Weekender: Coachella, Brian Regan, Gavin MacLeod

What's on your agenda? Here are suggestions for April 11-14

JIM POWERS Arts & Entertainment, Attractions

Thursday, April 11
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Forget about Amazon.com, here's a chance to see and feel the books you are interested in buying at the Rancho Mirage Public Library's Spring Book Sale Bonanza. Also runs Friday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Saturday (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

10:30 a.m.: Palm Springs Life editor Steven Biller will interview Stefanie Schneider, an international multimedia artist who will present work in photography and video on the High Desert landscape, at the Palm Springs Art Museum. See related story: In The Studio – The Fun Develops Instantly.

10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.: Here's a definite alternative to Coachella. Sat Nam Fest, featuring yoga and music, will run through April 14 at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center.

8 p.m.: Hailed as "the most successful modern dance company on the planet", Alvin Ailey Dance Theater comes to McCallum Theatre. Hold onto to your ballet slippers!

Dinner suggestion: Twin Palms Bistro & Lounge in Palm Springs – good comfort food, plenty of seating, bar area.

Brian Regan

Friday, April 12
All day: Coachella Music and Arts Festival opens at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. Make sure you are properly outfitted and stocked. See related story: Desert Super Stylin'.

All day: No frills, just golf. The Two Ball Challenge runs all weekend at three different courses in Indian Wells featuring a max of 72 teams.

10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Here's a deal – you can consign your own stuff and earn up to 70 percent of the selling price. You can shop for infant to preteen items and save some bucks all at the Monkey In the Middle Kids and Maternity Consignment Event at Town Center Plaza in Palm Desert. Also runs Saturday (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

Noon to 7 p.m.: The party doesn't stop at Coachella. The rest of the Valley is getting into the act. Hotel Zoso hosts a poolside party with performances by Mac DeMarco, St. Lucia and Magic Wands, plus a host of DJ sets. RSVP to attend.

7 p.m.: The captain of "The Love Boat" and Murray Slaughter from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", Gavin MacLeod brings those and other characters alive on the CV Rep Theatre stage in Rancho Mirage. The Rancho Mirage resident is also close to releasing a new biographical book. Also runs Saturday night and Sunday matinee.

7 p.m.: Watch the new release of "42" about Jackie Robinson, and then stay for a Q&A with former baseball pro Steve Garvey, who was a bat boy for the Brooklyn Dodgers during Robinson's era. Great perspective. See it at Cinemas Palme d'Or in Palm Desert.

Noon to 6 p.m.: Sky Ferreira, who was just in town about a month ago for a video and photo shoot, is back at The Saguaro Palm Springs as part of the hotel's Coachella-extra event. The events are private and require RSVP.

7:30 p.m.: Dezart Performs gives aspiring playwrights a much-needed break by reading select plays with the winner from readings over the next two weekends having his/her play produced by the Palm Springs theatre group the following season. Friday's readings are "The Great Tit", and "An Ignorant Man". Saturday night is "Invasion of Privacy" – both at the Palm Springs Woman's Club.

8 p.m.:  Comedian Brian Regan (no relation to Ron or Ron Jr.) blazes the stage at Spotlight 29 Casino in Indio.

11 p.m. to 3 a.m.: Late Night Coachella Pool Party features Been Trill, Money Mark of the Beastie Boys and Sahtyre at Two Bunch Palms in Desert Hot Springs. RTSVP is mandatory by email at [email protected].

Dinner suggestion: Las Casuelas Terraza has a long history in Palm Springs and some of the best Mexican food. Family-owned and operated – not enough of this around anymore.

"Little Pony" – 99 Bucks

Saturday, April 13
All day: Coachella Music and Arts Festival opens at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. Make sure you are properly outfitted and stocked.

Noon to 7 p.m.: Hotel Zoso hosts "Women Who Rock", a poolside party hosted by Kelly Rowland with performances by Kilo Kish, Heloise & The Savoir Faire, Chanel West Coast, Leah Labelle. RSVP to attend.

3 p.m.: Who is the best bartender in Rancho Mirage? Come to The River to find out, and the top vote-getters from a public poll will vie for honors.

4 p.m.: A culinary, wine tasting and specialty olive oil samplings are combined into Olive Fest at the Casa Bella Estate in Rancho Mirage. Proceeds benefit programs for at-risk children and families in crisis in the Coachella Valley,

4:30 p.m.: You could buy a piece of artwork donated by a famous celebrity, like Tony Bennett or Kathy Ireland, at the Palm Springs Art Museum's Artists Council's 99 Bucks art sale in the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs. There will be live music to this free event.

Dinner suggestion: Babe's Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse in Rancho Mirage draws people from all over and for good reason.

Opera Arts Palm Springs

Sunday, April 14
All day: Coachella Music and Arts Festival opens at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. Make sure you are properly outfitted and stocked.

12:30-4:30 p.m.: Opera sounds are once again filling the air with Opera Arts' Festival of Opera & Art at Palm Desert Civic Center Park. Food for sale, bring your blankets, chairs and enjoy. See related story: Open-Air Arias.

1-4 p.m.: Desert landscape can be colorful, and not just a bunch of beiges and browns. Check out the Desert Garden (self-guided) Tour featuring six Palm Springs houses by the Desert Horticultural Society of the Coachella Valley. See related story: Garden Tour Proves Desert Doesn't Have to be Drab.

3 p.m.: See and hear the best of the best. Five Steinway Festival Society Piano competition winners will perform at the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Free admission.

3 p.m.: Three-time Grammy nominee Tierney Sutton has been compared with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn. That's impressive company. Hear her voice at the Annenberg Center for Health Services in Rancho Mirage.

3-7 p.m.: Hotel Zoso continues the weekend pool parties with A-Trak, Nick Catchdubs and Thee Mike B. RSVP to attend.

Brunch suggestion: The Clementine Cafe in Palm Desert. Charming dining area, and a flexible menu where you can mix and match items.

"A Matter of Taste"
No, this has nothing to do with food. The Wildlands Conservancy's Whitewater Preserve hosts a weekend art and music festival with the gorgeous Whitewater Canyon as a backdrop. Admission is free. There will be an Art Benefit and Artists' Reception at 4:30 p.m. Saturday for $30 per person.