Welcome to the ninth Amado newsletter! Full of things to love and do in the hi-desert (™️ forthcoming).
Somehow we accelerated through the summer and slammed our heads on fall this week. I don’t know about y’all, but this symbolic concussion is somehow derailing my overall sanity and causing a schism.
You may have noticed that Amado took a hiatus for the past few weeks. The break was slightly related to picking up some contract work that required me to travel. Largely though, I went radio silent in September because life just felt fucking straight up complicated. I’ve been holding on, like everyone else is, but a cascade of occurrences caused me to do some deep contemplation offline and off grid. Every facet of my existence seemed 16 times harder to deal with: having conversations, pivoting with change, getting up in the morning to face a meaningless day of work and capitalism.
The pandemmy has been tough from the get-go. I keep having to tell myself that. I’m proud of maintaining some semblance of stability, bruises and all, but something about the moment it turned fall made normal scenarios unbearable and my anxiety turn up to 11. I am happy to say things feel improved; but as with anything, I am a work in progress.
We talk all the time about being kind to ourselves, being graceful and patient and curious to the person we’re evolving to. I still wholly believe that. Sometimes though, I just have to blast “The Lover” by IDLES and scream the lyrics frantically to feel better:
I gotta feeling I ain't scared no more
Because my people love me and make me feel sure to say
'Fuck you, I'm a lover’
...Eat shit!
Can’t wait for this show at Pappy’s in a few weeks.
Mercury is in retrograde until Monday (October 18), if such concepts are to be embraced. Let’s hope our collective shit gets settled by then.
HAPPENINGS
Sunday 10/17 - 9am: Pioneer Days takes place all weekend in 29 Palms with lots to see and do, like a full carnival. Arguably the highlight will be the Pet Parade on Sunday at Luckie Park, hosted by Twentynine PalmsnPaws Orphans. With categories like Best Pet/Owner Look-a-Like and Loudest Howler, the likelihood of being amused promises to be high. Registration to enter is $5 per animal. 100% of the proceeds goes to Palms-N-Paws Animal Shelter. Be advised - the event had some activity Friday night where a teenager was arrested for assaulting a police officer.
Sunday 10/17 - 10am-4pm: catch the last day of the Morongo Valley Art Expo, featuring a selection of artists right at the beginning of the grade. The third semi-annual event features multi-disciplinary artists Sharon Davis, Sue Holloway, Rebecca Rizzo, and Walt Winfield at Stop A, and Otter & Manny Martinez at Stop D. Check out the flyer here.
Sunday 10/17 - 10am-5pm: the much anticipated Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours are back after taking a hiatus in 2020 due to (gestures wildly). Creators of all mediums open their doors for artist talks, tours, shopping, and more. Download the app to plan your own crawl. Adventurous art enthusiasts can spot signage up and down and off 62 and use that to plot an independent tour to ad hoc visit havens full of art. Unsure where or who to start with? The Tours’ Instagram page has been spotlighting creatives every day, even breaking them out into specific towns like Landers or Joshua Tree as an example. Art Tours concludes October 23 & 24.
Sunday 10/17 - 2pm: stay in on a Sunday afternoon, brew some tea, and enjoy a virtual talk with artists Georgia D. McGovern and Sebastijan Jemec on “Terra Incognita: Joshua Tree.” Their collaboration immerses users into the environmental specificity of a particular site where they have installed pieces, with each iteration highlighting the micro in the macro and exploring concepts of shelter and rewilding. Joshua Tree is the first iteration of this series and is currently located in a boulder field on Bureau of Land Management land, adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. Read more about the artists and register for the talk here. The online lecture is in collaboration with BoxoPROJECTS.
Sunday 10/17 - 4pm-6pm: the Desert Split Open Mic asks a heavy-hitting question during this spooky month: when examining our past, and everything we can’t forget, what haunts you? Bring prose and thoughts and everything in between on this topic to the JT Folk School stage, and keep it feminist, queer, or otherwise radical. Readers must be vaccinated; bring a chair, water, and other amenities to stay comfortable. Directions and more info here.
Tuesday 10/19 - 6pm-9pm: the Pioneertown Drive-In Theatre runs with the Halloween vibe with a screening of Night of the Living Dead. Join other horror fans at the Wild West Theatre, across from Pappy & Harriets, for the film alongside pre-movie music by Arroyo Rogers and trunk-o-treating. View the flyer here and grab advance tickets here.
Wednesday 10/20 - email for info: if you haven’t joined one of our local Facebook groups, I would suggest starting with Joshua Tree/Yucca Valley/29 Palms Ask Anything. Sometimes a unique opportunity is nestled in between posts about yard sales or contractor recommendations. This month’s fun post is a call for locals who want to be background extras for a comedy feature film, shooting in Pioneertown and 29 Palms. October 20’s call is for characters such as hipsters and country music lovers, and October 22’s call is for male strippers. Audition for one or all roles. For more info on stipend and who to contact, click here.
Thursday 10/21 - 6:30pm: Kitchen in the Desert has been experimenting with throwing events in their outdoor space, like late night DJs and local musicians. Their comedy series has started to gain traction and is coming back October 21, featuring Steph Tolev (Just For Laughs), RB Butcher (Adam Ruins Everything), Greg Berman (NBC, ABC) and hosted by Jenny Zigrino (Bad Santa 2). Advance tickets are recommended; dinner is not required for attendance but highly encouraged.
DON’T MISS THIS
Catch the final week of events as part of the Big Read Morongo Basin series. As mentioned in the last Amado, this year's book is 'An American Sunrise' by Joy Harjo. A performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Harjo is serving her second term as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States. Be sure to attend book discussions on October 18 and October 19, or drive-in film screenings happening at Copper Mountain College. A full schedule for BRMB can be found here. Still looking for a free copy of the book? Visit any spots on the list of organizations and businesses participating.
Through the month of October, This N That is offering ghost tours at each one of their locations in Yucca Valley. The stores report that they have frequent paranormal activity and even have a dedicated Instagram to the phenomenon. Groups will be provided with ghost hunting tools and attendees are welcome to bring cameras or use their phones to record. 18 or older required, and tours must be prepaid to hold a slot. Tours are scheduled daily from 9pm-10 pm and 10:30pm-11pm. For more info on reservations, click here.
From now until Halloween, grab a gourd or four of your choice at the Morongo Valley Fruit Market pumpkin pop-up, open every day. Nothing says fall like crisp desert air and some orange-colored squash. Bonus: get a solo or group photo snapped by local photographer Nailah Johnson on October 23 to commemorate decorative gourd season, motherfucker. Bring your best flannel or white cable knit sweater game to be encapsulated on film.
It’s never too late to take a self defense class, or brush up on the actions needed to keep safe. The Yucca Valley Community Center offers a two and a half hour course on October 23 that teaches students how to deal with the most common attacks, as well as build self confidence. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Visit the Town’s Parks & Rec page to secure a spot.
The Palms Wonder Valley is slowly building out their fall/winter weekend schedule, which means the commencement of delicious bar food and no-frills drinks. October 23’s show with Bird of Paradise, The Blank Tapes, Pat Kearns and The Last Posse, and Gabriel Hart showcases a great cross section of hi-desert musicians bringing fuzz, indie, experimental and rock to an outdoor stage. See the show flyer here and watch the venue’s Facebook for more info.
Refuge Ranch in Morongo Valley announced that they recently have opened up spots for kids 8-11 during their Tuesday morning group, held 8:30am-10:30am. The group is focused on building relationships and communication, as well as interacting and learning about horses. For more info and how to contact the ranch, click here.
Lastly - Amado will be putting out a Halloween specific edition at the end of the month! In the mean time, mark the calendar with this first set of events:
Trunk Or Treat At The Elks Lodge in Yucca Valley on October 28, featuring a costume contest (all ages)
Morongo Valley Halloween Extravaganza at Covington Park on October 30, featuring hay rides and a petting zoo (all ages)
Back Alley Apocalypse Party at Bowladium in 29 Palms on October 30, featuring karaoke and drink specials (21 and over)
SHIT YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT
You may have seen many fire trucks in Old Town Yucca Valley recently, battling the fire that took place at Desert Curios at the end of September. Sadly, the store as well as shop cat Biscuits has succumbed to the flames. Losing a local business in this way is heartbreaking, in addition to mourning a beloved four legged companion. Owners Holly Carlyle and Jeff Burgess currently have a GoFundMe that will help with restoration and recovery efforts of the treasures lost in the blaze. Consider making a donation to assist.
WORTH THE DRIVE
Normally in this section, a recommendation is listed to visit a surrounding area or county for an event worth the drive. However, the hi-desert has seen an explosion of new businesses debut in the past few weeks, and that deserves a shout out.
Spread the word on these current openings (and more forthcoming!) to help spread our local economy across towns:
Food For Thought (cafe & coffee shop)
Mojave Flea Trading Post (marketplace of makers & merchants)
Out There Bar (watering hole)
AWE Bar (live music)
GRND SQRL (eats & beer)
Holistic Ranch General Store (grocery & goods)
Hi-Desert Film Lab (film processing services & gallery)
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), pending an existential crisis. If that’s the case, it may be published on Saturdays. 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.