Editor:

On behalf of the Eastern Shore Art Center, I would like to thank all the volunteers, artists and the city of Fairhope for helping to make our 37th Annual Outdoor Art Show a success. The weather was picture perfect, the crowds were enthusiastic, and the quality of our artists’ work has never been better.

First on my list of those to thank are our committee chairmen Mary Walker, Jerry Ann McCarron and Diane Meister, who did a great job again this year. Many of the artists commented on how well the show was organized and how much they appreciate the hospitality they receive in Fairhope.

We want to thank Laura Miller for organizing dinner for the artists on Friday night, the Key Club members from Fairhope High School who helped with dinner set-up and our “well dressed” bartenders, Rick Miller and Mark Stejskal, who made sure the artists had fun at the banquet.

Thanks also to breakfast chairmen Cindy Sealy, Mimi Heard, Karla Kant, Lori Davis and Wendy Shelton who got the artists’ days off to a good start each morning, and to Wayne Walker, Rick Miller Rob Haynes, Michael Sealy, Robert Adams, Jeff Huffman, Garry Andrews and Ralph Lowe who arranged for set-up and take-down of the show.

Special thanks to B.G. Hinds, Maggie Wyckoff and Sheri Vanche who mark the streets each year to get ready for the show to begin and to all those who tended booths, took water around and visited with artists all weekend to make them feel at home.

Outdoor Art Show would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. Special thanks to Faulkner State Community College, Walmart, Ashurst & Neimeyer Real Estate and RBC Bank for their generous support. Thanks also to Hardees, Burger King, Winn-Dixie, Brunos, Food World, Chick-Fil-A, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart,and HoneyBaked Ham for their donation of food for our artists’ breakfast all three days of the show.

The city of Fairhope public works employees make our job so much easier. The streets are kept clean, the trash is picked up throughout the show, and everyone we called in every department was helpful. Thanks to the off-duty officers who secure the show areas throughout the night so that the artists feel safe leaving their tents set up for the duration of the show. Thanks also to the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce who work with us all during the year as we present our show in tandem with the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival.

Finally, thanks to all the artists, both local and traveling, who bring such quality art in all different media to Fairhope. The original and still-existing mission of the Art Center is to increase the community’s interest and involvement in the arts, and this year’s show certainly achieved that mission.

ESAC managing director