After two years off due to Covid, the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala is back and tables, seats, and passes are all on sale now! The 2021 Gala will take place on Thursday, January 5, 2023. Harold Matzner, the Board of Directors, and…
Part 2 of Palm Springs Life Magazine’s profile of Harold Matzner focuses on the Palm Springs International Film Festival. With quotes from colleagues, fellow board members, friends, and family, writer David Lansing illustrates how Harold turned the film festival into the success it is today. …
If you’ve ever wondered about Harold’s childhood, what his home life is like (hint: dog-filled), or how amazingly busy his schedule is, this article Palm Springs Life Magazine will give you a window into being Harold Matzner as told by writer David Lansing, many of…
Happy Birthday, Harold! (Yes, he really was born on the 4th of July.) As we celebrate 85 wonderful years, it’s time to revisit (and laugh again at) the prank Desert Sun front page made just for your 75th. We truly will never forget your sold-out…
Harold Matzner and fellow high-profile sponsors like Donna MacMillan and Arlene & Jordan Schnitzer were treated by a spectacular act from singer-actress Megan Hilty at the theater’s opening night The event was extravagantly catered by none other than Spencer’s restaurant. To Read Original Article at The Desert Sun, Click…
by Frances Allen “There are no bad dogs, just bad owners.” One need look no farther than the 18th annual “Pets On Parade Awards” luncheon at Indian Wells’ Renaissance Esmeralda on July 9 where pets of all breeds and species co-exist with each other and…
One of the desert’s most colorful celebrities, Michael Childers, has done it again. Last week’s “One Night Only” all-star performance posted its “sold out” sign for the 10th straight year. It was held at the spacious 1127-seat McCallum Theater, enabling it to raise support for Jewish Family Service…
ACT for MS, a local non-profit that provides therapy sessions, mobility assistance and other special support programs for free to those suffering with Multiple Sclerosis, recently held its annual March benefit gala honoring philanthropist Harold Matzner and remembering its founder Gloria Greer. The event raised an…
If you have not toured Cabot’s Pueblo Museum in Desert Hot Springs, you have not seen all of the desert’s truly unique attractions. It is like a huge, historic time machine, transporting visitors back, back in time to the old west – ancient artifacts, dirt paths, and all….
The 28th Annual On-Stage Birthday Luncheon benefiting the Muses & Patroness Circle of the McCallum Theatre demonstrated why theater is such an amazing and exciting art form, and why ladies should join this prestigious group. Original founding member Marjorie Victor was seen in the lobby…
In addition, the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a free Taste of Palm Springs, with local restaurants providing tasty small bites to the public. “Over the past year, the Buzz trolley has experienced incredible success,” said Mary Jo Ginther, director of tourism at…
By Betty Francis Great works of art always have a colorful history and the one now on permanent display at Eisenhower Medical Center is no exception. The art itself is one of the most unique pieces in the world. It is a small, white weathered…
By Vicki Blythin “Holiday in Palm Springs,” an event held and sponsored by the Hyatt Palm Springs, featured the global singing sensations, “Little Stars,” an all – girl choir from Zagreb, Croatia. They are touring the country with their creator, Conductor/Maestro Zdravko Sljivac . The…
By Bruce Fessier Fans lined the street across from the Palm Springs Convention Center, waiting for a glimpse of the stars being honored Saturday at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala. When Bryan Cranston, a local favorite as part owner of the Cinemas…
Marge Dodge He writes the songs that make the whole world sing, and for five nights Barry Manilow sang his hit songs and holiday favorites in the Gift of Love III concert, benefiting 30 Coachella Valley non-profit organizations. Manilow exploded onto the holiday themed stage…
Betty Francis Just how distinctive were the Citizens of Distinction honored by COD last week? Well, any five-some that can lure 360 busy socialites to a midweek luncheon during high season has got to be pretty darn distinctive! And so they were: Donna Jean Darby, who…
by Betty Francis Paul Anka’s still got it! In spades! Announcing his age (74) and celebrating his 57th year in showbiz, Anka performed an energetic, entertaining, and highly professional 90 minute concert with no intermission at last week’s McCallum Theatre Gala. In fact, he never…
Betty Francis In a community with over 800 charities and non-profits, there is a great deal of turnover. They come and go, with some becoming icons while others disappear. So, when the desert’s first National Philanthropy Day event was announced nine years ago, it didn’t…
Cynthia Cottrell Picture a grand Rancho Mirage Mediterranean estate with a walk- way bridge over moat to the main entrance….this was the site of the Muses and Patroness Circle of McCallum Theatre Membership Tea held at the home of Carol and Tim Rochford. The 240…
by Robin Montgomery What signals the beginning of the gala season in the Coachella Valley? Dinner in the Canyons. This event is the major fundraiser of the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum and is the only major event of its kind allowed to be held in…
Seattle Symphony Orchestra’s (SSO) opening night and gala on Sept. 19 broke all previous records, raising $785,000 for the symphony’s education programs and more, and kicking off the season in grand style. The amount raised was almost 30 percent more than the previous year, with…
By DeAnn Lubell-Ames The AIDS Assistance Program’s 22nd annual Evening Under the Stars — voted as one of the best fundraising events in the Coachella Valley — certainly fulfilled the expectations of the 1,200 guests and volunteers who gathered on the greens at O’Donnell Golf…
By Betty Francis The name of this annual event could be “One Night Only — Sold Out” because that’s what the signs say every year, and last week was no exception. Creator, producer, and genius-in-charge Michael Childers brings about two dozen of his Hollywood and…
By Chris Foster The Mizell Senior Center’s 10th annual “Stars Among Us” gala was held at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. from the legendary 5th Dimension entertained but the real stars of the evening were in the audience, raising…
By Barbara Lowell There may have been a blizzard brewing back east this week, but here in the desert, an avalanche of financial support snowballed into an outpouring of generosity that left everything covered in a gleaming wonderland of philanthropy. For Eisenhower Medical Center, the…
By DeAnn Lubell-Ames It was a stellar day for the elite crowd of Hollywood royalty attending the Variety Creative Impact Awards brunch held at the stylish but quirky Parker Palm Springs. Day three of the Palm Springs International Film Festival was buzzing with luxury cars…
By Betty Francis The sold-out-with-a-waiting list crowd that filled the McCallum Theatre for last week’s Willie Nelson concert knew exactly what they wanted: The same thing that iconic philanthropists Jackie Autry and R.D. Hubbard wanted … to hear Willie Nelson sing — no more, no…
