Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce
www.29Chamber.org | 760-367-3445
 
Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce Newsletter
eNews
July 12, 2016
Board of Directors
Aaron Kyle
Interim President
 
Cheryl Cox
Treasurer

Bryan Oakley
Director

In This Issue
Follow Us for Updates!
A New Chamber
Dear Members & Community Leaders,

I sincerely apologize if you have felt kept in the dark during the past couple of months. It was never my intention. The Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce has experienced a change of leadership. Over recent weeks, three board members have resigned. As a result, we are seeking community leaders, business owners, Chamber members, and others who wish to make an impact to join our new Board of Directors: Aaron Kyle (Interim Chamber President), Cheryl Cox (Treasurer) & Bryan Oakley (Director). Our board is looking to make a fresh start with new, energized people ready to positively impact our community. Please contact the Chamber at 760-367-3445 or 29chamber@29chamber.org to apply.

As for me, I've made the decision to stay on for as long as I can personally invest to assist with the election of new board members, as well as the hiring process for the Executive Director position. Candidates who have applied in the previous months will be contacted to ask if they wish to be reconsidered, and a new job posting will be going out shortly. Any Chamber members with a vested interest in the Chamber's new leadership should contact me at 760-367-3445 or 29chamber@29chamber.org to discuss taking part in the Hiring Committee.

Interim Chamber President Aaron Kyle and I are very excited about these changes. We are both looking forward to working with our membership to meet their needs, as well as securing board members that are active in the community and will work for economic improvement throughout Twentynine Palms. We will continue to keep you posted in the coming weeks as new board members join, and we near the selection of a new Executive Director.

Until Next week,

Christine Hoenigmann
Executive Director

"Desert Oasis: Wisdom in the Water" is the theme for the summer Art in Public Places exhibition at Twentynine Palms Visitor Center & Art Gallery and Chamber of Commerce, 73484 29 Palms Hwy. in Twentynine Palms.  The exhibition will be on display July 1 to September 30.


"Desert Diver"
Rik Verlin Livingston
Giclee Print
Exclusively FREE for Chamber Members!

Retail Revelations:  How Stores on Main Street Can Compete and Win in the Amazon Era

Wednesday, July 20th from 10:00 - 11:30 AM
29 Palms Chamber of Commerce

With so many customers gravitating to lower prices offered on the internet, it's paramount for local retailers and specialty stores to nurture customer loyalty with fabulous in-store shopping experiences and to prudently manage their markups, inventory and turnover. In this webinar, Ritchie Sayner, a SCORE mentor and successful retail consultant, will offer ways local retailers can increase in-store sales and run more profitable, businesses despite competition from goliaths such as Amazon, Zappos, and other online markets.

Seating is limited and RSVP is highly recommended. For more information or to RSVP, contact the Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce (73484 Twentynine Palms Hwy) by phone at 760-367-3445 or by email at  29chamber@29chamber.org.

The event will have complimentary coffee and pastries. Participants should arrive prior to the webinar start time, and are encouraged to stay for a post-webinar discussion.
Aaron Kyle is Appointed as Interim Director


 
New Rates & Benefits!

The 29 Palms Chamber of Commerce announces our new restructured membership dues, and membership benefits, beginning on July 1, 2016.  Please contact the Chamber for more information at 760-367-3445.


** New membership services are italicized.




The Twentynine Palms Parks and Recreation Department welcomes dance instructor Kristin Phelps.   A new dance program will be offered beginning the first week of August for ages 3 and older. Many different types of dance such as Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Modern will be offered.  Classes are 55 minutes long and vary in price depending on the age of the participant and amount of classes taken per week.  Family discounts are offered.  Registrations are currently being accepted at the Twentynine Palms Parks and Recreation office.  Space is limited and registrations are accepted on a first come, first serve basis.  For additional information, call 760-367-7562.

Become a Brick Supporter


The Twentynine Palms Historical Society has nearly 900 engraved, commemorative bricks displayed on the grounds of the Old Schoolhouse Museum here, but there is always room for more.
 
Visitors to the museum will recognize such names as PBS television host Huell Howser, an avid supporter before his passing in 2013, as well as the names pioneer families, and area businesses and organizations.
 
They may be engraved with individual, family, company or organization names. Prices are $35 per brick or four bricks for $120, which includes one engraved line per brick. Up to two additional lines may be added for $5 per line.
 
Proceeds from brick sales go toward the historical society's general fund. The general fund pays for the society's archival preservation activities and hosting events like the Weed Show and Old Timers Gathering.
 
Bricks can be purchased online here:   www.29palmshistorical.com/bricks.php Y ou'll find information on purchasing bricks and a downloadable order form, as well a list of bricks that have been installed and their location on museum grounds. Order forms are also available at the museum.
 
For more information on the historical society, the museum and its projects and programs, visit www.29palmshistorical.com , call (760) 367-2366 (leave message) or drop by the museum at 6760 National Park Drive in Twentynine Palms from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
 

The Morongo Basin Democratic Club (MBDC) proudly endorses Doctor Rita Ramirez for Congressional District 08 for the 2016 Presidential election.  The MBDC encourages all Democrats to support Doctor Ramirez and vote for her in the upcoming election on Nov 8, 2016.
 
For more information, please contact Ron Cohen, President at 760-418-5437 or email him at ron@deenron.com.  Morongo Basin Democratic Club PO Box 1271, Joshua Tree, CA 92252 or visit our website at www.mbdems.com.


The California Arts Council, a state agency, announced that it plans to award $9,700 to Mil-Tree as part of its Veterans Initiative in the Arts program. Mil-Tree is one of only thirty-three grantees statewide for this program.

The Veterans Initiative in the Arts is rooted in the California Arts Council's desire to address the needs and improve the lives of California's veterans through the arts. This grant program provides project and partnership support for nonprofit arts organizations, local arts agencies, and veterans' assistance agencies to reach veterans, active military personnel, and their families through local arts programming.

With support from the California Arts Council, Mil-Tree Veterans Project will bring community, active military, and veterans together to create a public art project and community space called "SANCTUARY" to include an eco-dome structure made with the tools of war, sandbags and barbed wire. The project incorporates ceramic and metal art pieces made by project participants. Partners for this project are: Danielle Giudici Wallis of Arts Connection- Arts Council of San Bernardino, ceramic artist Brian Bosworth, metal artist Bobby Furst, founding partners of United Earth Builders James Golub and Fox McBride, creative director and founder of the Joshua Tree Music Festival Barnett English, and the owners of the Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground and hosts of the Joshua Tree Music Festival, Ken and Sally Jayes. 

The grant award will be used for artist stipends, art supplies, building materials, consultant honorariums and project documentation made by documentary filmmaker, Cady McClain.
We look forward to a potential partnership with Copper Mountain College to provide studio space for art workshops as well. This project is slated to begin in February, 2017


For more information, please contact Cheryl Montelle at (310) 923-0344 or send an email to miltreecommunity@gmail.com.
"The Nerd" at St. Joseph's Players

The production is directed by Rebecca Havely and stars Ben Bees, Beau Stoker, Jericho McWilliams, Bianca Stoker, Dave Jessup, Shelly Sheckler and Trevor Carpenter. St. Joseph's Church is located at 56312 Church St. in Yucca Valley. "The Nerd" will run Saturday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. through July 17.  For more information, please call the box office at 760-362-9319.  



Four Public Workshops Planned for Sand to Snow National Monument 

The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will be hosting four Sand to Snow National Monument collaborative workshops in the month of July.  The workshops will provide an opportunity for information sharing between the public, U.S. Forest Service and BLM about the Sand to Snow National Monument. These workshops will be the first of many public outreach events. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss what they value most within Sand to Snow National Monument for the agencies to consider as the monument planning process begins.  The meetings will be held:  

Wednesday, July 13th
5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Yucaipa Community Center
34900 Oak Glenn Road
Yucaipa, CA 92399 
 
Thursday, July 14th
5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Big Bear Discovery Center
40971 North Shore Drive, Highway 38
Fawnskin, CA 92333
 
Tuesday, July 19th
5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Yucca Valley Community Center
57090 Twentynine Palms Highway 
Yucca Valley, CA 92284          
 
Thursday, July 21st
5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Miracle Springs Resort and Spa
10625 Palm Drive
Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240

"We are hosting these workshops to encourage open dialogue," said Rebecca Wong, interim monument manager. "Our job is to care for the land and serve the public."

This 154,000-acre monument extends from BLM-managed lands on the Sonoran desert floor to an elevation of 11,500 feet in the San Gorgonio Wilderness of San Bernardino National Forest. President Barrack Obama established Sand to Snow National Monument on February 12, 2016.
 


The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians are founding members of the Native American Land Conservancy and invite you to participate in Graffiti Clean-up at Coyote Hole in Joshua Tree on July 16, 2016.  The official clean-up efforts will begin at 8:30 AM

Work will be guided by cultural resources experts to ensure sensitive sites are protected during the workday, and volunteers will have crew leaders to make sure the effort is carried out safely in the summer heat. Anyone wishing to volunteer in the clean-up effort is asked to RSVP by no later than July 13th to Missy Boyd, MDLT Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator: missy@mojavedesertlandtrust.org .


The Rocks Speak: Understanding Indigenous Science and Technology 

This lively one hour interactive presentation is an introduction to indigenous philosophy presented by Culture Bearer and Author, A.G. Vasquez, MA. The program offers an unconventional take on the relationship between native peoples and modern scientific practices, the background behind the use of plants, stones and ritual objects in healing and the use of real world empirical observation by indigenous cultures. 

Currently, Vasquez is engaged in a multiple city indigenous cultural heritage tour, Kokopelli Spirit Journey. He holds degrees in U.S. and Latin American History and resides in Joshua Tree.

Bring your lunch, bring your friends, or just bring yourself to our Brown Bag Lunch Lecture Series once a month.  Speakers will present topics of special interest for high desert residents. The lecture starts at  12:00 p.m. on July 21st at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum.  Admission is $ 5 - FREE for Members - beverages will be served.

 


Where:   Walmart

Address:  58501 Twentynine Palms Hwy, Yucca Valley

Date:   Saturday, July 23

Time:   11 a.m. to 3 p.m.          

 

Donors receive coupons for four free tacos and a milkshake, courtesy of Jack in the Box, and are automatically entered into a drawing to win a pair of SoCal City passes; each pass is valid for one entrance to Sea World, one entrance to Legoland, and up to three days' park hopper admissions to Disneyland/Disney California Adventure. Donors also receive free cholesterol screening and Gift of Life Donor Loyalty points that may be redeemed in the online donor store at www.LStream.org. Those aged 18-44 years may register for Be The Match bone marrow screening at all donor locations free of charge.


 

Healthy individuals at least 15 years of age may donate blood. Fifteen- and 16-year-olds must provide LifeStream with written parental consent.  Parent consent forms are available at any donor center, community blood drive or at www.LStream.org. All prospective donors should be free of infections or illness, weigh at least 110 pounds, and not be at risk for AIDS or hepatitis.  Donors receive a free mini-physical as part of the donation process. Donating blood takes about an hour, yet gives someone a lifetime. For more information, please call 1-800-TRY GIVING. Join the LifeStream volunteer team and make a lifesaving difference! For information, call 1.800.879.4484, ext. 458.
 




Johnson Valley Closure

 

Save the date!  The Basin Wide Foundation will host their Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday, August 27th.  Details are currently being planned.  

This is our favorite time of the year to recognize our Communities amazing leaders and organizations - please share with us if you have someone or organization that you feel should be recognized, we welcome you to please submit a form - Together We Can!!



The fourth annual Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition will be held September 17th & 18th, 2016, in Twentynine Palms, CA, at a variety of venues in the Oasis of Mara next to Joshua Tree National Park Headquarters. 
 
A call for art entries is now being issued for the exposition's annual Juried Art Exhibition, which will be displayed at the historic 29 Palms Art Gallery for the month of September, with an awards reception for artists and the public set for Saturday night, Sept. 17th.

Complete guidelines and an entry form are available at www.JTNPArts.org . The entry fee is $35 for up to three (3) artwork entries per artist. Entry images and entry fees can be submitted online. Deadline for entries is Friday, July 22nd, 2016, at 12:00 a.m. midnight PT.
 
The exposition is presented by Joshua Tree National Park Council for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information, visit the website www.JTNPArts.org, or email: artists@jtnparts.org.

October 2:  "How-To" Identify Animal Scat with Stefanie Ritter
  with J im  Smart
November 12:  Desert Palm Oasis Ecology with Jim Cornett

*ATTENTION MILITARY MEMBERS & DEPENDENTS: Through grants provided by various organizations, the Desert Institute offers a limited number of scholarships for their educational programs to active Marines and their family members on the 29 Palms MCAGCC. For more information and qualification requirements, please call 760-367-5535.

For more information, contact Kevin Wong, Program Coordinator, at 760-367-5539.


 This year's art tours will feature 133 artists throughout the Morongo Basin during two weekends in 
October, the 15th through 16th and the 22nd through 23rd.  So mark your calendars now!

Youth Triumph Over Lord Farquaad in 
Shrek the Musical, Jr.
         
Youth perform during the Hi-Desert Cultural Center's 2015 mega-musical Summer Youth Theater production of THE LION KING JR.
Napoleonic Lord Farquaad beware, Shrek and the entire fairytale Kingdom of Far Far Away will not let you stop their "happily ever after" in DreamWorks' fanciful epic battle of good versus evil being brought to life in the blockbuster Summer Youth Theater mega-production of SHREK THE MUSICAL JR. at the Hi-Desert Cultural Center.  This opportunity is produced by the Cultural Center's unparalleled Hi-Desert Arts Academy Program that took the region by storm with last year's summer youth theater production of THE LION KING JR.  This summer's five-week intensive program, open to all youth in grades 3-12, meets Monday through Friday from 10am- 3pm  beginning on  July 11th , and includes a free healthy lunch each day, courtesy of the USDA's Seamless Summer Program.

Led by internationally acclaimed directors Howard Shangraw and Nelms McKelvain and an entire team of industry professionals, the biggest youth theater production of the summer gives area youth the unique opportunity to receive extraordinary hands-on instruction in acting, music, dancing, singing, cutting-edge theater technologies, stage management, and more.  The five-week summer program will culminate in four public performances of SHREK THE MUSICAL JR. August 11-13, 2016.  A few openings remain for interested youth.
 
For more information on program enrollment, visit www.hidesertculturalcenter.org, call the Arts Academy Program Office at 760-366-3777 ext. 3, or send an email to artsacademy@hidesertculturalcenter.org.  All classes, rehearsals, and performances take place at the Hi-Desert Cultural Center's state-of-the-art facilities in Joshua Tree.  All instructors & staff are Live Scanned and the facilities feature HD Security Cameras for added child safety.
 
 
 
The Old School House Museum's new summer hours are now in effect from June to August: Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 
          
 

2016 Season Brochures are available for FREE thanks to US Bank at YOUR Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce & Theatre 29! Go to  theatre29.org for more information and to purchase your tickets.  *Discounts to military*
"Capital can do nothing without brains to direct it." - J. Ogden Armour