June 12 Daily Briefing: Museum moving here, ‘Sandy’ arrives to help clear roads, Pride Monument discussion, and more

Happy Wednesday! Aviation enthusiasts and planespotters, listen up for a great opportunity to learn more about local aviation. Apparently, the Palm Springs International Airport Air Traffic Control Tower offers scheduled tours! Councilmember Grace Garner shouted out the Instagram account @psptower after she took a tour of the control tower herself. The link to sign up for a tour is here. If that doesn’t satisfy your curiosity, make sure to check out the airport’s webcam or eavesdrop on the live Air Traffic Control operations.

🎶 Setting the mood:  “Leaving on a Jet Plane” by Peter, Paul & Mary

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LEADING OFF

Museum planning Palm Springs relocation, expansion to include LGBTQ+ history

The Museum of Ancient Wonders (MoAW) is planning to relocate from Cathedral City to Palm Springs, while also hoping to house its collection alongside an LGBTQ+ World History Museum in a unified larger space.

Driving the news: Alberto Acosta, co-founder of MoAW, envisions a combined museum facility encompassing up to 20,000 square feet to accommodate an existing collection and a new LGBTQ+ History Museum.

• Although the venue in Palm Springs has not yet been finalized, discussions are ongoing to secure an appropriate location.

Details: The museum’s current exhibitions include replicas of historical artifacts like ancient Greek pottery, Egyptian artifacts found in Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s Tomb, and African masks from 12 central African countries and 27 different indigenous communities. 

By the numbers: The museum currently operates in a 7,500-square-foot building but needs nearly three times that space to cover its expanded vision. Opening is tentatively planned by September next year.

What they’re saying: “We think it’s important to have both museums under one roof so that the 10,000-year arc of LGBTQ experiences are in the same company with the paleontology, paleoanthropology, archeology, and cultural archeology exhibitions,” said Acosta.  “This would help to institutionalize the subject of such a comprehensive history of LGBTQ experiences in a global chronological format.” 

Why it matters: One of Acosta’s goals is to contribute to museum diversity in the Coachella Valley by offering something unique. Eventually, he hopes the combined museums will one day rival the size of other popular museums like the Palm Springs Air Museum.

Dive deeper with Henry Braun’s complete story.

BRIEFLY

🏳️‍🌈 Pride Monument Board to discuss plans for art installation later this month

The Pride Monument Board said Tuesday its members will introduce conceptual plans for a permanent public art installation commemorating the LGBTQ+ community’s contributions to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley at an upcoming community meeting.

• The meeting, facilitated by Board President Allison Jones and other board members, aims to involve the community in the process of creating a visible and lasting tribute to the LGBTQ+ community.
  
  
• The monument, which we first reported on last month, is expected to be completed by 2026 to mark the 40th anniversary of Pride in Palm Springs. More than 50 design proposals from 45 artists worldwide were submitted.

Details: The community meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 25, from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Hunters Palm Springs, located at 302 East Arenas Road

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TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

PSUSD Job Fair
9 a.m. | District Headquarters
The Palm Springs Unified School District is looking to hire for a variety of departments including campus safety, custodial, nutrition services, and more. Register for the job fair online here.

Sustainability Commission Climate Action Subcommittee
5 p.m. | City Hall
According to the agenda, committee members will discuss community change grants from the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Kate’s Last Dance”
7 p.m. | Revolution Stage Company
In his one-person play, “Kate’s Last Dance”, actor and writer Kevin Bone portrays 16 different characters who help him tell two stories that connect with the question of “When does breaking the rules seem like a more humanitarian decision than following them?” ($20)

2024 Summer Cabaret Series: Broadway Showstoppers
7 p.m. | CVRep Theatre
Glenn Rosenblum is back this summer with his extremely popular Broadway Showstopper series. Previous guests have included Teri Ralston, Ilene Graff Jackie Joseph, Alix Korey, Joshua Finkel and more. ($50)

Palm Springs Power Baseball Game
7 p.m. | Palm Springs Stadium
Tonight the Palm Springs Power will take on the SoCal Bombers during the team’s Pride Night, featuring a performance by the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus. 

SAVE THE DATE

• Juneteenth Celebration at the James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center on June 15.
  
  
• Palm Springs International ShortFest from June 18 through 24.
  
  
• Rock the City free concert at Downtown Park on June 19.
  
  
• Red Cross Training on Household and Extreme Heat Preparedness on June 25.
  
  
• Pride Monument Community Meeting on June 25 at Hunter’s.
  
  
• Palm Springs Equality Wine & Food Fest at Margaritaville Resort on June 29.
  
  
• Palm Springs All American 4th of July at Sunrise Park on July 4.
  
  
• ONE-PS Lip-Sync Battle at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on July 7.

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AND FINALLY …

Last week we told you that the city had recently acquired a piece of equipment that would make clearing sand off roadways a lot easier. We also promised there would be more to say about this piece of equipment shortly. Well, today is that day!

Zoom in: Meet “Sandy” (pictured above), the city’s newly-purchased road grader. Over the weekend, the $500,000 monster machine already proved useful, aiding street crews in rapidly reopening Indian Canyon Drive and Gene Autry Trail, following closures caused by sand accumulation and poor visibility.

What they’re saying: “This new road grader is a significant game changer when it comes to clearing sand along our major roadways into the city and will be used almost daily along Indian Canyon, Vista Chino, and Gene Autry Trail,” said David McAbee, director of Public Works. 

• McAbee noted another main function of the grader will be to maintain and prepare shoulders and roads when severe weather is forecasted.

But wait: Why is it named “Sandy”? Because of you! Last August, after the City Council approved the expenditure, we asked for your ideas on what to name it. We were flooded with dozens of responses — including “Scoopy Doo,” “Alice Scooper,” and “Ruth Grader Ginsburg” — all of them brilliant suggestions. 

• In the end, it really wasn’t a contest — “Sandy” was submitted by an overwhelming majority of you. So Sandy it is!

Up next: We’ve been in intense negotiations with officials at City Hall to allow us to paint the name on the side of this beast and hold an informal coming out party. If and when that happens, we’ll make sure to let you know.