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Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.
Archive of past events: 2004 through 2014
Festival goers will be greeted by delectable aromas emanating from the Old Gualala Mill Cookhouse and Old Stage Saloon in Jacob Foyer. The Cookhouse will serve up coffee and homemade coffee cake in the mornings, followed by award-winning clam chowder and real sourdough, vegetarian chili and cornbread.
Activities for children abound, starting at the entrance of the Arts Center with a corral of miniature horses to pet (courtesy of Rebecca O'Neil's "Double OO Miniature Horses"), if weather permits. Inside and up the stairs is
This year the Festival features two villages, Burnett Borough in the Burnett Gallery and again Kringle's Craft Village in Coleman Hall. Both villages will host booths decked out for the holidays and vendors dressed in period costume offering handmade crafts of the kind available during the 1850's... quilting, weaving, knitting, felting, woodcraft, folk art, pottery, soap making, jewelry of metal and glass, fabricated into marvelous gifts for all. Many will be offering demonstrations of their skills. The Burnett Gallery's Gualala Arts' interest group show will morph into Burnett Borough, a holiday village of booths including Quilts & Kaboodles (Pacific Piecemakers Quilt Guild), with a variety of quilted items; The Basket Shop (Basket Makers Group), with fine hand-crafted baskets, gourds and other unique gifts; Beads n' Beyond, with hand beaded jewelry, ornaments and more; Woodworkers & Carvers, with wooden toys and decorative creations; Art in Fibers (Fiber Arts Group), with felted creations a multitude of wonderful fiber-based gift items.
In Coleman Hall, Kringle's Craft Village presents an array of shops: Caz Gal Soaps, handmade glycerin soaps in a variety of scents by Shirley Degerlund; Bolt's Notes, handmade note cards by Maggie Bolt, Peace Jewelry, lead-free pewter and glass jewelry, ornaments and more by Jan Edwards; YMP Design, Yvonne Pankowski's jewelry of precious metal and gemstones; WhichCraft Workshop, Jan Maria Chiappa's unique pottery, knitted scarves and the 2008 Festival ornament, Jennie's Fancy Fibers, Jennie Henderson's fine hand-woven chenille and ribbon scarves; Joan Rhine Designs & Jewelry with hand-fabricated paper creations and metal jewelry; Halderman's Houses & Folk Art, Bill & Sue Halderman's eclectic bird houses, feeders and folk art pieces;
In the Fantasy Forest, decorated "theme" trees are for sale by Silent Auction or for "Buy it Now" prices, and are perfect for a vacation home, guesthouse, child's room, or as a thoughtful gift. The trees are designed and decorated by Mother Christmas and a talented crew of decorator Elves Sue Pollard and Vicki Hodge. Choose a tree from themes entitled: Nutcracker Suite, Spiderman Dreams, Chinoiserie, Poinsettia Passion, Undersea Fantasy, and many more. After the holidays, decorated trees donated back to the Festival will qualify for a tax donation.
Entries in the annual Gingerbread House Contest will be on display [download a registration form Deadline for entry is Nov.24]. The materials used and style of the creations run the gamut of the imaginations of our local artisan bakers and crafters. The Gingerbread Houses (decorative use only), like the trees, are for Silent Auction or "Buy it Now" prices. The Silent Auctions will end promptly at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Winners will be allowed to pick up their Decorated Trees or Gingerbread Houses on Sunday. The Shopper's Extravaganza Raffle lives on a festively decorated tree covered with special "ornaments," on the back of each is description of a prize donated by a local business or Festival vendor. There are over 50 prizes so far, with more coming in each day. That's a lot of winners! The list of Donors and prizes can be viewed at the Arts Center Foyer. Prizes will be drawn each hour both Friday and Saturday, and winners need not be present. Tickets are $2 each, 7 for $10 and 15 for $20, available in advance at Gualala Arts Center and by "hawkers" during the Festival!
We invite everyone to join us in celebrating Gualala's historic anniversary with two days of fun, food, live entertainment and activities for the entire family while shopping for that perfect gift. What a perfect way to get everyone in that Holiday spirit!
Live entertainment and other aspects of the Festival of Trees
The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA, |
Gualala Arts' Festival of Trees Marketplace held November 28 and 29 from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. kicks off 'Christmas on the Coast' for Gualala and the surrounding Mendonoma Coast. 2008 also marks Gualala's Sesquicentennial, 150 years of existence as a village of note. This year's annual Festival of Trees is a community celebration, a fundraising event for Gualala Arts as well as a step back in time to the ambiance of Gualala's past at Christmastime as an 1850's thriving mill town.
The Magical Gingerbread House where children preschool through 6th Grade can participate in elf-supervised art, games and crafts, storytime with Mother Christmas, and caroling sing-a-long and other surprises. Santa Claus will be visiting each day to hear Christmas wishes and give out treats.
and finally the acclaimed (and scrumptious) Mrs. Claus Bake Shoppe & Confectionery, run by Suzanne Hansen and Bobbie Penney, with cookies, candies, holiday breads, puddings and more in festive wrappings to take home or give as gifts or munch on site, donated by many of the finest local bakers and cooks in the area.
Live musical entertainment will perform throughout the Festival. On Friday, the Ernest Bloch Bell Ringer Quartet comprised of Jeanne Jackson, Tina Ballagh, Lucienne Allen & daughter Davina Allen, will delight with the magical sound of English handbells. Wayne Harris again brings his 6, 12-string, resonator guitar and harmonica playing traditional carols and original compositions. On Saturday the acclaimed duo Calliope Creek, Janet Ashford on violin and Chet Boddy on guitar and banjo, will fill the halls with lively Celtic and American folk music including reels, jigs and hornpipes.
