Welcome to the sixth Amado newsletter! Full of things to love and do in the hi desert (™️ forthcoming).
I hit my limit this week. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but it’s true. My practical brain has been replaying all the weird events over the last few days in my head, in front of a blinking Vegas neon sign, to remind me that I. Just. Could. Not.
The heat felt completely unbearable, even though it’s consistently been 100+ all summer. I should be used to it, right?
We learned about the delta variant(s) and all the fuckery that comes with unvaccinated people clogging up hospitals while COVID-19 clogs their lungs. But I am vaccinated, so that additional layer of protection is in my favor, no?
I got my first instance of someone blocking me on Instagram. Though I suspect it’s a one-sided battle on their end they’ll lose, it’s still a major bummer. What do I do?
The world seemed...off kilter. So I retreated for a bit. Screamed into the void. Got inexplicably stoned to forget the pain.
I hate losing my shit. Though I know expressing my frustration is healthy, decades of being a combo Leo / the oldest child have really hammered home the expectation of decorum. I’ve figured out how to get back to a hostel in a foreign country in the dark not knowing the language. I’ve done my grocery shopping for the next 10 days on $18 because my paycheck was late. A hard situation? I can handle that. But living through distressing global warming and dealing with the fact my parents won’t get vaccinated and why oh why can’t two events services co-exist in the desert at the same time - it all got amplified by a deadly pandemic as the background. The emotional toil broke my heart this week.
Something changed when I moved to Joshua Tree. Now when I feel my emotions in the desert, tiny shoots of electricity fill my heart. It is occasionally overwhelming to simply do laundry in the morning and look out the window to witness the pink and gold sunrise over the north part of the park: holy shit, that rules, I live in the middle of nowhere in this majestic hellscape that may burn my skin off if I’m not careful, I am so crazy lucky to live here. I think that ambivalence has kept me alive this long, honestly. Cautiously have hope and also demand better.
On that note...a quick announcement that Amado is moving to publishing on Friday mornings! It’s Saturday now, sure, but this theoretical move seems as good a time as ever, pending existential crisis.
HAPPENINGS
Saturday 8/7 & Sunday 8/8 - 9am-2pm: I mentioned in Vol. 5 that the Joshua Tree Retreat Center is hosting a reopening gift store & yard sale, and now it’s here. Though currently undergoing renovations and closed to visitors, the sale will occur to celebrate a soft entry back to public attendance. The weekend sale offers up to 50% off on gems, jewelry, books, artwork, and more.
Saturday 8/7 & Sunday 8/8 - 10am-5pm: stop by local nursery Cactus Mart to stock up during their 20% sale off 1 gallon and 5 gallon shrubs. If you’re not in the market for large plants like this, the plethora of other outdoor items should wet your whistle, such as assorted cacti, pots, art prints by local artists, and shirts. If anything, Butch always needs more skritches. Terms of the sale can be found here.
Saturday 8/7 - 7pm: catch the final night of “My Life So Far Through Song - A Coming of Age Cabaret” at Theatre 29. Conceived and performed by local actor/director Scott Clinkscales, the show contains personal anecdotes, songs, and more from the life of the performer. Expect to hear renditions of tunes from productions like “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Amelie,” as well as popular music from artists like Joni Mitchell and Mary J. Blige. Snag your tickets here.
Saturday 8/7 - 7:30pm: the Summer Theater series at the Amphitheatre at Wind Walkers Medicine Wheel is coming to an end. The closing production at the outdoor playhouse is “Eyeless in Colonus,” a new play by Bruce Bonafede that reimagines the death of King Oedipus (you know the one - he unwittingly fulfills a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother). In “Eyeless,” the former King of Thebes is instead a blind beggar who arrives at a hidden grove to accept his fate. His story is told through the eyes of a young woman named Clio. The performance opens this weekend and runs through August 15. House opens at 7:30pm, show time 8:15pm. Purchase tickets here.
Sunday 8/8 - 9am-2pm: make a trip to the 29 Palms Visitor Center to catch a new installment of their Art in Public Places exhibit, in partnership with the Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC). This rotating show currently includes works by Cecilia Paints, Joan Horne, Anna Stump and more. The exhibit runs now through September 26. Preview works on exhibit here.
Monday 8/9 - 11am-3pm: the County of San Bernardino will be setting up shop at the Yucca Valley Community Center for free COVID-19 vaccinations, available to those 12 and over. No insurance is required or necessary. Book an appointment by scanning the QR code here or online at https://myturn.ca.gov/. Walk-ins are welcome. The free vaccination clinic will return to Yucca Valley on August 20 for another run if Fridays work better for your schedule.
Wednesday 8/11 & Thursday 8/12 - The Perseids are back! There are a wild amount of stargazers in the Basin that will happily provide the best places and times to witness this annual star shower. One is Joshua Tree Astronomy Arts Theater, who recommend setting time aside on August 11 & 12 for peak viewing. See their schedule here.
DON’T MISS THIS
Though we are still in the thick of summer, options to start participating in some friendly outdoor activities are coming through the pipeline. Early bird registration is now open for the Joshua Tree 55, a community cycling event taking place next April. The scenic bike ride will be celebrating its fifth annual occurrence in 2022. The 55 mile course winds through Joshua Tree National Park, hitting major attractions like Cap Rock and Key’s View before commencing at Knott’s Sky Park in Twentynine Palms. To take advantage of the early bird pricing, click here.
If biking isn’t in your repertoire or you’re hoping to scratch your competitive itch sooner, a morning 5K run and 2K walk takes place on August 14 in Yucca Valley at Machris Park. The course is labeled as challenging, but beautiful through a scenic area. Early bird registration is open from now through August 9, with prices increasing on August 10 through the event date. Click here for more info.
Living in a remote area means showing up for crucial meetings when they roll around. There are two notable upcoming ones that deserve some attention:
On August 10, the Town of Yucca Valley is having a special meeting on Housing, Safety and Open Space and Conservation Elements. Given that land stewardship and the impact of AirBnBs is a hot topic for any local, feedback is critical. The public is invited to provide comments on the draft documents at the public meeting, starting at 6pm. View the agenda and submit a written comment here.
The Mojave Water Agency is holding a Morongo Basin Pipeline Commission meeting on August 11 at 2pm. Updates on the Morongo Basin Pipeline, Operations & Maintenance plan as well as updates on the State Water Project will be announced. Any member of the public is encouraged to address the Commission. Learn how to obtain and fill out a "speaker’s card,” as well as view the agenda, here.
The Twentynine Palms Senior Center has been a central cooling station throughout the summer, but is slated to reopen and serve seniors in the community again starting on August 16. Bizuri Ice Cream from Hesperia will be providing free sundaes for the soft reopening event. Some social activities like billiards will also take place. Learn more about the new hours, updates to meals, and more here.
Lastly - The Palms in Wonder Valley announced a hiatus for August, but never fear - they’ve scheduled their first show back in action on September 4 with The Everglades (featuring Ben Vaughn) and The Sibleys. Save the date here.
SHIT YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT
Pappy & Harriet’s announced this week new COVID-19 protocol for admission to shows at the venue for the foreseeable future. As expected, desert residents are o p i n i o n a t e d about this new update. I normally don’t read comments on any internet thread, but stuff like “This is medical tyranny!!!” and “how communist is this” popping on their socials has really been drawing me in.
Here’s the thing. Pappy’s provided a list of things concert goers have the choice to select from in order to attend a show. That list is:
• Your vaccine card
• A clear and legible photocopy of your vaccine card
• Photo of your vaccine card on your phone
• A digital vaccine passport or record
• A negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained within 72 hours of the event
All you have to do is select one item from this list. One. What does that mean? If you are not vaccinated, you still have the option to get a PCR test done and show that result. If you are unvaccinated and cannot get tested, the venue will refund the order. These three buckets presented - show proof of vaccination, get a test beforehand, or take an offered refund opportunity - truly cover all bases to allow flexibility and comfort to those wanting to enjoy a night out. And yet. Yet. People will find a way to comment the choices are still not enough.
The amount of backlash Pappy’s and other Morongo Basin businesses are facing in rolling with the new updates, trying their damnest, is childish at best and negligent at worst. We are seemingly forgetting that:
businesses across the country were left in the dark for most of 2020 due to PPP loan scarcity and mismanagement
the Save Our Stages initiative (passed as the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program) that would assist live music venues specifically to get financial assistance did not get passed until December 2020
some venues are only starting to get that money now months later, with an expectation a full recovery could take years and with rollout still being smoothed out
financing PPE, sanitization, lost wages, rent relief, and re-opening were all largely paid out of pocket by many businesses themselves
It’s also sobering to know our own county is only 49% fully vaccinated. All this to say, it’s not surprising that Pappy’s and others are heading down this path of screening.
You likely have already heard all arguments pro and anti regarding vaccinations. I don’t need to contribute more to the echo chamber, but I’d like to say this: anything related to a choice regarding your body autonomy should not be taken lightly. But at some point, personal choices that have public consequences are public health issues. It’s the social contract that we prescribed to pre-COVID in having a civilized society, before misinformation took the nation by storm. So I’m disappointed - and some days distraught - to see some of us throwing a voluntary tantrum while someone dies as a result.
I strive to keep Amado as informative and objective as possible. Truly. But this topic strikes a nerve personally. I was laid off last year from working and producing events, a job I treasured dearly, because the music industry came to a standstill. Removing large scale congregations from the equation to keep people safe was only one part in the uphill battle of maintaining COVID. Now we have the prospect to stabilize. So if you want to go see your favorite band, travel to that country you’ve been dreaming about, and hug your grandparents, the best chance we have at success is banding together and getting that jab.
I’ll leave you with this: for anyone moaning about the fact they don’t want to follow the steps outlined by Pappy’s in order to see a show that they bought a ticket to - any way you slice it, you still come up short. Refuse to follow the rules, so you’ll just demand your money back? There’s a willing and able person ready to snap up that ticket. Outraged at “the infringement of your rights?” Don’t go to the show and miss out on the one thing you were looking forward to that brings you joy. The venue and band already have your money. Your outrage online is just that - online.
Sometimes you gotta do a thing to get access to another thing. You’d look pretty foolish if all you needed to do was wear a space alien costume to gain access to the most decadent party ever and hang out with David Bowie. But for whatever reason, you declined. Your decision, sure. But the costume was free. And David Bowie in this example is life. Embrace the alien. Get the shot.
Upload and manage your digital vaccine record at https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov, and take advantage of the free vaccination clinics in Yucca Valley this month.
WORTH THE DRIVE
Redlands is a quick jaunt away and contains a hidden gem free and open to the public: the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival. In its 98th (!) season, the Bowl has been offering outdoor weekly programs all summer from orchestral accompaniments to Neil Diamond tributes. The festival is winding down next week with The Texas Tenors on August 10 and From The Heart - Lana Love and & the Cool Classics Ensemble on August 13. Both concerts begin at 8pm, and seating is first come, first served. Click here for more information on programming, and here for directions and parking. The Bowl is reminiscent of the Greek Theatres in Berkeley and Los Angeles, so be sure to have your camera ready for the sunsets.
That’s it for this edition. Thanks for reading!
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About me:
I’m Jenn, a hi-desert orb since 2019. I moved to Joshua Tree completely independent of the pandemic and now can’t imagine being anywhere else.
Amado in Spanish means “beloved.” It was important to me when naming this newsletter Amado that I focus on the center of it all: events that bring us together. As a new person in a new place, I wanted to immerse myself and get to know the community that would be my support system. In my short time as a local, I have found that the heart of the desert lies in its people - and the way we have formed communities to forge our bonds, especially during COVID-19, has been my own personal saving grace.
I love sharing things that I am interested in, and appreciate you are too! Til the next time.
Amado is published every Friday (formerly Thursday). Sign up here so you don’t miss the next issue. Full archive of past newsletters can be accessed here.
Disclaimer: I founded and run The Grand Calavera, an events and production company for hire. Some events listed here from time to time may be special projects I am working on. Like me on Facebook and follow me on Instagram (shameless plug).
Feedback, ideas and more can be sent to thegrandcalavera@gmail.com.