Greetings, Darlins'

Contrary to what you may have heard, Governor Palin is not resigning the Alaska governorship to join the Follies. Her sporty photos in this month’s Runners World Magazine notwithstanding, she is a decade shy of the Follies’ minimum age requirement. Too bad.

I AM happy to announce, though, that the Follies' online box office is now open for our all-new 19th season! This Follies edition is entitled Let The Good Times Roll! and that’s exactly what we intend to do here at the historic Plaza Theatre from October 28, 2009 through May 16, 2010.

This will be our most musically diverse show yet with song and dance from the 1930s through the 1960s - definitely something for everyone! More details are shown below, but - for your viewing pleasure - we’ve also assembled a brief video as a preview of what you'll be seeing all season long.

Also, for those of you who may be planning several visits to the Follies in the coming season, you can read more about the Follies Rewards Program below, which proved to be an enormous hit last season when first introduced.

And speaking of 'hit,' the good folks at AARP told us that Miss Kloss' (a.k.a. "World’s Oldest 'Still Performing' Showgirl") recent AARP online video has become a viral sensation with viewers linking it to their Facebook pages, Tweeting it and posting it on their blogs. Apparently, it’s now the fifth most-watched video on AARP's entire website, so I wanted to provide you with the link again, in case you missed it last month.

I'm also very excited to report that the Follies has once again been honored with several awards from peers and fans alike.

For nearly a decade, the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism has hosted the "Best of the Best Awards," recognizing the front line employees of our local tourism community, which is clearly our Valley's most important industry. Therefore, we were thrilled when Follies Community Ambassador Marilyn Purdy was selected as the 2009  "Attraction Person of the Year." Under the long-time leadership of Ambassador Manager Dolores Dey, all three members of her ambassador team - who travel far-and-wide spreading the Follies Gospel - have now been selected for this prestigious award. Photos of this event are shown below and kudos to all of the evening's nominees and recipients!

In addition, Up! Magazine, WestJet Airlines' in-flight publication, recently announced its "2009 Value Awards" identifying places and events selected by their passengers as the best North American travel values. The Follies was delighted to be among those chosen! (See page 57.) Westjet is the number one carrier between Palm Springs and Canada, so to my Canadian brethren, my humble thanks.

Finally, while our second annual "What I Did This Summer" report about our globetrotting cast will be detailed in next month’s newsletter, I can tell you now that - collectively - they’ve been to Scottsdale, Park City, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Carlsbad; Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Florida, Maryland and Iowa; and Canada and Germany. If you see one of them in your hometown or during your own travels, please stop and chat with them. They’d love to know that you’ll be visiting Palm Springs next season. And to assist you in spotting them, we now allow the ladies (and one of the gentlemen) to wear their headdresses outside the theater. Unfortunately, flight attendants just give them hell during final boarding! (You'll see what I mean at the bottom of this email.)

That’s all for now and until next month, just stay alive!

Riff Markowitz "The Follies Man" www.psfollies.com

Also, be sure to visit: Follies on MySpace Follies on Facebook

"Let The Good Times Roll!" Themes Upcoming Edition

The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies celebrates happy days with our newest edition entitled Let the Good Times Roll! . . . and that is exactly what we're going to do!

All season long, we're bringing back the greatest good-time music of the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s. We'll dance! We'll sing! We'll laugh . . . and we promise you'll want to do the same!

From Big Bands and Swing to Doo-Wop, Motown and Pop, we played these songs on the jukebox, listened to them on our Hi-Fi's, and watched them performed on TV, always in glorious black-and-white.

Through December 31, the Follies also presents its annual salute to the holiday season and, then, from January through May, we add a rollicking mambo-fest, Follies-style!

Add classic vaudeville by way of ventriloquist extraordinaire Brad Cummings and his prehistoric dinosaur "Rex"; four world-famous guest stars - Susan Anton, The Four Aces, Rita Coolidge and Mary Wilson; along with our legendary line of Long-Legged Lovelies and Follies Gentlemen (all 56 to 86 years young!) . . . and the Follies' 19th season promises to be our best show ever!

And, of course, Follies Impresario Riff Markowitz is your personal guide through the unique realm that is "Follies Land." He hasn't missed a performance in 18 years and he isn't likely to start now! And that's fortunate because it wouldn't be a Follies without his unique blend of cutting-edge satire and Old World savoir-faire.

Online Ticket Sales Now Open!

Online tickets for the Follies’ all-new 19th edition are now open. Log on now to www.psfollies.com and click the “Buy Tickets Here Now” icon.

The Follies Reservations Department and Box Office will re-open September 21, but why wait until then?

Palm Springs "Best of the Best" Awards

The 2009 "Best of the Best Awards" were held on June 28, 2009 at the Palm Springs Convention Center and was attended by 350 of Palm Springs’ top tourism professionals. But what is unique about this event is that it honors tourism’s front line employees in such categories as "Volunteer of the Year," "Retail Person of the Year," "Restaurant Front of the House," "Hotel Front of the House," and "Attraction Person of the Year," the latter being awarded to Follies Community Ambassador Marilyn Purdy. Marilyn has "spread the word" about the Follies for the past three seasons as an ambassador and has also spread the word about Palm Springs for many years around the globe while serving in the Peace Corps and the AmeriCorps Vista . . . all after the age of 67! According to Marilyn, "I actually attended the Follies on its opening day back in 1992. Little did I know that I’d not only be an employee someday, but that I’d be the recipient of this wonderful award. The Follies is not only an enormously entertaining show, but also sends a message about successful aging that is so important. I am truly honored to be a part of it."

$$$ Follies Rewards Program $$$

For Those Who Just Can't Get Enough Follies Magic!

Since you can't possibly catch all the jokes, appreciate all the songs or soak up all the dancing the Follies has to offer in just one visit, many folks return more than once for each new edition.

The Follies Rewards Program, then, is our way of thanking those of you who do attend multiple times during a single Follies' season.

Here's how it works: On your second visit during the same season, you'll receive free popcorn and soft drinks for your entire party. (An $8 per person value!)

Your third visit-and all future ones - earns a $10 discount on each of two tickets plus the popcorn and soft drinks. (A party of four will save $52!)

You must be a Follies Favorite to participate, so if you’re not already a member, you can do so by signing up or ask to be enrolled when you purchase your second set of tickets.

Note: Applicable to full price tickets for the current season (through May 16, 2010) only; not valid with any other promotion; discounts do not apply to New Year's Eve performances. To earn your rewards, you must book by Follies Favorites form, phone or in person. Not valid with any other promotion.

Visitors Information Page

We partner with over 30 restaurants, hotels, attractions, retailers and special services to assist in making your visit to Palm Springs and the Follies even more enjoyable. Please browse the "Visitor Information" page of the Follies website for a complete listing plus additional helpful details.

This page also includes parking information and street directions to make getting to the Follies as easy as possible!

Some merchants also offer special promotions specifically for our patrons, so be sure to mention that you are attending the Follies when you call to make reservations or when you visit.

The Parting Shot