AFFILIATED NATIONALLY WITH
OCTOBER 2015 SERVING THE NATURIST COMMUNITY FOR OVER 13 YEARS VOL. 14 NO. 10 HARBIN HOT SPRINGS DESTROYED BY RAGING VALLEY FIRE Harbin Hot Springs, a world-famous clothing-optional retreat SCNA EVENTS IN OCTOBER 2015 and spa, was destroyed September 12 by the Valley Fire as it Saturday, Oct 3, Noon - 6 pm raged across northern California. Avocado Festival, Carpinteria The fire also consumed the nearby town of Middleton, south Saturday Oct 10, Elysium Reunion, Glen Eden - 11 am – 8 pm of Clearlake, in the north central part of the state where many of the Harbin employees lived. Sunday Oct 11, 11:30 am – 2:30 pm Nude Bowling, Montrose According to the Harbin website, Harbin residents and staff Saturday Oct 17, 4 pm – 9 pm were swiftly evacuated around noon just as the fire advanced Women’s Only Gathering, Altadena into their main valley. Saturday Oct 31, 11 am to Whenever Residents were allowed to return several days later, and they Halloween Party, Olive Dell, Colton took many photos and personal video that have circulated Monthly Meet-up Dinner Meetings online, principally on Facebook, showing the utter destruction Tuesday, Oct 13, 6:45 – 8:30 pm, Van Nuys of the main retreat buildings. Much of the area is Friday, Oct 9, 6:45 – 8:30 pm Ventura unrecognizable, although the ash-filled pools seem to have Monday, Oct 19, 6:45 – 8:30 pm, Pasadena survived. Thursday, Oct 22, 6:45 – 8:30 pm, South Bay/Torrance The Harbin website says at the time of the fire, a total of 285 SCNA EVENTS IN NOVEMBER 2015 residents, practitioners and local staff worked at Harbin – Saturday, Nov 14, Noon -8 pm from phone operators and yoga instructors, to cooks, Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner Party, Altadena carpenters, housekeepers, gardeners and water system Monthly Meet-up Dinner Meetings operators. Financial support for these people is now the most Tuesday, Nov 10, 6:45 – 8:30 pm, Van Nuys pressing need, as many of the staff have lost everything and Monday, Nov 16, 6:45 – 8:30 pm, Pasadena have nowhere to go. “Our retreat center is one of the oldest hot springs of its kind in California, and it has risen from the ashes of fires in the past. Those who have visited Harbin know that it has always been much more than a collection of wooden structures.” “Our church and community have been stewards of this land for more than 40 years, and we plan to continue in our service here for years to come.” “Although local relief agencies may supply some clothes, goods and services for recovery, it is financial support that will be most needed by these individuals over the next few months. If you can spare any amount, large or small, please donate to the Residents & Staff fund now.” Ice Cream – Yum! See Story Page 2 The one genuine fund is the "Residents & Staff fund" operated by Harbin management. One hundred percent of the © COPYRIGHT 2015, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NATURIST ASSOCIATION, A NON-PROFIT money collected will be distributed to current Harbin 501(C) CORPORATION, CALABASAS, CALIFORNIA, USA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. residents and employees. Full details are on Harbin's web site IMAGES AND TEXT ARE THE PROPERTY OF SCNA AND CANNOT BE REPRODUCED http://harbin.org/ WITHOUT ADVANCED WRITTEN PERMISSION. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 1 of 12 SCNA NEWS SCNA WILL HOST A “WOMEN’S ONLY” GATHERING IN OCTOBER By Cynthia Holbach We would like to invite all SCNA women to attend a Women’s Only late afternoon/evening party on Saturday evening, 10/17, from 4 pm until approximately 9 pm at the home of Cynthia and Rolf Holbach. Any spouses or “significant others” of our male members that are not really into naturism as such SCNA BEATS THE HEAT WITH are also welcome. While this party AN ICE CREAM SOCIAL & POOL will be clothing- optional, those who PARTY are not comfortable On Saturday, September 26, over 30 club members and being undressed guests gathered at Ricc’s for SCNA’s traditional end-of- are still welcome, as long as they are OK with some of us summer Ice Cream Social. exercising the option to be undressed. There was a wonderful buffet of potluck items provided by We hope to discuss many issues, like how we feel about the members from fried chicken to tacos to homemade our own body image, how we deal with our families and lasagna and various seasonal fruits. But what people really friends who are not nudists, and how to tell others about wanted was the promised ice cream and Rolf and Mark did how we feel about this way of life. We will also discuss and not disappoint, laying out a long table of about a dozen plan future women-only events or get-togethers should the different flavors plus many toppings. There was even root group want to meet again. beer in case someone wanted to build a float! At this point, we are not planning any organized speakers By mid-afternoon temperatures reached the mid-90’s, so if or discussions. While this is designed to be an open forum, one was not scarfing down a second helping of ice cream we really don’t want it to degenerate into a male-bashing they were in the pool! Some people found the water guns, so session. Mostly, this gathering is so we women can enjoy you know what happened next. each other’s company and have some fun! Paki continued her winning streak by winning our raffle. We ask everyone attending to please bring a potluck dish to share. We will have sodas and water available. You are welcome to bring wine or beer as long as you drink responsibly. Also, please bring a towel if you would like to enjoy our Jacuzzi. Although there is no cost to attend, donations to help defray some of the costs are appreciated. Please RSVP by sending an email to [email protected] or calling (818) 225-2273 and leaving a message, no later than Thursday, 10/15. SCNA MEMBERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO ATTEND OUR MONTHLY BOARD MEETINGS This is a reminder that all members of SCNA are always invited to attend our monthly Executive Board meetings and express your ideas and opinions about what we are doing. The next meeting will be in Simi Valley on Sunday, October 25, 1pm to about 5pm. RSVP ahead at (805) 523- 7830 to get directions.
SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 2 of 12 AROUND SOUTHERN SUPPORT NITOC AT THEIR CALIFORNIA NAKED ARCHERY NIGHT! This is NOT an SCNA event. Our members have been invited to join NitOC at their upcoming Naked Archery Night. One of their members owns an archery range and closes it to the general public on this evening so everyone can come out and release their inner "Katniss Everdeen." When? Friday, October 9, 2015 Location: Orange County Archery 18792 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, Ca 92708 (between Garfield and Ellis St on Brookhurst, in the shopping center near Turner’s) Photo by Ron Mercer. Time: 7:15 PM to 9:30 PM (Doors will be locked after NEW HUNTINGTON BEACH 7:30 p.m.) Fees: NitOC member: $13.00, Guest: $15.00, Guest with COMMUNITY DIR SAYS NO family: $27.00 MORE NITOC NUDE SWIMS Please wear tennis shoes and bring a towel to sit on. Sandwiches, chips and sodas will be served for dinner. Price A few weeks ago we received an email from Allen Baylis, includes rental of bows, arrows and arm guards, and President of Naturists in the OC (NitOC) stating that the instructions for first time attendees!. monthly clothing-optional swims held at the Huntington Beach City Gym & Pool have been cancelled indefinitely. More info on their events can be found at www.nitoc.org. Limit: 25 people. Advanced RSVP requested as a minimum The text of the letter: is needed to hold the event. “Dear NitOC members and guests, “For the lasts eight years NitOC and NAC have had a ELYSIUM REUNION WILL BE good working relationship regarding our nude swim events at the Huntington Beach City Gym and Pool. HELD AT GLEN EDEN OCT 10 Without warning and coming as a complete shock to us, September 30 will be the 15th anniversary of the closing of Huntington Beach Community Services Director Janeen the popular Topanga Canyon naturist park and Human Laudenback. informed me that the City would strictly Awareness Center, and Helen Cherry has announced she enforce a new Community Services regulation. will host a reunion for Elysium Alumni on the weekend of “This new ‘regulation’ supposedly requires that all October 9-11 at Glen Eden Sun Club. persons attending events, either public or private, Friday evening is for remain clothed at all times. This clearly impacts our snacks and BOYB ability to continue to rent the Gym and Pool for our drinks. The main event traditional nude swim and volleyball events. In fact, the is Saturday which will City has denied our application to rent the facility for be a pot luck dinner the event scheduled for this Saturday, September 19. and BBQ at Helen’s Therefore, it is with a great deal of angst and disappointment that I must inform all of you that the GE home. A $5 donation/person to defray her costs of September 19th NitOC nude swim and volleyball event party supplies is appreciated. is CANCELLED. Persons interested in attending must register in advance “In response to the City's unjustified and arbitrary at the Glen Eden office as only those on the list will be change in policy, NitOC and the Naturist Action admitted to the park. Just replying to Helen’s invitation Committee have consulted with legal counsel, and we is NOT enough! All visitors will go through the normal believe that we have legal recourse. We are moving procedures about marital status, etc. (you must bring ID). toward taking legal action aimed at achieving a solution Overnight rentals are available. to this issue. “Visitors with a rude attitude toward office staff will be “We will keep all of you posted with developments as denied entry,” writes Helen. You have been warned! they unfold. We hope to be able to continue with the To invite others, go to http://evite.me/1THU3DtfD1 to nude swim and volleyball events in October. view the formal invitation and forward it to your guests. “Thank you for your understanding and support, Call Helen at (213) 760 8007 with questions. Call Glen “Allen Baylis” Eden at (951) 277-4650 to be placed on the RSVP list. We will keep our SCNA members informed in future newsletters of any updates to this story. SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 3 of 12 OCTOBER NUDE COMEDY NIGHTS CANCELLED Tim Chizmar regrets to announce that all the naked comedy shows scheduled for October have been cancelled. Apparently, the manager and President of the Board of Directors of the Eclectic Theatre Company was fired, and her replacement decided she did not want a nude event at their venue. Anyone who purchased tickets from Tim Chizmar Productions should have received a refund by now. If not, please contact Tim at [email protected]. View from hill looking down on pool area Tim found out he cannot return to the original CAP Theater in Sherman Oaks because they decided to raise their rental fee HARBIN HOT SPRINGS far above what is affordable. DESTROYED BY VALLEY FIRE So, Tim is seeking a new location. He is very sorry for the inconvenience to everyone including the performers, and he TEXT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 will announce a new show schedule as soon as it can be Rich Pasco of the Bay Area Naturists group writes that there confirmed. are already scam artists at work, soliciting contributions to a fictitious rebuilding fund: “Please verify the authenticity of NEW LOCAL NUDE YOGA any fund before you send money.” As of the morning when this newsletter went to press (Sept CLASSES ANNOUNCED 28) the fire was only 90% contained with several hundred Christina Sirgun Powers is a certified Kundalini yoga teacher homes still endangered. According to CalFire, the massive who owns the Yoga For Balance studio in Altadena. blaze has burned over 76,000 acres, destroyed 1280 homes Kundalini yoga emphasizes the centering breathing and and 678 other buildings, killed four people and injured a meditative aspects more than in many other disciplines. dozen firefighters. Full containment is not expected until Christina has agreed to start not only a Women’s Only Nude around October 5. Yoga class, but a Co-Ed Nude Yoga class at her studio. She The Valley Fire now ranks among the top three most needs a minimum of 5 students to hold any class. Cost for a destructive wildfires in California history. 90-min. class is $20 per person. The first Women’s Only Nude Yoga class will be held Photos courtesy of an anonymous Harbin member who sent Sunday, Oct 18, from 9:30 AM until 11AM, the morning them to us to use. after our Women’s Only Gathering. Any women attending the Gathering that wish to try out the class the next morning are invited to spend the night at the Holbach’s residence. The first Co-Ed Nude yoga class will be held the following Sunday, 10/25 at the same time, 9:30-11 AM. Classes must be pre-paid through this link: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/home?studioid=133637 Additionally, although it is not clothing-optional, anyone interested in attending her Meditation Workshop being held at the Zorthian Ranch this Saturday, 10/4, from 1:30-4:30 PM is welcome. http://zorthianranch.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u= 0b711cbf3e9566be1769a103d&id=549ce84023&e=89a2dcd3ad
SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 4 of 12 Place bagged trash at the base of the sign but up the slope far BEACH NEWS enough so cars will not run over them. The Beach/Cave sign and the sign at the parking to trailhead are not trash gathering areas. If you see trash at the other locations, take a minute and move it to the No Parking sign. If you see a lot of trash gathering (more than 5 full bags) please contact [email protected]. Educate your friends. SCNA MEMBERS TURN OUT FOR ANNUAL BEACH CLEANUP By Gary Mussell Thanks to all who came to help with our annual California Beach Cleanup Day. We had a very easy time of it at Bates since we make the effort to keep it clean whenever we go there throughout the summer. Afterwards, we hosted a beach PIRATE’S COVE’S BEACH party at our usual site. Since the beach was practically deserted all day, it was easy for some people to decide to VOLUNTEERS CLEANUP DAY A skinny-dip without any hassles. The water was warm too! SUCCESS Totals from all 22 Santa Barbara County beaches: 756 volunteers, 40+ miles of beach cleaned. By Mike and Gene, Whales Cave Conservancy Hello All, Our Coastal Cleanup was a big success. I believe 2.804 lbs. of trash we made some progress in educating the diverse groups that 1,285 lbs. of recycling now use the beach. Thanks to all that participated and to those 4,089 total lbs. of waste that provided additional support to make this possible. This Most uncommon: massage bed. We also collected car tires, year we added the task of debris sifters made by Bob and rusty lobster traps, sleeping bags, a bomber jacket, and some Gene. A great job also was done in cleaning the Whales Cave, discarded bathing suits (no, not ours). which is a scared Chumash landmark. Next up is the October 3 Avocado Festival in Carpinteria! Even with the job we are doing cleaning the main trails and Some at the Cleanup want to come back to the beach for one beach, our 66 bags of trash should indicate that it is a constant more swim on Sunday, Oct 4 before the warm season ends. battle. For those that go above and beyond, you own the We will discuss this idea and send out an email to everyone if beach. For those that just take out their own, great. You are this beach party is to take place. doing the minimum expected of anyone that uses the area. The day’s results: 77 volunteers making us the 4th largest in the county out of 28 locations. Remember other areas such as Pismo draw from entire communities and have much more backing. We are much more grassroots. 66 bags of trash, the third most behind Avila beach and Pismo beach. 1330 lbs. of trash. Almost double the next group (Lopez Lake with 784 lbs.) The most unusual items were: a toy airplane, an ironing board, a back pack with drug paraphernalia, a 12" rubber sex toy, and a baby carriage. Going forward, our next beach cleanup day is set for December 19, weather permitting. We hope you can make it. In other Pirate’s Cove news, there is now a "No Parking" sign on the uphill side of Cave Landing Road with a green band painted below it on the post (directly across from the main parking entrance). THAT is also the official SLO County Parks trash pickup location. County parks has acquiesced and have agreed to pick up trash there more than the twice a month they agreed. We text them as the pile accumulates so they can schedule extra pickup runs.
SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 5 of 12 water was reasonably warm, similar to Santa Barbara’s Bates FROM OUR MEMBERS… Beach. We found throughout our trip that mornings were usually overcast, with the warm sun breaking through sometime after mid-morning. Alas, there were no official nude beaches on the island. So, we continued our quest, across the 13 KM-long Confederation Bridge from Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick. New Brunswick’s claim to beachy fame is the Bay of Fundy. Due to a quirk of geography, Fundy experiences the greatest tidal variations of anywhere on earth, twice daily, over 50 feet in some areas! Consequently, beaches are either barren, stripped down to bare rock, or are mud flats. Many of the rivers flow both ways – toward and away from the sea depending on the time of day. So much mud is stirred up the rivers and Bay look like chocolate! Definitely no nudist beaches here, and inland lakes also have those pesky black flies. So we headed back to Nova Scotia. The southwestern coast of Nova Scotia also fronts the Bay of Fundy and has the same swimming issues as New Brunswick Photo by Dee Glinzak (rocks and flies), so we decided to drive to the Atlantic coast MY SEARCH FOR A NUDE of Nova Scotia. The night before we left, we had a long and interesting discussion with our AirBNB hosts. They are BEACH IN NOVA SCOTIA expats from England who had never met a nudist before. As By Mike Glinzak, SCNA Board member. you might expect, they had a great many fun questions that evening as we sipped wine on their upper deck overlooking What does a Southern California nudist with an urge to be sky their 100-acre vineyard. It was one of the best days we’ve had clad do when on vacation where the coldest temperature on any vacation. recorded is -20°F? I found myself in just that situation while After arriving on the Atlantic coast, we found many of the on vacation with my wife Dee in Canada’s Atlantic Maritime beaches are rocky, similar to Maine, but we found a few spots Provinces this past mid-July. A quick visit to the AANR with nice white sand beaches. Some are like Pismo Beach website found an affiliated non-landed club, the Bluenose where you can drive on them. But an official nude beach was Naturists, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A little digging on their not to be found until….we got back to Halifax. website led me where I needed to go. A short 30 minute drive south out of Halifax is Crystal Dee and I flew into Halifax, Nova Scotia, in mid-July and Crescent Provincial Park, the home of Nova Scotia’s only immediately headed 300 miles north to Cape Breton Island. sanctioned nude beach. The beach has been adopted by the While we saw lots of beautiful country and coastline, sandy Bluenose Naturists, and they try to have an occasional beaches were almost non-existent, reminding us of the Big presence to monitor the beach for unseemly activity, much Sur coastline here. We found there was still snow in one of like SCNA/FOBB has proposed for Bates Beach. A court our host’s garden in May and the “black fly season” was still case 30+ years ago legalized nude-not-lewd use of the beach. in full swing. Unless you were in a city or in a windy area, these not-so-little “piranhas of the sky” put you on the menu, The coastline looks scalloped in the park, forming four sandy and taking off your clothes is the LAST thing you want to do! beaches separated by small points of rock. The beach farthest from the second parking lot is the nude beach. We did make it to the furthest north settlement in Nova Scotia, Meat Cove, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. But It was about a 20-minute walk about 50/50 along a decent the climb down to the very small cobble beach was quite a trail and a boardwalk. The textiles on the beach before the trek. No nudist beach here! nude beach had no trouble giving us directions. At Cape Breton, we toured a coal mine that extends under the The nude beach is about a quarter-mile long with white sand Atlantic Ocean, visited the site of the first Transatlantic radio with lots of cobbles at the waterline. We were there in the transmission, and we visited the Canadian home of Alexander late afternoon, and the sun broke through making it Graham Bell. There, we learned he only used that telephone comfortable on the sand. The water was cool, similar to thingy to finance his real loves: aviation and hydrofoils. We coastal CA, but even I could handle it (and I’m a cold wuss!). also soaked up a little Gaelic music listening to bagpipes, A surprise to me, Halifax is no further north than Portland, drummers, and fiddlers at the Gaelic College. Oregon. There were several single men and groups on the beach, both male and female. We even saw a couple doing We then visited Prince Edward Island, which lies west of nude yoga on a rock point overlooking the beach. There are Nova Scotia on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is an absolutely no facilities on the nude beach, no surprise there, but it’s beautiful island with rolling hills covered with potato and hay certainly worth a visit, especially if you want to dip more than fields extending right down to the ocean. Along the Gulf of a toe into the Atlantic and get a sun fix. Just make sure you St. Lawrence on the north side of the island, there are several don’t go in winter….or black fly season! miles of sandy/silty swimming beaches. Surprisingly, the
SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 6 of 12 NATURIST HIKERS ENJOY HIGH SIERRA SKINNY DIPPIN’ DEEP CREEK WEEKEND Perhaps 20 members of NitOC, Camping Bares, and SCNA enjoy a delightful day at Deep Creek Hot Springs in the San Bernardino Mountains over the weekend of September 12-13. The Creek was pretty busy as the weather was much more tolerable than it was the week before, and there was an underlying feeling that there would be fewer opportunities to visit as the seasons would soon be changing. Several took advantage of the invitation from members Danny & Darlene to spend the night at their Victorville home instead of pitching a tent in the Bowen Ranch parking lot. Big thanks for the invite! Parker Pass Lake is near, you guessed it, Parker Pass in the High Sierra, about five miles southeast of the Tioga entrance to Yosemite National Park. It is one of the most vibrantly blue bodies of water on the planet. SCNA member Bob Brown visited in August and on a warm summer's day enjoyed a cool, cool, very cool dip.
SCNA Member Peter Connolly at Burning Man 2015 BURNERS CELEBRATE DESPITE DUST STORMS Every year, participants in the Burning Man Festival descend on the playa of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to form a temporary city—a self-reliant community populated by performers, artists, free spirits, and more. An estimated 70,000 people came to Burning Man 2015, “Carnival of Mirrors,” from all over the world to dance, express themselves, and take in the spectacle. This year’s event place this year from August 30 – September 7, 2015. Unfortunately, the week was marred by many more dust storms than in year’s past, which hampered personal movement around city. But the storms did not dampen the enthusiasm of the inhabitants. Many agreed it was better the torrential rains of 2014 that turned the desert into a mud bowl. Despite threats from the new Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen that he would crack down this year on the nudity and drug use – which cause a huge backlash in the press the week before the event – there were few if any arrests for simple nudity and pot smoking. Allen deployed many more deputies around the city than were there last year, but they were Sunset at Bowen Ranch observed only taking action on the rare lewd behavior and any Photos taken by Ron Mercer and Dennis Crane of NitOC. blatant hard drug sales and open use. SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 7 of 12 ON-GOING SCNA ACTIVITIES Open to members, non-members, and first-timers! Topics range from personal experiences to current club info and news events affecting local beaches, nudist parks, or the naturist movement in general. Find us on-line at: http://www.meetup.com/nature-519/ This meeting is a great first-step for non-nudists who are curious and have questions about naturism, and it is a required orientation before non-members are invited (on a space-available basis) to attend one of our regular monthly parties. Meals are “Dutch treat” at a local restaurant, so obviously this is a clothed event. We have reserved rooms or separate areas at all locations. Your RSVP is not necessary, but appreciated: call (818) 225-2273.
FRIDAYS: VENTURA/OXNARD Oct 9, 6:45PM - 8:30PM Location: Main Street Restaurant & Steak House, 3159 East Main Street Ventura, CA 93003 Directions: 1 block west of the Pacific View Mall shopping center, north side of street just NW of the 126 Fwy and 101 Fwy interchange (take the Main St off ramp). (“Coffee shop” food.) No meeting in November or December NUDE YOGA NUDE YOGA – MEN ONLY CLASS Saturday, October 10, 10AM – 11PM Location: Canoga Park $15 per class TUESDAYS: SAN FERNANDO VALLEY In the past we have billed these classes as Co-Ed, but the reality is that they turn out to be Men Only, so our instructor has asked Oct 13 and Nov 10, 6:45pm – 8:30 PM that we keep them that way going forward. Location: Denny's (separated rear section on left side of Those guys who would like to attend this class should also restaurant) 16575 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA, 91406 rsvp directly to Johny Santore at (818) 804-8447 and pay him Directions: In the San Fernando Valley, take the 405 freeway directly. Directions will be given upon your rsvp. to Sherman Way off ramp. Go West on Sherman Way approx. 2 miles thru the airport tunnel to just past Havenhurst NUDE YOGA – ALTADENA Ave. Restaurant is on the north side of the street. Sunday, Oct 18 9:30am–11am Women Only MONDAYS: PASADENA-GLENDALE Sunday, Oct 25 9:30am–11am Co-Ed Oct 19 and Nov 16, 6:45PM - 8:30PM Classes will be taught by Christina Location: Coco's Restaurant, 77 N Lake Ave Pasadena, CA Sirgun Powers, a certified Kundalini 91105 yoga teacher and owner of the Yoga For Balance studio in Altadena. Directions: Take the Lake Ave off-ramp from the 210 She has agreed to teach two nude Freeway and go south about a block. Restaurant is on the yoga classes for us, one a women’s right (west) side of the street. We are usually in the semi- only class, and the other a Co-ed private banquet room in the back of the restaurant. class. THURSDAYS: SOUTH BAY/TORRANCE A minimum of 5 students per class is needed for them to be held. Each Oct 22, 6:45PM to 8:30PM class will be $20 per person and Location: Coco's Restaurant (left-rear section of restaurant) must be pre-paid at: 18120 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, 90504 https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/class Directions: Northeast corner of Hawthorne and 182nd St. ic/home?studioid=133637 We'll be in the semi-private Banquet room to the right of the Christina has many other clothed classes and progams available front entrance. (Ask for “SCNA Meetup” at the front counter at her studio, and for more info about them visit: if you can’t find us.) http://www.yogaforbalance.org/ No meeting in November or December. SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 8 of 12 SCNA ACTIVITIES FOR OCTOBER 2015
Saturday, October 3, Noon – 6:00 PM 26th ANNUAL AVOCADO FESTIVAL Location: Carpinteria, CA NO CHARGE TO ATTEND SCNA and Friends of Bates Beach will be visiting downtown Carpinteria for their annual Avocado Festival (Oct 2-3-4) along Linden Avenue in the heart of the town. While there we will be spending $2 bills as our way of drawing attention to the purchasing power of nudists in the area. RSVP early to (818) 225-2273 so we can get a head count and arrange for carpooling. An estimated 10,000 people are expected to attend the 3-day festival. There will four entertainment stages with dozens of musical acts playing each day. 40 arts and crafts vendors will be participating. There will be over 20 food booths and over 30 commercial vendors. Be prepared to taste every kind of guacamole-flavored dish you can imagine – even ice cream!
Sunday October 11, 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM FALL NUDE BOWLING! $ 20.00/PERSON (MUST BE PAID IN ADVANCE) As before, we have rented out the entire alley for the event, and it has complete privacy from the street. There will be nobody there but us for these 3 hours. We have opened up this event to all our local clubs such as YNA, ANFA, NitOC, and the Olympian club to be sure we can get enough to cover our deposit. The $20 is required to attend (even if you don’t bowl), which is cheaper than if you went to a clothed bowling event and rented shoes, ate food, etc. The cost includes shoes. This will be a finger food pot luck event, as we don’t have time for a sit down meal. The bowling alley will provide water, soft drinks, beer and wine for a nominal sum. They have no kitchen or refrigerator available, so any food you bring must be prepared in advance. We will have prizes for best scores. More information and directions as we get closer to the event. Bowling always sells out, so RSVP early! Call (818) 225-2273. Saturday October 17, 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM SCNA GATHERING “FOR WOMEN ONLY” Location: Altadena, CA Cost: FREE (Donations Accepted) We would like to invite all SCNA women to attend a Women’s Only late afternoon/evening gathering on Saturday evening, 10/17, from 4 pm until approximately 9 pm at the home of Cynthia Holbach. See full story on page 2. Please bring a pot luck item to share. Drinks will be provided. Although there is no cost to attend, donations to help defray some of the costs are appreciated. Please RSVP by sending an email to [email protected] or calling (818) 225-2273 and leaving a message, no later than Thursday, 10/15. HOW TO RSVP AND PAY FOR SCNA PARTIES AND ACTIVITIES Payments by cash or check are accepted, but we prefer members pay by credit card through our on-line PayPal (you don’t need a Pay Pal account yourself to use ours). We accept MasterCard, VISA, Discover, and American Express. Party cancellations are also accepted no later than 48 hours before the start of the event because that is when we buy the party supplies and food. No Refunds are given after that deadline. Thank you for understanding. To encourage payment in advance, we have instituted a $5 surcharge for people who reserve during the last 48 hours because in the past too many people RSVP without paying and then just don’t show up after we buy the party supplies
SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 9 of 12 Saturday, October 31, 11 AM to Whenever ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY! Location: Olive Dell Nudist Ranch, Colton The gate fee is discounted for SCNA, AANR, and NitOC members to $16 per person per day for this weekend. All others will pay the regular $22 per person per day gate fee. Attention witches, demons and all spooky creatures. The annual Halloween Masquerade Extravaganza is coming soon! We are joining our friends at Olive Dell to share this fun party with its members, NitOC, Young Naturists America and other local clubs from Southern California. BEST COSTUME Relax around the patio, or in the pool or Jacuzzi all day, then put on your costume and CONTEST! dance the night away in the clubhouse! MUSIC & Lunch 11AM – 2 PM, 6 PM – Dinner (regular menu items, no special entrée). DANCING! There will be a contest for several categories of best costume. This is always one of the biggest parties of the year, so call the SCNA Message Center at (818)225-2273 to make a reservation now!
Saturdays, Oct 24 and Nov 21 TRAVEL CLUB DISCOUNT DAY Location: Glen Eden, Corona Join with members of other travel (non-landed) clubs and enjoy the pool, volleyball, tennis, restaurant, etc., for the entire day! You MUST show your SCNA card if you are not a Glen Eden Gate Fee: $16 for all club members showing their SCNA club card. Be sure to tell them resort member! you are there for the Travel Day so they don’t think you are one of their own guests and charge this as one of their 3-visit maximum visits!
SCNA ACTIVITIES FOR NOVEMBER 2015 Saturday November 14, 12 Noon to 8PM ANNUAL PRE-THANKSGIVING PARTY MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS : $15/PERSON AGES 18-25: $10/PERSON CHILDREN UNDER 18: $5/PERSON Limit: 30 people maximum! Call the SCNA Message Center at (818) 225-2273 to make a reservation. If you RSVP but then find you cannot attend please call us right away, as there will be a waiting list for this party. SCNA will be providing a large oven-roasted turkey, soft drinks and water. If you want to bring your own drinks (the hosts say beer or wine are also okay) bring your own cooler to store them (and drink responsibly!). No glass containers or cups, please! When you RSVP to (818) 225-2273 tell us what side-dish you intend to bring so we can avoid duplications (keep the Thanksgiving tradition in mind). Needed are sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies, and vegetable dishes . SCNA SCREENING POLICY FOR NON-MEMBERS AND GUESTS Non-members may be invited to the party only by SCNA members, who are responsible for the actions of their guests. Card- carrying members of either AANR or The Naturist Society may also attend (on a space-available basis). We request that all potential party guests first attend one of our Meet-up dinners (see Page 6) so we might get to know them better before they attend their first SCNA party. Because we provide a safe, family-friendly environment at our activities, SCNA reserves the right to screen any or all non-member guests through the Megan's Law national database before the event.
SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 10 of 12 The Collegian again. People threw stacks of our deliveries into GUEST OPINION the trash. Advertisers threatened to pull their sponsorship. One angry caller accused me of encouraging violence against women and blamed me for an (alleged) incident where two intoxicated young people laid down on the pavement and had sex in front of the Christian college. (I’m not sure how that’s my fault but for the record, if she was telling the truth, then you’re welcome, drunken couple.) The thing is, I am able to understand the angry reactions to opinion columns about abortion and the legalization of recreational marijuana. I can see the basis for the animosity directed at writers who tackle issues of faith and religious expression. I can even sort of get the umbrage we face every time we dare to run an article with the word “hipster” anywhere in the headline. What I do not understand are working-age adults who spew vitriol and accusations over a heavily-censored image in a college newspaper. Look, I tried to cover my ass (literally): I made sure that no part of the breasts were peaking out from underneath the black boxes. Anything that could be construed or associated with lower genitalia in any way was blocked out. The models’ THE ANATOMY OF OFFENSE poses were neutral and not overtly sexual. Not only were the By Iris LoCoco , Sep 17, 2015 top halves of their faces cropped out of the photo for anonymity, but all three of the models were smiling so as not As the design editor, it’s sometimes difficult to watch my to seem dehumanized. All three models participated coworkers here at The Collegian experience lots of public voluntarily and enthusiastically, and some found the discussion and debate as a result of their articles. experience liberating and empowering. I like to tell myself that the lack of discussion surrounding my How on earth could any reasonable adult person find this work means I am doing my job well, since after all, if the offensive? Of course, your decision to stop reading our design of the newspaper is good, hardly anyone will even publication is one that you are absolutely free to make, and far notice it’s there. It’s when they’re talking about it that I should be it from me to stop you. be worried. I’ve grown used to this lack of attention, and am usually more than happy to stay in the background (and out of But in that case, you had better not ever set foot anywhere the spotlight of controversy) while my colleagues bask in near a public pool, where young women regularly show off angry letters-to-the-editor and disgruntled phone calls. way more skin than what was visible on our front page. Avert your eyes, quickly, before you’re inspired to engage in carnal My, how the tables have turned. activities on wayward sidewalks. On the day of Sept. 1, The Collegian published a story on the You’d best also steer clear of Willard Hall, where not only are front page about recent changes in public nudity laws in the students’ drawings and paintings of nude figures displayed in city of Topeka. The city’s decision to change the law was the hallways for critique, but there could be real, live actual interesting from a legal standpoint, but was also locally naked people being drawn in a classroom right now. In a relevant and of probable interest to the many young college publicly-funded state school, too. What a world. students who pick up our paper each day (even if for naught but amusement’s sake). Speaking of courses and publicly-funded institutions, you’d better not try to learn anything about art, either, as many of As my job description dictates, I consulted with our photo your lectures might feature—horror of unspeakable horrors— editor to come up with an interesting and relevant graphic paintings and sculptures of naked people…full-frontal, too, solution to make this story compel people to pick up the paper. and that’s the naughty side. Quick, better put all of your That’s how we ended up running a (heavily censored) photo of course notes and textbooks into the trash, before your younger three naked young women on the front page of the Sept. 1 sibling sees Michelangelo’s “David” and turns into a violent issue. sexual deviant. Oh man, some people sure weren’t happy about that. I may You won’t ever be able to set foot inside a museum, either— have occasionally wished for my designs to tickle the cockles there could be thousands of depictions of nudity in there. of the heart of the masses a bit more, but this reaction was so Better make a phone call to the museum director and demand not what I had in mind. that they close their doors before some impressionable young child on a school field trip sees a Man Ray photograph and has We got angry phone calls from people of all ages and creeds. People told us that they were never going to pick up a copy of SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 11 of 12 a Code Orange moral meltdown. Oh God, they’re not even censored. The scandal, oh, the scandal. Come to think of it, if you have any stray anatomy textbooks lying around from that biology class you took, you’d better get rid of them before some hapless teenager stumbles upon them and discovers some elicit scientific diagrams of what lies beneath every human’s clothing. It’s your prerogative to be as shocked and offended as you want in any of these situations, but my guess is that you’re probably not offended at all by most of them. But if you’ve ever taken a photograph of a nude Roman sculpture in a museum, or opened an anatomy textbook in a biology class, or COUNTY STAFFER FORCED TO donned a bikini on a hot summer day, or abided a parent RETURN “OFFENSIVE” ART changing a baby’s diaper in public, then you have absolutely 09/11/15 - Bob Nelson, chief of staff to Santa Barbara 4th no rational grounds upon which to base your offense about the District Supervisor Peter Adam, has returned a piece of art that censored image in our newspaper. he removed from the Santa Maria government center. The You’re not mad because my design implied that three young framed painting by modern artist Steve Olson consisted of the women were naked. You’re mad because you, yourself, see text “BUY SEXUAL” with a wallpaper backdrop of red something inherently sexual, and therefore morally “69.99” price tag stickers. It is part of a 3-month art exhibit in reprehensible, about the bare human figure—specifically the the foyer of the building, but Nelson considered it obscene, female figure. You think that you should have the right to decided to remove it, and placed it in a broom closet. determine when young women do and do not show certain In an interview, Olson said the piece is social commentary on parts of their bodies, and the context in which these bodies are the notion that sex sells. “It is a play on words.” sexualized. If it were about anything else, there would have Nelson’s boss, Supervisor Peter McAdam, defended his staffer been an equally audible moral outcry when The Collegian ran in a complaint letter to Ginny Brush, Arts Commission a censored nude image of one of our male employees executive director, stating: “Our office finds this obscene and accompanying our article about revenge porn (spoiler alert: inconsistent with community standards… and definitely there wasn’t a solitary peep from the peanut gallery on that inappropriate for a government space.” one). Brush replied that the County Art Commission would discuss You’re not mad about nudity. You’re mad about agency. If the matter at its next meeting, but that Nelson’s actions our critics were as morally concerned for these young women constituted theft and demanded it be returned to its former as they wished to appear, they would have asked them directly wall space unless Nelson wanted to face charges. Nelson how they felt about showing their bodies publicly. reluctantly agreed. For the record, no one asked. SAN FRANCISCO JUDGE RULES But, if they did, I would tell them how liberating it felt, for once, to have control over the situation in which someone else IN FAVOR OF “BODY FREEDOM ogled. I would tell them how fun it was to model for an ACTIVIST” GROUP experienced photographer in a professional studio. I would tell them how rare it is to look at a picture of your own body and On September 25, a federal judge ordered the city of San see vestiges of the same beauty you find in the sculptures and Francisco to issue a permit allowing a group calling paintings you spend so much of your time reading about. I themselves “body freedom activists,” the right to stage their would tell them that all of the models would do it again in a “nude-in” protest rally at the Jane Warner Plaza in the Castro heartbeat. District, and then march in a naked parade to city hall. The judge found that San Francisco’s nudity ban didn’t After all, I not only designed that edition of the newspaper; I specify the number of people required to form a parade, and was the naked young woman on the far right. the city had erred by not approving the group’s permit. The Kansas State Collegian is the daily newspaper at Kansas San Francisco’s nudity ban took effect in February, 2013, but State University in Manhattan, Kansas. It is the ninth-largest the activists, led by city gadflies Gypsy Taub and George daily newspaper in Kansas and is published Monday through Martin, have been fighting the decision ever since. Friday when classes are in session during the academic year, According to the new law, the city’s nudity ban allows people and weekly over the summer. Its content is reported, edited, to be naked for parades like the Folsom Street Fair or the and produced entirely by students. World Naked Bike Ride if they have an approved permit. Iris LoCoco, besides being a writer and design editor for the Since the law passed, however, the activist group claims to paper, is also a senior in art history and pre-law. have applied for at least 12 parade permits, but they were Reprinted with permission turned down every time. So the activists sued the city. The judge also awarded them $20,000 in legal fees. The city is appealing the case to the Ninth Circuit Court. SCNA Newsletter for October 2015 Page 12 of 12