Farewell concert to be held at “Forever Marilyn”
A “farewell” concert will be held in Septemberfor the “Forever Marilyn” statue that has been in downtown Palm Springs formore than a year, it was announced today.
The free concert, which will feature Beatles and Beach Boys tributebands, is scheduled for Sept. 7 at the 26-foot-tall sculpture at Palm CanyonDrive and Tahquitz Canyon Way, according to the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism.
The statue of film legend Marilyn Monroe was installed in May 2012 aftera weeklong trip from its previous home in Chicago, and was originallyscheduled to remain in Palm Springs through last month.
An arrangement was since made with the sculpture’s owner to allow it tostay in Palm Springs until early September, according to P.S. Resorts, whichorganized and helped fund the installation of “Forever Marilyn.”
Information posted on the tourism bureau’s website said negotiations arein progress with the Santa Monica-based Sculpture Foundation, which owns thestatue, “to retain her for an extended period.”
“Forever Marilyn,” created by sculptor Seward Johnson, has drawnthousands of visitors to downtown Palm Springs since May 2012, according toP.S. Resorts. It is based on a photograph by Bruno Bernard taken during the1955 filming of “The Seven Year Itch.”
The 34,300-pound statue was unveiled in July 2011 on Michigan Avenue inChicago, and was shipped in pieces to Palm Springs and reassembled. P.S.Resorts and local donors, restaurant owners, hoteliers and merchants helped paythe $78,000 installation cost.
Monroe reportedly was discovered in Palm Springs at Charlie Farrell’sRacquet Club by talent agent Johnny Hyde in 1949. She spent time in PalmSprings in the 1950s with her then-husband, Baseball Hall of Fame member JoeDiMaggio, and eventually owned a home in the Vista Las Palmas neighborhood inthe early 1960s, according to P.S. Resorts.
A Marilyn Monroe look-alike contest is scheduled for Aug. 1 at PalmSprings’ VillageFest, on Palm Canyon between Baristo and Amado roads. Thedeadline to enter is July 30. Information is posted atforevermarilynpslookalike.eventbrite.com.
