Plan your visit to the Old Schoolhouse Museum on June 9 and join Copper Mountain College Professor Bruce Bridenbacker for a lecture on the Mohave Nation Version of the Formation of Amboy Crater!
This is the concluding lecture in the Fall 2022 – Spring 2023 Old Schoolhouse Museum Lecture Series, presented by the Twentynine Palms Historical Society and Joshua Tree National Park Association’s Desert Institute.
Admission is $5 at the door, and lectures begin at 7:00 p.m. and are one hour in duration.
The Old Schoolhouse Museum is located at 6760 National Park Drive, just minutes from Joshua Tree National Park’s north park entrance.
For more information about this lecture series, call (760) 819-4714 or email desertinstitute@joshuatree.org
2022 WEED SHOW THEME: A WONDERFUL WEEKEND IN “29”
Just What Is The Weed Show?
The Weed Show is one of Twentynine Palms’ oldest and most unique artistic traditions. This annual display, now in its seventh decade, features artistic arrangements of indigenous desert vegetation as well as found objects, both natural and man-made – a desert rendition of the traditional concept of floral display. Each show follows a specific theme. Entries are judged on the subject matter, use of desert vegetation, accessories, artistic composition, and originality. Awards are granted in nine categories, with a “people’s Choice” award to be decided by visitors to the exhibition.
The show’s roots go back to July 1940, when the Women’s Club of Twentynine Palms invited Pasadena printmaker Mildred Bryant Brooks to deliver a lecture on “The Art of Etching.” Legend has it that the local ladies, ever mindful of etiquette, were deeply embarrassed by the lack of fresh flowers to decorate the podium and honor their esteemed guests. The ladies of the club expressed their apologies to Brooks, who is then reputed to have said, “Why do you need fresh flowers when you have so many beautiful weeds?” The ladies then dispatched two of their members to gather sun-dried desert flora from the grounds of the Twentynine Palms Inn, which they brought back for Brooks to arrange.
The Weed Show made its official debut the following year, in 1941. Initially held in private homes, its popularity soon grew to the point where it became a bona fide community event. After the Women’s Club disbanded in 1976, sponsorship of the show passed to the Twentynine Palms Gardening Club. Then when the Gardening Club disbanded, the Historical Society revived the show, which has been going strong ever since.
It is one of Twentynine Palms’ most characteristic events. The Weed Show highlights the beauty of the local flora, the skill of our town’s artisans, and the history and culture of Twentynine Palms itself.
For more information on The Weed Show, visit the Twentynine Palms Historical Society’s website.
The Twentynine Palms Historical Society is in the final planning stages for their fundraising idea that has been percolating for some time and is finally coming to fruition. The Twentynine Palms Historical Society presents Night at the Museum: Desert Characters Come To Life, October 1, 2022.
This will be the first of their fall events, including the Old Timers Gathering (October 15) and the Weed Show (November 5 & 6). The premise is to meet historical figures and families from Twentynine Palms and learn their stories.
You will begin the evening at the Twentynine Palms Public Cemetery, with five actors portraying five desert characters buried there. You will be exploring the answers as to why these hardy souls came to Twentynine Palms, when, why they stayed, and what they did for work and fun. Then go to the museum for more old-timers stories about families who still have children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren, living here.
More details to follow as the event gets closer. In the meantime, see what else is going on at the Old Schoolhouse Museum by visiting the Twentynine Palms Historical Society’s website.
