EXHIBITS
 

 

 

 

 

 

EXHIBITS


 

 

 

 

 

Open July - Dec. 2010

 

EVENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proud participant of Blue Star Museums (click logo for more information)

 

 

 
 

New Collections Blog!

Collections and Research Assistant, Christina Butler, has created a fun blog highlighting fascinating tidbits of historical information and photos.  Check it out here and enjoy her insights into the quirky side of Catalina history!

http://catalinamuseum.wordpress.com/

Staff Blog

This new page is intended to share an insider's view to the Museum and our Island Community.  Staff will post writings here periodically to share their stories and insights.  Every day is special here at the museum and we are learning something new all the time!  We also are privileged to meet wonderful people and hear their great memories of the Island.

Keep checking for postings and please share your feedback with us.

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March 27, 2009

Times are tough these days and the island isn’t isolated from that.  People are uncertain about the future and are feeling financially pinched.  I’m feeling more conservative myself and have cut back here and there and am socking money away when I can.

What does this mean for the museum?  Well, we’re finding out day by day.  In the past six months we’ve had fewer visitors and they’re spending less money in the store.  That means that two of our key revenue streams are down which makes watching our cash flow a vital activity.

But our supporters are still there.  Some have had to cut back a little on what they give, but I’ve been very heartened by their continuing generosity.  Our board has been very supportive and between their efforts and those of the staff we’re doing everything we can think of to not cut back on key programs or the staffing which allows us to do those programs.

Some organizations respond to recessions by holing up and waiting for it to blow over.  Not us.  This is an important time for us.  We will look for new sources of funding, we’re expanding our marketing as much as we can afford in hopes that new audiences find us.  We’ll continue to expand our “cyber” efforts to share Catalina and her rich history with the rest of the world.  And, most importantly, we’re developing thoughtful plans for our future so that the dirt that we just purchased in January will someday turn into a wonderful and permanent home for Catalina’s history—and one that’s economically sustainable for the long haul.

Stacey Otte, Executive Director

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February 20, 2009

Everyone has seen countless photos of our famous landmark, the Casino, from various views and at many different times of the day over the years. That is why I just had to share this photo of a more uncommon view. Last week, after a much needed rain shower, a beautiful rainbow appeared above the Casino. I was mesmerized. Typically we don’t get much rain on the island, which in turn means that we don’t have the opportunity for many rainbows either. What a nice surprise it was to see this on my lunch break. For me it was just another reason why I enjoy living on Catalina Island . Enjoy!   -- Gail Fornasiere, Executive Assistant/Membership Coordinator


(
c) Gail Fornasiere (and Jamie Hmielak)

 

February 5, 2009
Curator's Exhibits Update

I have recently been very busy updating exhibits in the museum’s galleries.  Our special exhibition on the ‘Birth of Sportfishing’ closed in early January and I had to take it down to make room for our 9th Annual Plein Air Painting exhibition.  It is always a little sad for me to take down an exhibition that I worked so hard to create.  In fact it is amazing to me how fast it comes down after I spent months on research and development.  It usually takes me about two weeks to install an exhibition in our special exhibits gallery and then when the exhibit closes it takes only about one day to take it apart.  I was especially attached to the sportfishing exhibit because I had a lot of fun researching and preparing the exhibit.  It is such an interesting topic and since we received a donation from the Tuna Club Foundation for the exhibit I had some extra money to play with to make the exhibit more interactive and exciting.  However all things must come to an end and I always enjoy updating the museum with fresh new exhibits.  Luckily, in the case of sportfishing it is such a crucial topic to our history that we dedicate permanent space in our galleries for it and so I was able to reuse many of the elements from the big exhibition in the newly updated permenant sportfishing exhibit. 

Once the special sportfishing exhibit was cleared out of our special exhibition gallery it was time to repaint and prepare for the 9th Annual Catalina Island Plein Air Painting exhibition.  This year I was able to bring in 23 paintings on loan for the exhibition from 8 private collections.  They are all contemporary paintings of beautfiul Catalina scenes painted by talented Plein Air Painters of America (PAPA) artists.  Some of the featured artists include Frank LaLumia, Joseph Paquet, John Budicin, Mary DeLoyt Arendt, Jean Legassick and Kenn Backhaus to name a few.  This year I also decided to pay tribute to local artist Stan Sampson who passed away in May of 2008.  Four of Stan’s paintings are featured in the exhibit along with his French Easel and some tools of his trade.  I would like to thank Joe Sampson for working with me to honor his father’s memory.  The exhibit also features a video station with segments covering the history of plein air painting in California.  Another addition you may notice this year is new banners in the museum and street banners along Casino Way advertising the exhibit.  We worked with a graphics firm in Minnesota to create a new look for the banners and they did a beautiful job.  I would also like to thank the Society for the Advancement of Plein Air Painting for their continued sponsorship of this exhibition. 

Well, now that the Plein Air exhibit has opened and I finished the installation of the permanent sportfishing display it is time for me to start working on our next special exhibition that will open this summer.  It should be a fun one to research and develop since we will be highlighting Catalina’s Hollywood History.  I am looking for stories and memorabilia so give me a call if you remember a celebrity visit or a movie being filmed on the Island.  Or, maybe you have a movie prop in your collection or some photographs.  Give me a call!

Jeannine Pedersen
Curator

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August 16, 2008

Visitor Questions II: Frequently Asked & Unusual

 Here at the Catalina Island Museum, we greet and talk to many island visitors each day. In doing so, we field a lot of interesting questions. Some questions are pretty standard or ‘frequently asked’, while others are quite unusual and can catch us off guard. Over a series of blog entries I am, with the help of the entire Museum staff, trying to answer some of these questions.

     First a very common question….

 How many people live on the island?

 Actually the first question is: Do you live on the island or do you commute? Followed by: How many people actually live here?

The population as of the 2000 census was 3,696 people, with almost 85% living in its only city of Avalon. Currently about 4000 people live on the island year round. Most of these people live and work here but of course there are always exceptions. Some people do actually live on the mainland and commute to the island for work. The best examples of this would be some nurses for the Catalina Island Medical Center and some of our teachers at the Avalon Public School. In the summer months the island resident population grows due to the need of extra part-time help in response to the increased number of visitors to the island. Most summer months the total population, including tourists, will grow to 10,000 – 12,000 people. Avalon is the host for the majority of these people and that is all within 2 square miles!

          Now for a more unique question….

 How did golf carts become the main mode of transportation?

 As far back as the 1930s visitors and islanders alike have enjoyed some rather unique options to get around our beautiful island. In those days you could pay to have a horse pulling a two-wheeled cart, take you around Avalon. It lasted about 1 hour and apparently the animals automatically knew the way. If you wanted to stop you would just pull the reigns. Over time this idea evolved and by the mid-1950s you could rent a motorized three-wheeled cart to get around Avalon to see the sights. In the late 1950s and early 60s the more traditional golf cart started to become the popular choice, especially as rentals. Also in the early 1960s, the Avalon City Council determined it was time to start regulating the amount of full-size vehicles on the island and they came up with size parameters for appropriate smaller vehicles (roughly the size of your average golf cart) which they referred to as autoettes. (The permits used for golf carts today are still referred to as autoette permits.) The early to mid-1960s were also a time when new condos were being built. The people buying these (many from the mainland) saw more value in their property if they could also have a vehicle with it. Because of the regulations on full-size vehicles, the natural choice became a golf cart. By the mid-late 70s many island residents adopted golf carts as their main mode of transportation as well.

Today most islanders have a personal golf cart and there are two golf cart rental companies (three locations) for visitors to choose from. According to the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce, a recent survey found that renting a golf cart was the #1 tourist activity on Catalina Island!

 I would like to thank some of our long-time island residents, especially Ralph Morrow, Chuck Liddell and Doug Bombard, for their help. Please check back for my next set of questions and answers. Also, if you have a specific question you would like us to answer please feel free to email me at membership@catalinamuseum.org with the subject: Blog question.

Gail Fornasiere
Executive Assistant/Membership Coordinator

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July 5, 2008

Fourth of July

For several years now the museum has participated in the Fourth of July parade.  This year we wanted to let people know about our exciting new exhibit on the history of sportfishing on Catalina.  Thanks to our two summer interns, Meghan Berver from the Cooperstown Graduate Program in History Museum Studies and Vanessa Gonzalez of Long Beach, our float featured 10 fish "puppets" representing common species around Catalina:  flying fish, blue and yellow fin tuna, barracuda, marlin and more.

It was a long hot walk and the streets were jammed with people laughing, clapping and cheering  as each float passed by.  When you're in the parade, it's amazing to see just how many people love to be on Catalina for the fourth.  It's like walking through a neverending tunnel of people. 

There were tons of entries in the parade...many locals and community groups like Avalon Rotary, Catalina Island Humane Society and more.  And it's fun to see summer residents and visitors taking part in the all the fun, too.  What really elevates our parade into something special, beyond the quirkiness of decorated golf carts, is the ever-amazing USC Trojans Marching Band.  I'll admit I'm not a hard-core Trojans fan (yay, Sun Devils!) but I am a tremendous fan of the band which is full of enthusiastic, talented and disciplined musicians.  After the parade it is so fun to randomly run across pockets of kids jamming and practicing before the evening's performance in the Casino Ballroom.  Fight on, Trojans Marching Band!

I hope all of you had a fun and festive Fourth and take a little bit of the Catalina patriotic spirit home with you!

Stacey Otte
Executive Director

 

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June 20, 2008

twentysixmiles

Most of you probably know by now that Avalon is hosting a tv series production crew who is filming the pilot and initial episodes for a new show called "twentysixmiles."  The show stars John Schneider, once of Dukes of Hazzard fame (and many other productions, including some great appearances on Nip/Tuck).  We don't know if the show will be picked up yet, but there are certainly high hopes that it might.  You can imagine in these economically challenging times what a boon an ongoing tv production would be for us!  Especially since it features Catalina as Catalina...and our hope is that the island is as much of a character as any of the human ones.

Catalina has been the set and backdrop for hundreds of movie and tv productions since the birth of Hollywood. Early legends like Cecil B. de Mille and D. W. Griffiths used Catalina time and again.  And quite a legacy all of these productions have left us--perhaps most tangibly the offspring of the original 14 head of buffalo brought over in 1924 for a Zane Grey production, The Vanishing American (but they apparently vanished onto the cutting room floor, so don't expect to find them if you actually watch the flick). 

The island has welcomed the congenial crew of "twentysixmiles," and we are collectively crossing our fingers that we'll be seeing a lot of them in the coming months and even years.  With Catalina as the backdrop for this family-oriented show, how could it not become a hit!?

I personally am fascinated by the logistics and mechanics of how a tv show is produced and hope to get to know some of the crew and actors while they're here, as well as take some behind-the-scenes photos so we can document this for posterity. Assuming we get their blessing, we'll be posting more blogs about the show, along with some photos in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, hope you're enjoying your summer!

Stacey Otte
Executive Director

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June 17, 2008

Visitor Questions: Frequently Asked & Unusual

Here at the Catalina Island Museum, we greet and talk to many island visitors each day. In doing so, we field a lot of interesting questions. Some questions are pretty standard or ‘frequently asked’, while others are quite unusual and can catch us off guard. Over a series of blog entries I will, with the help of the entire Museum staff, try to answer some of these questions.  

First a very common question….

 If this is a casino, where do I go to gamble?

 Originally, ‘casino’ meant a small villa built for pleasure. During the 19th century, the term casino came to include other buildings where social activities took place. So, in 1929 when William Wrigley, Jr. was building the state of the art theatre and magnificent ballroom he used the term ‘casino’ in its general sense as a “place of entertainment” to describe this new landmark for Avalon. Of all the different activities held over the years at the Casino, none have included gambling.

 The next time you are in Avalon please visit the Museum, located on the ground floor of the Casino building, to learn more about this unique building and our island’s rich history.

 Now for a more unique question….

 When & where did Marilyn Monroe live on the island?

 Marilyn Monroe married James Dougherty in 1942, when she was only 16. He joined the United States Merchant Marine in 1943 and was sent to Catalina Island for boot camp. Marilyn (then Norma Jeane) naturally came along and they lived on the island until he was sent overseas in 1944.

 No one is exactly certain where they lived while on the island. Some research has been done by various parties over the years and the best guess is somewhere near or at the top of Metropole Avenue in Avalon. It is also rumored that she would often babysit for neighborhood children, but that has not been confirmed.

 Please check back for my next set of questions and answers. Also, if you have a specific question you would like us to answer please feel free to email me at membership@catalinamuseum.org with the subject: Blog question.

Gail Fornasiere
Executive Assistant/Membership Coordinator

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May 3, 2008

Last weekend, Crescent Avenue (also known as Front Street to us locals) hosted about 20 vintage motorcycles in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the last Grand Prix motorcycle race in 1958.  Event organizer Johnny Brown did a great job pulling the event together and invited the museum to participate.

Our curator, Jeannine Pedersen, put together a photo exhibit for our booth on Wrigley Stage.  She also pulled out a vintage trophy and some racing footage courtesy of volunteer and museum member Roger Meadows.  Our booth attracted lots of interest while folks poured over the photos and copies of the programs.

 Intrepid and dedicated volunteer Dean Hill happily grabbed his video camera and filmed the bikes as well as got some great interviews with former racers and oganizer Johnny Brown.  This footage, combined with our historic racing footage and photos will be edited into a 10-15 minute segment for our Telethon coming up this fall in November.

More and more we look for opportunities at special events like this to videotape, both for the historical record and for our telethon so we can share it with our members and community.  If you hear of special reunions or events, keep us in mind. Sometimes we get so engrossed in our day to day activities it's easy to miss an event.

Many thanks to volunteer Laurie Hill for both helping at the booth and coordinating all the other volunteers that pitched in.

Here's some background on the Grand Prix races from Jeannine:

During the 1950s, Catalina Island was host to a great motorcycle race series known as the Catalina Grand Prix.  Several Southern California sportsmen approached Philip K. Wrigley with the idea and through the combined efforts of the Santa Catalina Island Company and countless individuals, clubs, and dealers a race was born.  The event was tailored after the famous Isle of Man Tourist Trophy race which is held annually on that island resort located 70 miles off the coast of England.  The Isle of Man race is a week-long series of high speed races that was first held in 1907 and has long been considered the world’s greatest motorcycle race.  Catalina’s Grand Prix was much like the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy in that contestants raced along an island course which took them from sea level to over 1,000 feet in elevation; however the Isle of Man race was strictly on a paved circuit while the Catalina race covered all kinds of terrain including city streets, winding paths, dirt roads and a horse trail.  

Catalina’s Grand Prix consisted of a two-day road race divided into two events.  The first was a 60 mile race for lightweight motorcycles and the second event - a 100 mile race for larger capacity motorcycles took place the following day.  The races were strictly for sport, no cash price was ever rewarded, nor was there an admission fee.   The contestants raced for fame, glory and a trophy – if they were lucky!  According to an article written by Bill Bagnall “The Catalina Grand Prix grew each year in prominence and became internationally known in motorcycle circles.  A Spring victory in Avalon usually assured a successful sales season for the manufacturer of the winning brand.”  And, some of top winning brands included Triumph, Harley Davidson, AJS, BSA, Mustang and Indian motorcycles. 

Catalina’s Grand Prix was held annually from 1951 through 1958 with great success.  Each May over 300 motorcycles and thousands of spectators would descend upon Avalon for the weekend event.  And, over the years many skilled riders crossed the finish line into Catalina Island history."

Stacey Otte
Executive Director

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March 22, 2008

Spring has definitely sprung on Catalina and it's one of the most beautiful ones I've ever experienced here.  Here are two photos I took a few weekends ago that will hopefully whet your appetite for more.

The burn areas are green, green, green, and believe it or not, there are areas that look more like Ireland than Southern California.  It's times and vistas like these that make me so grateful for living here. 

I've lived on the island for (gulp!) seventeen years which is a startling thought in many ways.  I have family and friends that shake their heads at the thought that I'm still living on "that island."  When am I going to rejoin the "real world?" they wonder.

Well, in the last few weeks I've taken a few hours here and there to spend some time in the hills and I've been reminded, on a very deep and maybe even spiritual level, why I'm still here.

Catalina Island is a very special place.  It is unlike anywhere else I've ever been or ever lived.  The sense of community is unparalled and the scenic beauty unmatched.  I can walk to work in five minutes, I can watch the sun rise over the ocean while I sip my morning coffee, and my neighbors watch out for me, just like I watch out for them. 

I'm blessed to live here and doubly blessed to have a very challenging and rewarding career, as well.  From this side of the ocean, life is looking pretty good. 

Stacey Otte
Executive Director

 

March 12, 2008

I am happy to report that I just finished writing my third book with Arcadia Publishing, Images of America: Catalina By Air.  I spent the past couple of months finishing up my research, conducting interviews with several individuals and writing my manuscript.  I actually did much of the writing from home where the phone doesn’t ring off the hook and the distractions are much more limited than in the office environment.  It took months of research and a solid month of writing, but my manuscript is now in the hands of my editor and designer at Arcadia Publishing.  Once the design is complete, the book will come back to me one more time for final approval and then it will go to print.  The book includes 200 photographs, brochures and ephemera related to Catalina aviation and a wealth of history, information and stories.  The book was definitely a collaborative effort and I would like to personally thank Jessica Morales and Stacey Otte for their excellent assistance with research and editing.  Thank you to John Phelps, Doug Bombard, John Moore, Joey Hernandez, Irene & Frank Strobel, Hugh T. Smith, David T. Johnston and Sandra Putnam for sharing their wonderful memories and photos.  Thank you to the Santa Catalina Island Company, the Briles Family, Allan & Laurie Carter, Jay Guion, Dennis Buehn and Al Gordon for contributing photographs for the book.  A special thank you to Rex and Carol Cotter for sharing the stories and memories they collected from local residents and visitors.  And, an extra special thank you to Roger Meadows for his enthusiasm, support and research assistance.  Images of America: Catalina By Air will be available in the Museum Store on July 28, 2008.  We will keep you posted because I will most likely do a lecture and book signing to celebrate the book’s release.  I am very happy and relieved to be finished and I truly hope you will enjoy this new publication.   

Jeannine Pedersen
Curator

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February 5, 2008

I have not lived here for quite a year yet, but what a year it has been! I moved to Catalina Island with my boyfriend last March from Minneapolis, MN. It has been a big change for us. Of course, we cannot get enough of the Southern California weather especially this time of year. I grew up on a lake in a small tourist town in northern Wisconsin. As you can imagine, the island is completely different than the Midwest. I would have never dreamed I would have the opportunity to live on an island in the Pacific Ocean. So far it has been a great adventure and we try to take advantage of the ‘island life’ as much as possible. We have traveled numerous times into the interior and relaxed on the other side of the island, watched the buffalo, explored Two Harbors and have had great meals at the Airport in the Sky. We have also been kayaking with sea lions swimming around us, been on a fishing charter and have been lucky enough to travel by boat all the way around the island seeing many aspects of the island that most people have never had the chance to see. We certainly do not take our surroundings for granted. There have also been some trying times with the fire that happened back in May which threatened our new home in Avalon. This was not exactly the adventure we were looking for. However, what came out of it and what impressed us the most was how this small community came together to help each other and support our dedicated local and state firemen and women, as well as all the other entities, that came together in our community’s time of need. In the end, it was a great feeling to know that we had moved to such an amazing and unique place.

 Shortly after we moved to the island I was hired by the Catalina Island Museum as the assistant to the Executive Director and the Membership Coordinator. Both of these were new positions for the museum and since we are such a small group, I tend to wear many hats. I have loved the chance to be involved in so many aspects of the museum’s operations and events. My favorite and main part of my job is being the membership coordinator. I have undertaken the goal of making our members feel like they are part of our museum family as well as our island community. I have already met a lot of our members in person and hope to meet as many as possible in the coming years. Currently, I am working on updating our membership benefits and hope to get the new materials printed soon. I feel like our current and new members will be happy with the changes and updates. Another thing we are working on is to add a ‘Members Only’ area on our website where current members can log in to view special preview information about any upcoming events and an insider’s view of our collections with insight from our curator. If you are a current member or are considering becoming a member please feel free to contact me any time with questions, comments or ideas. You can reach me via email: membership@catalinamuseum.org.

 Gail Fornasiere
Executive Assistant/Membership Coordinator

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Catalina Air Lines, Grumman Goose, 1960s

January 4, 2008

One of the benefits of being the Curator of the Catalina Island Museum is that I am often knee deep in the history of the Island.  Currently, I am working on my third book with Arcadia Publishing that will be titled “Images of America: Catalina By Air”.  The Island has a fascinating history of air transportation dating back to 1912 when a young Glen Martin made history by crossing the San Pedro Channel in a flying boat.  When Martin landed in Avalon Bay he successfully completed the longest and fastest over-ocean flight and the first water landing.  Aviation technology quickly expanded and it was not long before the first air passenger service was introduced on Catalina Island.  Syd Chaplin, half-brother to Charlie Chaplin, began the first seaplane service between Wilmington, CA and Catalina Island in 1919.  Seaplane service thrived on Catalina and residents and visitors fondly remember the planes buzzing overhead and the roar of their engines; many recall the thrill of crossing the channel and landing on the water.  However, seaplanes are only part of the story.  The Airport-in-the-Sky opened in 1946 and United Airlines operated DC-3s between Los Angeles and Catalina Island for several years.

 I have been researching this history since early summer and was assisted by my summer intern, Jessica Morales who spent many hours combing through The Los Angeles Times archives and The Catalina Islander.  Jessica and I have compiled all of the information we found into two large binders and organized all of the information by specific airlines, airports and events.  I have also combed through the museum’s photograph and ephemera collections and selected almost 200 images that will appear in the publication.  My task now is to finish up my research, interview several key players who were involved in the Island’s aviation history and start writing.  My manuscript is due February 20th so I better get to it.  I will keep you posted on my progress and please keep a look out this summer for the Museum’s latest publication, Catalina By Air!

Jeannine L. Pedersen
Curator  

 

 
A Brief History of Catalina
• From pre-history to today
• A century of fun & glamour
   
The Future of the Museum
• Property Purchase
• Plans
   
Go Home With Some
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• Critical favorites
   
Catalina Memories
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