member
connection
A student in the
International Stunt School learns about Tents in
Hollywood action. the desert
MAT THE W M. CAZIER
GENE MARCHU
WHEN SOMEONE mentions
Palm Springs, what comes
ARE YOU INTERESTED in falling off a building? How inducted into the Hollywood Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame. to mind? Golf? Swimming
about running down the street—on fire? The International Stunt School is the longest-run- pools? Bob Hope?
If so, you should think about enrolling in the ning school of its type in the world. The number of If your answer is shop-
International Stunt School. applicants has increased 20 percent over the last 10 ping, you’re not alone. Over
“This is not a business for crazy people or for years. “Previously, most people in the industry were the past
23 years, the College
individuals who want to take risks and live by the either born into it or a friend introduced them to the of the Desert (COD) street
seat of their pants,” says founder David Boushey, a business,” says Boushey, a longtime Costco member. fair (
www.codstreetfair.com)
30-year stuntman and fight coordinator who has The students, whose average age is 24, spend has become a shopping oasis
more than 45 feature films under his belt, including up to three weeks learning the 15 most prominent for locals and visitors. On
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Blue Velvet. aspects of stunt work, including precision driving, busy days this carnival-size
“I have never broken a bone in my life,” notes fire burns, wire work, weaponry, martial arts, city of tents receives about
Boushey, 62, who claims it’s all about training. “But unarmed combat, horse work and falls.
15,000 to
20,000 bargain
I have plenty of bumps and bruises to show for it. I Almost half of Boushey’s graduates go on to do hunters looking for every-
have been pretty lucky.” actual stunt work, where they can earn upward of thing from handbags and
Boushey took the plunge (pun intended) and $300,000 per year. The average career spans 20 jewelry to art to fresh
founded the International Stunt School (
www.stunt years, and many stunt people, like Boushey, go on Coachella Valley produce, all
school.com) in Seattle in 1992. That same year he was to become stunt coordinators.—Shana McNally sold by the 340 vendors who
set up booths each weekend.
Most patrons don’t know
that a portion of the proceeds
Left to right: Peyten, benefits the local community. Chase and Addison Three is company Thanks to the street fair, the
CHAYNE MARTEN
My family makes a weekly trip from
Napili, in west Maui, to shop at Costco in
east Maui. My wife, Lynette, and I have 4-
year-old triplets, Peyten, Chase and
Addison, known in Maui as the Napili
Triplets. I think our affinity for Costco is
affecting the children. Recently they were
watching Cinderella for the first time. At
the end of the movie Cinderella stepped
into the carriage with her prince. As they
rode off into the sunset together, my son
[Chase] asked, “Where are they going?”
Peyten matter-of-factly
answered, “To Costco
to get a hot dog and a
Coke.” And my son
was completely satis-
fied with her answer.
—Chayne Marten,
Maui, Hawaii
COD Alumni Association has
donated more than $5 million
(about $250,000 annually) to
the College of the Desert, the
junior college that hosts the
street fair. The money goes
to student scholarships and
financial aid, says Gene
Marchu, president of the
COD Alumni Association,
which maintains a Costco
membership.
The fair is located on the
northwest corner of the COD
Adam@Home by Brian Basset campus. It is open Saturday
and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2
p.m. October through May,
and from 7 a.m. to noon June
through September.
SPECIAL TO THE CONNECTION. ADAM IS © B Y BRIAN BASSE T, UNIVERSAL PRESS S YNDICATE
—Will Fifield
We want to hear from you
IF YOU HAVE a note, photo or story to share (it should be about
Costco or Costco members in some way), you can send it to “The
Member Connection,” The Costco Connection, P.O. Box 34088,
Seattle, WA 98124-1088, or e-mail to
connection@costco.com
with “The Member Connection” in the subject line. Submissions
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