Tina Preece is a sculptor and a member of the Muddy Creek Artists Guild. On Monday she helped set up a temporary gallery in South River Colony Main Street. The juried art show will be open the next two weekends. All of the art for sale and on display was created by south county artists. Photo by Mitchelle Stephenson — For The Capital
Each year members of the Woodland Beach Volunteer Fire Department spend an evening in December driving their fire trucks around the neighborhoods they serve, not to put out fires, but to collect wrapped gifts - both toys and clothing - for families in need.
The program, "Firehouse Santa," starts at 5 p.m. Sunday and winds its way through the Edgewater and Mayo communities of Turkey Point, Woodland Beach, South River Colony, Gingerville, Wilelinor, Saunders Point, Loch Haven, Selby, Withernsea, West Shoreham, Southdown Shores, River Oaks and Ponder Cove.
Santa is in full costume and riding on each of the fire trucks, accepting wrapped, tagged gifts from members of the community at each stop. The tag should be secure and indicate the age and gender for the intended recipient. Once the gifts are collected, they are brought back to the fire station, where the firefighters sort them by age or size.
From there, they are given to the Anne Arundel Food Bank. They distribute the gifts to local families in need.
Fire Chief Bobby Howlin said this is the 12th year for the program at Woodland Beach VFD. "At any one time on Sunday we'll have five Santas riding around," he said. They will use a couple of engines from their company, plus people lend antique and retired fire trucks for the drive.
Last year the Firehouse Santa program was able to collect hundreds of gifts through both the neighborhood ride-throughs and the two designated drop-off times at the fire station. This year the drop-off times at the station, 529 Londontown Road, are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.
During their rides, they're also collecting nonperishable food items and gently used coats, hats and gloves. They ask that these items not be wrapped.
For the exact time of Firehouse Santa's visit to your neighborhood, visit www.woodlandbeachvfd. com.
Around the corner, the Muddy Creek Artists Guild is hosting the next in their series of temporary art galleries at South River Colony Main Street, 175 Mitchell's Chance Road in Edgewater.
The "Gifts from the Arts" showcase will be open Wednesday through Sunday for the next two weekends. The guild is a group of over 80 south county artists, all of whom create original works. They work in a variety of mediums, including: paintings, photography, sculpture, metalwork, mixed media, printmaking, woodwork, jewelry, pottery, textiles, cards and more.
This will be a juried show, but most, if not all, of the artwork will be available for sale.
The guild is only eight months old, having launched with about a dozen artists. Their first show, "Artists on the Half Shell," attracted 20 south county artists to Galesville Memorial Hall for a two-day show and sale.
Next, the group moved to the now-vacant Blockbuster space in Deale for their fall "Harvest of Artists" exhibit in September.
Both of the prior events included an artist's reception, and this weekend's show is no exception. There will be an opportunity to meet the artists from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday . They'll also host a Holiday Art Party from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 12 with refreshments and live music.
Guild president Bea Poulin started the group with the idea of having a small group of artists present a couple of shows a year. "It has really exceeded my expectations," Bea said.
The group has stopped accepting new members for now and will begin the new year with a retreat so that they can map our a long-term strategy for keeping their group viable.
"The enthusiasm for each other's work is great. As an artist, you work alone, but in this group the artists learn a lot from each other," Bea said.
The show will feature art that is large and small, and this show will have a special corner for holiday items, affordable jewelry, photography, hand stamped cards and Christmas decor.
Also this month, and through mid-January, some of the Muddy Creek artists will be featured at an "Out of Bounds" reception at West Annapolis Art Works, 4 Annapolis St. in Annapolis. The show will include painting, pastels, printmaking and photography. For more information about the guild,visit www.muddycreekartistsguild.org.
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