Water, Music, Fun & Friends
Famous Visitors to Miracle Waters
by Dean Gray
June 3, 2010

Summer kicked off in with grand style as a couple thousand water soaking sun and fun worshipers used day passes at the Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel on Palm Drive. One group visited again this special weekend, now celebrating 30 years of uninterrupted Memorial Day attendance. President Obama, Marilyn Monroe and U2’s Bono award-winning celebrity impersonators just happened to be visiting. Other spas and hotels in the city reported maximum attendance and no vacancies.

We love soaking in the waters,” said Suzie Kennedy, star of TV and films who just won the annual best celebrity impersonator award at the Las Vegas Stratosphere Hotel. “This was our first time here but it won’t be our last,” said the American born and London raised blond.

“The Spa Hotel has my vote for the best way to spend a holiday,” said Brown. A young looking Barak Obama look-alike, head-turning Reggie Brown has a busy schedule speaking at corporate events and TV appearances. Brown hooked up with Kennedy in Las Vegas, was also visiting the desert for the first time and can be seen in the upcoming season of Hanna Montana playing – President Obama, of course!

A ripple circulated amongst the throng of hundreds packing the eight pools of the Spa Hotel recognizing the “spot on” impersonation of Bono the U2 singer and humanitarian. For singer Pavel Sfera this was also his first visit to the desert communities. Sfera was pleasantly surprised to encounter a fellow countryman from Bosnia – a man whose parents knew Fera’s parents from high school years in Yugoslavia. What are the odds of that?It’s not unusual to find a dictionary full of international accents at the Spa Hotel or her sister hotel next door, the newer and more upscale Miracle Springs Resort and Spa. A small sampling of guests revealed visitors from Canada, Australia, Korea, Germany, Italy, Columbia, and Japan soaking in the city’s world famous naturally hot mineral waters.

An annual reunion again brought a coterie of folks from the Pacific coast cities of Redondo, Venice, El Segundo, Santa Monica, Huntington Beach, and even Inglewood. For the Bird Group it’s a family and friends tradition going strong for over thirty years. “We tried some other hotels at first but it was not the same. Now we always stay at the The Spa hotel.

“My mom first brought me to the Spa Hotel in 1963,” said Mike Ferri of El Segundo making Ferri’s mom the mother of invention. “She’s 92 and still comes here to keep her good health. Be sure to tell everyone that Dave is the best manager ever.”

The group, connected with AC work via local 250, numbers around 30 with wives, children, grandchildren, girlfriends, and second wives. Grand Poohbah Ted Ferri is the most senior member at 63, the youngest, Allison Bird, is now 17.

“The barbeque by the pool is great,” said Alison’s mom, Debbie Bird, “ I love the food and the ice cold drinks served poolside kinda seem to cool off the hot temperatures.”

“We love the atmosphere plus the people here treat us real good,” said Randy Hickock who is not sure of any relation to the famous gunfighter.

The year it all began was 1980 - now the group celebrates by flying in muffaletta from New Orleans. This year it was Debbie who discovered the “baby” in one of the cakes and has to buy for next year. “We’ll be back,” said Mike “The Terminator” Ferri, “We’re aiming for fifty years steady attendance.”

Attendance soared on Sunday with the added boost by another rock solid performance by The Spa Jam Band. Lead by Greg Veech of Radio 60 and with a song list of over 500 tunes, this ever popular foot-stomping hip-swinging calliope also welcomed guitar playing aficionado Ed Todd of Joshua Tree along with singer-guitar man Kenny Brown former of the Water Canyon Coffee Company and now formerly of the Business Center in Joshua Tree.

Next week tune in to Cindy Williams (Actress American Grafetti, Laverne & Shirley) speaking on living in the desert since 1970 and sharing her health and hot weather secrets.

The Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel www.dhspa.com offers day passes (weekends $7; holidays $8; after 3pm $6) Pavel Sfera; Bono www.bonodouble.com & pavelfera@yahoo.com - Suzi Kennedy; Marilyn www.marilynmonroelookalike.co.uk & suzie.kennedy@btopenworld.com - Reggie Brown; President Obama www.presidentialcomedy.com & reggie@presidentialcomedy.com