From March 10, 2014-March 16, 2017, when I was "Catalina's Official Greeter", though the Catalina Chamber Of Commerce, I answered 64,590 questions from the cruise ships' and cross channel boats' passengers.  That amounts to "greeting" approximately 650,000 visitors.  Here are some of the inquiries I had to address (additional ones www.catalinaislandman.com):

"Does Catalina have it's own flag?"

"Why do you have so many California license plates on your vehicles.  Were they brought over?"

"Does your 'Down Town" boat go to Los Angeles?"

"Do you have a jail boat?"

"Can anyone live here?"

 

THE "CHUCK SHOW"

 

For those loyal readers of mine (both of you, raise your hands), you remember in my last column, January 18, 2018, "I AM 'ME'?" (see this and other past columns, www.catalinaislandman.com) I confided all of my problems that I have and continue to face with my name, as I share it with an ex-UFC Fighter, yes, of course, "Chuck Liddell"!  But things REALLY got out of hand in January, 2016.  FACEBOOK, which I had been on for over 10 years, SUDDENLY "questioned" my identity and somehow thought that I was try to pass myself off or impersonate this wrestle!  RIDICULOUS!!!!!  Look him up on the internet.  DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE ME.  We simply share the same name!  I rarely, if ever, make reference to him on my site and I am old enough to be his father!  FB wanted me to "prove" my identify by instructing me to, over my cell phone, show them my  "Driver's License".  They acknowledged the receipt of this, but also made note that my name on the card was "Charles" not "Chuck".  I tried to explain to them that probably NOBODY was born with the name of "Chuck" or used it on legal documents, but was merely a nickname!  I questioned whether the "other" Chuck Liddell showed "Chuck" on his "Driver's License"!  Without warning, my site was blocked (removed) from FB, taking all of my 3700+ "friends" with me!  Family and friends feared that something major had happened to me.  I began to panic thinking that ALL of the rest must be feeling the same way.  I either was experiencing major issue or I just didn't "like" them anymore, or both!  Being off FB, they now didn't have anyway to reach me and vice versa.  So, I had to get back on FB, simply in order to clarify the situation with them, but FB only allowed me to go back as "Charles" NOT "Chuck" Liddell; the name I had used since I was 11--25 years ago.  O. K., 58 years ago!  I then decided to NOT have my face on it for any possible future confusion.  Once I got back on, I decided that IF I was going to contact all of these past "friends", I might as well just start up again and stay on!

Believe it or not, the problem now arose with me having to prove that I was indeed the "Chuck" that my family and friends knew me as, considering I was now "Charles", which they knew I rarely ever used, except for legal purposes.  I was often asked about conversations that he had months ago, when I normally can't even remember what I had for breakfast two days before.  As remarkable as it may seem, I was called "fake" by some and they BLOCKED me!  TALK ABOUT HUMILIATING AND DEMORALIZING!  

While trying to locate "lost friends", I came across three names that have mean a LOT to me over the past 19 years!  Peter, Vicki, and Wesley Alvin!  In August, 1998, I was in the beautiful Casino Theatre watching a most remarkable movie, "The Truman Show", with Jim Carrey.  If you have never seen it, FIND IT!  Not to give away the ending, a reality television company had decided to select a new born baby and  follow his every movement, 24/7, for the world to watch on television, for his ENTIRE life.  He was NEVER made aware of this exposure!  He lived his life "normally", on an enormous movie set and EVERYONE, including his family, friends, and all who shared his "life", were actors, excluding him.  He spend his life naively thinking that he was just a "normal Joe" living out his life like everyone else.

At the end I was quite taken by the "feeling" that I got from the film.  "How much of our lives are exposed to others?"  I left the building and started to go home, when I heard the Alvins, who I didn't know at the time", commenting between themselves right behind me, on how Avalon looked indeed like a "movie set":, just like the one owe just experienced on "The Truman Show".  Observations were made along the line of "Avalon looks too perfect to be 'real'!"  I suddenly looked at Avalon from a whole new perspective!  It was a cool, but balmy night.  The sky was bluer, even in the evening, than I had ever remembered.  The  stars were almost blinding and the constellations looked as if they had been painted on the "ceiling".  There was a full moon and that silver shaft of light, streaming across the harbor, lightly "kissing" the Casino was equally magical and hypnotic!  It harkened back many unique and special memories of being a kid, sleeping on the sundeck of my Descanso Street home, looking up at the remarkable sky, listening to the live "Big Band" music floating across the harbor for the "World Famous Casino Ballroom", and smelling the "night blooming jasmine" that had been planted around the house.  

I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but I did, for a split second -- O. K., even longer -- think that maybe, just "maybe", I was on a life-long "reality show"!  My first thought was "HOW BORING", but then I got flash backs of some of the memorable experiences that I have been privileged to have and will share in this column.  I have had/am experiencing a "charmed life" on Catalina Island.  I started thinking  of all of the unbelievable situations that only occurred because of the uniqueness of this "Magical Isle".  The fantastic people I have had the singular honor to meet, and now I cherish as my dear friends, unfortunately, many now departed.  (To this day, I still don't know HOW the Alvin Family became such good friends after their seemingly insignificant comments leaving the movie that eventful night.  They can't explain it either!  I hardly paid much attention to them behind me, simply got a glance of them, but we kept "accidentally" running into each other all over town and are now, I am happy to report, GREAT friends!  I have since found out that both Vicki and Wesley are very accomplished performers!  Could they have secretly been actors role playing all along!?!  I am AFRAID to ask them!).

Passengers getting off the cruise ships often ask me how I was so "lucky" to be born and end up on this remarkable Island.  I tell them I really had little do to with this decision, at least the first part.  Mom was here when I was born and so I thought it would be convenient to be born where Mom was!  Old fashion idea, I guess, with today's technology!  I doubt very much if I would have made the same location decisions IF I had any control over my destiny.  Probably not!  I am SO LUCKY to be where I want to spend the rest of my life. 

IF it turns out that my life really has all been "set up" for the pleasure of viewers, to all of my "fans", I promise to "raise the bar" on my life to make watching me even more exciting and, of course, to work to keep the ratings up!  

I look forward to sharing more of my unique life through this column, much against the wishes and advice of a certain special woman in my life,  "CBHHBR almost CLR"!  It's been, and hopefully will continue to be, from another movie, my all-time favorite, "It's A Wonderful Life"!  

To contact me personally, chuckliddell.catalina@gmail.com 

"INTERESTING/UNUSUAL QUESTIONS/COMMENTS CONCERNING CATALINA ISLAND" 

From March 10, 2014-March 16, 2017, when I was "Catalina's Official Greeter", through the Catalina Chamber of Commerce, I answered 64,590 questions from the cruise ships' and cross channel boats' passengers.  That amounts to "greeting" approximately 650,000 cross channel passengers!  Here are some of the inquiries I had to address (additional ones, www.catalinaislandman.com):

"I can't understand why they would put up a red storm flag in May and expect visitors to come over!"

"Wasn't it nice of Mr. Wrigley to put those bath tubs out in the fields for the cowboys to cool off!"  These tubs were placed around the Interior of the Island by the Conservancy to provide water for the bison during our latest drought.

"Wasn't it a coincidence that they were able to build the road to the Summit following the trees that were already planted there?"  Really, the other way around. The road was put built in 1896 and the trees went in 1920.

Concerning preparing the flying fish as bait when fishing for broadbill swordfish and other large fish:  "How can anyone use a fish for bait if it's flying and why would anyone want one that was sewn up?  Is it sewn up so it can't fly?"

"Do people who live here eat in restaurants?"

 

UPDATES/CORRECTIONS

In a recent column, I stated that I was humbly proud to work with remarkable locals to serve Christmas meals at the Avalon Community Church.  At the time, I didn't know how many, but now do:  414!!!  That means that more than 1 out of 10 Avalon residents were served and shown love by our local Church.  GOOD GOING GANG, especially Pastor Scott!

I erroneously stated in one of my first columns that there were still members of the Tongva Indian tribe, which Catalina is one, but there were no descendants of our local tribe, the Pemungas (Catalina was called "Pemu" originally).  Dr. Wendy Teeter, with the Archeology Department at UCLA, and I am happy to say a GREAT FRIEND, assured me that we still had Pemu descendants.  I would LOVE to interview some of them for my column, if they are interested (chuckliddell.catalina@gmail.com)

 

O.  K.,  I'M BAD!

 

Our present dump above Pebbly Beach was built in 1907 (the road to Pebbly was built in 1906 from Avalon).  Because of our great air quality, we were allowed to burn our garbage/trash there from 1907 until approximately 2002.  Coming over on the boats during that period, visitors would often notice the smoke plumes coming from that area and ask us kids what it was.  I, among many others, with an innocent look, explain "That's Catalina's only active volcano!"  "What's it's name?" they would mistakenly ask.  With such a sweet look we would answer, "'Mt. Garbagio'!"

 

"Pizza Man", back in the 50's-60's. would advertise on the radio, "If you are within the sound of our voice, we will guarantee to deliver a pizza to you within 45 minutes or it will be FREE!"  I knew the schedule for the "S. S. Catalina" and the seaplanes, so I would wait until after 5pm (in those days, that was the cheapest time to call) and I would call "Pizza Man" and tell them I wanted to have my FREE pizza delivered.  They were confused, "Did you hear the commercial on the radio?"  "Yes!"  "So you have to give us 45 minutes to deliver and if we can't THEN we will give you a FREE pizza!"  "Well, the last boat left at 4:10 and there are no other seaplanes until tomorrow morning, so unless you can swim or row especially FAST, you won't be able to get the pizza to me here on Catalina Island within 45 minutes!"  I never held them to this guarantee, but soon after I no longer heard the commercial on the radio.  AND THEY TALK ABOUT ROTTEN KIDS OF TODAY! 

 

"THROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW A COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIN" (pt. 3)

In pt. 1, I gave a historical perspective to the art of coin diving and in pt. 2, I told how I got involved and ended with me becoming one of the "big kids" and almost breaking my neck! (www.catalinaislandman.com).

At first I started near the bow (front) of the "S. S. Catalina" and then, as I felt more secure, I ventured out toward the stern (back).  The water was much shallower closer to the shore and quickly got deeper as we went out to sea.  "Free diving" (without mask or fins) 40' or more was common (this is one of the reasons you wanted to catch the coin in the air so you didn't have to dive to the ocean floor!). Also, as you dove deeper, THE WATER GOT COLDER!

As a rule of thumb, the deeper the water, the bigger the money thrown.  If you were especially cute, as I was (that was before the train wreck! lol!), passengers would motion to you to get away from the other divers so the money would "hopefully' be thrown to you ONLY.  Of course, all of the divers knew about this little discrimination act and so would keep their eyes on us poor defenseless cutely endowed kids and knew where the coins were going to land!

It wasn't unusual, at the stern of the ship, for passengers to use silver dollars, which they still carried in their pockets in those days, simply as weights to wrap paper denominations around to make it over the side of the ship to the ocean. Sometimes a $5 bill!

The "big money' was generally thrown near the single propeller, which had to be kept rotating, even when the ship was docked, so as to keep the ship stable.  The chance of being "sucked" into the propeller shaft was a real possibility and it has been reported that some divers actually lost their lives this way.  This would generally stop ALL coin diving for a couple of years.  Hopefully we would all have time to rethink our actions before we were allowed to go back to our trade.

There was another concern, which I luckily never saw come to fruition.  When you dove down deep and possibly had to hold your breath for a minute or longer, you would get pretty disoriented by the time you made your way to the surface.  You wanted the coins to be thrown far from the side of the  ship as you never wanted to find yourself coming up UNDER THE HULL/BOTTOM!  Generally, if you looked for the sunlight on the water, you were pretty well assured of never facing this nightmare!

Once retrieved, there were only three places you could keep you money:  1) In your mask.  If you were lucky and got a lot of money, you couldn't see past the coins lining your mask.  Also, it would tend to "fog up" and you would have to keep taking it off and rubbing it with spit or kelp "sap".  This is where I generally kept my money.  Other swimmers would often simply pull your mask off to get access to your money.  2) In your swim trunks.  They generally came with very small pockets and it took too long to cram your loot into them.   Many a diver was "pantsed" by other divers and when this happened to me I had to wait for a "friend" to go to shore to get a blanket so that I could get out of the water without getting arrested!  3) In your mouth.  this was the preferred way of storing your booty, but money tasted bad and mothers often worried about "germs". After a particularly "fruitful" and deep dive, when you held your breath for as long as you could to make the surface, some opponent would put their feet on your shoulders, forcing you back down, which would cause you naturally to spit out all of this money as you were gasping for air!  There was then a major feeding frenzy for all of these coins.  It was an underwater jungle out there.  There was, unfortunately, at least one case where a diver got a quarter stuck in his windpipe and died! 

If you made it through the day (the "Great White Steamer" would arrive at noon and leave at 4:10pm, except on weekends and holidays when it would make an additional later round trip), you were usually in the water around an hour on arriving and departing.  You could easily amass $15 or more a day, which in those days, considering that most of our parents were making less than $1 an hour, was enough for some of the "mainland college kids" to raise enough money to buy three meals a day, stay in one of the "Island Villas" (where the "Tour Plaza" and "Miniature Golf" are now) for the weekend and have enough money left to take their "summer romance" out to dinner and a dance at the Casino Ballroom!

The passenger, after throwing the money, usually waited until we came to the surface and then we would always hold the coin, between our thumb and our first finger, lift it up as far as we could and yell, with a BIG SMILE, "THAAAAAAAK YOOOOU"!  Sometimes I didn't get the coin, but out of guilt I would "pretend" to have a coin and would give the thrower the illusion that I was able to retrieved it.  We did a LOT of  performing/acting as well as some pretty remarkable aquatic gymnastics, if I would say so myself; AND I DO!!!!

A "Twilight Zone" (ask your parents/grandparents if you aren't familiar with this iconic television series) type episode occurred in 2011 when I was with a friend, Mitch Hammond, whom I had first met in 1960, when I was 13 and he was 12 (by the way, he will be returning again this month for about a week as he does every year.  If you see me with some guy who you don't recognize, it is probably Mitch, so yell out his name and see what his response is!).  Between my "water diving", I would often sit near the athletic bars; low and high chin up bars and high and low parallel bars (area across from the "Island Threadz" and "Steamer Trunk", near the corner of Clarissa/Pebbly Beach Road) and watch the "athletic types" show off their prowess on the high chin up bar.  When they would do a certain maneuver, a "Cherry Drop", where they would be upside down, their money and anything else in their pockets would inevitably land in the sand below and immediately disappear.  I would generally wait a minute or two, after the guy would leave, and go "sand diving" for whatever I could find.  Mitch was one of those performers.  After he had left, I proceeded to "dive" into the sand for his loot (turned out to be 36 cents).  Unfortunately, at the same time I had my had in the sand, so did Mitch, as he realized he had lost some money and returned.  We more or less "shook" hands in the sand.  We have been BEST FRIENDS ever since!

We were enjoying our last meal at one of our favorite restaurants, "Armstrong's Seafood Restaurant", (location of the present "Blue Water Avalon", 306 Crescent), out on the balcony, over the water, where the "Steamer Pier" used to be.  We were enjoying our usual wonderful swordfish dinner when all of a sudden we heard "THROW A COIN!"  Mitch and I looked at each other in TOTAL AMAZEMENT.  We hadn't heard those words since the 1960's!  We looked down in the water and saw three young boys, with masks and snorkels (we NEVER used snorkels in the "good ol' days") and they were actually wanting to "dive for coins"!  Mitch and I couldn't believe our eyes/ears.  They weren't trying to get the attention of any of the other tables along the railing...they were concentrating solely on us!  I quickly pulled out all of my silver coins (O. K., no more silver in coins!), dimes, quarters, etc. and started throwing them in!  I urged the other restaurant patrons to do likewise.  I decided to instruct these "wannabe divers" how to yell, "THROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW A COOOOOOOOOOOOIN" not simply "Throw A Coin"!  We asked our server how often these boys had been doing this.  She had been with the restaurant for years, but this was the first time that she had EVER seen this happen!  I then turned around  with the idea of asking these young divers how they knew that "this" was the spot where we used to dive for coins and how come they were ONLY diving for Mitch and myself!?!  THEY WERE GONE!

Mitch and I sat silently in a daze.  After a few moments, I sorted through my many thoughts and suggested to Mitch that if I had accidentally fallen over the balcony railing, into the ocean, throwing coins to these young divers, when I rose to the surface, I would be10 years old again!  As Mitch would carry baggage from the Steamer to the hotels for the passengers, he wondered if, when we left the restaurant, we would be greeted by a 9 year-old Mitch!  They don't call this the "Magical Isle" for nothing!  (to contact me directly, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

"INTERESTING/UNUSUAL QUESTIONS/COMMENTS CONCERNING CATALINA"

From March 10, 2014-March 16, 2017, when I was "Catalina's Official Greeter", through the Catalina Chamber Of Commerce, I answered 64,590 questions from the cruise ships' and cross channel passengers'.  That amounts to "greeting" approximately 650,000 visitors to Catalina!  Here are some of the inquiries I had to address (additional ones, www.catalinaislandman.com):

"Do you hire Americans here?"

"Was the Casino barged over here?"

"Which restaurants serve 'sand dollars'?"

"Do you have to get on the boat for 'parasailing'?"

"Where does the water in the harbor go during 'low tide'?"

 

PLEASE DON'T DO IT!

 

My younger and only brother, Williams Sims Liddell (Bill) was born in Avalon, August 14, 1949, Dr. Poole officiated.  He would  have been 68 years old.  UNFORTUNATELY, he took his life, in Avalon, January 21, 1974.  He was only 24 years old!  I have been without my brother for 44 years and it sometimes hurts as much now as it did then!  I only simply making a heart felt plea to anyone even thinking about ending their life through suicide.  PLEASE DON'T DO IT!  THERE ARE ALWAYS OTHER/BETTER WAYS OF  ELIVIATING YOUR PAIN!  If you need someone to talk to and you feel you are alone (chuckliddell.catalina@gmail.com) and I will give you my phone #.

 

"I AM 'ME'?'!"

 

During the summer of 2015, I greeted a family in my usual friendly manner in hopes of answering questions or simply helping them with their needs.  The mother took one look at my name tag and said, as she hurried by, "YOU'RE A LIAR!"

Unless you are a professional politician, you shouldn't have to hear this very often, if at all.  This has been my fate since the last week of March, 2004. I was working security at the Casino Ballroom for an event and I got a call from my mother.  She said, "NOW I know what you do with your spare time on the Island?"  (what 'spare time'?  I was gainfully employed then!).  I asked her what she was talking about and she told me that I was going to fight a guy by the name of Tito Ortiz in Las Vegas the first Saturday of April!   I asked her if she was having trouble with the neighbors again and she needed me to defend the family honor.  "No", she said, " saw in on television as a 'Paid Per View'!"  "Let me get this straight, Mom. A week from today I am going to be in Las Vegas fighting a guy, I have never heard of, Tito Ortiz, and it is going to be a 'Paid Per View' event?  Why would I do THAT!?!"  "From the pictures on the screen, it looks like you are going to be wrestling him."  "Mom, I haven't the foggiest idea of what you are talking about, but IF there is a chance you can  bet on the fight, put ALL of your money on this Ortiz guy, as I have to work at the Casino next Saturday and I don't plan to be in Las Vegas!" 

I didn't think much about this, except that maybe my Mom forgot to take her meds!  I think it was Billy Delbert who had gone to the match and brought me back the program with a picture of Tito Ortiz and "Chuck Liddell"!  BOY, I DIDN'T TAKE A VERY GOOD PICTURE!    My beard was gone and I had a Mohawk haircut with the sides of my head shaved to show off my tattoos!  It turned out that this was a "Mixed Martials Arts" match and it was for the "Ultimate Fighting Champion" belt.  I GUESS I WON!

I started watching these UFO matches on television, in hopes of catching a glimpse of my alter ego, "Chuck Liddell".  He/I almost always won!  I especially liked the way he/I was introduced, "And Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers Chuck Liddell!"  I was playing with the idea of recording this message and putting it on my phone answering machine, but felt it was a little over the top, even for me!

He was called "The Ice Man", but a young Island friend, Johnny, who followed these matches, started referring to me as "The Nice Man", which he still does!  I kind of enjoyed this notoriety, but was sort of sorry that he/I seemed to enjoy beating up our opponents!

I would have been a lot prouder if this man who shared my name could have been the guy who had found the cure for cancer of peace in the Middle East instead of pounding the heck out of other guys!  I guess I should have been happy that he wasn't a mass murderer!

Early in his career, people knew that he was from California, but where in California?  (I know, but for his privacy, I am not telling!)  Because his matches were on DVD under of the label of "Island  Entertainment", people started guessing that he must live on Catalina Island.  He has visited her a number of times, but I have yet to meet him.

One of my first "Chuck Liddell" incidents came from a 12-year-old boy  who somehow got my address and sent me a tear jerking letter telling me that I/Chuck Liddell was his "Very Favorite Idol" and ALL he wanted for his birthday was an autographed picture of me/him!  I could have simply sent a letter back and inform him that he had contacted the WRONG "Chuck Liddell", but that might have crushed his hopes of EVER making contact with his idol.  I then thought of getting a picture of Chuck on the internet, print it, and then sign it myself.  Why not!?!  I wouldn't be lying about the signature, but what would happen if he ever found the real signature of the "other" Chuck Liddell and the two obviously didn't jive?  I then set out to find out all I could about "The Ice Man" in hopes of being able to get the young fan's letter to him.  I found his manager and so sent the letter, along with a note that read, "Chuck had better respond to this young fan's request or he will have another 'Chuck Liddell' to answer to!"  I felt pretty brave through the mail service.  On looking over his website, I noticed that whoever put it up didn't know the difference between the two of us either!  It showed that movies and television  programs that I was involved in regarding Catalina Island were credited to the wrong "Chuck Liddell"!  NOT FAIR as I NEVER take credit for any of his matches on my websites!

In January, 2005, I was in Manhattan, New York, at an entertainment conference and I was walking down Broadway when I came across a three story building that stood out like nothing I had ever seen before!  A 30' picture of "Chuck Liddell" was on one side and a 30' Tito Ortiz was on the other side.  Obviously advertising the 2004 match, but had yet to be taken down.  I quickly contacted two "Broadway Stars" friends of mine, our own Gregory Harrison, who had been starring in "Chicago", and Ivan Rutherford, who had the lead role in  "Les Miz".  I asked them what the highest compliment an actor on Broadway could receive and they both told me what I already knew, "Your name up in lights over the name of the production!"  I told them to take a walk and to go to see what a REAL tribute looks like!

With my name comes a LOT of confusion.  I wanted to have a banner made up for my "Liddell Talent Management" at a Kinko's shop in Long Beach  and told the guy over the phone that Chuck Liddell would be coming in to pick it up.  When I entered the store, I had never seen so many teen-20 year old guys all standing behind the counter at the same time, looking around with much excitement.  I didn't get the connection at first, but simply went up and asked to get my banner.  "I though 'Chuck Liddell' was going to pick it up!"  "He is."  "Where is he!?!"  "He's, I'm here.  I'm Chuck Liddell!"  What a bunch of disappointed young men!  You would have thought that their fiancés had stood them up at the alter!  I realized what the confusion was all about and so I gave them each my business card in hopes that "maybe", when they attend one of his matches, they could show this to the Security Guard .  They MIGHT get access to Chuck out of his curiosity regarding the existence of another "Chuck Liddell".  It didn't help their overwhelming disappointment very much.

A few years ago I was down in front of "C. C. Gallaghers" corner of Crescent and Clarissa (they are going to closing soon!  Another beloved institution lost on Catalina!) when a women, with three kids, came over to me and asked, "Are you 'Chuck Liddell'?"  Boy, was my head ever swelled!  I thought, SOMEHOW she recognized me as the "Island Historian"! She then told me that she would love to have a picture taken with me!  Boy, my head ballooned up even more!  She said that she would be taking the picture.  "Why not find someone else to who can take the picture of ALL of you with me?"  "No, only my husband wants to have the picture taken with you."  I looked over at this "bear" of a man and asked, "Why ONLY with him?"  It was explained to me that he ran a gym back home and wanted a picture of "Chuck Liddell" for his "Wall Of Fame".  I, of course, reminded them that I WASN'T the UFO Champion and she assured me, "We know!  My husband wants to have it up on the wall as a 'Gag'!"  My head quickly started shrinking.  He put his massive arm around my shoulders and then we were told  to "smile".  I did, but not with much enthusiasm.  My head was now almost 1" across.  When the picture was taken, the women came up to me with a dollar bill.  "What is THAT for?" I was afraid to ask.  "For the picture with my husband, of  course!"  MY PICTURE IS WORTH A WHOLE DOLLAR!?!  Both sides of my head were now touching each other!  "No thank you.  You can keep your dollar!"  "Then how about if we take you out for a drink?" "I'm sorry, but I don't drink."  "Then how about buying yourself an ice cream cone?"  AN ICE CREAM CONE!  My  head imploded!!!

When I was conducting tours of the Casino, I would introduce myself and invariably someone in the group would yell, "NO YOU AREN'T!"  I would then have to rush into the crowd and quickly show my driver's license.  This was satisfactory so that I could go on with the tour.  On one of these tours I had a REAL UFC fighter who was soon leaving for Egypt where he was going to go for the championship.  He asked me if I didn't mind having a picture taken of him with me administering a "headlock" on him.  That, I didn't mind, because at least he showed a little respect for my feelings.

A few years ago I called a tire company on the mainland to purchase a set of tires for my '71 VW Van, that I then had on the Island.  I instructed him on how to send them over  and I gave him my name and credit card #.  He then hesitated, "Because I have never done business with you, and there are so many problems with stolen credit cards now, you will have to come to Signal Hill and appear in person with your card."  I thought that this was a bit unusual as I had never been questioned before.  I was going to be in Torrance anyway that week, so I told him when I was coming.  When I arrived, he had a camera ready!  I asked him "WHY THE CAMERA?" and he explained that his girl friend LOVED Chuck Liddell.  I assured him that I WASN'T THAT ONE and he, of course, IMMEDIATELY realized his mistake, but still had a picture taken with, you guessed it, placing him in a headlock!  I'm getting pretty good at this hold. 

When still greeting the visitors coming by boat, I was asked the same questions at least five times a week, "Did you know that you have the same name ......!?!"  I usually respond with, "Do you want me to beat up someone ?"  One man suggested his wife, who was standing right behind him, not very happy!  They usually laugh, move on, or have me get them in the wrestling hold.  Once, an older guy responded with "Yes, I WILL TAKE YOU ON!"  That obviously threw me off  and while staring at him, he simply waked by as if  he had shown me who the "Alpha Male" was! 

When people sometimes get upset by my using my own name (?), I try to reason with them that with billions of people on the planet, doesn't it seem reasonable that there could be more than one "Chuck Liddell" and that  there might conceivably be someone sharing their name?  This usually got mixed responses.

 I wonder IF the other Chuck sometimes gets people who mistake him for ME!  Boy, no ego here!  I will have to ask whenever I meet him.  Which leads me into a crazy idea I have been playing with for years and still might do.  I think it would be a great asset for Catalina to have a mixed martial arts/wrestling summer camp started on the Island in hopes of eventually getting a wrestling program in our local high school which might allow some of our goys and girls to be able to scholarships in this sport thus helping them to attend colleges/universities.   I thought ESPN might be interested in covering a match and sponsoring the event between "Chuck Liddell vs. Chuck Liddell"! WHERELSE COULD THIS HAPPEN!?! I wouldn't want to hurt this guy, so we could duke it out in rubber sumo wrestling outfits.  Hopefully he will accept my challenge as I know he enjoys working with youth groups and he likes Catalina and might want to connect his name with our fledgling wrestling program.  Any thoughts?  Now that I think about it, has ANYONE ever seen the two "Chuck Liddells" together in person or in a picture?  Neither have I!  Maybe we are the same person!  SCARY THOUGHT!

"INTERESTING/UNUSUAL QUESTIONS/COMMENTS CONCERNING CATALINA ISLAND"

From March 10, 2014-March 16, 2017, when I was "Catalina's Official Greeter", through the Catalina Chamber Of Commerce, I answered 64,590 questions from the cruise ships' and cross channel boats' passengers.  That amounts to greeting approximately 650,000 visitors!  Here are some of the inquiries I had to address (additional ones, www.catalinaislandman.com):

"I bought a boat ticket to Catalina and they took me to Avalon!"

"I need some information.  Where is the 'City Of Commerce'?" Of course, meant the "Chamber Of Commerce".

Before Vons, Safeway wasn't able to give discounts to certain areas of Southern California so whenever they would advertise, they would always have to make a disclaimer.  Here was one of their "Holiday Greetings":  "Safeway wishes 'Happy Hanukkah' to all our Jewish friends and 'Merry Christmas' to all our Christian friends, except in Big Bear, Arrowhead, and Catalina".

"When do they water the 'Submarine Gardens'?  I'd like to watch!"

"Do they sell food on the Island?  I mean, is there a food market here?"

 

Ryan Montgomery, who, for so many years, has done such a wonderful job, collecting the shopping carts needlessly left all over Avalon, suggested that Avalon might want to consider putting more bicycle lanes around town to control their traffic flow, especially on cruise ship days.  Great idea, Ryan, and I know they are told constantly, that bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks, they are supposed to go with, not against, the traffic, and are expected to stop at all stop signs, just like other vehicles.  By the way, Ryan probably doesn't remember, but when I was substituting at the school about 20 years ago, I was working with him on his math and he and I struggled with "long division".  I wonder how often he has had to use it over the years!

 

"JUST ONE MORE" (have a better name, please pass on your suggestions, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.m)

I have tried to come up with a easy slogan that we Islanders can use when going about our daily routine.  Here are a few suggestions of how it can be put into action to make Avalon even a more special place:

1) Along with your own trash, pick up just one more piece of someone else's.

2) When walking your dog and picking up it's poop, bring along an extra blue bag and pick up the poop of just one more dog.

3) When returning your shopping cart at Vons, once you have taken your groceries to your vehicle, pick up just one more cart on the way.

4) When complimenting those who are doing such a GREAT job of maintaining our streets, directing traffic, and construction projects, thank just one more of these workers for the wonderful jobs they are doing.

5) Now that the holidays are over, things will be slowing down quite a bit.  Now is the time to get to know each other better and spend more time with old and new friends.  Invite just one more person to breakfast/lunch/dinner so that you can spend special time with those who are often neglected with our busy schedules.

(Any other suggestions, please share with me so I can put them in this column, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.m.  THANKS!)

 

"THROW A COIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN" (pt. 2)

"Looking forward to your Parts 2 and 3 of your 'Throw A Coin' column!"  I was walking my neighbor's dog when I heard my good friend yell this to me.  She had a great loss recently and I was glad that my column seemed to help her get through the holidays a little better.  So here goes Part Two!  For Pt. One, and all past columns, www.catalinaislandman.com.  Last week I covered the history of "Coin Diving".

During the beautiful and warm summer months, I can't help but "harken back" (does ANYONE talk like that anymore!?!) to the years that I was one of the local coin divers.  From 1952-60 (I was 5 years old when I started.  O.K., I AM OLD!), I "dove" for coins thrown from the "Great White Steamship", the "S. S. Catalina".  I truly feel that this is one off the main activities that sets the "Island Kids" apart from their counterparts on the Mainland.  This most unusual activity allowed us to have unprecedented independence that, for good or ill, has made many of us the adults we are today!

I must preface this article by explaining that this "diving for coins" story is only acknowledging my experiences.  There no set procedures or rules on how they plied this trade.  Each diver had his/her story and I would love to see as many of these stories told so that a more complete collection of experiences can be documented for posterity.

I have had a number of adults from the Mainland tell me how "shocked" they were to even think of young children being "forced" by their parents to participate in this "torture" and some have even called it "child neglect"!  to set the record straight, WE WANTED TO AND CHOSE DIVING FOR COINS!  I don't recall any kids being directed by their parents to do it; it came from US!  It was a great form of exercise that our young bodies craved (I bet we could have all been Olympic Water Polo players if we had only set our sites on it.  What we did for hours, athletes were only asked to do it for scrimmages!).  It gave us a chance to perform (some even went on to become professional actors, like Gregory Harrison).  $15/2 hour day was GREAT money, especially when you consider many of our parents were only bringing home less than $1/hour.  Many of us were making more money than our parents!  Weekly "allowances" (I was given 10 cents to do the dishes) were certainly not necessary during the summer months.  So lucrative was the program that soon after the City Of Avalon was incorporated in 1913, the "City Fathers" instituted a "diver vocation tax" of $12/year.  Whether or not this tax is still on the books, I don't know, but I will gladly help out Avalon by coughing up the $90 that I NEVER PAID!  Finally, and maybe most important, this unusual diving activity kept us occupied and out of trouble.  Around 1966 when the activity ceased, the local newspaper wrote an editorial on what the effect of dissolving coin diving was going to do to the moral breakup of us kids.  Were we now going to become "juvenile delinquents"?  I was never sent to "juvi", so I guess we didn't go "bad" too quickly.
My "diving career", if you want to stretch the definition of "diving", commenced when I was 5, in 1952 (AGAIN, O.K., I AM OLD!). I started by standing on the rocks, South East of the Busy Bee Restaurant (present location of the patio seating of the Blue Water Avalon, 306 Crescent).  I bellowed to those going to the flying fish boat, the "Blanch W" (it ran from 1923-2015 and the benches can be seen at the Amphitheatre at the Catalina Island Museum, Metropole, just up from Von's, open everyday, 10-5, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and July 4th-just a little plug for Julie!).  Also, the glassbottom boats and other excursion boats used to leave from this "Steamer Pier" (1887-1968),  The bewildered passengers often found it  confusing  as to "where" to throw the coins, either on the rocks or in the shallow water.  Those that picked the ocean did us a BIG favor. It pushed us past the simple intimidation of "yelling" and sorting through the rocks for coins, and into the "real world" of learning to scurry, fend off our fellow divers, and learn to use mask/fins, or whatever we brought into play.  This helped us progress to the one of the most important skills, catching the coins on the "fly" before they hit the water.  Coins rarely "sank", but hypnotically waved back and forth, making it very difficult to calculate their motion to be able to grab them.  Of course, on the "kids" side of the pier, the water was only waist deep, so it really didn't take a lot of skill, but a lesson that would come in handy later on, when we could graduate to the "big side" of the pier.  By the way, I made a whole 49 cents my first day of diving.  This caused my Mother, Betty Jean, to call my Father, Orval, who was working at the "Island Company", to share the GREAT NEWS and then I was taken down there, a rare occurrence, to actually show him "the money"!

My personal "Right Of Passage" came the following summer when I realized that I was now ready to join the "big kids" on the other side of the pier.  I had learned to swim at 18 months and even though "Duke" Fishman took credit for teaching me and even giving me the moniker of "Champ", I really learned to do it on my own by crawling/venturing into the placid ocean from the beach until I finally "took the plunge".  I told my fellow child entrepreneurs that I was "going under the pier" which meant that I was ready for the "big time".  I was actually going to dive for coins thrown directly from the "S. S. Catalina" (the sister ship, "S. S. Avalon" had been taken out of commission just a few years before, 1951, and would dock on the opposite side of the pier, where we were first learning our "trade").  I remembered the look on my friends' faces (good place to have "looks") when they realized that I was making the "big move".  I was no longer one of "them"; I was now a "big kid"!

Unlike many of our predecessors, we had no rowboats.  We had to know how to swim and swim well!  We were on our own!  Once the Steamer had made it's way to the Pier (it arrived at Noon, daily), the coin divers would head to the North Beach, also called "Pete's Beach", now "Step Beach", and go down the stairs, hit the water, and then swim out.  The "macho divers" would enter the water by diving off the ledge, or even the thick ropes, overlooking the water, along the edge of the water (present location of "Antonio's Restaurant" patio).  This was called "Running The Rail". You would have to watch the wave action so that there would be water UNDER you, when you dove in.  I learned this PAINFUL lesson on my first attempt!  Instead of watching the wave hit the wall, diving in, and let the wave take me out, I dove as the wave was going out, which meant that I dove face first into the exposed gravel and rocks!  I could have  broken my stupid necks, but all it did was rip the skin off of my nose and forehead.  Bleeding, I pretended that nothing was wrong, and with the salt water burning my face greatly (it eventually went numb and the salt water actually helped heal and acted like an antiseptic).

 Believe it or not, last summer when I was working the "Chihuly Seaform Room" at the Museum, at older guy came up to me, read my name tag, and said, "Are you the 'Chuck Liddell' who used to dive for coins!?!"  "YES"!  He said, "Wait here! (as if I had any place else to go)  I have some friends I want to bring over!"  A few minutes later he came back with 3 more geriatric members and introduced them.  TURNED OUT I HAD DIVED WITH THESE 4 GUYS IN THE '50's!  WHAT WERE THE ODDS!?!  As we were sharing stories, I told him about my "first encounter" with diving on the "big side".  These divers smiled as they explained that each one who entered this water from the wall had a "watcher/spotter" who told them when to dive.  I DIDN'T KNOW THIS!  I DID IT ON MY OWN!  65 YEARS LATER I FOUND OUT!

(to be continued...Part 3.  Contact me directly, chuckliddell.catalina@gmail.com)