Browse archives: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995

Published on 05/11/1998 All articles from this issue

Lincoln Park weekend of Fine Art in the Park

printer friendly version

By Clyde Noel

Special to the Town Crier

Sertoma breakfast

Scattered among redwood trees, jazz bands and puppet shows, more than 190 fine art and craft artists presented their works of art last Saturday and Sunday at the 23rd Los Altos Rotary Fine Art in the Park.

Recognized by exhibiting artists as one of the premier outdoor art shows to attend in Northern California, the show featured some of the most creative and talented artists from as far away as Oregon and Utah.

Rotarian and artist Ingrid Jackson MacDonald was pleased with the caliber of this year's artists.

"The quality in this year's art show is excellent. It's a good show to educate the community on the different kinds of art we have in our culture, and that it's affordable to buy for our homes," MacDonald said.

Linda Thorow, of Hand Woven Impressions, Ashland, Ore., came to exhibit for the first time because she understood it was an affluent area. She was impressed by the people and the appreciation for her kind of art.

In celebration of the 23rd anniversary of the Rotary's Fine Art Show, a panel of current and former mayors handed out "Mayor's Choice Awards" for their favorite piece of art.

The awards, sponsored by the Town Crier, were presented to 12 artists in different categories. Each of the former Los Altos and Los Altos Hills mayors selected their favorite piece of art among the more than 200 booths.

Phillip Glashoff, of Suison Valley, received a mayor's award for his exhibit of sculptures. "I lean toward the spiritual side of life, and the results are creative thinking in human nature," he said.

Carol Kalhagen, of Kent, Wash., received a mayor's award for her paintings of wildlife.

"This is my first time in Los Altos. I make shows in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Pennsylvania. I heard they didn't have any wildlife paintings (here) last year so I came, and it's been a wonderful show for me. I've had a great day."

Winning entries from the Los Altos Rotary "Young at Art" competition were on display in the Lincoln Park gazebo. Each year the art contest is open to students from Los Altos, Mountain View, Pinewood, St. Francis and Alta Vista high schools. First prize of $120 and second prize of $80 was awarded to each of the five schools by the Rotary Club. The winning selections will be on display in Los Altos banks for the next two weeks.

Fine Art in the Park is a show of volunteers. Rotary members provide their time and other organizations like the Girl and Boy scouts help make the show successful. Members of Boy Scout Troop 37 sold popcorn and operated soft drink booths.

"Scouts enjoy the fun of running their own booths and getting help from Rotarians. This is their first business experience and they enjoy working with the artists and the people," said Rotarian Dick Blanding.

The show is one of the largest fund-raisers of the year for the Rotarians with proceeds going to local charitable projects and organizations sponsored by the club. A partial list of the charities include the Community Services Agency, Community Health Awareness Council, Hidden Villa, Los Altos Educational Foundation, History House and others.

In the Chamber of Commerce parking lot across the street from Art in the Park, Sertoma members served folks pancakes at their 20th annual pancake breakfast. Sertoma member Jim McGuinness said the weather was great for pancakes and business was better than usual because of the weather. "The heat kept down the crowds last year, but this year it's great," McGuinness said.