:00pm | In-Person

Join us for Zany Zoe’s bilingual magic show with great energy, funny feats, and lots of magical audience interaction!

ONGOING PROGRAMS

Storytimes Tuesdays, December 6 & 13 @ 10:15am | In-Person Toddler Time for ages 18 months - 3 years. Wednesdays, December 7 & 14 @ 10:15am and 11:15am | In-Person

Baby Time for ages 0 - 18 months at 10:15am and Preschool Time for ages 3-5 years at 11:15am.

Anime Zone | Ages 13 - 17 Saturday, December 3 @ 4:00pm | In-Person

Join us in the La Quinta Library Program Room as we watch and critique three random anime episodes with friends.

Readers’ Club | Ages 18+ Thursday, December 8 @ 5:30pm | In-Person or Zoom

Readers will meet to share and discuss cozy mysteries. See the Reference Desk to check out a suggested title or feel free to pick your own.

Tween Doggy Tales | Ages 8 - 12 Wednesday, December 14 @ 4:00pm | In-Person

Children can sign up to practice reading out loud to a trained therapy dog provided by our local Animal Samaritans. Dog handler present at all times. Contact the library to register.

Page Turners Book Club | Ages 18+ Thursday, December 15 @ 10:30am | In-Person or Zoom

In December, we’ll discuss Paradise by Lizzie Johnson. See the Adult Reference Desk to register. Copies are limited.

Something On Saturday (S.O.S.) | All ages Saturday, December 17 @ 3:00pm | In-Person

Join us for some family friendly fun in the Library Program Room!

Teen Game Night | Ages 13 - 17 Tuesday, December 20 @ 4:00pm | In-Person

Go on a cross-country train adventure on Ticket to Ride (2-5 players) or or explore the universe in Astronomy Fluxx (2-6 players).

LA QUINTA CREATION STATION PROGRAM

Upcycled Paper Snowman | All ages Thursday, December 22 @ 10:00am-5:00pm | In-Person

Do you wanna build a snowman? Stop by the Creation Station to learn how to make one from recycled paper that will last longer than one made from snow. Free activity. Please Note: The Library will be closed Sunday, December 25 and Monday, December 26 for Christmas.

77885 Avenida Montezuma La Quinta, CA 92253 (760) 777-7170

La Quinta Museum December 2022 The La Quinta Museum is open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm. Admission and programs are FREE

EXHIBITS Last days to visit Lincoln’s Scout, on exhibit through Dec 31

Lincoln’s Scout: Diary of Horatio Cooke, Soldier, Spy, Escape Artist Professor Horatio G. Cooke, the American Wizard, was a Special Scout for Abraham Lincoln, an escape artist and Spiritualism debunker, and a mentor and friend to Harry Houdini. View Cooke’s meticulously kept scrapbook and his extraordinary life in this exhibit!

La Quinta History Galleries, featuring Making A City

Learn about the grassroots movement that turned a small corner of the desert into the official City of La Quinta in our new exhibit, Making a City. This 40th Anniversary exhibit recounts the events of 1982 in the words of the City’s first mayor, Fred Wolff. Visitors will experience the Incorporation of the City through photos, memorabilia, newspapers, and video featuring Kay Wolff reminiscing on the movement that started in her living room.

EVENTS Thursday, Dec 1, 5-6 p.m. Historic Casita Lighting

Come celebrate the holiday season with this festive annual tradition! Enjoy music by Mariachi Serenata Mexicana as Manny the Movie Guy flips the switch to light up the historic Casita!

Sunday, Dec 11, 10am-5 p.m. La Quinta Artists Open Studio Tour

Presented by our friends at the La Quinta Historical Society Come experience the creative talent of La Quinta’s artists! Visit 20 artist studios and learn about their process and what inspires them. Tickets are available the day of the event only at 77-885 Avenida Montezuma from 9:30am-4pm. Your $10/ person donation supports the programs of the La Quinta Historical Society.

PROGRAMS

As programs are subject to change, please find the latest information on our FREE programs at facebook.com/ LaQuintaMuseum/events.

Thursday, Dec 1, 3 p.m. Good Books in the Gallery:

This month, we’re reading and discussing Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell. Friday, Dec 2 &16, 1-3 p.m. Sketchbook Journaling Get in touch with your inner artist with sketchbook journaling. Basic supplies provided.

Friday, Dec 2, 3 p.m. Club de Lectura: Spanish Book Club:

Este mes hablaremos sobre el título “Caramelo” por Sandra Cisneros.

Saturday, Dec 10, 1-3 p.m. Genealogy Meet-Up

Are you interested in your family tree? Are you a beginner or an expert in all things Genealogy? Come join us for discussion and collaboration.

Tuesday, Dec 13 & 27, 1-3 p.m. STITCH Fiber Arts Group

Bring your fiber project to work on while you meet with friends old and new, share what you’ve been working on, and get inspired for your next project.

Wednesday, Dec 14, 1 p.m. TED Talk Hangout

Let’s enjoy a TED talk on the big screen, and then discuss! This month, we’ll watch “How to discover your authentic self--at any age!” by Bevy Smith

Tuesday, Dec 20, 11a.m. Take a Break with Huell

Join us for an episode of Huell Howser’s California’s Gold on the big screen. This month, Huell visits Joshua Tree National Park.

Thursday, Dec 29, 3 p.m. Good Books in the Gallery

It’s time for our annual Good Books Exchange! Bring a wrapped copy of one of your favorite books to give, and take home a new favorite.

Friday, December 30, 3 p.m. Club de Lectura: Spanish Book Club

¡Es hora de nuestro intercambio anual libros! Trae una copia envuelta de uno de tus libros favoritos para regalar y llévate a casa uno nuevo.