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Arts & Entertainment

PHOTO GALLERY: Music and Art At OperaArts Festival

Photo gallery available online of OperaArts Festival of Opera and Art in Civic Center Park.

At last week's Festival of Opera and Art in the park, nearly 2,000 members of the community converged on the Civic Center Park's amphitheatre lawn for an afternoon of free opera music and art.

Put on by the non-profit organization and the city of Palm Desert, the event welcomed all to lounge under umbrellas, stroll through a perimeter filled with artists painting and drawing on site and partake in activities such as making recyclable objects with Karen Riley from Indio's S.C.R.A.P. Gallery.

Although many families brought their own picnic baskets for summertime, blanket meal times, and Las Casuelas were on hand selling food to attendees.

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Arlene Rosenthal, president of OperaArts' board of directors, also invited other organizations, such as Creative Change Conferences, Shalom, and WELL in the Desert, to display their information at tables for residents to find out about other community efforts.

"This event is a true grassroots effort to provide free music to the public every year," she explained. "We aren't territorial. We see it as an opportunity for people to learn about what we do while enjoying the benefits of professional opera singers and our local art community."

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Buses from various valley schools that were paid for by local philanthropists and sponsors brought over 200 kids to the park to enjoy the festivities as well.

Enjoy the picture gallery I have put together by photographer John Rowlands above this article. For more information on OperaArts and to learn more about its upcoming free events, visit online at www.operaarts.org.

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