President Obama to arrive in Palm Springs on Friday

President Obama will arrive in Palm Springs on Friday, February 12, ahead of hosting a summit with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the Sunnylands Estate in Rancho Mirage, according to the White House.

The summit at Sunnylands takes place on Monday and Tuesday.

White House officials said the summit will continue important conversations about the Asia-Pacific region. Following the conclusion of the summit, President Obama will return to Washington, D.C. after the summit.

Initial Report:

Final preparations are underway for President Obama’s sixth visit to the Coachella Valley. The Sunnylands Estate in Rancho Mirage will host President Barrack Obama Feb. 15 and Feb. 16. for a conference with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Inside the Sunnylands Center & Gardens is the Asian Artists in Crystal: Steuben Glass exhibition. It’s the first time the collection left the Annenberg house when Walter and Leonore Annenberg bought the entire series more than 40 years ago.

The 36 crystal pieces highlight cultural and historic drawings by artists from Asia and the Middle East.

“It’s a really wonderful collection and it ties perfectly with what’s going on right now with the president’s summit connected Southeast Asian countries,” said Janice Lyle the director of the Sunnylands Center & Gardens.

Lyle said it’s a happy coincidence. They’ve planned the exhibition for two years and it’s now open for the public’s viewing and the president.

“We think the President will be here in this very space and will have an opportunity to see this collection.”

Outside the historic pink walls, crews worked quickly to remove three acres of grass and complete new desert landscaping before the president arrives.

“Our prediction is we will reduce water usage on those three acres by 85 percent by making that shift,” said Lyle.

Inside the pink walls it’s a golden estate this year. The only green grass left directly surrounds the Annenberg home.

“We hope he will thoroughly enjoy the changes we’ve made and recognize the importance of the conservation of the water,” said Lyle.

The Sunnylands Center will close to the public Feb. 7 and reopen Feb. 20 after the summit. However, the art exhibit can be seen through May of 2017.

For more information about the art exhibit, go to www.sunnylands.org