The Avalon Ball 2012 Trip Over To Avalon

Did You Know? - In 2012, Catalina Express celebrated its 30th year of service to Catalina Island. Started with only one boat and one phone, Catalina Express has emerged as the leader of marine transportation to Catalina Island. Each year, more than one million passengers set sail to Catalina Island on board Catalina Express.

"It's amazing to see how much the business has grown and changed over the past 30 years. I believe the success of Catalina Express has been made possible because of our loyal customers and employees," says President, Greg Bombard.

Catalina Express began in 1981 when three Catalina Island residents realized the need for fast, reliable transportation to and from the island. Doug Bombard, his son Greg Bombard and long time colleague, Tom Rutter, worked tirelessly to make the vision a reality. Since then more than 17 million passengers have set sail to Catalina Island on board Catalina Express.

In its first year of service Catalina Express operated with one, 60-passenger vessel. The founders worked closely with boat builders to design vessels with innovative features like full ride control systems for stability, modern navigational systems, airline-style cabin seating, panoramic viewing windows, and on-deck seating, which won immediate acceptance from passengers.

Did You Know? - "Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a song by musician Bobby McFerrin. Released in September 1988, it became the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. On the UK Singles Chart, the song reached number 2 during its fifth week on the chart. At the 1989 Grammy Awards, "Don't Worry Be Happy" won the awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The song's title is taken from a famous quote by Meher Baba.

Did You Know? - The modern Aloha shirt was devised in the early 1930s by Chinese merchant Ellery Chun of King-Smith Clothiers and Dry Goods, a store in Waikiki. Chun began sewing brightly colored shirts for tourists out of old kimono fabrics he had leftover in stock. The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper was quick to coin the term Aloha shirt to describe Chun's fashionable creation.

Chun trademarked the name. The first advertisement in the Honolulu Advertiser for Chun's Aloha shirt was published on June 28, 1935. Local residents, especially surfers, and tourists descended on Chun's store and bought every shirt he had. Within years, major designer labels sprung up all over Hawaii and began manufacturing and selling Aloha shirts en masse.

Did You Know? - It is common wisdom that this annoyance is caused by the rocking motion of the craft. Indeed when we run, dance or ski, we give to our abdominal parts a much more intense shock, without any major side effect. Consequently most people tend to concentrate on the inner surroundings, or close the eyes and try to sleep. This will cause the worst effect of the disturbance.

The real cause is in the mind, which receives conflicting signals: while the eyes show a world that is still, our body, and in particular the equilibrium sensors located in our ears, send signals of a moving environment. This discordance causes the mind to send to the whole body a general alarm signal, in order to stop all activities, in particular the most complex of all: the digestion process.

Did You Know? - In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or "aft", part of the superstructure of a ship.

The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis. Thus the poop deck is technically a stern deck, which in sailing ships was usually elevated as the roof of the stern or "after" cabin, also known as the "poop cabin". In sailing ships, with the helmsman at the stern, an elevated position was ideal for both navigation and observation of the crew and sails.

Did You Know? - The chocolate chip cookie was accidentally developed by Ruth Graves Wakefield in 1930. She owned the Toll House Inn, in Whitman, Massachusetts, a very popular restaurant that featured home cooking in the 1930s. Her cookbook, Toll House Tried and True Recipes, was published in 1936 by M. Barrows & Company, New York. It included the recipe "Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie", which rapidly became a favorite to be baked in American homes.

Did You Know? - Planters was founded by Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He started his career as a bellhop and fruit stand vendor in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Obici later moved to Wilkes-Barre, opened his own fruit stand, and invested in a peanut roaster. Obici turned peddler within a few years, using a horse and wagon, and calling himself "The Peanut Specialist". In 1906, Obici entered a partnership with Mario Peruzzi.

Peruzzi had developed his own method of blanching whole roasted peanuts, doing away with the troublesome hulls and skins; and so with six employees, two large roasters, and crude machinery, Planters was founded. Amedeo Obici believed that prices and first profits were as important as repeat business, focusing his operation on quality and brand name for continued success.

Two years later, the firm was incorporated as Planters Nut and Chocolate Company It was acquired by Standard Brands in 1960.

Did You Know? - The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, usually steel but sometimes other metals like beryllium copper, bent into a triangle shape. The instrument is usually held by a loop of some form of thread or wire at the top curve. It was first made around the 16th century

Did You Know? - The only, and quite simple way, to re-synchronize the signals is a conduct that will help our eyes to send the proper information of the movement.

First of all, try to sit outside. If inside, stay in a position where you can see through the windows on as many sides of the outside world as possible.

Focus on the horizon, turning the head repeatedly on both sides. Contrast the tendency of the eyes to focus on the objects nearby. Soon you will experience the alternate switching of the reference system from that of the ship, where this is still and the windows show moving pictures, to that of the outside world, in which the horizon is perfectly still and the contours of the ship, out of focus, move much like if you were standing on a huge surfboard.

If you can stabilize on this latter reference system, the disturbance will disappear almost immediately.

There are behavioral methods to help the synchronization of the senses, such as being fully aware of the movements of the boat and anticipating them. It may help to imagine you are actually driving the ship: put you hands on the front seat as if it were a steering wheel, and make the accompanying slight movements of the whole body. Avoid reading, watching TV, and even talking to neighbors. After some time, depending on the individual, the mind will be oriented, and it will be possible to resume all normal activities.

Did You Know? - On May 29, 1929, the newer Casino finished construction under the direction of Mr. Wrigley and David M. Renton at a cost of 2 million dollars. Its design, done by Sumner A. Spaulding and Walter Weber, is described as being Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival, and was the first to be designed specifically for movies with sound.

Steel structure of the old Sugarloaf Casino can still be found in Avalon's abandoned bird park. The bird park was conceived by Mrs. Wrigley, and, at the time, was one of the largest aviaries in the world. The bird-park now serves as a daycare for the local residents of Avalon.

Did You Know? - A chorus line is a substantial group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed.