Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) 3/26/24 –
Up to the minute updates:
Singer-guitarist Jennifer Corday along with her crew of friends, sponsors, supporting partners, and volunteers return to present their 2nd annual women’s weekend!
The Desert Legends Golf Tournament will take place Friday April 5th, with a full field of golfers Teeing off shotgun style at the Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort, 9am-3pm. The scramble format will include prizes for longest drive, closest to the pin, and the five iron only hole. Where it is the only club allowed. Two mulligans per golfer and raffles also add to the fun. Sponsored by Red Bull and lots of local hole sponsors, the tournament will end with an award luncheon with prizes given to the top 3 teams and the team “most likely to improve”. There will also be a presentation of the annual Desert Legend Award, going this year to Caroline Haines, founder of the Lina Shore, an annual golf tournament that ran for 30 years and raised thousands of dollars for charity.
Next, the Cocktail Kickoff takes over the 360 Sports Lounge inside Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs from 4pm-7pm. Attendees receive a goody bag, buffet dinner, and complimentary first drink! The Center will be there for outreach, and there will be prizes as well as a silent auction to bid on a trip to Mexico! The NCAA Women’s Final 4 Basketball games will be televised on the giant wrap-around screen, as well as a special slide show presentation from Desert Legends.
Just steps away from the Cocktail Kickoff, the fun continues at the Desert Legends Concert, taking place at the Cascade Lounge which boasts state-of-the-art sound and lighting, pristine acoustics, and plush seating. Singer songwriter guitar and cellist Jennifer Corday will headline the event and promises an incredible show, opening with her rockin’ rendition of “I Am Woman.” before launching into several of her award-winning original songs. Backed by her full band featuring drummer Jorgen Ingmar, bassist Jon Grillo and guitarist Bart Davis, Corday will entertain and delight with her storytelling in between songs. Corday is also bringing in special guest Emily V on the violin who will join her in presenting The Devil Went Down To Georgia with Corday on cello. The lesbian anthems will not be forgotten, with Corday’s renditions of Melissa Etheridge songs and the Indigo Girls hit “Closer To Fine” made famous again in the current Barbie movie. Corday will be bringing in special guest Renea McKee to join her in singing this lesbian anthem. Set two will get the crowd moving and grooving to the sounds of the 70s with hits from that fabulous decade, and a nod to the nostalgia of the 70s when Dinah Shore began.
Saturday, the ladies pick up their paddles and get sporty at the Desert Legends Pickleball Tournament at Demuth Park. The morning rounds will promise some great games with rotating partners, while the afternoon play consists of set partners. Each player will receive a Legends pickleball gift and additional prizes will be awarded to the winners. As if this fun in the sun wasn’t enough, every player also receives a gourmet lunch from fresh food creator Kim Sanchez owner of catering company In A Jam.
Saturday night, comedian Fortune Feimster performs at The Show at Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage. Doors open at 7 and the show begins at 8pm. You can catch stand-up comedian, writer, and actor, Fortune Feimster, on the radio, on screens both big and small, and touring her stand-up across the nation. Fortune Feimster’s first one-hour special, SWEET & SALTY, is currently streaming on Netflix and was nominated for Best Comedy Special for the Critics’ Choice Awards. Prior to her one-hour special, Netflix released Feimster’s half-hour special in 2018 as part of THE STANDUPS, which received rave reviews. She has done late night TV sets on CONAN and LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS and has another acclaimed half hour special on Comedy Central. We are thrilled to have her in town!
Cure your hangovers at a final Sunday Brunch and Tea Dance at Hunter’s on Arenas Street, where Marissa Corvo performs live from 11am-2pm, followed by DJ Dawn Michaels from Ft. Lauderdale, who will spin ‘til 5pm for the Tea Dance. You may have seen Corvo on NBCs The Voice or caught her locally at Mastro’s in Palm Desert. You’re in for a treat.
HISTORY:
Since the beginning of the LPGA Dinah Shore Golf Tournament in the seventies, lesbians have flocked to the desert for this annual Spring Break get-together, but times are changing. The golf tournament left Mission Hills in 2023, and many party promoters retired, left town, and moved their event dates. Singer-guitarist Corday, having performed almost every year at Dinah-inspired events in Palm Springs for the past few decades, wanted to keep the tradition alive, and decided to take-on the role as promoter. “I hated to see the end of an era, and I also wanted to create a new weekend of events that catered to an older demographic. A chance for us to remember the good times we had in the past and also enjoy the music and activities we love to do now.”
The first Desert Legend award went to promoter Kathy Miller, one of the first promoters of the Dinah Shore parties in the early 80s. “Started originally as a safe place especially for closeted lesbians and pro golfers, the event grew. For the next seven years the private parties attracted up to 3,000 queer women gathering at banquet facilities and airplane hangars.” Kathy turns 80 this year and will be attending the 2024 events, and to celebrate the next legend, Caroline Haines, founder of Lina Shore.
