Feb. 23 Daily Briefing: Parks planning begins, a fabulous floor resurfaces, Monarch project dedicated, and more

TGIF, everyone, and if you haven’t noticed yet, the city is in full swing! If you have noticed, you are probably wondering how to plan your weekend around any number of special events. Between Modernism Week, the Black History Parade and Town Fair, another McCormick’s Classic Car Auction, multiple stage productions, a jazz festival, a pet walk, and so much more, you won’t blame us if we borrow a line from coach Jim Harbaugh: “Who’s got it better than us? Nobody!” Make sure to check some of the weekend’s events in our calendar below, and discover more events online here.

🎶 Setting the mood: “Dreams” by Joshy Soul

LEADING OFF

Future of city parks up for discussion during first of many workshops

Palm Springs residents gathered Thursday evening to envision the future and map out their priorities for city parks.

Driving the news: More than 100 Palm Springs residents attended the first of many community workshops, held at the Palm Springs Pavilion, to discuss the update of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Zoom in: Consultants hired by the city told the audience that the master plan is a document meant to guide the city. There’s no guarantee that anything laid out in the master plan will happen and there’s no budget attached to any projects. 

The results: Residents responded to questions about priorities with some familiar concerns including the lack of sports fields and water features for children, displeasure about dog park closures, a desire for swim center improvements, and some hoping aging park facilities get a face lift. 

• Residents had mixed and negative feelings about Baristo Park and the City Hall Dog Park. Others said they discovered there were parks in the city they had never heard of.

Why it matters: It’s been a decade since the master plan was last updated. Parks and Recreation commissioners and members of the City Council need new input from residents to assess if priorities have changed.

• Looking over the 2014 master plan, it’s hard not to notice that some major requests from residents at the time have still gone unfulfilled, including a youth sports complex or water play features for children.

Why now: Commissioner Rod Davis said this time the City Council and commissioners are engaged and ready to build. He said he sensed there was optimism among the residents and City Hall.

• “We want to make sure we’re tackling what we can handle while being realistic,” Davis said. “There are budget factors, space factors, and staff bandwidth. Let’s make something realistic, impactful that everyone will be proud of and use.”

Next up: The consultants will have a booth at the Palm Springs Black History Town Fair at Downtown Park after Saturday’s parade where they will be gathering more comments and suggestions. 

• There will also be more workshops in the future, though no dates have been decided on yet, and residents are invited to sign up for email notices online.

BRIEFLY

👷🏽 Fabulous flooring restored at PSP

If you’re wondering if it’s true that everything old is new again, you may need to look no further than the floor at Palm Springs International Airport.

• A PSP spokesperson said this week that crews spent the overnight hours for a solid week ripping up carpeting to reveal terrazzo flooring that was hidden for decades.
  
  
• You can catch a timelapse video of the work here.
  
  
• Bottom line: The flooring, designed in the shape of a compass rose —  complete with arrows indicating the true directions — was not originally included in the 1966 Donald Wexler-designed main terminal building. It was added during a remodel in the 1990s. 

📽️ Jewish film fest features live performance, documentaries

The upcoming 11th annual Palm Springs Jewish Film Festival will showcase 14 feature films and documentaries that cover multiple topics, including a Jewish electro-pop musical, a Chicago rabbi’s efforts to unite Jews, and a documentary on the Hamas attack at an Israeli music festival.

• Part of the festival will include a concert presentation of “Symphony of the Holocaust,” composed by Holocaust survivor Shony Braun. The event will also feature Q&A sessions with filmmakers to discuss their projects.
  
  
• It will open with a VIP event with Alan Hamel, husband of the late actress Suzanne Somers, and close with the screening of “Remembering Gene Wilder,” featuring rare home videos and interviews about the famed actor.
  
  
• Details: The event runs March 9 through 13 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Complete details and ticket information is available here.

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YOUR WEEKEND

ALL WEEKEND

Modernism Week
Friday – Sunday | Multiple locations
It’s the final weekend of the annual celebration of all things mid-mod. Make sure to check out this list of events and score your tickets now.

McCormick’s Classic Car Auction & Show
Friday – Sunday | Palm Springs Convention Center
Spectators are welcome to watch the auction and enjoy the spectacle as more than a hundred classic cars move through the area. 

International Bear Convergence
Friday – Sunday | Hotel Zoso
During the day, kick back and enjoy pool parties with music provided by world-renowned DJs at the Hotel Zoso pool. After the sun goes down the high-energy dance parties, drag shows, & comedy shows start. ($130)

Palm Springs International Jazz Festival
Friday – Sunday | Multiple locations
The Palm Springs International Jazz Festival’s lineup includes Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, The Cookers, Veronica Swift, Taj Mahal, and Sona Jobarteh. ($25)

“Mid-Century Moderns”
Friday – Sunday | Revolution Stage Company
Catch this homegrown musical comedy this weekend at Revolution Stage Company. (Tickets start at $55, but you can get $20 off using promo code REV20 at checkout.)

“Something Rotten!”
Friday – Sunday | Palm Canyon Theatre
This weekend is your last chance to see the mash-up comedy of sixteenth-century Shakespeare and twenty-first-century Broadway. Brothers Nick and Nigel are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of the master playwright known as “The Bard.” ($38)

“Witchland”
Saturday & Sunday | Revolution Stage Company
“Witchland” combines elements of traditional theatrical storytelling with immersive haunted elements. The story is based on the author’s experiences growing up in Richland, Washington, deemed the most toxic place in the Western Hemisphere. ($25)

TODAY

“The Holdovers”
2 p.m. | Palm Springs Public Library
The library is screening “The Holdovers,” a film nominated for Best Picture and starring Best Actor nominee Paul Giamatti. Giamatti stars as a curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school who remains on campus during Christmas break. Check out the rest of the movies that will be screened here.

SATURDAY

Certified Farmers’ Market
8 a.m. | Palm Springs Cultural Center
The market returns to its outdoor location, with local farmers and vendors offering fresh agri­cul­tural and related products.

Desert Pet Walk
9 a.m. | Demuth Park
You and your pets are invited to a fundraiser walk in Demuth Park. The walk will start and end at the Palm Springs Animal Shelter. Be sure to register before attending. ($25)

Dann Foley Lifestyle Pop-Up Shop Opening
11 a.m. | Revivals Palm Springs
Located within the Palm Springs Revivals store, the pop-up shop offers shoppers an exclusive opportunity to explore a curated selection of furnishings and accessories handpicked by renowned interior design team Dann Foley and Beau Stinnette.   

37th Annual Black History Parade & Town Fair
11 a.m. | Downtown Palm Springs
In celebration of Black History Month, the Palm Springs Black History Committee and the City of Palm Springs James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center are coming together to put on a parade and town fair. Immediately following the parade, the Town Fair is held at the Downtown Park.

“Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen”
1 p.m. | Palm Springs Air Museum
The presentation will refute and explore the origins of popular myths about the legendary first Black pilots in American military service, dispelling misinformation while celebrating the heroic legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. 

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Bingo
6 p.m. | One Eleven Bar
Support the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence by playing bingo on the second and fourth Saturday of the month. Money goes to the Sisters and to charities they support. ($20)

SUNDAY

Cinema on Ice: “Dr. Zhivago”
6 p.m. | Palm Springs Cultural Center
Deserted Films continues its Cinema on Ice series with the sweeping, epic romance from 1965, “Dr. Zhivago.” ($12)

SAVE THE DATE

• Mizell Center Third Wednesday Speaker Series on Feb. 28.
  
  
• An evening with PSIPC and Friends on Feb. 29.
  
  
• 26th Annual Hike 4 Hope at the Art Smith Trailhead on March 3.
  
  
• Movies in the Park: “The Goonies” at Downtown Park on March 5.
  
  
• Rock the Park: AbbaFab-a Tribute to Abba at the Downtown Park on March 6.
  
  
• 2024 Palm Spring Philharmonic Series at the McCallum Theatre on March 6.
  
  
• Palm Springs Art Festival at Frances Stevens Park on March 9.

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AND FINALLY …

Last month, we told you about the doors opening at a new affordable housing complex near San Rafael and Indian Canyon. On Thursday, it was time to celebrate that momentous occasion.

Driving the news: City leaders joined officials from CHOC (Community Housing Opportunities Corporation) and others on Thursday to officially open The Monarch Apartments, the first new affordable housing in Palm Springs in 14 years.

• Built on land donated by the city, the development offers 60 units of housing and features amenities such as a splash pad, dog park, and more.

Looking back: The development was conceived in 2018 and ground was broken in 2021. Aside from land, the city also contributed some funding and incentives. But the majority of the project’s $39 million cost was paid for via state and federal grants.

• Councilmember Christy Holstege, who campaigned for election on a promise to bring more affordable housing to the city, and was on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony in 2021, called Thursday’s grand opening, “the best day in my six and a half years on the City Council.”

What they’re saying: “As I look around at this beautiful design and architecture, with its mid-century modern aesthetic and vibe, it’s just more proof that when done right — affordable housing can fit perfectly into our neighborhoods, said Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein during his remarks. “How fitting that we celebrate this opening during Modernism Week, right by the famous Wexler Steel Homes.”