The Palm Springs Arts Commission will be celebrating the success of its bench painting project during an event today that starts at Noon.
On hand during the event, held at 170 N. Palm Canyon Dr., will be representatives from the Arts Commission, Main Street Palm Springs, the city’s Chamber of Commerce, and the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism. Bench beautification artists will also be there to sign a new commemorative poster that will be presented to the Palm Springs City Council.
Fifty aging benches in Downtown Palm Springs were given a fresh look during the project, which saw artists receive $1,000 each for their design and paint work.
“Rather than replacing the expensive benches, Main Street Palm Springs decided to help our local artists by providing Public Arts Commission grants to beautify them,” Commission members wrote in announcing the event. “They commissioned a poster that will be signed by everyone who participated (including artists) to recognize this exciting project and look forward to presenting a signed copy to the Palm Springs City Council.”
The benches have received high marks from the public.
“Love these bright pieces of art sprinkled all up and down the street!” wrote city resident Joanne O’Connell on the event announcement page.
Support news for locals, by locals
The Palm Springs Post is the only local media outlet covering only Palm Springs with original reporting by a veteran journalist that is 100% free. We plan to keep it that way, and depend on readers like you to spread the word about our efforts to help all citizens become better informed about what’s happening here. If you can, please share The Post with your friends, family, and neighbors.
BRIEFLY
GENEROUS TIP: There’s little doubt the pandemic has been excruciating for many in the service industry, include most in Palm Springs. The staff at Blackbook on East Arenas Road is feeling a little less pain, however, after a customer left a 22,000 percent tip on May 22. The guest, who remains anonymous, came into the establishment late at night, ordered a glass of wine, and left. But not before tipping the staff $2,000.21 (2021) in appreciation. “A very kind guest wanted to show his gratitude to our staff for making it through these challenging days,” the owners wrote in an Instagram Post. “We are extremely humbled and can’t express enough our appreciation for him and everyone who has been supportive. We need to shed more light on the kindness in this world.”
STATUE DEDICATION: An official dedication of statues honoring the Tuskegee Airmen took place Monday during Memorial Day ceremonies at the Palm Springs Air Museum. The four recently-installed statues at the entrance of the museum, first covered in The Post here, are believed to be the first monuments to African-Americans in Palm Springs. They honor the Red Tail Squadron, America’s first black military pilots and their support personnel. Palm Springs City Councilwoman Grace Garner was in attendance, posting pictures on her Instagram account of the ceremony, which was attended by some of the Tuskegee Airmen, as well as family members of others who have passed away. “It was an honor to be there and give thanks to those that have sacrificed for the United States despite not receiving the same in return,” Garner wrote.
MINI VILLAGEFEST: While VillageFest won’t officially return for another month, city officials are planning a smaller version to coincide with the anticipated easing of COVID restrictions June 15. Last week, the City Council approved the plan to open the popular Thursday evening event July 1. Before then, however, the City Council approved a one-time mini-Village Fest on Tahquitz Canyon Way between Palm Canyon and Indian Canyon from 5–8PM on Tuesday, June 15 to celebrate “Palm Springs Back in Business” and the re-opening of California. On that day, many of the restrictions in place in the state to battle the pandemic will be lifted. Starting at 3PM that day, expect Tahquitz Canyon Way between Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive to be closed until the event is over.
SEARCH & RESCUE FUNDRAISER: One local business is coming to the aid of the Palm Springs Mounted Police Search & Rescue, which provides 5-10 rescues each month on hiking trails in and around the city. Destination PSP is offering online orders for T-shirts that help fund the organization, which used to sell them in person during VillageFest, but has been unable to with the event closed for more than a year. The shirts are 100 percent cotton and available for $27 each. Each volunteer member of the Search & Rescue is responsible for providing their own personal gear at a cost of nearly $2,000. Members, as a unit, spend approximately 8,000 hours annually on meetings, training, and administration, as well as countless hours on area hills during rescue missions.
TODAY’S EVENTS
- MAIN STREET: The city’s Downtown/Uptown Business Association meets today via Zoom at 8:30 AM. To register, go here.
- TAI CHI: The Mizell Center offers Chair Tai Chi at 9 AM. Registration is available here.
- SUSTAINABILITY: The Sustainability Commission Standing Subcommittee on Solar and Green Building meets today at 10:30 AM. They plan to address a number of topics of interest. A complete agenda and information on how to view the meeting is available here.
- FIGHTING CANCER: The Mizell Center is presenting a program titled “Fighting Cancer With a Fork: Nutrients for Energy” today at 11:30 AM. The program aims to educate the community about food choices that help prevent suffering cancer-induced fatigue. Registration for the online program is available here.
- PRESERVATION: The Historic Preservation Board holds its regular meeting at 5:30 PM this evening. An agenda and information about how to view the meeting can be found here.
- VACCINES: Anyone 12 and older now qualifies for a COVID-19 vaccine in Riverside County. If you qualify, you can get one at the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 North Avenida Caballeros, from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 8:30 AM until 7 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments are not required, and those age 12-17 need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. You can also find a list of community providers such as pharmacies here.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Want to know about city and other municipal events? Road construction in your neighborhood? Building activity? Have something to report? The following links should help:
City of Palm Springs calendar of events
Police reports | Submit a police report
Code compliance reports | Report a code violation
Current road projects and closures
Currently active development projects
