The Palm Kicks Off Season 25 With RISE Benefit

It’s barely raining – a little chipichipi designed to keep humidity levels high and the dry-rate for clothes hanging outside at two days. One week today is the 15th and the traditional “end of rainy season.” That worked well until 2002 when Hurricane Kenna paid us a visit on October 25. I personally revised the end of the rains to that date, adding ten more days before I can start scraping black crap off the planters on my patio.

Will we make it through without a hurricane this year? Maybe Florida is taking a double hit so we don’t have to? There is so much positive energy in the air in Vallarta – despite the humidity! – it may prove to be enough. Seventeen days from today we’ll have an answer!

I am thinking of The Palm Cabaret and Bar and RISE and all the unbelievably talented people that will be strutting their stuff tonight at the season opener, giving us a taste of what’s coming up. Producer Chris Lopez, the Palm’s in-house creative genius, has ten shows debuting before the end of the year. He was so busy this summer, we could not coordinate a meet-up, so I am looking forward to giving him a big hug.

And, The Palm celebrates 25 seasons of entertainment excellence this year. As a present to themselves they are creating another Cabaret – Coco, a few blocks and a few weeks away from opening.

RISE Children’s Shelter and The Palm have become inextricably bound over the last four years since Lisa Manoogian and Billy Pilawski had the idea of putting together a fundraising talent show. So, You Think You Can Rise? swept everybody involved off their feet and has become a solid staple in Vallarta’s entertainment schedule culminating in an extravaganza at the 900-seat Teatro Vallarta every February. All proceeds this evening go to the kids at the RISE shelter.

Three guesses what I am doing tonight.