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- 📬 Desert Dispatch: February Foundations
📬 Desert Dispatch: February Foundations
Jason Ball
January 29, 2026
📬 February 2026
In the desert, foundations stretch across time. The past, shaped by design, labor, and lives that built this community long before it became a destination. The present, marked by preservation, celebration, and rapid change. And the future, rising now, asking what will endure and what will be left behind.
This February issue of Desert Dispatch looks at foundations past, present, and future. What holds this place together. What it’s built upon. And what we are choosing to build next.
Welcome to February Foundations.
🗞️ Palm Springs Now: The Big Stories
🏗️ Development and Infrastructure
🚡 Tourism and Recreation
🤖 AI and Technology
🎭 Arts and Culture
✨ 🌴 Desert Dispatch Spotlight: Modernism Week
Each February, Palm Springs becomes a living celebration of midcentury ingenuity, style, and cultural optimism with Modernism Week, an 11-day festival devoted to midcentury modern architecture, design, art, and culture in the heart of the desert.
From February 12–22, 2026, more than 400 tours, presentations, exhibits, and events invite locals and visitors alike to explore iconic architectural homes, guided neighborhood walks, double-decker bus tours, films, talks, and vintage cultural experiences that make Palm Springs a global hub for modernism.
Highlights often include:
Bus and home tours that take you inside landmark residences and neighborhoods.
Films, lectures, and presentations with design thinkers and historians.
Parties, social events, and experiential programs steeped in midcentury flair.
The Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale, a marketplace of vintage and contemporary design.
Whether you’re deep into architectural history or simply drawn to the aesthetic that helped define the desert’s cultural identity, Modernism Week offers a curated immersion into the forms and ideas that shaped this place.
👉 Plan your visit and explore events: Details.
🎟 Browse activities and buy tickets: ModernismWeek Tickets
🏆 Honoring Local Journalism The Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation Media Hall of Fame is celebrating the people whose work shapes local journalism. We spoke with board member Julie Makinen about the importance of journalism and this year’s event: watch or listen. Grab your tickets here |  |
 | 🐾 In the Wild A mountain lion was spotted in North Palm Springs, a reminder of how close the desert’s largest predators live. In Big Bear, the famed bald eagle nest welcomed two new eggs, renewing hopes for another season. And, bighorn lambs find their footing, the smallest sign yet of a new generation learning how to survive here. Share your encounters with local wildlife. |
🌴 Boutique Treasures |  |
📖 Celebrating Black History Month
February brings a full slate of events honoring Black history, culture, and community across Palm Springs culminating in one of the city’s biggest traditions.
Throughout the month, the Palm Springs Black History Committee and the City of Palm Springs are hosting celebrations that include museum nights, gospel music, art events, community tours, and an annual awards gala recognizing local leaders and changemakers. 👉 Full event calendar
The highlight arrives on Friday, February 28, with the 39th Annual Black History Month Parade and Town Fair. The parade steps off at 11 a.m. on Palm Canyon Drive, filling downtown with music, floats, dancers, and community groups. It’s followed by a free, family-friendly Town Fair at Downtown Park with live entertainment, food, and vendors. 👉 Parade & Town Fair details
City leaders recently unveiled the full scope of this year’s Black History Month programming, emphasizing education, celebration, and connection across generations.
👉 Read more
🌴 Mrs. O’Donnell’s Corner: February 2026
🌴 The second issue of Oasis magazine is out next week featuring an interview with Melvyn’s new chef. Keep an eye out for it.
🪓 The Palm Canyon Axe Club is set to open for business on February 9 in Downtown. What’s number to 911?
🍽️ SoCal Sunset and it’s upstairs “speakeasy” After Hours are open for business at 369 North Palm Canyon Drive. We can vouch for their cocktails.
🗳️ Palm Springs Council Member Grace Garner is running for a third term. No word yet on who’s running against her.
🙁 Francesca’s is closing all of it’s stores including the Palm Canyon Drive location. They have having a huge liquidation sale while supplies last.
🍸 Big changes may be coming to the Arenas District. Apparently, both Chill Bar and Dick’s are for sale and may have already changed hands. We just hope they keep half-off Mondays at Chill Bar!
🛍️ Bath and Body Works opens it’s first Palm Spring store. TBH, we love their candle.
🎶 Bruno Mars tribute band, That’s What I Like will be rocking the downtown park on Wednesday, February 4. See you there!
💈 Palm Springs Fine Men’s Salon is out of business after eight years. Their website says you can email your stylist to stay in touch.
🎥 BTW, we are loving the movie lineup this month at the Palm Springs Cultural Center including Airplane, Bus Stop, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. They also have lots of other events.
If you know anything happening in Palm Springs, drop us a line. Email us
💻 Pro-Tip: Book Direct & Save
Planning your next getaway? Skip the middlemen and book directly at oldranchinn.com to unlock the Private Rate — exclusive savings just for our inner circle (that’s you).
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📬 Thank you so much for reading the February issue of the Desert Dispatch!
We hope you enjoyed catching up on all the latest news from around the area this past month. We truly appreciate your readership and support!
— Jason and Troy
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