Author: Alfredo Casuso

Media contact:  DP&A, Inc. / David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Travel With Pride and Paint Your Home in Rainbow Lights to Win!

2^nd Annual “Light Up The Night” At Home!

Double contests celebrate all-inclusive love with travel prizes from Alaska Airlines and VACAYA LGBT+ Vacations

Deadline to Enter Contests: 

Business / Thursday, November 4 at midnight; 
Home / Friday, November 5 at midnight

3 November 2021 – Palm Springs, CA: It’s almost time for Palm Springs Pride and residents and businesses are invited to decorate their storefront, home or apartment for the 2nd annual Light Up the Night contest presented by Alaska Airlines. KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs, Gay Desert Guide and VACAYA LGBT+ Vacations are sponsoring the contest on social media.  The deadline to enter the business contest is Thursday, November 4 at midnight; for the “at home” competition, the entry deadline is Friday, November 5 at midnight. 

“Palm Springs is known for its iconic, mid-century modern homes,” says Palm Springs Pride Executive Producer Ron De Harte. “We’re also known as the gayest and most welcoming city in America. This ‘light up your home’ with pride colors project will showcase that to the world.”

“Palm Springs Pride will be the first, and only, Pride Parade and Festival held fully since the start of the pandemic,” said Brad Fuhr, owner of KGAY Radio. “As always, our generous travel partners Alaska Airlines and VACAYA LGBT+ Vacations have stepped up and shown us their true colors and support for our community. So, get out those pink bulbs and rainbow LEDs and light up the night!”

The first contest is for businesses to create a store window display using pink and rainbow lights — and their creativity — to welcome visitors to Greater Palm Springs Pride.  The winning business will receive air travel for two to the Alaska Airlines destination of their choice. The second contest will follow for the “home edition” where participants can “Light Up the Night” at home for a chance to win a VACAYA LGBT+ Vacation for two to the Caribbean and air travel on Alaska Airlines.

To enter, people need to take a photo of their completed display, using the hashtags #ILoveGayPalmSprings AND #LightUptheNight from their Facebook or Instagram page. Their home, or business, will then be entered in the contest which runs now Friday, November 5 at midnight. One entry will be selected and that entrant will receive the roundtrip air travel for two on Alaska Airlines. To enter to go:

https://gleam.io/56DyY/light-up-the-night-business-edition-palm-springs-pride-2021 (Business Contest).

https://gleam.io/jmcKB/light-up-the-night-for-palm-springs-pride-win-a-vacaya-lgbt-vacation (At home contest sponsored by Vacaya), One entry per address allowed. No purchase necessary.

For more information, contact: 

Ron deHarte, 760-416-8711 

Ron@pspride.org 

Web site: www.pspride.org 

Palm Canyon Drive Comes Alive with Global Rainbow Art Installation 

Lighthouse Dispensaries Underwrites Laser Light Installation 

October 28, 2021, Palm Springs, CA.  In addition to the Palm Springs Pride Festival entertainment lineup, including headliners Third Eye Blind, Jody Watley, and A Flock of Seagulls, the Greater Palm Springs Pride organization announced the festival would boast a spectacular art installation. American artist Yvette Mattern’s Global Rainbow, a laser light sculpture, will be presented by Lighthouse Dispensary Palm Springs and Coachella. The large-scale public laser light installation will be a featured attraction during the Pride weekend festivities.  

The work aims to celebrate diverse communities and symbolize hope and peace. Seven rays of laser light representing the spectrum of the seven colors of a rainbow will originate from high above Palm Canyon Dr. At Amado Rd. The colors used in Mattern’s work are the same colors found in the Gilbert Baker rainbow flag, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The exhibition’s west coast premiere will run two consecutive nights, beginning November 5, 2021. 

“Lighthouse Dispensary Palm Springs & Coachella are proud sponsors for the 2021 Greater Palm Springs Pride Festival. Carrying various LGBTQIA+ owned & operated brands, we also work with local artists and curators to showcase art installations throughout the year in-store, supporting diversity while promoting inclusion as part of our core values,” said Kadey Garner purchaser & inventory manager for the Palm Springs Lighthouse. 

The artwork will utilize specially designed lasers to project a large-scale abstraction of a natural rainbow. The seven parallel laser light beams will hover above Palm Canyon Drive as far as the eye can see until they finally diminish to a colorful glow over South Palm Canyon. 

President of Palm Springs Pride, Ron deHarte, says, “We have followed Yvette Mattern’s work for years and hoped one day her Global Rainbow would be featured at Palm Springs Pride. We are grateful to have the support for this installation from Lighthouse Dispensaries. Their support of the arts has made it possible for the Global Rainbow debut in Palm Springs.” 

The installation will come to life during the free Coming Out Celebration from 5 pm to 10:15 pm on Palm Canyon Dr at Amado. Evening entertainment includes headliner Jody Watley, Jeanie Tracey, and Shannon. Jason Stuart will host appearances by SAG-AFTRA members including Robin Tyler, Selene Luna, and Suwon Weaver. Bella da Ball will also host and present Charles Herrera, Steven Michael’s Dance Machine, Sassy Ross, and the LA DJ duo, The Perry Twins.

A fundraising VIP pre-event cocktail reception is presented by Southwest Airlines and supported by US Bank and Hyatt Palm Springs. Benefiting the 501c(3) Palm Springs Pride organization, tickets are available online for $45 and include a hosted bar from Effen Vodka, Makers Mark, and Sipsmith. Tickets at https://www.universe.com/comingout .

ABOUT GREATER PALM SPRINGS PRIDE 

Greater Palm Springs Pride (www.pspride.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community enhancement organization founded to promote the public education and awareness of individual rights and civil liberties of the LGBTQ community and to promote its history, diversity, and future prosperity.  Palm Springs Pride has been a tireless advocate for equality and diversity since the first Coachella Valley Pride event in 1986. 

The organization brings together a diverse community’s skills, talents, and vision through programs that include the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, Pride Honors Awards, OUT PSP, a food and drink event, the Pride Parade, Pride Festival, Cesar Chavez Breakfast, and Community Leadership Council.   

Palm Springs Pride Week is scheduled for November 1-7, 2021. For more information about Greater Palm Springs Pride, visit www.pspride.org. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/palmsprings.pride. 

#PALMSPRINGSPRIDE 

#ILOVEGAYPALMSPRINGS 

#ILOVEGAY 

#VISITPALMSPRINGS 

#PSPRIDE 

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Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@andresdavidperry-com

Manny’s Celebrates Three Year Anniversary on Monday, November 8 With a Carnival!

Community Space and Café for Fostering Community Dialogue To Focus on Expanding Democratic Majorities in the House and Senate for 2022 Midterms Next Year

26 October 2021 – San Francisco, CA: One year since the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and one year to go until the mid-term elections, Manny’s celebrates its third birthday on Monday, November 8 in political circus ringleader fashion. (3092 16th Street at Valencia, San Francisco www.welcometomannys.com)

“We are marking our third anniversary in style with our first ever political carnival! It will be exactly one year out from the 2022 midterm elections and what better way to call attention to it then with a live petting zoo, balloon animals, cotton candy, dunk tank with local politicians and political drag,” says Manny Yekutiel, 31, who founded and runs the eponymous community engagement space and café. “Come celebrate and get ready to get involved over the next year!” 

In attendance for the dunk tank will be Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Supervisor Matt Haney, Former Supervisor David Campos, President of the Small Business Commission Sharky Laguana, and President of the Entertainment Commission Ben Bleiman.

Since opening its doors on Election Night 2018, Manny’s has become an epicenter of community involvement, dialogue and civic engagement having served over 50,000 people, staged over 1,000 events, donated space to more than 250 area nonprofits and charities and become “the Iowa of California” (KCBS Radio) by hosting 17 presidential candidates. Also, besides receiving copious media and public attention, Manny’s was recognized for his above-and-beyond achievements by the California State Senate as “Small Business of the Year.”
 

“In addition, the 2nd Annual Manny’s Doer Award will be given to a local unsung hero,” said Yekutiel noting that last year, the inaugural award went to Melba Maldonado from La Raza Community Resource Center.

“Creating a central place for folks to go to become better informed and more involved citizens, has been the core of our mission since the beginning,” said Yekutiel. “My father came to North America with 23 dollars in his pocket and little English, originally from Afghanistan. He pumped gas, sold coffee on the street of Sudbury in below freezing temperatures, and worked the assembly line at a refrigerator plant, eventually saving up enough to open up a restaurant with his brother. My mother’s family, immigrants from Poland and Russia, owned a small grocery store in Brooklyn. Small business is in my blood. I was raised in a small business household and I’m proud of the hard work that both of my parents set as an example.”  

“By the Numbers” About Manny’s 1st Three Years

• Over 75,000 cups of coffee and tea sold

• 50,000 people attended and engaged in our civic programming

• $200,000 raised for local non-profits

• 7,600 free cups of coffee and tea given out to those who can’t afford it

• 1254 people participated in Manny’s ‘pay if forward’ program to fund the above

• Over 1,000 civic events and gatherings hosted in the space

• 450 individual sponsors who support the space’s programming monthly

• Over 250 number of local organizations and non-profit given free or low cost space

• 23 Members of Congress have visited Manny’s

• 17 Presidential candidates have visited Manny’s

• 34 formerly homeless or incarcerated individuals now have full time job via Manny’s non-profit training kitchen

• 16 hours of continuous reading of the Mueller report at Manny’s

• 16 debate watch parties hosted in the space

• 3 years in operation

Manny’s is a people powered, community focused meeting and learning place in the heart of San Francisco that combines a restaurant, political bookshop, and civic events space. Manny’s goal: to create a central and affordable place to become a better informed and more involved citizen. Manny’s offers its events space to nonprofits, activists and civic organizations to spread their message and do their work as well as hosting its own civic and arts related programming. Manny’s kitchen is run by the non-profit, Farming Hope, which hires formerly homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals and trains them in the food skills needed to work in the restaurant industry.

Media Contact: 
David Perry & Associates, Inc. / David Perry, news@davidperry.com / (415) 676-7007

Letterform Archive Announces the opening of its FIRST GALLERY with BAUHAUS TYPOGRAPHY exhibition

Bauhaus Typography at 100

November 13, 2021 – April 20, 2022

Press preview: November 11, 2021, 9:30am – noon

19 October 2021 – San Francisco, CA: After 18 months of COVID-enforced remote curation, the internationally esteemed nonprofit museum Letterform Archive is ready to open its new, custom-designed gallery at 2339 Third Street, Floor 4R,in San Francisco’s Dogpatch Cultural District. The inaugural exhibit, Bauhaus Typography at 100, opens on Saturday, November 13, 2021. 

The exhibition, curated by Rob Saunders and Henry Cole Smith, will feature more than 150 pieces from the Archive’s permanent collection, including graphic design by Bauhaus artists such as László Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer, Joost Schmidt, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, and Johannes Itten.The event will be the city’s first post-COVID grand opening of a cultural institution’s new brick-and-mortar location.

Bauhaus Typography at 100 draws a throughline from the Bauhaus’s iconic style to the shape of typography today. Founded in 1919 by German architect Walter Gropius, the Bauhaus school embraced the tools of mass production in the creation of radical new art. To communicate the school’s vision in print, Bauhaus graphic design had a bold utilitarian look with sans-serif typefaces, asymmetrical layouts, experimental alphabets, and photomontage. Bauhaus Typography at 100 explores the school’s unique legacy in graphic design and typography through artifacts of its own making – its books and magazines, pedagogical and promotional ephemera – as well as objects created by its many luminaries before and after the time of the school. The exhibition also features women, such as Friedl Dicker, whose innovative typographic contributions are often overlooked. Though the school only lasted fourteen years, from 1919 to 1933, its influence endures. 

“We’re excited to share the Archive’s Bauhaus collection, which focuses as much on the earlier, more expressive work as on the better known ‘new typography’ style,” says Curator Rob Saunders. “We’re also really thrilled to unveil our first gallery, with its custom modular panels and vitrines designed to flexibly adapt to a broad range of upcoming exhibits.”

The hardcover exhibition catalog, Bauhaus Typography at 100, features 280 pages with high-fidelity images of objects from the exhibition and an introduction by Bauhaus design expert Ellen Lupton. It will be available at the show as well as online and in bookstores.

To serve the Archive’s global community, Bauhaus Typography at 100 will also be presented as a rich online exhibition designed by Jon Sueda and Chris Hamamoto. Lectures, gallery tours, and other special events – both in-person and online – will accompany the exhibition throughout its run. Complete details will be released on the Archive’s website and through its mailing list.

Visitor Information:

Admission: $10 for adults; $5 for students and seniors (65+); Archive members and children under 12 free.

Advanced tickets are now available at https://letterformarchive.org/visit

Regular Exhibition Hours: Thu–Fri, 3–8pm; Sat, 11am–3pm; closed Sun–Wed.

COVID-19 Safety Measures: Letterform Archive is implementing a comprehensive safety plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Archive’s enhanced safety protocols include a proof of vaccination requirement for all staff and visitors over the age of 12; a mask requirement for all staff and visitors over the age of two; and reduced capacity. For questions about Letterform Archive’s visitor policies related to COVID-19, visit https://letterformarchive.org/visit#covid-safety. 

About Letterform Archive:

Based in San Francisco, Letterform Archive is a nonprofit center for inspiration, education, and community. It preserves important artifacts in the history of letterforms and graphic design, and strives to actively share them with the public. Since it opened to visitors in 2015, the collection has quintupled in size through the generosity of donors, and now includes over 75,000 items related to the letter arts. Lovers of letters will again have hands-on access to the collection when its new reading room and classroom open in January 2022. The Archive serves a global community through social media, publications, and the Online Archive, and offers a full-year postgraduate certificate program in type design as well as public workshops in calligraphy, lettering, and typography. Additionally, the Archive curates local and international exhibitions, organizes lectures, and hosts salons to showcase collections.

Learn more at letterformarchive.org.

For a press kit, including downloadable high-resolution images, visit

letterformarchive.org/press

Businesses and Residents Invited to “Light Up the Night” for Palm Springs Pride 2021

GET READY FOR PRIDE AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN ALASKA AIRLINES TICKETS

Two contests celebrate all-inclusive love and award winners with travel prizes

17 October 2021 – Palm Springs, CA: It’s  almost time for Palm Springs Pride and residents and businesses are invited to decorate their storefront, home or apartment for the 2nd annual Light Up the Night contest presented by Alaska Airlines. KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs, Gay Desert Guide and Vacaya LGBT+ Vacations are sponsoring the contest on social media.  

The first contest is for businesses to create a store window display using pink and rainbow lights – and their creativity – to welcome visitors to Greater Palm Springs Pride.  The winning business will receive air travel for two to the Alaska Airlines destination of their choice. A second contest will follow for the “home edition” where participants can “Light Up the Night” at home for a chance to win a Vacaya LGBT+ Vacation for two to the Caribbean and air travel on Alaska Airlines.

To enter, a business takes a photo of their completed display, using the hashtags #ILoveGayPalmSprings AND #LightUptheNight from their Facebook or Instagram page. The business will then be entered in the contest which runs now till October 31st at 12 midnight. One entry will be selected and that business owner will receive the roundtrip air travel for two on Alaska Airlines.

Visit Palm Springs Pride Facebook Page to enter.  One entry per business allowed. No purchase necessary.