Please Don't Join us for The Sun Runner's 22nd birthday celebration on Saturday, January 7,
We regret to announce that we are canceling this event due to a rather serious issue with the restaurant owner. Apparently, according to information we are receiving, his story, which we published in the current issue of The Joshua Tree Tortoise Telegraph, has a number of inaccuracies and possible falsehoods, which we are investigating.
As a result, it would be improper to continue with hosting our celebration at Yokozuna at this time. We will be refunding all tickets purchased so far.
Our apologies. We had very much looked forward to celebrating with all of you. We'll see if we can't find a way to do just that - somewhere else.
Thank you for your support, and all the best,
Steve Brown
It was back on New Year’s Day, 1995, when The Sun Runner magazine, began publishing from Twentynine Palms. Back then, 29 was experiencing an artistic renaissance, and that spark lit up the hi-desert.
Now the hi-desert is an arts vortex where it sometimes seems like every other resident is a visual artist, performance artist, musician, writer, actor, or some unique combo-creative. As our little corner of the Mojave has grown and changed, The Sun Runner grew and changed too, covering environmental issues that threatened (and still threaten) our desert; desert treasures—human and otherwise—from Dick Dale (We love Dick & Lana!) to Marta Becket, Jacques-Andre Istel, and Leonard Knight; destinations, history, fiction and poetry, and, of course, art.
Some people, especially with all the new folks migrating to the hi-desert these days, don’t know how much of a role The Sun Runner has played in our area over the past decade or so. The magazine, along with our visitor guides produced for the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities (the third edition is on its way!), visitor maps, our regional television travel series, Southwest Stories (in production for its third season on KVCR PBS TV, broadcast to 5.7 million households across southern California), and, beginning just about one year ago, this newspaper, has played a pivotal role in promoting travel, desert events, and
awareness of issues.
On Saturday, January 7, 2017, we’ll be gathering at Yokozuna in Yucca Valley to celebrate the 22nd birthday of the magazine. The folks at Yokozuna are making a special dinner for the occasion (actually, there are three dinner options, including a vegetarian option to choose from) that will highlight their Asian fusion cuisine. We’ll screen three local episodes of Southwest Stories (for those who didn’t get to see them earlier on KVCR), and we’ll share news about what’s in the works for 2017. And we’ll have some entertainment, and a surprise or two. You might want to bring your dancing shoes because my wife, Delphine, and I, will play you a little Greek music, and it’s rather catchy (no breaking plates!). Opa!
If you’re already a fan of The Sun Runner and our independent desert journalism, or you’d like to get to know more and maybe even become part of the whole storytelling and reporting experience, we hope you’ll join us as we celebrate our first 22 years and look to the future. It’s been a heck of a ride so far, and there’s more to come! We’ll even have all 22 years worth of magazines on display so you can browse our history (and perhaps, your own), during the celebration.
The dinner celebration is $25 per person, and you can make your reservations and choose which dinner option you would prefer, on our website at www.jttortoisetelegraph.com or at www.sunrunnersw.com. We do need your reservations by January 2, 2017 so Yokozuna can prepare for our arrival.
Oh, and please come with a story, a poem, a song, or anecdote you’d enjoy sharing, or just come for a good time, great food, and pretty decent company. We love a party, and we’d love to see you, and it seems like a gathering with friends is a good way to begin our 23rd year.
Thank you for your support for the past 22 years, and we’ll see you January 7, if not before. – SB
Dinner options all come with Yokozuna's healthy and delicious miso soup, appetizer, choice of entree: Pork Apritada, Chicken Adobo, or Tempura Tofu, and dessert.