Bits & Bites
Twenty-six Rancho Mirage restaurants offered a sampling of their menus at the Fourth Annual Bits & Bites at The River at Rancho Mirage April 7. All ticket proceeds benefited the Day of Caring for breast cancer awareness, the Desert Rainbow Foundation and College of the Desert scholarships.

Crazy Hat Day
The ladies of the Heritage Palms Putter's Club in Indio sported unusual hats for "Crazy Hat Day" April 9. Volunteers teamed up to adopt holes on the putting course and decorate them for this special event.

Opera in the Park
The Palm Springs Opera Guild of the Desert presented 2003 Opera in the Park free to the public at Sunrise Park in Palm Springs April 13. Nine singers and a 25-piece orchestra performed under the direction of William Vendice, assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Opera.

Smart savers
Executives from Valley Independent Bank taught students at three valley schools how to be smart savers during the 7th Annual National Teach Children to Save Day April 10. Photos are of Meredith Wu's fifth grade class at Cielo Vista Elementary School in Palm Springs.

Model Seder
The Jewish Community School of the Desert invited teachers, students and their families from St. Margaret's Episcopal Church school to a model Seder at Temple Sinai in Palm Desert April 14. Participants learned about the traditions and meaning of the Seder to celebrate the Passover holiday.

SpringFest
The City of Palm Desert held the 11th Annual SpringFest featuring a variety of activities, demonstrations and a health fair at Palm Desert Civic Center Park April 6.

Volunteer Awards Tea
The Desert Regional Medical Center Auxiliary honored hospital volunteers at the Annual Volunteer Awards Tea at the Wyndham Hotel in Palm Springs April 8.

Tennis tournament
Fourteen athletes competed in the Campbell Soup USTA National Men's 90 & Over Tennis Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage April 8. Dave Carey of Asheville, North Carolina won the event.