Much of the time, our beautiful Coachella Valley doesn’t seem very unified.
We’re all neighbors, living in the same area—yet our nine cities often feel very much separate. Some of my Palm Springs friends make jokes about needing passports to venture east into other valley cities. Some of my east valley friends look at me quizzically when I mention something happening near my home in Palm Springs or elsewhere in the west valley.
This is one reason why the Coachella Valley Independent exists. When we started this newspaper almost a dozen years ago, we specifically made our focus valley-wide, because we really are all in this together. We largely face the same issues; we share many of our political representatives; and we go to many of the same places for entertainment, no matter what part of the valley we call home.
Nonetheless, we often feel separate. But on occasion, something brings us together—happily, if temporarily. Last year around this time, it was, of all things, hockey, when the Coachella Valley Firebirds went all the way to game 7 of the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup finals, in the team’s first year of existence. (This may be on the verge of happening again, as the Firebirds had, as of this writing, reached the Western Conference Finals this year—in other words, they’re one of the final four teams.)
This year, it’s a performer—the amazing Abi Carter.
On the off chance you’ve been living on Mars, and you just returned, let me fill you in: Abi Carter, of Indio, is this year’s American Idol winner, following in the footsteps of greats like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood (as well as other singers who didn’t make it quite as big). I was at Eight4Nine Restaurant and Lounge in Palm Springs on Sunday, May 19, when Ryan Seacrest declared her the winner on national TV; I’m guessing it’s never been louder at Eight4Nine that it was when everyone cheered at the announcement.
Abi Carter is not only an amazing local talent; she’s a great representation of how our nine valley cities really are one community. She’s an Indio native. In Palm Desert, she participated in the McCallum Theatre’s Open Call competition multiple times. She was a frequent performer at Palm Springs VillageFest. She attended La Quinta High School (briefly; otherwise, she was homeschooled).
She’s truly a citizen of the Coachella Valley, all of it … and now she’s a champion. Our champion.
Note: This is a slightly edited version of the editor’s note that appeared in the June 2024 print edition. Much of this column was originally published online in the May 20 Indy Digest.
A Note From the Editor: ‘American Idol’ Champ Abi Carter Represents a Unified Coachella Valley is a story from Coachella Valley Independent, the Coachella Valley’s alternative news source.