The 42nd Annual Seal Beach Arts & Crafts Faire, produced by the Seal Beach Lions, will occur this year on Sept. 7, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Eisenhower Park. The Faire happens right after the Labor Day weekend, helps draw people back into our town, and is an opportunity for our remarkable vendors to highlight whatever new items they might have.
What many Seal Beachers may not know is that this event has been one of the early launch shows of the arts & crafts show season for decades in the Southern California region. The Lions have been honored to win “The Best of Seal Beach: Arts and Culture Event” gold ribbon for 2016 and 2018, with a silver ribbon in 2017. The event prides itself on several unique components: juried artisans, our LEO clubs fundraising food sales, remarkable support for the artisans during set up and breakdown, and youth entertainment at the Main Stage.
This year, the show was already full in June. There are approximately 95 vendor locations, which includes some of our sister non-profit organizations like the Seal Beach Animal Care Center bake sale and the Women’s Club of Seal Beach plant sale. There is even a waiting list for vendors who may cancel, and we need to fill their spaces. Vice-chair and operations team lead, Art Fry, said, “I am so proud and humbled to be working with such a great team of Lions who I know will make this an extraordinary experience for the artists.” He continued, “we have added thanks to the City of Seal Beach for their participation in creating and managing a kids chalk art segment, maintained our other non-profit relationships, juried all entries and coordinated the business licenses for our artists.”
Scott Newton, the founding co-chairman and Artist’s Liaison since the beginning in 2016, feels strongly, “we want to make this year a WOW for the artists and the community. We hope the event, which has been a success for several years, continues to improve with the quality of our vendors and the opportunity for our residents to see something different along the seaside.” Once again, this year, the event will have live entertainment sponsored by Alamitos Eye Care & John Osborne who has donated his time and equipment every year to support not only the smooth outdoor sound, and features our youth, who will be the live performers at the stage all weekend long.
Thanks to the Sun News, who also is a core sponsor, there will be a pull-out map, vendor list, and layout for all of our residents and visitors to guide their shopping and answer some “frequently asked questions” about the Arts & Crafts Faire. The most important part is to come by and support the event in whatever way is best for you. So, come out on Sept. 7 and 8 for the best local artisans have for your early holiday shopping.
