close

Lion’s Club gets ready to roar into its 26th Annual Arts & Crafts Fair

3 min read

What started out as a way to help the local library sell a surplus of books nearly 30 years ago has bloomed into one of the island’s most attended fundraisers.

The Sanibel-Captiva Lions Club 26th annual Arts & Craft Fair is an annual event that is both fun and supports local charities.

A lion’s share of work goes in to the event that brings in about $30,000.

It will be held at the Sanibel Community Center, 2173 Periwinkle Way on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More than 130 artists and artisans will display and sell paintings, photographs, sculptures, jewelry, furniture, clothing, and an array of creative and novel items.

Entertainment will feature live Dixieland music from Harry & the Dixie Strollers, plus a Fabulous Food Court and a raffle.

Lily & Co. Jewelers has donated a Marya Dabrowski necklace valued at $1,295 to the Lions Club for the raffle. It’s part of its title sponsorship. Items available in the raffle include a sterling silver and an18-karat yellow gold Tahitian pearl necklace with a 12-millimeter blue-grey Tahitian pearl set in a sterling silver ivy design cap, handmade by award-winning jewelry designer Marya Dabrowski.

Dan Schuyler and Karen Bell, co-owners of Lily’s Jewelers, said they are delighted to contribute to the popular event.

“It’s a fun, fun event and the money is contributed to incredible causes,” Schuyler said.

Admission to the event is $4, children under 12 are admitted free. Raffle tickets cost $2 each or three tickets for $5. The Lion’s Club Arts & Craft Fair, which became a juried event five years ago, features top-notch hand-made work by local and global artists and craftspeople. There will be two-dimensional and three-dimensional pieces for sale, said Bill Sadd, the San-Cap Lion’s Club president.

Prices for the art and crafts will range from the modest to the thousand dollar range.

Sadd said visitors can look forward to wood-carved bird sculptures and even a replica of the Sanibel Lighthouse. Though Ken Idle’s lighthouse replica is not for sale, he will be taking orders.

Awards for best in show, first-, second- and third-place are given to artists in the categories of two-dimensional art, three-dimensional art and crafts.

Every year, the Lion’s Club goes through stacks of applicants and chooses

who gets to be in the show. Applications are due in December. Anyone interested in participating next year can go to the San-Cap Lion’s Club Web site www.sanibelcaptivalions.org.after this year’s fair and get information, Sadd said.

This year Lions Club members expect a good turn-out, despite the

Economy, and good proceeds.

“We’ve been full every year,” said Frances Bailey, a San-Cap Lion’s Club founder.

Sadd said he is optimistic that the well-known generosity of the islanders will help make its annual fair a success.

“What I love about the island is everybody gives,” Sadd said. “The cause is

there.”

The San-Cap Lion’s Club shares its proceeds with local charities such as

Friends in Service Here (FISH), Friends Who Care, Inc. as well as state and international organizations.

The more than 40-year-old San-Cap Lion’s Club chapter’s primary charitable focus is blindness. The organizations sponsors and conducts eye screenings around the island. The organization also collects unwanted eyeglasses to be refurbished for and sent to charities. The San-Cap Lion’s Club is working to start diabetes screenings as well. To learn more about the San-Cap Lion’s club go to www.sanibelcaptivalions.org.