The Sunset Beach Art Festival and the Las Damas service group go back a long time.
Las Damas, one of the longest-running service organizations in the local area, was started May 8, 1948 by a group of young women interested in promoting education and social activities.
To get things started on the club’s quest to make the world a better place, or at least improve the surrounding neighborhood, Las Damas held the Beachcomber’s Carnival on July 10, 1948. It was the forerunner of the Sunset Beach Art Festival, which will be held for the 46th time from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Mother’s Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, in the seaside neighborhood of Huntington Beach, adjacent to Seal Beach’s Surfside Colony.
“Visitors have a great opportunity to take mom shopping for her special day along the greenbelt where artisans and craftsmen will show off their unique creations in over 150 vendors’ booths lined up along the greenbelt,” said Gretchen Hoad, a longtime Sunset Beach resident and active community member.
“The booths offer a delightful variety of goods, including hats, clothing, decorative items for the home, wood furniture, ceramics, and lots of other handcrafted items both beautiful and whimsical. All the offerings are handcrafted and can’t be found in stores.”
The money Las Damas made on that first Beachcomber’s Carnival was donated to a community fund, which was eventually used to purchase the lot on which the Sunset Beach Fire Station and the Community Center stand today.
On the heels of tradition, the building will host the Firehouse Gallery on 12th Street, a juried art show held within the former Sunset Beach Firehouse during the Sunset Beach Art Festival.
Dozens of craft booths will dot the greenbelt between North Pacific and South Pacific from Broadway to 7th Street. More than 150 artists and craft persons will display their wares. The fun will lead up to the opportunity drawing for the Las Damas Sunset Beach Art Festival Quilt. Quilt raffle tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at the quilt raffle table in front of the Firehouse Gallery.
Another raffle booth sells $1 tickets for chances to win one of the creations donated by each of the vendors in the festival.
“The festival’s Kids’ Zone, located in front of the Firehouse, is spectacular this year,” Hoad said. “Kids can make a special mother’s day present from seashells that have been collected along local beaches, and create a card to go with it; Circle art will inspire young artists and kids can participate in games, and win prizes.”
For more information, visit the website at:v www.sunsetbeachartfestival.org.
