Catalina Connection

CALENDAR FEATURE

Summer on Catalina

By: JORDAN B. DARLING

CATALINA ISLAND— Summer is in full swing, and Catalina has regular events throughout the summer months to occupy locals and visitors on the island.

“Art to Go” from Catalina Museum for Art & History

Pick up “Art to Go” packages provided by the Catalina Island Museum every Thursday starting at 10 a.m. The kits are geared towards children 6-12 and include a specifi c project paired with an art lesson. For more information, reach out to the museum at info@catalinamuseum.org.

Summer Beach Bingo: June 21 – Aug. 25

Provided by Love Catalina

Summer Beach Bingo returns every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-7 p.m. on South Beach, right next to the Lifeguard Stand. So, bring your blankets and chairs and play a game of bingo on the sand for a chance to win fun local prizes. Bingo cards are $1 each.

Movies on the Beach: July 13, July 27, and August 10

Provided by Love Catalina

The City of Avalon will host Movies on the Beach on South Beach every other Wednesday from June 29 to August 10. Films begin at 7 p.m., and snacks and refreshments are available for purchase. Visitors are encouraged to bring their chairs or blankets. The full movie lineup can be found below: July 13: The Mitchells vs. The Machines July 27: Ratatouille Aug. 10: Luca

Catalinaville 2022 Fundraiser: July 16

Descanso Beach Club will host a “Margaritaville” style event on Jun 16 from 5-8 p.m. The event has a cocktail reception and dinner, followed by a beach party, all supporting the Catalina Island Medical Center Foundation and its support of the Catalina Island Medical Center and healthcare on Catalina Island. In addition, the event will have a live auction, raffl e prizes, live music, and dancing on the sand. For more information or to purchase tickets, see https://www.cimcfoundation. org/catalinaville/.

Catalina Island Concert Series: Aug. 20 and Sept. 3

The island’s summer concert series kicked off on June 25, featuring Venice with the Pine Mountain Logs, an Americana pop group that draws infl uence from The Beach Boys, Eagles, and CSN. The series will continue on Aug. 20 and Sept. 3. The series is in partnership with Xceptional Music Company and is held at Wrigley Stage from 8-10 p.m. For concert goers over 21, a beer, wine, and spirits garden will be located adjacent to the stage featuring a raffl e and prize opportunities throughout the evening. The next two shows will feature:

The Highwayman Show (August 20) – A tribute to the timeless music of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.

Xceptional Tribute to ABBA (September 3) – A fan-favorite performance highlighting the best of ABBA.

Historical PHOTO

The Chicago Cubs on Catalina Island

By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS

AVALON— In the early part of the 20th century, the transition into spring in Avalon became offi cial once some very special guests arrived on the island.

From 1921-1941 and then 1946-1951, The Chicago Cubs spent spring training in Avalon.

In 1919, 103 years ago, William Wrigley, Jr. and his wife Ada purchased Catalina Island. Wrigley, a visionary entrepreneur, quickly grew to love the island and began investing in infrastructure, hotels, restaurants, and attractions. Wrigley saw the protentional in turning the island into a seaside retreat to attract visitors from around the world. Wrigley Field. By the end of that decade, he had also constructed a clubhouse that would eventually become the Catalina Island Country Club.

The team arrived each February to great fanfare, with parades, speeches, and live music. The team was always accompanied by the sports press, showcasing the players’ exploits. One radio sportscaster, Ronald “Dutch” Reagan, who covered the Chicago Cubs on Catalina Island, would go on to earn acclaim in a different fi eld.

The Cubs presence was a helpful marketing tool for the island. As the team was photographed throughout their years on the island, those images made their way to newspapers across the United States. Wrigley used the Cub’s presence on the island in advertisements using ‘The Cubs Are Here, You Should Come Too,” as a popular tagline. when the war was declared in 1941, including Catalina Island, which became training grounds and a lookout station for the military. Throughout the years of the war, the Cubs stayed closer to home, but as soon as the war was over, spring training returned to Catalina Island. The team continued to train on the Island until 1952, when Mesa, AZ, was chosen

The full team on the island and a proud owner, William Wrigley Jr.

A game on the regulation size Wrigley Field on the island circa 1926.

Catalina Connection

The Catalina Island Museum, Keeper of the History

By: JORDAN B. DARLING

CATALINA ISLAND— The Catalina Island Museum nestled on Metropole in the center of Avalon got its start in 1953 in the basement of the classic Catalina Casino. “It was basically founded because a group of concerned citizens, and Philip Wrigley, were worried that the island’s history was getting lost and that it should be saved and shared with the people who were coming to visit,” said Gail Fornasiere, deputy director of external affairs.

The museum stayed in the casino for 63 years before finding its permanent home on Metropole in 2016.

The museum offers a large permanent gallery dedicated to the history of Catalina and several other rotating galleries that offer artwork from artists all over the world.

“The great thing about Catalina history is it is so vast and connected to so many things with American history and California history,” said Fornasiere. “There are a lot of firsts and visionaries that were here, and so there are a lot of stories to tell.”

The Catalina gallery is kept fresh with new takes and connections that keep track of the island’s connection to history, and the rotating exhibits find their own place in that story.

One of the current exhibitions is based around the work of Norman Rockwell, an American painter and illustrator, known for his illustrations of everyday life created for The Saturday Evening Post.

The exhibit, "A View of the American Homefront", focuses on the 1940s through the eyes of Willie Gillis, Jr., a fictional character created by Rockwell, as he enlists in the military and goes through life as a soldier.

As Catalina celebrates the 80th anniversary of its involvement in WW2, Fornasiere thought it was important to acknowledge the island’s involvement and connection which is explained through Rockwell’s work depicting the home front.

From blackouts to USO dances held on the island while soldiers were stationed on Catalina, the museum uses art to connect back to another part of the island’s history. The museum strives to keep things fresh for island locals and visitors, so they keep coming back to learn about the intricate and vast history of the island, 22 miles from Long Beach, off the Southern California coast.

The museum will feature a couple of new exhibits this fall, including a show of Tongva art created and curated by Tongva artists.

The Tongva were the first people to inhabit Catalina. They lived on the island for at least 8,000 years and have a deep history connected to Catalina.

“We are featuring a few of the artists that are descendants of that tribe who will be showcasing their work in an exhibition,” said Fornasiere. “The three artists that are going to be featured are also guest curators.”

Another exhibition is being added for the history of tiki culture founded on Catalina during film projects like "Mutiny on the Bounty", released in 1935.

The exhibition, "Tall Tiki Tales; Catalina as a South Seas Island", showcases the island’s role in the Americanized tiki culture we know today through the transformation Hollywood made on the island to create a Polynesian feel for their films.

“Basically, Hollywood transformed that part of the island [Two Harbors] into a Polynesian paradise for these films, and those films, in turn, inspired restaurants and bars that are tiki related,” said Fornasiere.

According to Fornasiere, the remnants of the tiki feel can still be found in Two Harbors today, and the exhibition will highlight that connection from late October throughout the following summer.

The museum is a cultural center that works to capture the stories of past and future generations to share with the community and visitors.

“We are the keeper of these stories and intend to share those stories with generations down the line so they can relive and connect to the island,” said Fornasiere.

A group of visitors listen to Johnny Sampson, Deputy Director and Chief Curator in the Norman Rockwell exhibit.

Crossword

10. Rubicon crosser 11. International trade organization 13. Canadian river 14. More loved 16. Even the smallest amount 17. Sling mud at 19. Fraternity letter 20. Spanish appetizer 22. “Kapow!” 23. Boat propellers 24. Pitfalls 26. Most terrible sausage? 27. Dexterity 29. Maj.’s superior 32. Washed away 35. Puffed up 36. Post-W W 2 troop carrier 37. The yoke’s on them 39. Baseball’s Master Melvin --40. Passionately 42. Historic leader? 43. Fluctuates 45. Some brews 47. Journeys in vehicles 48. Extract 49. Wild West Bill 50. Bad impressions? 2. Enter again 3. It’s a free country 4. Big mouths 5. What Brer Rabbit seemed scared of 6. A woman of refi nement 7. Addict 8. Main 9. Unwanted buildup 10. Paint 12. Closes in on 15. Fall shade 18. Most straightforward 21. Bad lighting? 23. Best 25. “--- say!” 26. “Tommy” band 28. 26 across heated this way, perhaps? 29. Pogrom city 30. Golden Horde member 31. Kind of acid 33. Anticipate 34. Insecticide root 36. Liable to dissipate energy 38. Cozy retreat 40. Observe 41. University founder 44. Rite answer? 46. Kind of mill