La Quinta debuts giant roadrunner from Goldenvoice

A new addition to the city of La Quinta:

“People have come up to me saying when did that get here? because it wasn’t here last week,” said Linda Evans, mayor of La Quinta. “The bird landed Friday.”

A massive roadrunner statue now stands as the centerpiece of the Jefferson St and Avenue 52 traffic circle.

“This will be iconic, because we can say hang a left at the roadrunner and head to Coachella Fest,” Evans said.

And speaking of Coachella, festival goers may recognize the big bird.

Last year, the towering art piece stood at the music festival grounds holding a five-foot long porch swing from its beak.

“I saw it on the polo grounds and thought it would be an amazing addition to our city and a testament to the arts and music, which La Quinta promotes so heavily,” Evans said.

The Coachella festival’s promoter, Goldenvoice approached Evans about loaning the city one of the fest’s signature art pieces, created by artist Don Kennell.

The mayor ran with the idea.

“I just jumped on it. It’s a great testament to our area and the desert, and our way of saying yes we value what the festivals bring to our community and our economy,” she said.

Evans adds that the roadrunner stands as a symbol of a growing partnership between La Quinta and the famed fest, which helps rake in big bucks for the city.

“Because of the small number of hotels in Indio, we benefit from the transient occupancy tax, no doubt about it,” Evans said. “I think this is the first step for opportunities throughout the city that we can showcase amazing art and I can’t thank Goldenvoice enough. “