The Press Room offers material for print and Internet publications. Copy on various Tram topics is available below, and may be downloaded as a PDF file.
WILLOW CREEK TRAIL AT TOP OF TRAMWAY NOW OPEN
Trail Closed Since 2013 Mountain Fire
PALM SPRINGS, CA (November 19, 2017) California State Parks and the United States Forest Service announced last week that the Willow Creek Trail located within the San Bernardino National Forest and Mount San Jacinto State Park has reopened. This trail was closed due to damage caused by the Mountain Fire in July 2013 and is a popular “through hike” between the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and the town of Idyllwild.
According to Palm Springs Aerial Tramway General Manager Nancy Nichols, “Our patrons have anxiously awaited the reopening of this route. On behalf of the Tram’s governing board of directors, I would like to thank the staff and volunteers of the State Park and Forest Service for their hard work in completing the trail repairs.”
Mt. San Jacinto State Park offers over 50 miles of hiking trails within a 14,000 acre pristine wilderness, one of the last in California. All trails can be accessed by exiting the Tramway’s Mountain Station and descending a concrete pathway to Long Valley. There you will find picnic tables, the ranger station, restrooms and directional signage for the trail system.
For more trail and hiking information, please visit https://pstramway.com/hiking/ or www.parks.ca.gov.
HOLIDAY CHOIRS PERFORM ON TRAMWAY’S PINES CAFÉ STAGE
Decades-Long Tradition Kicks-Off December 1
PALM SPRINGS, CA (November 11, 2017) On December 1st, a decades-long tradition resumes when holiday choir season commences at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through December 15th, a different middle or high school choir performs holiday favorites at the Tram’s Mountain Station.
For the 2017 holiday season, the Tramway is proud to present the following line-up:
- Friday, December 1 – Jurupa Valley High School Chamber Singers
- Saturday December 2 – Rubidoux High School Chamber Choir
- Sunday, December 3 – Palm Springs High School Madrigals & String Quartet
- Friday, December 8 – Desert Ridge Academy Concert Choir
- Saturday, December 9 – Martin Luther King High School Chamber Singers & Show Choir
- Sunday, December 10 – Encore High School for the Arts Madrigals
- Friday, December 15 – The Lions’ Pride Chamber Singers (Cathedral City H.S.)
Brian Holm, Choral Director of Martin Luther King High School, recalls, “Our choir has performed at the Tram for at least a decade. But back in the ‘70s, I performed there as part of my own high school choir, so I have quite a history with the Tram.” He adds, “We love sharing our music with Tram audiences, especially in such an amazing setting.”
Show times are 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and are complimentary with regular Tram admission. Performances are on the Pines Café Stage with food and beverage service available from either the Pines Café or the Lookout Lounge. (Note: The 5:00 p.m. performance on December 3rd is outside on the Desert View Terrace as part of the tree lighting ceremony.) Open seating (no reservations taken).
SHARI BELAFONTE LIGHTS TRAMWAY’S HOLIDAY TREE
2017 Celebrity Tree Lighter Pulls Switch December 3
PALM SPRINGS, CA (November 5, 2017) Award-winning actor, writer, singer, spokesperson and photographer, Shari Belafonte, serves as this year’s celebrity tree lighter for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 3 at the Tram’s Mountain Station kicking off with a holiday performance by the Palm Springs High School Madrigals and String Quartet. Then Belafonte lights the Tram’s landmark 45-foot tree comprised of 4,000 LED lights, which can be seen throughout the Coachella Valley.
Belafonte’s first acting credit of note was co-starring with Marc Singer in the movie If You Could See What I Hear, about blind musician, Tom Sullivan. She then went on to co-star in the popular Aaron Spelling series, Hotel. That led to numerous guest-starring roles in television sit-coms, dramas and feature films, along with several commercial assignments, including Calvin Klein, Lawrys, Slim-Fast, MasterCard and Diet Coke.
Among her hundreds of magazine covers—five times on Vogue alone—she was the first woman of color to appear on the covers of Self Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine and numerous foreign magazines.
Shari is actively involved with The Lili Claire Foundation for children and their families who suffer with neuro-genetic birth conditions such as William Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Fragile X and Autism, and still does special events for The American Cancer Society (her famous father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer a few years back.) She is also an avid wildlife and no-kill animal advocate.
Along with her husband, actor and director Sam Behrens, Shari lives near Simi Valley on a 6-acre hillside ranch.
