Welcome to sonsfestsd2026
The Saps At Sea San Diego Tent Oasis #30 wants to welcome everyone to the
24th International Sons Of The Desert Convention
to be held on June 21-25, 2026!
Celebrating the centennial anniversary of Stan & Babe working as a team at
Hal Roach Studios 1926-2026
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach January 14, 1892-November 2, 1992 Elmira, New York
Arthur Stanley Jefferson 'Stan Laurel'
June 16 1890 – February 23, 1965
Ulverston, England
Oliver Norvell Hardy January 18, 1892-August 7, 1957
Harlem, Georgia
Announcements-Reminders-Information
Updated on April 26, 2026
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Stan: Well, maybe we went to the left instead of to the right. Remember, the fellow said, first you turn to the right, then...
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Ollie: All right. All right. Now, you go to the left and I'll go to the right. And whoever finds the exit first, comes back and gets the other one.
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A friendly reminder- On Monday, June 22, we will be offering a choice of activities for our delegates as part of the convention package:
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A bus trip to Old Town San Diego & the USS Midway Museum. Each of these places will require some walking. For a walking map of Old Town, please visit our Getting Around San Diego page.
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For those folks who don't feel like walking so much, The Irv Hyatt/Dave Wyatt Screening Room (located inside The Legacy Pavilion) will be open to watch films from 10am-4:30pm, with a lunch break. For a more specific timetable, please visit our Convention Itinerary page.
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Please keep in mind that we would like everyone to be together for the evening dinner cruise. There will be a bus to pick up the group at the hotel at 5pm (sharp!), so we can all meet at the loading dock. The buses & the cruise will be ADA disabilities compatible.
Legacy Hotel Room Reservations Reserve Now!
We just got another update from hotel on April 21st, as to how room bookings are going.
We encourage all official delegates to secure their accommodations as soon as possible!
The deadline for booking a room at The Legacy is on May 21!
For more details, please visit our Legacy Hotel page. Some of the dates from June 17 to June 29, have very limited availability. Going fast, please book now!
Important Sonsfest2026 News from Venerable Convention Chairman, Dave Greim-
Hi everybody! We're just weeks away from our superb convention at the Legacy Hotel.
In addition to the FULL PASS, there are also day passes and evening passes available. Please see the full itinerary at
www.sonsfestsd2026.com/itinerary
We hope all of you will attend at least some of our convention events. For example...
1) The Monday June 22 Day Pass including Old Town on your own and a tour of the Midway, plus the Harbor dinner cruise, for $200. Board buses at 10AM, return to Legacy Hotel around 10:30PM.
2)The Monday June 22 harbor dinner cruise only. $160. Board buses at 5PM sharp, return to Legacy Hotel around 10:30PM.
3) The Tuesday June 23 theatre show featuring Russ Peck. Only $20! Doors open at 6:30PM, program runs 7-10:45PM
4) Our formal Banquet on Wednesday night, June 24, with entertainment by Dean Mora and his Orchestra. $75. Cash bar starts at 6PM, program runs 7PM with dinner 7:30-8:30PM, then music and dancing till midnight!
We'd appreciate the prompt infusion of cash into our coffers as I have payments to our vendors fast approaching. On May 5th, I owe 50% to our venue, the Legacy Hotel.
And yes, we are still accepting donations to have the giant Video Globe at our banquet!
Remember: June 7th is the final cutoff to register/pay for any events!
The Cliff Sawyer Dealer's Emporium Information
Note to all Dealers: Upon arrival at The Legacy, please contact Dave Greim or David Webb for access to the Cliff Sawyer Dealer's Emporium & Dealer's storage.
Access hours will be from Sunday 6/20 at 1:30pm until Thursday 6/25 at 1 pm.
A Message from the Laurel Family
On behalf of my grandmother and the entire Laurel family,
we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone joining us at sonsfestsd2026.
My grandmother, Lois Laurel Hawes, was a lifelong advocate of the Sons of the Desert and deeply cherished preserving the legacy of her father, Stan Laurel
and his dear friend, Oliver Hardy. Thanks to all of you, that legacy lives on. Stan’s timeless humor and Oliver’s warm presence created a legacy built on laughter, kindness, and love. As my grandmother often reminded me-“We’re not a fan club—we’re an appreciation society”, and as a family, we truly appreciate your continued dedication. Gramma also used to speak to me often about the importance of living a purposeful and passionate life—loving what you do, leading rather than following, and remembering that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. It’s a principle I believe her father lived by, one I’ve tried to embody in my own life, and something I hope to pass on to my children as well. We’re so grateful for each of you who continue to carry the torch. Without your dedication, none of this would be possible. So here’s to love, to laughter, and to legacy.
We’ll see you in 2026! Cassidy Cook
A sonsfestsd2026 sampling of what's to come...
Our formal banquet will be hosted by our good friends at the Way Out West Tent
of North Hollywood/LosAngeles
(Pictured here are: Bob Satterfield, Jimmy Wiley III,
Bob Duncan, Grand Sheik Rick Greene, David Rodriguez)
Mr. Russ Peck, our own organist extraordinaire and fellow Sap will be providing the live musical entertainment for our theatrical showing
Mr. Randy Skretvedt, famed radio host, historian, and author extraordinaire, will be making a very special presentation!
Mr. Marc Wanamaker, noted author, historian, and filmmaker will be giving a special presentation about the Lot Of Fun:
A History of the Hal Roach Studios
Mr. Jordan Young, noted author, historian, playwright and native of Culver City, will talk about interviewing George Marshall and Jess Robbins.
The incredible, Mr. Dean Mora and his orchestra, will be providing a special musical presentation!
We are thrilled to announce that Mr. Sunshine (Nigel Dreiner) has returned to perform at the Laurel & Hardy Festival in San Diego in June!
He will be singing with Dean Mora and his Orchestra - lots of fun on the way!
sonsfestsd2026 is proud to be the voice of the Saps At Sea San Diego Tent Oasis #30
Please visit our Saps page on this site!
Mr. Jamie McKenna and Mr. Bill Leavy, those fine thespians, will be with us throughout the convention.
A personal message from the Webmaster...
From all of us here at sonsfestsd2026, we are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of one of our fellow beloved Sons and great pal, Mr. Craig Lightowler. When we were at the Harrogate Convention in May of 2025, before the launch of this website, Craig graciously signed on to be a special advisor to the making of our site. I will forever be grateful for his kindness, wisdom, good humor & his dedication to sonsfestsd2026. Craig encouraged me to make this project as a labor of love & from the heart. I sincerely hope that we did just that. We could not have launched this website without him. Our site will be dedicated to him. Our deepest condolences go out to Katherine, Freya, Ian & the entire Lightowler family. We will miss you Craig, always. God Bless, David
A Go Fund Me campaign has been set up to help & support the Lightowler family. Here is the direct link: https://gofund.me/71ae408e6
Special Limited Edition Shirts For Sale
As of April 10: The yellow special edition shirts are selling out fast! We now have only XL and mediums in very limited quantities. $40 each. Please email: jolie116mm@aol.com
