Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Legend of "Schinkel Falls"


It's a horrifying tale of raw survival against all odds. Man (or young boy) vs. nature in all its unrelenting cruelty! It is "The Tale of Schinkel Falls" and you can hear the tale told live on Jim Schinkel's annual Hike of Doom.

Yes, once many years ago, little Jimmy Schinkel and his older nature guide, Ranger Rick Basso, were hiking along the tranquil trails alongside Pescadero Creek in San Mateo Memorial Park. If only they'd known the danger that was in store that day!

You'll hear how a joyful stroll turned into sheer terror in a matter of seconds! Hear it LIVE by the SURVIVOR of this epic fail -- er, fall. It's all true! And only slightly enhanced each year! One performance only, Saturday afternoon, August 6, 2011. Be there!



Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Menu Item of The Day: THE HAMBURGER


Since the beginning, hamburgers and the Unfamily Picnic have gone together like... well, hamburgers and picnics. No, no, wait. Let me try that again. The Unfamily Picnic and hamburgers go together like hamburger and buns. Ok, that's not a good one either. That means the Picnic is buns. It just sounds rude.

Food historians cannot agree as to the official birthplace of the hamburger. Some say it was in Texas. Others say Oklahoma. No one says Hamburg, however, which is kind of strange. I mean, Philly Cheesesteaks don't have this problem. Get it together, hamburgers!

All I know is hamburgers cooked on an open grill are just about the best thing going. The secret to a delicious grilled burger is to not squash it during cooking. Yes, it's cool to do so and hear the furious sizzle of grease on briquettes, to see the flames shoot skyward. But it quickly turns the poor hamburger into a hockey puck. So stop doing it.

Happy Hamburger Day, everyone!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

For your evening viewing...



Our tour of 1968 concludes with some fine evening viewing from our friends at NBC. Love the little animated bits in this promo. The world need more cartoons, in my humble opinion. And a reboot of Adam-12. This is why everyone's so damn cranky. Lack of toons and Jack Webb programs. So there.

Elvis would have loved the Picnic.



From his 1968 Comeback Special. He even asks for a hot dog in the middle of his song. He would have been a natural at our Picnic.

Yet Another 1968 Classic!



Still awesome. Damn, dirty apes!

New in 1968!



You poor saps that didn't have time to play with Mattel's new invention for 1968. Created the same year as the Unfamily Picnic, Hot Wheels are still going strong. "The fastest metal cars you've ever seen!" Luckily full-sized vehicles in that era were constructed mainly of cabbage and toothpaste, or there might have been some false advertising lawsuits.

Daytime TV 1968



You poor saps that had to work during the day back in 1968. Look at what you missed!

More Cowbell!



There was a lot of great music back in '68, the summer of the first Unfamily Picnic. But none finer than this.