Friends of the Historic Plaza details seasonal events series, says $10,000 community grant supported four events

Friends of the Historic Plaza told the Twentynine Palms City Council on June 10 that a $10,000 community events grant funded four signature events in the group’s inaugural year and helped draw local residents and visitors back to the downtown Historic Plaza.

Jimmy Brower, a local business owner and one of four board directors with Friends of the Historic Plaza, told the council the nonprofit used the full $10,000 award to stage a Pioneer Days Classic Car and Motorcycle Show, a Holiday Market, a Chalk Fest and Art Fair, and a backyard barbecue event planned for June 22. Brower said the events combined to bring “approximately around a thousand people” to the car-show weekend, about 500 to the holiday market and roughly 250 to the Chalk Fest and Art Fair.

Why it matters: Brower and other presenters told council that the events generated volunteer engagement, merchant support and ancillary economic activity for downtown businesses and the local animal shelter. Brower said the Holiday Market’s adoptable‑pet pop-up preceded 12 dog adoptions and 10 cat adoptions in the week after the event compared with six dogs and four cats the same week the prior year.

What Brower told the council: Brower said the organization produced event marketing and management in-house, promoted vendors from across the region, and paid vendors’ and performers’ local suppliers. He described planned attractions for the June 22 backyard barbecue — food, a beer garden, live music, family activities and a mechanical bull — and asked the city to continue supporting small local events that drive foot traffic to downtown merchants.

Public comment that evening amplified that request: Several nonprofit leaders, including a representative of the Joshua Tree National Park Council for the Arts, told council they had planned around the city’s prior approach to sponsoring community events and said late reallocations of the community events grant fund would make it difficult for long-standing events to execute. Vicki Waite, chair of the Joshua Tree National Park Council for the Arts, said the city had historically been a sponsor of the Joshua Tree National Park Art Expo and that the expo had previously appeared as a line item in the city budget; she asked council to reconsider reallocating the $50,000 community events grant fund for FY 2025–26 because organizers already had applied or timed other funding requests to local deadlines.

Council response and next steps: Council members acknowledged the concern and noted the adopted budget is a living document. Staff and council said allocations for community events would be revisited in July when additional strategic planning and grant funding discussions are scheduled. Councilmembers also encouraged organizations to pursue other local funding sources (TBID and PAC) where applicable.

Data and clarifications from the presentation

- Grant and budget: Friends of the Historic Plaza reported it received a $10,000 Community Events Grant for four events and said the funds were used or committed. - Attendance and participation: Pioneer Days car-show attendance ~1,000 (45 car entries, 147 voter ballots); Holiday Market ~500 attendees; Chalk Fest ~250 attendees; volunteers reported: 12 volunteers for events; 1,000 carnival game plays and 170 pumpkins distributed during the car show event. - Geographic draw: Brower reported ~70% of participants were from Twentynine Palms, 22% from Yucca Valley and 8% from Joshua Tree (participants breakdown reported in presentation).

Quotes: “Needless to say, we used every penny of it or are about to and I'm very proud of the work this organization has done for the residents of Twentynine Palms,” said Jimmy Brower, one of the nonprofit’s directors.

Why council is watching: City staff told the council the proposed two‑year budget would reallocate some community events funding and that final allocations would be set after additional planning discussions. Several speakers asked council to preserve or re-route funds in time for events that are already in planning or that depend on the city’s sponsorship calendar.