The uniquely familiar smell of sawdust, Eucalyptus trees, and art is yet another confirmation that summer has unequivocally arrived. The Sawdust Art Festival opened its 47th summer show this past weekend, welcoming 18 new artists and several new entertainment acts for the summer. I tend to become extremely attached to places with marvelous ambiance and wonderfully creative people, so it’s been among my favorite summer destinations for a very long time.
If you’ve never been: the time is now. The show runs through August 31, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., features live entertainment all day, every day, and makes for a magical summer day.
My top recommendations? Go on a day when you can see Trevor Green play, hit up Thasos Greek restaurant for lunch or dinner (the classic gyro and the white bean soup are among my favorites), and be sure to take advantage of all the free(!) educational art activities. Not just for kids, these booths provide a wonderfully creative space to explore artistic possibility: throw a pot, paint, sculpt, etch or make jewelry, and tap into your inner artist. To tap into your inner child, be sure to find the roaming Balloon Diva for a trendy hat, and pay a visit the booth in the back corner for free fairy dust. As Picasso said, “the purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls:” the sawdusty combination of art, local Laguna culture, and salty air does just exactly that.
