Santa Catalina Island hosts 31^st Annual Avalon Benefit 50 Mile Run

January 14, 2012 : If exercise is on your list of New Year’s resolutions for 2012, then join the “31^st Annual Avalon Benefit 50 Mile Run” beginning at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 14. It’s not only good for your health, but the event is for a good cause. All proceeds from the entry fees and mileage pledges go to the Avalon Lion’s Club for their projects. These include the Avalon Hospital, the Avalon High School Scholarships Program, the Catalina Conservancy, and the Bill Putnam Health Care Fund.

The running course is gorgeous – an environmentalist’s dream. There are no cars, no smog, and no noise pollution. The course is on scenic fire roads leaving from Avalon to the Isthmus and back. Although generally closed to the public, the course will take runners through the island’s interior. Don’t be surprised if you run into a buffalo or two (hopefully, only figuratively).

For more information on the Santa Catalina Avalon Benefit race and for online registration, click here.

Fly, Hike or Drive to “Display Day Fly-In” at Catalina’s Airport in the Sky

January 14, 2012: If you love airplanes, you can fly, drive, or hike to the Airport in the Sky for “Display Day” January 14, 2012, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. If you are a pilot of an aircraft built in 1961 or before, you can land free. No matter how you arrive, you can visit with the pilots and find out where they are from, and why they love to fly. You will also be able to view some amazing airplanes.

The Catalina Aero Club sponsors “Display Day” every month at the Airport in the Sky, which is located on a 1,602-foot mountaintop on Catalina Island. It’s serves as a great social event and as a way for people to view and appreciate some truly historic airplanes.

For more information on the event, click Display Day Fly-In.

Participate in Santa Catalina Island’s Families in Nature Program

January 21, 2012: The Santa Catalina Islands Conservancy’s “Families in Nature Program” is a free event for all Island residents. The program consists of trips to Catalina’s wild lands via bus every third Saturday of the month, September through May. For January 2012, the trip is scheduled for the 21^st.

Two Conservancy-trained naturalists accompany each trip in order to teach about the wild areas of Santa Catalina Island. It’s a great way for families to spend time together and to see and learn about normally restricted areas of the Island.

Because of the popularity of the program, the Conservancy suggests making reservations in advance. For more information concerning the Catalina Islands Conservancy’s Families in Nature Program event, click here.

Join in Catalina’s 31^st Annual Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup

February 25, 2012: Over 500 volunteers will participate in Santa Catalina’s “31^st Annual Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup”, which takes place on February 25, 2012, at 8:00 a.m. This is the only time during the year that scuba divers are permitted to dive in Avalon Bay.

All proceeds from the registration fees will be donated to the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber and the Given Fund for Ocean Conservation.

Started in the 1970’s by local scuba divers, the cleanup is now one of the major social events of the year for many scuba diving clubs. There are numerous parties the nights before and after the cleanup as visitors and locals enjoy the warm and friendly atmosphere that Santa Catalina Island provides.

For more information about the Catalina Avalon Cleanup, click here.