Tales of Carousal Eve

"Father! Harken! It is Carousal Eve! Oh, father, do please tell us tales of old! Of journeys brave and adventures high! Oh, please, father! We will be so ever grateful!"

"Oh, all right, children...gather around and I will tell you a story as old as time. A tale of liver-busting, of panty-sniffing, of drunken revelry that would embarrass a viking!"

"Oh, yes, father, yes! We would so love to hear the stories of you and your comrades! And when we grow up, father, we can be just like you! Oh, Carousal Eve is such a wonderful, wonderful time!"

"Yes, children, it is. So full of anticipation and tequila lust! Yes, Carousal Eve is a special, special moment in time. As is the Carousal itself, of course! But, children, remember....it is very, very important that you always remember - for every Carousal Eve, for every Carousal, indeed, there is always the Post-Carousal, and there is, children, truly, no worse time for a man to be alive!"

It was 1986. Reagan was in office, a little company called Pixar had just opened up, Bill Buckner let an easy ground ball go through his legs, and the first PC virus took hold (interestingly called “The Brain” – perhaps an prediction of Howard’s soon-to-be-revealed nard prowess?) It was also a time for some old pals to figure out a way to skip out of their school and work responsibilities for a short time, and combine their love for beer, buddies, chasing skirts, playing golf, and scuba diving fertile waters. First referred to as the “Catalina Carousal”, the event took its first childlike steps towards becoming a tradition that has impacted all of our lives. I am very pleased we began this annual gathering, and can’t fathom a life without it.

Have a look at a few images from yesteryear:

To celebrate our 30th adventure, we have chosen Lake Tahoe’s north shore. The reasoning behind this comfortable go-to is obvious to me – the most important element of the Carousal is not the location or even what horror stories are bred there. It’s the friends that are able to come together, and Tahoe is a perfect destination for this - financially reasonable, easy to get to even for our out-of-state friends, and a gorgeous backdrop to many wacky opportunities. This year’s Carousal will take place June 4th-7th, and we’re really hoping we can get as many old Carousers together as possible. Even if you can only join us for a day or a couple of hours, please do plan on coming on up. These days it is very, very difficult to find a stretch of time where everyone is available, but please try to do whatever you can to at least meet for a beer and chuckle. For you out-of-the-area folks, we can work on picking people up at airports, etc., - just let us know your plans once you make them. We’re looking into locking in condos (the ol’ Tahoe Shores) and will need a headcount at some point so we can make sure there’s enough room for everyone. There’ll be golf, bocce, fishing, Frisbee, rafting, and as much biking as you can handle.

On a more melancholy note, this will be the first Carousal without our fallen brother Gary, and there will be many toasts to his memory, as well as to our collective friendship. Tahoe was also one of Gary's favorite places in the world, so the timing is good.

Tell your families, your employers, your pets and domestics – you will need to take at least a spot of time off from those responsibilities from June 4-7, and make your plan to make the Lake.