New Year's Eve at the PALMS!

Live music with Charlie Limousine and The Sibleys!
Special holiday menu -- Champagne countdown toast!
Doors open at 6 p.m., No cover!

The Palms Restaurant and Bar
83131 Amboy Road
Wonder Valley CA 92277

Godwin Christian Fellowship -- Christmas Program

The Christmas Program at Godwin Christian Fellowship will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 22, at 6389 Godwin Road, near Highway 62.

A FREE Christmas Luncheon follows the program.

Call (831) 234-6848 for more information.

Succulents (An evening of small juicy theatre) Holiday Show -- The Palms Restaurant

Many years ago in Washington, D.C. I started a theatre website called DC Theatre Scene mainly to report on and promote local, smaller theatre companies. DC is the third largest theatre town in the country behind New Your and Chicago.

Since moving to our community slightly over two years ago I am finally getting back into writing and involving myself into music and local theatre. 

Succulents is my first foray into theatre criticism in the hi desert and I could not ask for a better opportunity to apply words of praise to a few pieces of original writing and spirited performances.

I have always felt that small intimate theatre productions are by far the most enjoyable for me. I've experienced Broadway, attended lavish productions at the Kennedy Center and the Shakespeare Theatre but my true love is fledgling theatre company productions in small black box spaces. Succulents is such a production.

First, a bit about the space. The Palms is a local bar, restaurant and community meeting place in Wonder Valley, California. Theatre performances take place in a large room behind the bar.  Limitations of such a space exist of course. The bar noise is omnipresent but manageable and not all seating faces the stage. That is where the limitations end and the intimacy shines.  The sense of community and positive vibes overtake any limitations that exist and the audience becomes part of the production in a meaningful way.

"Succulents" is a series of short pieces all written, directed and performed by local writers, actors and directors. 

The evening started with poignant tunes by Steve Jensen and his piano and served as a perfect pairing for the evening's theatre performances.

"Woman of a Certain Age -- Dating" was first up, a smart, funny piece about the complexities and quirkiness of dating later in life by Catherine Gurbaxani.  The age old dilemma of how to find satisfying relationships in a superficial world always makes for good comic relief and usually, as in this case, also brings introspective analysis on the human condition. Catherine nailed it!

"Match", my favorite piece of the evening explores a couple with a date in the works that is in a session with a relationship counselor before the actual first date . Oh, the possibilities of such a scenario! The absurdities of such a premise make for a lively back and forth between two middle aged singles and a relationship counselor.  It's no surprise of course that once they just put aside the pressures of a first date they realize all the worry and stress was silly and useless. Kevin Bone shined in this one as did Celene de Miranda.  

"The First Trip" by Christopher Schoonover was a look back at a mother and son road trip.  The complexities of the relationship and stressors of road trips in general make for an interesting thought piece.  How to deal with an aging parent is something no one is ever prepared for but a flat on a dark desert highway provides an opportunity for the narrator to see the value of simple human kindness we all many times take for granted. 

No Hard Feelings Improv Group brought a comic interlude ala whose line is it anyway.  I need to experience far more of them in the future.

"Women of a Certain Age -- The Doctors Office" was a quirky look at not only the frustrating experience of the doctor's office waiting room but also being a care giver for an aging parent all while juggling the demands of divorce and dating. Celene de Miranda was simply flawless in her performance.

Truth Hurts is part deux of the First Trip and serves as a reminder of why we should always cherish any time with a loved one no matter how frustrating it might seem at the time because life can change with the blink of an eye. Christopher Schoonover is someone I would love to hear more from.

"The Play With No Actors" written and directed by Kevin Bone was a cold script reading that turns into murder as the director comically pursues her dream of performing ALL the parts. This piece was certainly the most difficult to pull off in the confined space but turned out splendidly. 

What I came away with from my evening with"Succulents" was small intimate theatre will continue to be my favorite form of theatre performance. I look forward to more from these talented folks and the potential they possess.

The actors:

Catherine Gurbaxani

Heather Clisby

Celene de Miranda

Kevin Bone

Christopher Schoonover

Steve Jensen

Ronnie Ruff

Wonder Valley, California 

Desert Trail Column - December 19, 2019

On Thursday, December 19 a Christmas Turkey Giveaway will take place at our Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526 ½ Amboy Road at Blower Road, from 9 to noon, or until the 60 turkeys are gone. This free giveaway is jointly sponsored by Friends of Wonder Valley and Community Action Partnership. Please bring proof of residency.

 The Glass Outhouse Art Gallery, 77575 29 Palms Highway at Thunder Road, will hold a $49 Art Sale on Saturday, December 21. This sale will raise money for renovations that will allow three additional artists to show their work each month at the gallery. For times and information, call Laurel at 760-367-3807.

 

A Christmas Celebration Luncheon will be served at Godwin Christian Fellowship, 6389 Godwin Road at Highway 62, following the 10:30 a.m. church service on Sunday, December 22. Pastor Max Rossi says there’s lots of delicious food on the menu! Call 831-234-6848 or 760-449-8683 for further information.

 

 

Most events at our WVCC are sponsored by our local nonprofit Friends of Wonder Valley. For additional information on any local event, contact WVCC Coordinator Teresa Sitz at teresa.sitz@sdd.sbcounty.gov or 760-367-9880.

 

We send out Rainbows-of-Turquoise-and-Narcissus to Teresa Sitz and Laurel Seidl who celebrate their special days this week. Happy birthday, Laurel and Teresa!

 

Our Wonder Valley Community Center is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Stop by to say hello to Teresa and to take advantage of our Lending Program featuring books, DVD movies and videocassette movies that you can borrow just like in a little library. Contact Teresa at the email address or phone number listed above.

 Joint Commentary:  Last part of a Wonder Valley song: “On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me twelve gorgeous sunsets, eleven hikers hiking, ten palms a-swaying, nine coyotes howling, eight ravens squawking, seven owls a-hooting, six kangaroo rats – FIVE FULGURITES – four hummingbirds, three ring-neck doves, two tortoises and a roadrunner in a Joshua tree!”

Handy Hint:  The website Thrillist has a list of more than 80 major food and restaurant chains that offer free items to help you celebrate your special day.

Today’s Thought:  The year was 1941. Bob Hope performed his first USO show at a base in California, Forrest Mars Sr patented M&M’s and marketed them to the US military so soldiers could eat chocolate that wouldn’t melt in their hands, General Mills introduced Cheeri Oats (later called Cheerios), Mount Rushmore was completed after 14 years of work, “Rebecca” won the academy award for best motion picture and Joe DiMaggio was named the American League’s most valuable player in baseball.

 

Until next time . . . remember to take time to enjoy the WONDERs all around us.

Desert Trail Column - December 12, 2019

The community meeting hosted by our Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council representative Steve Reyes was very interesting and informative. Along with all the updates and a delicious lunch provided by Steve, there was also lots of information provided by experienced exterminator Evan Browsowsky about our current rodent problem. Thank you, Steve and Evan.

 For the past four years, Redlands Airport Association members have collected toys in November at their “Stuff a Plane with Toys for Tots” event at Redlands Municipal Airport. The toys are then flown to our Twentynine Palms Airport in December to be picked up by the Marines for their Toys for Tots program. This year they had to cancel the fly-in, which usually includes more than 30 planes, due to bad weather. So if they couldn’t come to the Marines, the Marines came to them! The Marine Corps responded trucks and personnel to the Redlands Airport where volunteers from the Airport Association were waiting to help load approximately 10,000 toys! This is a fantastic group of people who go all out to insure happy children at Christmastime. Hopefully, next year they will be able to deliver the toys as in the past. A big thank you to every one of them!

 Wonder Valley men and women of all ages are invited to Aglow of 29 Palms’ December luncheon on Saturday, December 14 at First Baptist Church of 29 Palms, 6414 Split Rock Avenue, at 11 a.m. RSVP to Billie Perez at 760-501-6154 or Donna Sandler at 760-361-5531, and ask about bringing a favorite Christmas dish and about the toy drive for Unity Home.

 The USDA Food Distribution will take place at our Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526 ½ Amboy Road at Blower Road, on Tuesday, December 17 from 9 to noon.

 Most events at our WVCC are sponsored by our local nonprofit Friends of Wonder Valley. For additional information on any local event, contact WVCC Coordinator Teresa Sitz at teresa.sitz@sdd.sbcounty.gov or 760-367-9880.

 Since the birthstone for December is the turquoise and the flower is the narcissus, we send out Rainbows-of-Turquoise-and-Narcissus to Elsilynn Foster (13), Diana Akins, Wyona Hipple-Sandoe and Ken Sitz who celebrate their special days this week. Happy birthday, Ken, Wyona, Diana and Elsilynn!

 

The Morongo Basin Healthcare District operates Lift, a service offering free transportation to and from medical appointments. You must call ahead to schedule a pickup at your home. Call 760-366-5438 or 760-820-9229 for information or to schedule a ride.

 Handy Hint:  Before closing the door, say “Wallet, keys, phone” to avoid leaving one behind.

 Today’s Thought:  Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.

 

Until next time . . . remember to take time to enjoy the WONDERs all around us.

Christmas Turkey Giveaway.

The Friends of Wonder Valley is partnering with Community Action Partnership to sponsor a 2nd holiday turkey giveaway for residents of Wonder Valley, from 9 a.m. to Noon (or until the 60 turkeys are gone), on Thursday, December 19, 2019.

If you haven’t filled out a form, you can fill one out when you arrive. Please bring proof of residency.

The giveaway will take place at the Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526-½ Amboy Road, Wonder Valley CA 92277. For more information, call Teresa Sitz at (760) 367-9880.

Succulents!

Join us for a fun evening of original short plays, sketches, music and improv at that great little roadhouse in Wonder Valley, “The Palms.” 

“Succulents “ is an ongoing series, with all pieces written and/or produced by good, talented folks of the hi-desert community. Each piece is 10 minutes or less, and the range is from comedic to dramatic, ensemble to monologue. Something for everybody, with live music to start off each show!

 This December show will have 2 performances:

Thursday, December 12th, at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 14th, at 7:30 p.m.

Program for this show TBA soon!

$5 admission. LIMITED SEATING (only 30 seats per show)

To guarantee seating (it’s an intimate space, and DOES sell out!), please RSVP to: succulenttheater@gmail.com.

Be sure to let us know which show you’re interested in!