The Palm Canyon Paradise, July, 2017

In this issue:

corina cravcenco:

welcome to the new palm canyon paradise the paper for people who love palm springs

art inspired by the soul of van gogh – in palm springs

backstreet artist corina Cravcenco

well in the desert opens new cooling/drop in center for palm springs homeless

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streetlife success story: (yes, the homeless are human!)

he’s busy painting in the back studio portion of her modest gallery in the Backstreet Art District when I walk in. It’s a brutally hot summer afternoon, nothing like Zundert in the Netherlands, where Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853, where summer temperatures average in the mid-sixty degree range.

But somehow, Van Gogh’s spirit has found its way to Palm Springs and the 117 degree heat that would have scorched his wheat fields and wilted his sunflowers. His work and life has inspired a contemporary European artist, Corina Cravcenco, who now calls Palm Springs home.

Corina is as friendly and open as she is talented. She’s well educated from her studies and multiple degrees from Romania and College of the Desert. In 2013, she moved here from Bucharest to study English, economics, and, of course, art. It’s been a long journey for her, not just in miles, but in experiences as well.

“My first art exhibition was when I was just about eight years old,” she tells me. But it wasn’t until an accident while studying for her PhD in Bucharest when she broke her ankle and was forced to stay home, that she dedicated herself to her painting.

Her gallery in Palm Springs’ Backstreet Art District, hosts not only her paintings, but the work of 10 other desert artists, including Jim Ross, Nora Helmer, Ken Fisher, Thomas Csapo, and Tom Ortiz. And the gallery bears a special name of its own.

“My gallery and studio is named ‘Andrew Wondrousness,’ in honor of my beloved father Andrew, who passed away in 1998,” Cravcenco explains. She has a deep love of family and art, and though being an artist and running her own gallery poses its own challenges for her, she enjoys her work.

“I love art and also to make people happy, she says. “The best reword for me is when I see the happiness in the eyes of my art collectors. I wish all my art collectors and community to enjoy my art and to bring joy, happiness, hope and all the best.”

There’s one other thing Cravcenco loves.

“People say that my art reminds them of Vincent van Gogh, and he is one of my favorite artists,” she tells me. She certainly has an adept eye for color and light, and the strong brush strokes she uses in her work seem to bear a similarity to his. But Cravcenco is her own artist, on her own path.

tales from the hangar - ian sitren talks about cockpit sitting at the palm springs air museum paradise finds and fun - royalty, caviar, flaming cheese, and much more! events to read about while you sweat join us for unique desert tours this fall: Route 66 through the Mojave desert and the legendary Amargosa Opera House and death valley

Paradise Style!

“For me the job as an art gallery and studio owner, and artist, is very challenging and hard, but because of my great love for art, artists, and collectors, I am doing my best,” Cravcenco says. “I am very grateful to God, my beloved father, my professors, my friends, and all the community for all their support and love.”

You can meet Corina Cravcenco at Art Gallery Andrew Wondrousness, 2600 S. Cherokee Way, in the Backstreet Art District. Catch their monthly First Wednesday Art Walk, every month from 5 to 8 p.m. or call 424-653-7449.

the palm springs easy living and sun drenched lifestyle makes it ideal for photographer ian l. sitren to shoot for clients from around the world. Model: College track star and pole vaulter, Randalene Sergent.

there’s more paradise online! www.palmcanyonparadise.com 1

Tales from Paradise

A New Home

Well in the Desert gets new facility

by Steve Brown Editor’s note: The Palm Canyon Paradise’s mission is to provide our readers, both locals and visitors, with a sense of the human and cultural richness of Palm Springs. It’s a beautiful city, on so many levels, and we have no desire to focus on the negative or become bogged down in local politics.

But at a recent downtown business meeting, it became apparent there is one issue that is on the forefront of the minds of many residents: homelessness. While business owners are logically concerned with how homelessness impacts their business operations and their customers’ experience, many were also concerned about how to not just get rid of their own problems that stem from homelessness, but how to help and improve the situation for the homeless population of Palm Springs as well.

As a result of this meeting and my conversations with business owners and the people in the organizations who are out actively helping those who are homeless, and who are searching for solutions to this complex issue, the Paradise is going to regularly cover homelessness in Palm Springs, while looking for signs of progress and innovative ways to improve conditions for everyone—the homeless, visitors to Palm Springs, and local business owners.

During my work in cultural heritage tourism, including 3.5 years as president of the California Deserts Visitors Association, it’s become clear to me that we can’t seperate tourism and the hospitality industry from the issues of the community. That’s why in our other publications we address environmental issues as well as social and economic issues. Ultimately, they impact our businesses, our lifestyle, and the experiences of those who visit us.

Many years ago, I covered the story of Ruby, a homeless woman in Palm Springs who had fought to get housing, only to lose it again. Of the awards on my wall, the “Best Achievement Award” she gave me for “friendship,” is the most meaningful. I have no idea if Ruby is still alive today, but I’d like to see the Paradise be supportive for those like Ruby. – Steve Brown

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t’s a fairly nondescript office building, off of main thoroughfares, with empty lots on either side and a business property directly behind it that’s vacant. Inside, the interior is basic but functional, and it’s now home to Well in the Desert’s new cooling and dropin center for the homeless in Palm Springs.

Well in the Desert has been serving the homeless populations of the Palm Springs area for years, often moving its locations due to pressure by some in the community.

Recently, the Well had given up its facility and gone mobile, its vans bringing everything from toiletries to showers to those on the street.

“It left us homeless,” Arlene Rosenthal, president of Well in the Desert, explained to me inside their new facility. “We went into this mode of being mobile, we said we are the mobile Well. Everybody became part of outreach. Every single day in the churches we have all the forms, we have bus passes, we have all those things needed for people. We have referrals, clothing, we have mobile showers.”

Like many urban areas, homelessness is a serious problem for Palm Springs, and there are no simple solutions. The city council vote that granted the permit for Well in the Desert to go ahead with this center was three to two, with Mayor Rob Moon and council member Chris Mills voting against it. Their stated rationale for their opposition was it is near a housing complex, restaurants, and a hotel. But if a homeless facility can’t be placed within sight of housing, dining, or lodging facilities in Palm Springs, where could one be located? The answer seems clear: Desert Hot Springs or Cathedral City.

But seriously, that seems to often be the problem when addressing issues around homelessness. Nobody wants the homeless. Anywhere. But yet, these human beings nobody wants, logically are going to be somewhere, and being without a permanent home does not mean they do not have need of a place to sleep, or a need to eat, drink, or use a toilet. While a frequent approach to the problem seems to be if you deny them a place to sleep, or a place to eat, drink, or use the toilet, they’ll just magically go away.

But ask business owners in Palm Springs, and they’ll tell you the homeless don’t vanish—instead they may use a business parking lot as an impromptu bathroom. That’s unacceptable, but if there aren’t acceptable alternatives, it is likely there will always be unacceptable ones. Everyone urinates. Everyone defecates. Even the homeless, and by definition, it should be understood that their lack of a home also includes a serious lack of a bathroom and all that entails.

For many people, discussing the homeless seems to be a matter of talking about an ab-

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straction, not real people. But those who work with the homeless through organizations like Well in the Desert and Street Life Project understand very well that the homeless are quite real, with real needs, problems, and flaws, as well as real humanity, qualities, and potential.

“I wrote an article for our newsletter one time called ‘Heiress to Homeless,’ and it was about one of my close friends from UCLA who was an heiress who was to inherit a fortune,” Rosenthal told me amidst the bustle of preparing to open the Well’s new center.

“She ended up homeless. She ended up on drugs. It was because of her marriage and everything. We don’t know. what will happen to us. We don’t.”

Rosenthal’s comments reminded me of my first real homeless encounter, working at an overnight drop-in center for the homeless in Portland. My best friend from college (who remains my best friend to this day), the son of a Presbyterian minister, had urged me to join him for a night of handing out sandwiches and coffee, and the occasional hotel voucher for families. It was around 3 a.m. when we were discussing the origins of Sanskrit with a homeless professor and others in the center that I decided the stereotypes weren’t going to cut it any more.

Homelessness is a complex issue, with very few “perfect” solutions, and much of the heavy lifting to address the issue is left to volunteers, nonprofit organizations, and churches. In addition to the dedicated nonprofits, it’s reassuring to see Palm Springs churches—First Baptist Church, Church of St. Paul in the Desert, Our Lady of Solitude, and Our Lady of Guadalupe—all join in to help host meals and other aspects of the Well’s programs, while other churches across the Coachella Valley, like St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Palm Desert, organize collections and donations to help the organizations helping those on the street.

As Arlene and I talked, she pointed out that most of those working around us to prepare the center for its opening, are either clients of the Well, or former clients who had endured homelessness and life on the streets themselves, and who are now helping others. They were working hard, and it was getting hotter by the minute.

“Everyone you see of our staff has either been homeless or addicted or alcoholic, had mental problems, and has helped themselves, and gotten help from the Well,” she told me. “We give chances. That’s what it’s all about. It changes you. It’s life transforming, it really is.” continued on page 5

Tales from Paradise

Street Life Project

Taking it to the streets

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treet Life Project is an organization with a culture built on a foundation of love. It’s a kind of love that powers them to work to transform people and unites communities for one cause. That’s to go after the broken among us, normally disregarded by society, and love them back to life. They want the homeless to know they have value, and to know that no matter what hardship they are going through, life can get better.

For the past five years, Street Life Project has been serving the homeless of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. Their team provides meals, clothing, toiletries, love and mentorship, and support for transforming lives, taking that support to the streets, under bridges, and out to camps hidden in the desert. Their goal is to help remove the stigma many people have toward the homeless, to see past the surface, to the beautiful souls with potential for change, while encouraging community involvement.

The homeless in and around Palm Springs are people, just like you and I, and the Paradise will be sharing some of their stories, thanks to Street Life Project. The following is Rhonda’s story, in her own words.

Rhonda’s Story H

ello, my name is Rhonda. I was born in Fullerton. I was raised in a very good home with loving parents. My father was a general contractor and was very successful.

My parents divorced when I was six years old, but they still remained the best of friends.

As a child, I learned to ride and show quarterhorses and continued to do so throughout my childhood. When I was 17, I moved to Newport Beach with my father. I began smoking pot in high school and shortly thereafter tried cocaine for the first time. My best friend was murdered while trying to trade a VCR for cocaine. He was stabbed and died in an officer’s arms.

At that point, I stopped using cocaine. Soon after, I was introduced to speed. That was my biggest mistake—the beginning of the end.

I was living my own worst nightmare and it completely took over my life. I became homeless through all of this nonsense, which was something I knew nothing about and never would’ve imagined it would happen to me.

My faith has always been strong and God never left or forsaken me. I never planned on being homeless. It can happen to anyone at any given moment. After years on the streets, I decided to make a change. I went to the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission and completed a year program. The staff was wonderfu I also want to thank Street Life Project for never giving up on me and never judging me, but just being there for me when no one else was. I love you guys like family. I now go out and serve with Street Life Project with the goal of helping giving others the same hand up that was given to me.

I have a daughter and granddaughter and they are my world! I thank God for them every day. I now have my own apartment and am looking for employment. I have experience in retail and customer service and love working with people. Thank you for allowing me to share my story!

Street Life Project is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization that provides outreach, counseling, rehab placement, transitional housing, clothing, toiletries and supplies, hair cuts, eye glasses, resume building and job scouting, permanent housing, and church services for the homeless. For more information, call 760-702-4944 or visit streetlifeproject.com.

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Wings over Palm Springs

The World in a Cockpit Sit in the pilot’s seat of historic aircraft

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Story & Photos by Ian L. Sitren

hen you are flying in one of these incredible aircraft, the world is what you see from here, in the cockpit! From the relatively large but austere cabin of the C-119 cargo plane to the aircraft carrier based F-4 Phantom to the sleek rocket like F-104 Starfighter, this is the office chair and the workplace of the military pilot.

Settling in to any of these pilot’s seats, the first thing you notice that it is not that easy.

Certainly not like walking down the aisle of a jumbo jet and getting comfortable in even an economy class seat. No one walking down the aisle to offer you a beverage or for that matter, no walking to the restroom!

The next thing you notice is the complexity of what is around you. The two engine Air Force C-119 “Flying Boxcar” with twice the controls and gauges because of the two engines and also a comparatively slow cruise speed of 200 mph with a range of 1,770 miles. It had to accommodate a crew of five; pilot, co-pilot, navigator, radio operator and crew chief. A maximum takeoff weight of 74,000 pounds carrying 65 troops, or 35 stretcher patients, or 27,500 pounds of cargo. First flown in 1947 and manufactured through 1955, the Flying Boxcar had many an important duty.

Next is the huge F-4 Phantom II first entering service in 1960 and built through 1981.

Flying at Mach 2.2, an all weather long range interceptor and fighter bomber that had the added complexities of being heavily armed with various missile loads, bombs and later on, the addition of the Vulcan rotary cannon. Yet this is only the front cockpit with a separate cockpit behind this one for the “RIO” radar intercept officer. Also completing the mission role of reconnaissance aircraft. So very much going on in an aircraft weighing 62,000 pounds and flying off the deck of an aircraft carrier.

That brings us to the futuristic F-104 Starfighter, resembling a rocketship from an early science fiction movie. Actually later models of the F-104 were modified with an actual rocket engine and flown to the edge of Outer Space. In service through 2004, the Starfighter led to the development of the famed Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. The cockpit here seems like it could not be more compact. Everything no more than a small arm movement away because there is no more room than that! Imagine flying in this small space mounted in a long slender fuselage with tiny wings, flying at 1,700 mph, reaching an altitude of over 120,000 feet, reaching the complete darkness and punctuated by the brilliant stars of outer space. How exciting is that!

At the Palm Springs Air Museum on almost every Saturday between 10:30am - 12:30pm you can climb in the cockpits of these aircraft yourself and many more including the most famous from World War II. Additionally, the cockpits of the C-119 Flying Boxcar and the entire interior of the B-17 Flying Fortress, in the air conditioned hangars, are open seven days per week during Museum hours. Great fun to be experienced first hand! Thanks!

The cockpits of a C-119 flying boxcar cargo plane, upper left, an f-4 phantom, above, and f-4 starfighter, bottom left. You can experience what it feels like to sit in the cockpits of a number of these planes at the palm Springs air museum. photos by ian sitren: palmspringsphotographer.com.

Open Cockpit Dates July 3: Supermarine Spitfire July 4: P-40 Warhawk July 8: F4U Corsair July 15: F-4 Phantom II July 22: F7F Tigercat July 29: P-40 Warhawk August 5: P-47 Thunderbolt August 12: F-100 Super Sabre August 19: AT-6 Texan August 26: F4U Corsair All times: 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Additional Palm Springs Air Museum Programs July 8: Coachella Valley Radio Control Club teaches you how to build your own balsa wood model airplane with contest to follow. Materials included. Free with museum admission. 11 a.m. - noon.

July 9: Looking for Kilroy Scavenger Hunt. Find Kilroy’s six hiding places in the museum and win a prize. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

July 14: Friday Flicks - Top Gun. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. The Cafe will be selling food. Bring blanket or portable chair. In the Miles Hangar. $5.

July 25 - August 7: Propeller Pursuit Children’s Activities. Go on a propeller pursuit, solve the clues, win a prize. Activity and materials included with museum admission.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

July 26: Early Days of Flight – Children’s Discovery Series. Great introduction for children to the fascinating world of flight. Activities and materials included with museum admission. 1:30 - 2:15 p.m.

August 3: Seized by the Sun: The Life and Disappearance of World War II Pilot Gertrude Tompkins. Author James W. Ure gives talk and book signing. Seized by the Sun is part historyo of the WASPs and part unsolved mystery. Of the 38 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) confirmed or presumed dead in World war II, only one remains missing to this day: Gertrude “Tommy” Tompkins. A tribute to a determined young woman who becomes a military pilot, written to be accessible for young adult readers. 1 p.m.

Palm Springs Air Museum 745 N. Gene Autry Trail 760-778-6262 www.palmspringsairmuseum.org

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Continued from page 2

Rosenthal is realistic about the challenges of working with, and for, those who sometimes come with some very heavy baggage.

“I’ve been called every name under the sun,” she said. “I’ve had coffee thrown at me by clients who were out of it. Sometimes it was my fault. They reacted, rather than having kindness and understanding.

I asked her about the coffee throwing incident, and she was matter of fact about it.

“I was drenched. I found me some of our used clothes and put them on. Later on he apologized, but he’s not a well man.”

That seems to be a good example of Rosenthal’s approach toward working with the homeless. Some days, someone is going to throw coffee on you, so you just change clothes and keep going. It’s a positive “can-do” attitude that’s well grounded in reality. “ I think if anything, being involved with the Well and all the people I’ve met, has created for me a humility and a different attitude. It’s changed me in a lot of good ways.”

As for the new center that has just opened, it may not be a glamorous building, but it sounds as if it will be put to a good use.

“This allows us, we’ll have tables that can house 20 in there, we can go up to 38,” she said. “They’ll come in the back door and get coffee and sweet rolls and fruit, cold water, a towel, take a shower. They’ll get clean clothes.

“We’ll take them in the shuttle to the church sites. But they’ll come in here, get a shower, some clean clothes. They don’t need to stay in here all day, and they won’t. They’ll be able to watch TV, and we have books. They like to read. We will have games. They’ll socialize, they’ll be normal.”

Looking at the work those around us are doing, she burst out, “Can you imagine if the community used people like this? Gave them a reason? A meaning? A connection?

These guys work hard. Let them have something productive to do.”

When I asked her if the new center is going to be a problem for the community, she initially responded with just a simple “No.” “We’re not going to let them be a problem. We’re going to work with them. They [business owners] need to step up to the plate too. They need to try to listen and understand where they can be effective, where we can help them be effective. They need to clean up their properties. They need to get security. They need to help the situation.

“Some of these business people, how they can feel the way they feel about these people, I don’t understand. I’m a product of the Holocaust. I grew up knowing we lost our family on my father’s side. I grew up pinching myself, saying ‘Jew, Jew, Jewish.” Because I could not understand the magnitude of hate.”

Overall though, Rosenthal said Well in the Desert enjoys strong community support.

She noted that those the Well works with, like the churches who host meals and other services, are invaluable. The fears the community has about the Well’s new facility are ungrounded, Rosenthal said.

“I can’t think of anything to be afraid of. I’m not afraid. My Dad taught me not to be afraid. He taught me to confront the issue, be straightforward and honest. It works for me.

“I knew a professor who was from France, and he was homeless, and he told me about his life. I knew one of the top attorneys in either Dallas or Houston, he was well known.

He lived a terrible life here as a homeless person. We rescued him at the end of his life so he could die with dignity, but he had a divorce, lost his wife which he thought was the rest of his life, became an alcoholic, and... it happens to people. I still don’t understand how people don’t even have a desire to have an understanding to know why people are homeless.”

Rosenthal’s message is clear. The homeless aren’t a distant abstract problem society can wish away. They’re just folks like you and I, deserving of dignity and respect that we’re supposed to provide for our fellow human beings. Are they always easy to deal with? No. But things don’t get easier if we don’t seek realistic ways to address them. This facility is one more step in the right direction.

The new cooling and drop-in center at 441 S. Calle Encelia opened with 25 people arriving by 8:30 a.m. The need is clear, the step was taken. But there’s still a long way to go.

Well in the Desert is a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization. To learn more, volunteer, or donate, please visit www.wellinthedesert.org, or call 760-656-8905.

Do you have a suggestion, perspective or experience you’d like to share that concerns the homeless in Palm Springs? We’d like to hear from you at publisher@sunrunnersw.com. Just put “Palm Springs Homeless” in the subject line. We may use some comments in future publications.

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Paradise Finds and Fun

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K, we admit it, our thoughts about attending the June mixer for the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce were a little mixed—broiling hot temperatures and business socializing don’t always go together that well. But after the all-valley mixer at the Palm Springs Air Museum, which proved to actually be fun, we decided to chance it.

Oh, and we are so glad we did.

Hosted at the immaculately gorgeous Colt’s Lodge, an historic, impressively renovated boutique hotel on East Palm Canyon Drive, we ran into old friends and new, drank some seriously awesome wines, ate some of the world’s best caviar, and got interviewed by royalty. Definitely not your typical chamber mixer!

With our publisher’s piratical heritage (it’s a long story), comes a fixation on all things Caribbean, and everything rum, including all things tiki. That has led to a new favorite deal—Tiki Taco Tuesday at Tonga Hut!

Start your day with a mimosa tray at Cafe Europa with three decanters of fresh juise, farmers market berries, and prosecco. Bet you won’t want to go to work after that! Don’t miss the Europa Benedict either, a fresh twist on a breakfast classic.

Colt’s Lodge is a little slice of desert heaven on earth, above.

Alla Matusov, the CEO of Routenstein Royal Group and Academy, serves up some of the world’s best caviar at the June chamber mixer. She gave us seconds! She is now one of our favorite people on the planet! Check out the Routenstein Royal Group at: routenstein.wordpress.com.

Publisher Steve Brown, clearly not dressed for the occasion (left, as if you need to be told), was interviewed by HH Prince Mario-Max of Schaumburg-Lippe at the June mixer. Next time, tell us when you’re expecting royalty to attend, OK? Loyal tiki fans may recall that the original Tonga Hut in North Hollywood, is one of the original classic tiki bars. It opened in 1958, and through some miracle, Palm Springs has now been blessed with a Tonga Hut of our own.

Tiki tacos aren’t your ordinary taco, they come in three varieties (we had the mahi-mahi), and are made in a wonton shell instead of a tortilla. You get three tiki tacos, pico de gallo and sauce, with a classic mai tai, based on the 1944 Trader Vic’s recipe, for $12. Of course, you can always complement it with pupus and maybe a Scorpion bowl. You just can’t go wrong!

Tiki Taco Tuesdays are every Tuesday, from 5 to 10 p.m. at Tonga Hut’s Palm Canyon location, where you can also pick up a copy of the latest Palm Canyon Paradise.

Good taste all around!

Restaurant Week was a hit (well, with us, for sure). But we’re perpetually on the hunt for the best Palm Springs plates, cocktails, and experiences.

Take, for instance, the killer Fried Chicken Sandwich from Chicken Ranch. No, it’s not healthy. No, we don’t care. Pair that with their gooey mac n’ cheese, and you’ve got, well, a possible ride to the ER, but beyond that, a hefty portion of deliciousness.

There are so many great restaurants in Palm Springs now, that we may not get to all of them during our lifetimes. But we’re going to try! And we’re always finding new favorites at our old standard hangouts, like Rick’s Desert Grill, where Cuban specialties weave their way through meatloaf and fried chicken.

Try the Stuffed Tostones, Roja Vieja or Picadillo, served with Caribbean rice and black beans, and tasty fried plaintains. On top of that, Rick’s has some of the best servers in the desert, which always makes a good meal great.

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Michael Stoltz is one of Palm Springs’ tastier entrepreneurs operates not one, but two restaurants out of the same space on Palm Canyon. The morning and lunch hours belong to Cafe Europa, while jusTapas takes over in the evening.

Stoltz incorporates influences from France and Europe into his restaurants’ menus, which makes sense considering he spends part of the year living at his second home in the south of France. The restaurants close for the month of September, but Stoltz remains busy, harvesting new concepts to bring to the desert in the fall.

Finally, this summer, if you can’t make it to Greece, you owe it to yourself to get to the Greek Islands, not those sun drenched Homeric isles in the Aegean, but the restaurant in downtown Palm Springs.

Here, you will find well prepared authentic Greek cuisine you can wash down with cool retsina, as the moon shines down from above and live music echoes down Andreas. It’s a mini-Greek vacation right here in Palm Springs!

Don’t be in a hurry. Just bring your friends and relax.

If you close your eyes, you may conjure up sunset at Santorini, or that lonely wild beach on Tinos where the rental car company told you not to go. But you did anyway.

Have a Palm Springs photo or story you’d like to share with our readers? Send it to us at: publisher@sunrunnersw.com.

We would love to hear from you! Have a Palm Springs-related special interest you’d like to see in the paper? Let us know.

We’re always looking for editorial contributors.

Paradise picks Palm Springs POWER Baseball Lots of home games this month, including the semi-finals and SCCBL Championship Series. For the full schedule, see palmspringspowerbaseball.com.

residents of the close-knit community are about to get a lesson in what it means to be home.

Palm Canyon Theatre, 538 N. Palm Canyon Drive. 760323-5123, palmcanyontheatre.org

Artwalk at the Backstreet Art District July 5, 5 – 8 p.m.

There is a great group of artist-owned galleries and studios located in the Backstreet Art District, and their monthly art walks are superb.

Backstreet Art District, 2600 S. Cherokee Way. 760-8327568, backstreetartdistrict.com.

Acoustic Sessions and Global Lounge Sessions at the Hard Rock Hotel Each Friday, local and touring bands perform during a showcase in the Hard Rock Hotel’s intimate lobby lounge, with an international flavor spicing up your Saturdays.

It’s a great way to start and celebrate your weekend with great music! July 7: Porsia Camille, Avenida; July 8: Ocho Ojos and David Macias; July 14: Chris Leyva of Falling Doves; July 15: Solo Flight Swing; July 21: Lunden Reign; July 22: Edith Aldaz; July 28: Symara Stone, Andy Mauser; July 29: Shota. No cover, happy hour all night long.

Hard Rock Hotel, 150 S. Indian Canyon Drive.

Architecture & Design Center Free Admission Everyday through July, thanks to an anonymous donor (Where are they when we need one?)

Don’t miss out on exploring the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Architecture and Design Center. After all, it’s fascinating and free (and cool, literally). The center’s closed Wednesdays, open Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Thursdays (VillageFest nights), hours are noon – 8 p.m.

Architecture & Design Center, 300 S. Palm Canyon Drive.

760-423-5260, psmuseum.org/architecture-design-center.

Free Thursday Nights at the Palm Springs Art Museum Free admission to the Palm Springs Art Museum Thursdays, 4 – 8 p.m., corresponding with VillageFest. Current exhibits include John McLaughlin: The Tamarind Prints; Making it Modern; and, Pat Lasch: Journeys of the Heart.

Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive. 760-3224800, psmuseum.org.

VillageFest Palm Springs’ open air street festival, Thursday evenings, 7 – 10 p.m.

VillageFest, Tahquitz Canyon Drive and North Palm Canyon Drive. Villagefest.org In the Heights July 7 – 16 Life in Washington Heights, Manhattan. A bodega owner looks after an aging Cuban woman next door and pines for the gorgeous girl down at the neighboring beauty salon, while dreaming of winning the lottery and returning to the shores of his native Dominican Republic. The

Free Full Moon Drum Circle and Celebration July 10, 7-9:30 p.m.

Drum circle, dancers, and card readers by the pool. Free.

Ace Hotel & Swim Club, 701 E. Palm Canyon Drive, acehotel.com/fullmoon.

Wang’s Mysterious Drag’on Girls July 15, 6-8:30 p.m.

Miss Anna Rexia and her Drag’on Girls. Happy hour specials. No cover.

Wang’s in the Desert, 424 S. Indian Canyon Drive. 760325-9264, wangsinthedesert.com.

RoadHauz Live July 15, 9 p.m.

Palm Canyon Roadhouse, 535 S. Palm Canyon Drive. 760327-4080, palmcanyonroadhouse.com.

Desert Rhythm Project Live at BAR July 21, 9 p.m.

Great hi-desert band plays lo dez, with live art by Adam Enrique Rodriguez and Rick Rodriguez.

BAR, 340 N. Palm Canyon Drive. 760-537-7337, barwaastaken.com.

30 Miles Out Band Live July 22, 9 p.m.

Palm Canyon Roadhouse, 535 S. Palm Canyon Drive. 760327-4080, palmcanyonroadhouse.com.

Crystal Fantasy always seems to have something going on. There is their free Psychic Arts Fair (July 15, this month), the Reiki Healing Circles (first and third Sundays, 2-4 p.m.), the Community Drum Circle (last Friday of each month, 7-8:30 p.m.), and the Full Moon Drum Circle they help coordinate at the Ace Hotel each month.

But in between these events, there always seems to be a healer or reader or someone on the premises for you to have your own mini-psychic arts fair whenever you happen by. Ronda MacNeil, above, is her own, one woman psychic arts fair. She can help with life path, numerology, relationships, power animal guides, and past lives, and she’s also a Reiki healer.

You can find Ronda at Crystal Fantasy on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and often on weekends and at the Psychic Arts Fair at Crystal Fantasy, 268 N. Palm Canyon Drive, crystalfantasy.com.

S

ummer is the time of year when the Palm Springs Public Library suspends regular programming and focuses on Summer Reading. The theme for this year is READING

BY DESIGN and is a six-week program, continuing through Thursday, July 20.

Offering something for everyone in the family, there are programs for every age group; youth, teens, and even adults. Participation is free, just sign-up at the Library!

This year the most exciting thing is students that are registered and check-in weekly at the Library will receive a free new book (grade level/age specific) and participating adults who check-in weekly will receive a voucher for a free book (up to $2 in value) from the Friends of the Palm Springs Library book sale shelves. All courtesy of the Friends of the Palm Springs Library!

There are also special performers or activities every week for each age group, a fivebook Reading Challenge, and door prize raffles at the programs each week generously provided by local businesses and organizations. And as extra encouragement the grand prize this year is participant’s choice! At check-in each week, in addition to the free book (or voucher for adults) participants will also receive one entry ticket for the grand prize drawing. The completed entry goes into the bin of the prize you want to try to win. There are bicycles (with helmets) courtesy of the Palm Springs Sustainability Commission and other prizes including a Samsung Galaxy Tablet, Ancestry DNA kit, a 3D Printing Pen kit, a BB8 Droid robot, a Solar charger, and many other choices all courtesy of the Friends of the Palm Springs Library. One winner will be selected for each prize from the entry tickets in that bin, so the odds of winning may be high depending on the number of entries!

We’ll have a combined finale celebration on Thursday, July 20 at 4:30 p.m. to award all the grand prizes.

Youth Events (for teen and adult events, see website) Wednesday, July 12: Rebecca Martin, storyteller. Dragons by Design! 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday, July 19: Franklin Haynes Marionettes. The Princess & the Pirates! 10:30 a.m.

Thursday, July 20: Grand Finale and Prize Drawing. 4:30 p.m.

Ongoing: Read-to-Me Storytimes, Thursdays, 10 a.m., through July 20. D-I-Y Afternoons, Thursdays, 3:30 p.m., through July 20. Family Movie Matinees, third Saturday, 2 p.m.

For more program specifics or more information go online at www.palmspringslibrary. org and click on Summer Reading – 2017 in the left nav bar or call 760-322-READ (7323).

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published by the sun runner, po box 2171, joshua tree, ca 92252 (760)820-1222 publisher@sunrunnersw.com www.palmcanyonparadise.com www.facebook.com/palmcanyonparadise www.instagram.com/palmcanyonparadise published monthly. distributed free of charge in palm springs and the coachella valley.

Editor/Publisher: Steve Brown Assistant to the editor: Juliett, the mojave sand leopard Editorial contributors: steve Brown, ian l. sitren Photos by: Steve Brown, ian l. sitren, street life project our thanks to the palm springs bureau of tourism and greater palm springs cvb for photos.

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