Reuben Awards weekend 2014 wrap up

This year’s Reubens Award Weekend was held in the spectacular San Diego California. It was only my third NCS weekend, so I’m not the best barometer for attendance. Apart from live-tweeting the winners on Saturday night, I’ll admit, I put aside my the “reporter duties” and just enjoyed the event. My photos are slimmer than years past, but they should narrate a bit of the experience. I’ll link up to other cartoonists’s blogs as they post their photos.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Most of the events happened at the Omni hotel in the heart of the Gaslight District in downtown San Diego. The Omni hotel was right next to Petco Park where the San Diego Padres play. The Gaslight District had amazing food.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Weird Al Yankovich was in attendance to accept the ACE Award (Amateur Cartoonist Extraordinaire). Here he is with awestruck Off the Mark creator Mark Parisi before the show.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Selfies ruled this year. Here’s me and Reuben award nominee Mark Tatulli looking amazing.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Before the show, Mark, who was nominated as Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year as well as in the Newspaper Strip Division Award, practices his outrage should his name not be called in either category.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Weird Al accepts the ACE award.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Stephan Pastis, nominated for the Reuben Award for the sixth time, checks off the division awards given out leading up to the Reuben Award announcement. Being nominated for six times seems like a lot. Garry Trudeau is often cited as having been nominated many more times before finally getting to take one home, but that’s probably not much consolation. That said, I doubt Garry would use lipstick to check off the division awards in the program. Who’s lipstick was that, Stephan?

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Serio Aragones with Russ Heath who was received the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Weird Al poses with a poster.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
I’d like to think I was the only one who got a photo with the Grammy Award (and now ACE Award) winner Weird Al Yankovich, but really, we all did. Every. single. one. of. us. He was gracious to pose for so many photos and sign autographs.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Wiley Miller offers a touching acceptance speech honoring his mother who consistently supported his cartooning aspirations when others tried to route him into proper careers.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Cathy Guisewhite in the background watches as Mark and Stephan duke it out after the awards.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Divison award winners Mark (Greeting Cards) and Dave Whamond (Magazine Illustration) share congratulations after the show.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
A very happy Wiley with the Reuben.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Tom Stemmle and I unloose our bow-ties because A) it’s late and B) loose bow-ties show off we didn’t do clip-ons.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Mark Pett, Master of Ceremonies Tom Gammill and I take in late night cigars. Tom certainly deserved it after another hilarious opening act and comedy bits throughout the show.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
The NCS weekend closed out aboard the USS Midway on Sunday evening. The afternoon before, cartoonists drew for troops and tourists here. Great venue and so proper for Memorial Day Weekend.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo
Pulitzer Prize winning (and this year’s winner in the Editorial Cartooning division) Michael Ramirez led his band in classic cover songs. Could not ask for a better night and location* to close out the weekend.

Reubens Awards Weekend Photo

*The open bar AFTER the USS Midway was also a nice send-off. Not sure who picked up the tab for that, but thank you!

8 thoughts on “Reuben Awards weekend 2014 wrap up

  1. It was great meeting you there, Alan! What an incredible weekend, hanging out with all of our friends and cartooning legends. Looking forward to seeing you next year!

  2. Alan! Thanks for including me in the pics! It WAS a fun and special weekend. It’s always great being in your company. It’s also great knowing that we could show everyone that we really know how to “tie one on!” ‘Til next year in D.C.!

  3. Thanks to all for making it such a great weekend. I loved the theme song “It’s not gonna be a long show”, I was amazed by how normal Weird Al Yankovich seemed, had some time to hang out with my California sisters and fellow Six Chix, Benita Epstein, got a chance to say thanks to some Navy veterans and I was really honored to be recognized by my peers.

  4. Was great seeing you there…nice surprise when I crashed the after party, trying to stay in the shadows. 🙂

  5. FYI: It’s “Yankovic” with no “h” at the end. The other spelling looks…weird.

  6. @Tom Racine- Nobody crashes one of my Ruebens parties. If I didn’t want you there I’d have tossed you out like I did Ernie Bushmiller’s cut-out after he got too fresh with the ladies.

  7. Yeah, I wouldn’t crash any party of someone with a Batman costume who could bench-press ME. 😉 You were a gracious host and it was a kick ass Reubens. I heard that from everyone…and the Midway party was a great way to end it here in San Diego. Bravo, El Presidente.

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