The Desert Sun has a write-up about the Desert Circus – which used to be a big thing in the Greater Palm Springs area but then died in the 1980s. The weeklong event featured a cool looking parade, things for kids to do, and a weird tradition involving western wear and booze.
Via Desert Sun (emphasis by me):
Local business owners as well other residents were arrested by a group of female sheriff’s deputies for not wearing western attire or for not having a Desert Circus badge that was basically a get-out-of-jail- free card. Those individuals who were caught and cited for not complying with the dress code were confined in the stocks (usually located in a place where liquor was served) and held at the court’s pleasure until a suitable fine had been paid. The proceeds from the Kangaroo Court, as well as all of the events held during Desert Circus Week, were donated to local charities.
I knew there was a reason I hated dressing up like a cowboy! It’s because somehow I must’ve known that one day it could lead me to getting thrown into a jail stocked with whiskey and not by a make sheriff’s deputy because that would just be silly.
And hey, charities get some money in a way that doesn’t involve a boring golf tournament or a snoozer auction / dinner, which would be a nice change from everything else in the Coachella Valley.
It doesn’t look like there is anything else going on in the desert for the next *checks calendar* six months!!!! – so let’s bring back the Desert Circus this summer.
I’ll just be over here not dressed like a cowboy waiting.
