The Avalon Ball 2017

Did You Know? - The 8-legged, spider-like Alaskan King crab, can weigh as much as 25 pounds and measure more than six feet from tip to tip.

A single Alaskan King Crab can yield over 6 pounds of meat.

Did You Know? - In temperate climates, al fresco dining is especially popular in the summer months when temperatures and weather are most favorable. It is a style of dining that is casual and often party-like in its atmosphere.

The phrase al fresco is borrowed from Italian for "in the cool [air]", although it is not in current use in that language to refer to dining outside. Instead, Italians use the phrases fuori or all'aperto.

In Italian, the expression al fresco usually refers to spending time in jail.

The Spanish meaning of al fresco is similar to Italian, and Spaniards use fuera or al aire libre to refer to outside dining.

Did You Know? - Halibut is a the largest flatfish, with large fish weighing over 200 pounds. They look like overgrown flounder. The largest recorded halibut weighed 726 pounds and was over 15 feet long. They prefer deep, cold water, and have a life span of 40 years or more. There are two species, an Atlantic and a Pacific species, the Pacific species the smaller of the two.

Disclaimer - These are actually wonderful fish taco's.... The Bluewater Grill protects dolphins...

Did You Know? - It is believed that Chesapeake Bay oysters have been gathered by humans for over 6,000 years.

The average 3 inch oyster filters about 50 gallons of water a day.

From 1880 to 1920, New York was the undisputed oyster capital of the United States.

In the mid to late 1800's conflicts between oystermen who used different types of gear and between those in Maryland and Virginia, escalated to deadly levels in a time known as the Oyster Wars. Maryland formed an Oyster Navy in 1868 to police the waters, enforce regulations and deter violence.

Did You Know? - Cioppino is a fish stew which originated with Portuguese and Italian fishermen in San Francisco, California. It consists of fish and shellfish cooked with garlic, tomato and white wine.

Did You Know? - Fish and chips is a hot dish of English origin consisting of fried battered fish and hot chips. It is a common take-away food and an early example of culinary fusion. First appearing in the 1860s, in 1910 there were more than 25,000 fish and chip shops across the UK, and by the 1930s it increased to over 35,000.

Fried fish was first brought to England by Western Sephardic Jews, and is considered the model for the fish element of the dish.

Originally, Western Sephardic Jews settling in England in the 17th century would have prepared fried fish in a manner similar to Pescado frito, which is coated in a flour.

Battered fish is first coated in flour then dipped into a batter consisting of flour mixed with liquid, usually water but sometimes beer. Some newer modifications to the recipe may have cornflour added, and instead of beer sometimes soda water is added.

In 1860, the first fish and chip shop was opened in London by Joseph Malin who sold "fish fried in the Jewish fashion".

Did You Know? - Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Did You Know? - With a height equal to a 12-story building, it was built to serve as a theatre on the main floor and a ballroom and promenade on the upper level.

Movie studio tycoons such as Cecil B. DeMille, Louis B. Mayer, and Samuel Goldwyn frequently came by yacht to the Casino to preview their newest cinema productions. It also serves as the island's civil defense shelter, large enough to accommodate Catalina's entire year-round population. Within its walls is stored enough food and water for all Avalon's residents for two weeks.

Did You Know? - "Harbor Lights" is a popular song by Hugh Williams (pseudonym for Will Grosz) with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. This song was originally sung by Frances Langford in 1937.

Did You Know?

The last time it snowed on the Island was in 1949.

As a teenager, popular golfer Tiger Woods played several Junior Golf Tournaments on the Avalon golf course.

Surface ocean temperatures around the island range from low 50's in winter to the low 70's in summer.

Average annual rainfall on the Island from the years 1950 to 2000 was 12.2 inches in Avalon and 13.8 inches at Catalina's Airport-in-the-Sky.

Actress Marilyn Monroe lived on the Island for a year and a half during WWII when her husband James Dougherty, a lieutenant in the Merchant Marine, was stationed in Avalon.

In 1924, sportsman and author of western novels Zane Grey built a pueblo style home overlooking Avalon Bay; today it is a hotel and the rooms are named after his books such as Riders of the Purple Sage and The Vanishing American.

Author and naturalist Charles Frederick Holder founded the Tuna Club in Avalon in 1898.

As a youth, famous WWII leader and four-star general George S. Patton Jr. spent his summers on Catalina Island.

Eight miles of breakwater along the coast of Southern California are constructed with rock quarried on Catalina Island.

The only poisonous snake found on the Island is the Pacific Rattlesnake.

From 1894 to 1898 Otto J. and Oswald Zahn conducted a pigeon mail service between Avalon and Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles.