Circling back, I’d like to personally thank all the islanders who joined us at our new office open house celebration on Aug. 19. It was tied in with a lot of other events, capped off with the Museum presentation by aspiring Mars Astronaut Alyssa Carson.
The museum setting was a perfect capper to the day, with music by The Bierman Brothers on the rooftop patio area. Islanders George and Patricia McCormick enjoyed the event and delighted the crowd as they danced the Fox Trot. Bill Kupfer and Laura Crutchfield also showed some skills on the floor, with the Salsa and other dances.
Bill has island ties from way back. He and his father has both owned houses in the past. Bill spent many of his summers on the island. Overall, his family has been visiting Catalina since 1902. Laura had only visited Catalina recently, with Bill, but said she loved the charm of the island.
She also has a little more dancing experience that Bill, having danced competitively in Ballroom Dance competition, but the two have been dancing together for a couple of years. She said they enjoyed the Mars talk event and they certainly livened up the pre-show festivities.
“We deeply appreciated being a part of such a supportive community event,” Laura said.
Still feeling impact from COVID
While things are opening back up, there are still some impacts from COVID restrictions. The recent 3 on 3 basketball tournament was cancelled due to logistical problems from County Health regulations. It’s a shame because we were looking forward to getting results and photos of the top hoopsters on the island.
The uncertainty of things also led to the inability of islanders to field a team for the Catalina Channel Crossing US Outrigger Championships. The event is this weekend, but there will be no boats with locals competing this year. But things are coming back and hopefully we can keep trending in a positive direction.
Ted Apodaca is the editor of the Catalina Islander. He can be reached at editor@thecatalinaislander.com, or at 562-317-1100.
