#convocation planning

Postcards from Snagglepuss: This is how you get a Character Convocation set up

Yours truly, along with my bosom companion, Huckleberry Hound, have become somewhat adept at planning the occasional gatherings of fellow Funtastic types of recent years, coincident, you might say, with some of the more interesting examples of events around this country of ours.

As in the Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, Fiesta, when we paid homage to the late Ralph Edwards and his bringing over emerging Hollywood talent during the Fiesta weekend ... and took in the local hot spring waters besides.

As in the Minneapolis Aquatennial, again going back to homage the days when top celebrities would be invited over.

And more recently, for the Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival, just enjoying the storied Champagne Powder Snow and all form of winter sporting ... and for the Wo-Zha-Wa Fall Festival in Wisconsin Dells, made even more interesting by having a certain Crazy Claws as the host and compere.

Now, this time, we plan to invite some of our diving-obsessed brethren over to Avalon, Avalon by the bay, on Catalina Island even, for the annual Underwater Harbour Cleanup on February 23rd, as in the last Saturday in February. Such being that one time in the year that diving is actually permitted in Avalon Harbour, and in service to a good cause: None other than the USC's Wrigley Marine Biology Institute at Two Harbors, on the Catalina Isthmus ... and, in addition, the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, which helps divers recover from what's known as "the bends," which is not a very pleasant scenario to be in when you're scuba diving.

As well as a few others for the sake of good fellowship and just being our crazy selves.

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If you're thinking such is going to be a revival of the Laff-A-Lympics--don't count on it. Actually, we do plan to have a team brought in for, and entered into, the Harbour Cleanup, but don't expect it to include the Yogi Yahooeys, the Scooby Doobys or the Really Rottens; Huck and I plan to call our dive-team entry "The Cahuenga Pass Funtastic Divers." Which, for the time being, will be including the likes of:

Wally Gator

Breezly Bruin

Hokey Wolf and Ding-a-Ling

Squiddly Diddly

Peter Potamus

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har-Har

The Hair Bear Bunch (Hair, Square and Bubi)

Captain Caveman

(Loopy DeLoop, as you were reading this, just texted that he will be unlikely to attend considering that the maple-sugar run back in Quebec can be rather fickle and unpredictable, even back in his sugar bush in the Estrie region; hence, he wants to be ready in case the maple sugaring starts in serious earnest, ready to prepare some legendary soft maple sugar.)

Which will also be including as Non-Dive Guests the likes of The Banana Splits and Top Cat and clowder, both expressing interest in "being in with the crowds" on that otherwise dull, off-season Catalinan weekend. And it's possible to imagine the former playing a "surprise" gig at some Catalina bar sometime over that weekend.

As well, you also have to get some decent hotel rooms for our teammates, which may be a little like walking into some minefield when you consider that only a few hotels in Avalon are open the year round, and yet finding some close friends to stay with, so long as they're not into that AirBnB schtick, might be easier said than done considering that a few "locals" may also be accomodating divers for the weekend. (TC, I understand, has some decent contacts with the local feline crowd, including some who had past dates with the crew.)

Not to mention urging them to get in some refresher instruction if at all possible, and making sure diver certifications on their part are up to date. Likewise with their equipment, even allowing for the possibility of air tank fills for participants at the Dive Shop on the Green Pleasure Pier. (Rumour has it that Captain Caveman may attempt to freedive it for the Harbour Cleanup, in his typical style; I'd have to ask the Teen Angels for confirmation.)