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NEW! 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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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 bo rn.
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
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Happy
Holidays from the Staff at the Museum!
(L-R: Marti Winslow, Jeannine Pedersen, Santa, Gail Fornasiere, Suzanne
Ruplinger and Stacey Otte)
December 11, 2007
I recently went to a
cozy neighborhood Christmas party here in Avalon. It was my second time
at that party and it's always a diverse crowd. Many of the folks I only
see in passing in the Arcade or in line at Vons. But once a year this
group gathers in a classic Catalina cottage, feasts on homemade German
food that's been slaved over for hours, and catches up on each others'
lives and fondly remember times past.
And
then our host, with the help of a friend, pauses the buzz of
conversation and leads us in carols. They're not always tuneful and
sometimes we forget the words, but they're sung with spirit, and with
the candles lit around the room a warm feeling embraces us--no doubt
helped along by the wine that flows so freely.
There are many such parties around the island that help us to remember
our holiday spirit and sense of community: neighbors helping each
other out in times of crisis, service clubs making sure that families
have toys around the tree and a turkey on the table, people buying
innumerable raffle tickets to support our local charities.
As we all learn over the years, life can change on a dime and your
trajectory shift in unexpected directions But I've learned that in this
special place called Catalina we always rise to the occasion for each
other in the most loving and supportive ways--and it happens all year
long.
Happy
Holidays to all of you who love Catalina and the things and people that
make it so special!
~ Stacey Otte,
Executive Director
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