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 Date & Time: Saturday, March 3, 2012 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center, Palm Desert, Riverside County, California
Phone: (760) 862-9984
Free entry – Free parking – Free shuttle buses to event
FESTIVAL LOCATION:
The Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival is being held at the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center, 51-500 Hwy. 74, Palm Desert, CA 92260. The Visitor Center is located 4 miles south of Hwy. 111 off Hwy. 74.
Event Parking: Free parking is provided by St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert. There is no on-site event parking.
Complimentary shuttle buses run every 15 minutes to and from the parking lot to the festival grounds. The first public bus leaves parking area at 8:45 a.m. and the last public bus leaves the event grounds at 4:15 p.m.
Handicapped attendees may request to be dropped off at the site. Show parking attendant your handicapped parking pass to allow entrance onto the event grounds for drop off only.
DIRECTIONS TO EVENT PARKING: St. Margaret’s parking lot is located at 47535 Hwy. 74, (2.5 miles south of Hwy. 111). From Interstate 10, take the Monterey Street exit and travel south to Hwy 111. Monterey Avenue becomes Hwy. 74.
YOUR FIRST STOP: WILDFLOWER INFORMATION BOOTH.
Please stop by the Information Booth directly in front of the shuttle bus loading and unloading area at the Visitor Center to learn more about the times and locations of the activities going on throughout the day.
KIDS’ ACTIVITIES
Bring the kids out for a day of fun! There is an entire section of the festival known specifically as the “Kids Zone.” Come meet Smokey Bear and Peter Rabbit! Live animals from The Living Desert. Storytime Tales with the Beatrix Potter Society reading several of the Potter books, including The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Various “make and take” stations with nature themed crafts and activities. Face painting and live children’s entertainment.
HIKES & WALKS
Certified trail guides will be located on the Randall Henderson Trail to provide information on the flora and fauna of the area. If you are not up for a moderate hike, consider a short walk on the Ed Hastey Loop Trail around the Visitor Center to learn about the native plants there from stationed guides. Please dress appropriately and wear good walking shoes and sunscreen. Water will be available for purchase.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND LANDSCAPING WORKSHOPS
If you want to get that perfect photo of a beautiful wildflower, why not sit in on a photography workshop before hitting the trail? Or learn how to landscape your yard with desert-friendly plants that you’ll be able to identify. How about learning about the fascinating life of an accomplished storyteller, painter, greeting card artist, mycologist, sheep farmer, and land conservationist? Presentations will be occurring throughout the day in the Friends Administrative Building or on the trail as follows:
9:30 am-10:30 am. Nature Photography Tips & Techniques – Chris Miller
9:30 am-10:30 am. Wildflower Identification Workshop – Katie Barrows
10:45 pm-11:45 pm. Desert Landscaping – How & Why – Ruth Watling
12:00 pm-1:00 pm. Victorian Era Conservationist and Author Beatrix Potter – Betsy Bray
1:15 pm-2:15 pm. Wildflower Identification Workshop – Katie Barrows
1:30 pm-2:30 pm. Nature Photography Tips & Techniques – Chris Miller
2:30 pm -3:30 pm. Desert Landscaping – How & Why – Ruth Watling
ARTISTS AND VENDORS
We will have artists and vendors offering a variety of interesting products for you to purchase. Items vary from pottery, artwork, home décor and gift items, to name just a few. Artists and vendors are donating a portion of their sale proceeds to the Friends of the Desert Mountains. Please come out and support them!
If you are interested in being a vendor, please contact Tammy Martin at Friends of the Desert Mountains at 760-568-9918 or by email to Tmartin@desertmountains.org, or to download a vendor application, click here: WF Vendor Application 2012
EXHIBITORS
Would you like to learn more about desert plants and landscaping, solar energy, local animals and other state and national parks nearby, among other interesting topics? Then stop by the exhibitor booths and ask questions and receive literature from a variety of groups. Come learn more about the area you live and play in!
MUSIC
There will be musical entertainment by the Bill Saitta Group in the Wine & Beer Garden from 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
WINE & BEER GARDEN
Wine and Beer will be available for purchase for those 21 and older with proper identification. Commemorative souvenir wine glasses are available for additional cost. NO ALCOHOL IS ALLOWED IN THE KIDS ZONE AND NO OPEN CONTAINERS MAY BE TAKEN OFF PROPERTY. Please drink responsibly! Your Friends want to make sure you and yours arrive home safely. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
RAFFLE PRIZES
Many local businesses have donated items for great raffle prizes. Be sure to visit the Raffle Area to check out the prizes and purchase your tickets for some great gifts.
If you would like to donate an item for our auction, please contact Tammy Martin at Friends of the Desert Mountains at 760-568-9918 or by email to tmartin@desertmountains.org, or click here to download a donation form to fax back to Friends of the Desert Mountains at 760-568-9908.
PHOTOS
Photos taken during the event may be used for Friends’ promotional purposes. Please check back on our website after the event to view photos from the day. For a photo collage of last year’s event click here.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Spend the day with us. No need to rush home for lunch. Great lunch choices, snacks and drinks available for purchase. Please, no coolers allowed.
GIFT SHOP
Check out the Gift Shop inside the Visitor Center for a great selection of nature-oriented books and gift items, trail maps, and Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument logo items. All sale proceeds benefit Friends of the Desert Mountains. For more information about the Gift Shop, call (760) 862-9904 or click here. There is NO ATM machine located on site and some vendors do not take credit cards. Please plan accordingly.
T-SHIRT SALES
Festival shirts will be available for purchase at the Visitor Center Gift Shop. Children’s sizes available also.
WILDFLOWER POSTER
The winning entry of the Wildflower Art Contest will be on display and available for purchase in the Visitor Center Gift Shop.
PLEIN AIR ARTISTS
Want to see a work of art created right before your eyes? Sit a while and watch as plein air artists capture the natural beauty of the landscape on canvas. Choose your favorite to purchase and bring the beauty of the outdoors right into your home.
BOOK SIGNERS
Renowned local authors will be on hand to discuss their literary works and autograph your book purchases.
PETS
While we love our four-legged friends as much as you do, space is very limited, so please do not bring pets to this event.
VOLUNTEERS
We need a multitude of volunteers to help us make this event a success! Volunteers receive a commemorative Wildlfower Festival t-shirt and lunch at the Festival. Various shifts and positions needed. If you would like to volunteer for the Wildflower Festival, please contact Arielle Maccio at Friends of the Desert Mountains at 760-568-9918 or email her at Volunteer@desertmountains.org.
Friends of the Desert Mountains has a variety of programs which require volunteer help all year long. If you are interested in volunteering for the Friends of the Desert Mountains or the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, click here.
OUR SPONSORS
Thanks to our sponsors and donors we have been able to keep this event affordable and enjoyable for everyone in the community to participate. Please support the businesses that support the Friends! For a list of sponsors, donors and supporters, please click here.
BENEFACTOR
All proceeds benefit the local nonprofit Friends of the Desert Mountains, a 501(c)3 who has been the leader in conservation of the beautiful mountains surrounding our valley for over twenty years. We are the largest private conservationist in the Coachella Valley owning more than 14,000 acres and partnering in the preservation of over 40,000 acres. We also provide support to the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument by providing volunteers, community programs and financial and promotional support for the Monument.
To learn more about the Friends of the Desert Mountains mission, please click here.
To be added to our mailing list for our newsletter and notice of future events, click here.
To learn more about the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, click here.
Thank you for your interest in Friends of the Desert Mountains and our annual Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival. We hope to see you there!
For a PDF file of this information, click here: WildFlower Info 2012.
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