Cedar chest from the USS Olympia
For the past seven decades, the Catalina Museum for Art & History has been celebrating the island's history and art with a variety of exhibitions in the heart of Avalon.
Since opening in 1953, the museum has amassed a large collection of artifacts that make up its substantial permanent collection. Some of these items have never been displayed until now. To mark the museum's 70-year anniversary, venue officials have dug deep into its vault for an exhibition dubbed “Cabinet of Curiosities: 70 Objects for 70 Years,” which runs through fall 2024.
“Most of these have never been seen before. They're kind of curious and odd artifacts, photos and paintings that we've acquired over the years, and some of them are just difficult to tell a story about, but we have their history,” said Johnny Sampson, deputy director and chief curator of the museum. “There's an interesting history in this island that goes along with early Los Angeles history.”
Here are five rare items to be sure to check out at the exhibition.
The first letter
Mailed in 1826, it's the earliest known letter carried eastward from Alta California via Cape Horn. According to Sampson, it
`CABINET OF CURIOSITIES: 70 OBJECTS FOR 70 YEARS'
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. TuesdaysSundays through fall 2024 Where: Catalina Museum for Art & History, 217Metropole Ave., Avalon
Tickets: $18 general, $12 for island residents at catalinamuseum.org.
was sent from Catalina Island to Ipswich, Massachusetts, by a crewman of the brig Barian to his sister, and it took more than six months to arrive.
“On the letter you can see the postmark, so it shows how it was put on a ship; it went around the cape up to Massachusetts,” Sampson said. In the letter, the writer talks about the boredom and everyday life on the ship. The price of the stamp at that time was 6 cents.
The Olympia, which was commissioned in 1895, is the oldest steel American warship still afloat, and the museum was given a cedar chest that was once housed on the vessel.
Cannon cast salvaged from shipwreck
At about 9 inches in length, it's not a particularly intimidating or working cannon, but its story still packs a punch. The cannon cast was made from a brass pipe found underwater near Catalina that was once part of The Valiant, a luxurious, 162foot yacht owned by San Francisco auto distributor Charles S. Howard. The yacht sank in 1930 when the gasoline-powered generator exploded while the ship was moored.
“This artifact has so many stories wrapped up into it,” Sampson said.
Rattlesnake oar
This oar wrapped in snakeskin is one of the more unusual items on display. According to Sampson, in 1901 Pasadenabased artist Frances Lauderbach and a friend were hiking across the island and came across a large rattlesnake, which they killed, skinned and mounted to an oar.
“In true artistic and creative fashion she just decided to put the snakeskin on the oar. For myself, I thought, what an odd thing for the museum to have. But it does talk about our history,” Sampson said.
The post office clock
It once hung in the first official Avalon post office, on the waterfront in the Steamer Terminal Building. The clock was stored away when the post office moved to its current location in the Atwater Arcade in 1927. When the clock was put on display as part of the exhibition, the time was set to a little past 8 p.m., which Sampson said is around the time the museum founders first met in 1952 to talk about creating a new island museum.
The Drunken Clam and the Giggity Golf course are open for business as “Family Guy” lands in downtown Los Angeles this fall.
The Family Guy Experience, a new pop-up attraction that recreates the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island — which is home to the Griffin family on the long-running animated series — opened last week in conjunction with the premiere of the Emmy Award-winning show's 22nd season on Fox.
“I always wanted to do a cartoon-based experience and bring it to life,” said Derek Berry, director of experiences at Bucket Listers, an online events company behind pop-up attractions like The Golden Girls Kitchen and the Malibu Barbie Dream Café.
“When we pick some of these pop-ups, we always look for something that has longevity and staying power, and when something can be on that long it really stands the test of time,” he said.
The latest pop-up is anchored by Giggity Golf, a miniature golf course named after the “giggity, giggity, giggity!” catch phrase spoken by Quagmire, the Griffins' bachelor neighbor on the show.
Golfers can putt through miniature re-creations of the town as well as life-size replicas of the Griffin home, including the living room and bedrooms. Guests will also see memorable moments from the show depicted on the course, like the epic fight between Peter Griffin and the chicken, and catch a glimpse of the evil monkey that regularly torments Chris Griffin, too.
THE FAMILY GUY EXPERIENCE
When: Through Nov. 15.
3-10 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, 2 p.m.-midnight Fridays, noonmidnight Saturdays, noon-10 p.m. Sundays
Where: 613 Imperial St.,
Los Angeles
Tickets: $27-$55.50 at bucketlisters.com
After a round of mini golf, fans can walk into The Drunken Clam, the show's bar, where Peter and friends hang out in their favorite booth.
“You get to walk into The Drunken Clam, and it's completely re-created and identical and it's such a fun moment,” Berry said.
The bar will serve themed cocktails including the Shut Up Meg, Cool wHip and The Evil Monkey. Fans can also order dishes like Peter's Jelly Donut Burger, Not Joe Nachos and the Spooner Street Corn Dog.
After its Los Angeles debut, the pop-up is expected to travel to other cities.