Pro football comes to Island
The inaugural Catalina Kickoff Classic pro-football game featured the Coyotes against the SoCal Elite at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, at Joe Machado Field.
Tickets to the event were $10 each and children 12 and under attended free of charge. Members of the VFW in Avalon held a beer garden as a fundraiser and part of the festivities. There were fresh cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, refreshments and more for guests to purchase and enjoy.
Pro football comes to Island
The inaugural Catalina Kickoff Classic pro-football game featured the Coyotes against the SoCal Elite at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, at Joe Machado Field.
Tickets to the event were $10 each and children 12 and under attended free of charge. Members of the VFW in Avalon held a beer garden as a fundraiser and part of the festivities. There were fresh cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, refreshments and more for guests to purchase and enjoy.
The SoCal Coyotes, who have earned the title of champions of the Pacific West Football League, are a AAA Professional Franchise located in Southern California.
“These guys are so dedicated,” said Laurie Miller, senior vice president of the club. “They all have fulltime jobs, but they love the game and we are trying to build this league into something where they can earn more from it.”
Miller said bringing the team to Catalina was the fulfillment of a dream of her’s and her husband David. They had one of their first dates on the Island nine years ago.
Carnival considers second cruise ship
The Avalon City Council voted 5-0 in December to pay $125,000 to Carnival Cruises as an incentive to send a second cruise ship to Catalina. According to the staff report by Denise Radde, city clerk and assistant City Manager, the cruise line is interesting in sending a second ship to Catalina.
The city code allows the city manager to waive 50 percent of the wharfage fee for a second cruise ship, provided the line operator’s first vessel visits Avalon at least 10 times in the previous year.
“However, the letter that Carnival sent calls for a payment of $125,000 as an incentive for the second boat,” Radde’s report said.
“The city manager does not have the authority to approve such an incentive payment. The incentive payment seeks the same approximate net result as a 50 percent waiver,” Radde wrote.
According to the report, local attorney David Creigh said the council must approve the payment in the manner requested by Carnival Cruises. The council approved Carnival’s request. “It doesn’t mean the second ship is coming, but it’s a step closer,” said Wayne Griffin, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce.
Museum exhibit looks at Catalina Island’s role in World War II
The Catalina Island Museum exhibit “First Line of Defense: Catalina Island and World War II” opened on Friday, Dec. 7, the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Following the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, citizens and the military feared that if Catalina were captured, the west coast of the United States would be in peril. Tourist travel to the Island was almost immediately halted. During the war years, the Island provided isolated locations for a top-secret radar facility that defended Southern California and a training ground for the Office of Strategic Services.
