Seashell Festival to draw hundreds to Eau Gallie Civic Center
We can’t help but love seashells, and we have done so for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians sent their loved ones into the afterlife accompanied by seashells to supposedly insure safe passage on the journey from the world of the living.
These days, we enjoy our seashells throughout our lives, because they evoke carefree moments by the sea. This versatile creation of Mother Nature also tickles our inner collector. They look decorative on shelves, can be shaped into jewelry and art and remind us of happy times. What is there not to love?
You don’t have to sell members of the Astronaut Trail Shell Club on seashells. They are already familiar with the charms of these ornaments from the sea. On Jan. 20 and 21, the club will host its 44th annual Seashell Festival, an event that could drive more than a thousand shell devotees to the Eau Gallie Civic Center.
Club member Suzy Kedzierski, one of the many exhibitors, will be showing her decoupage shells and shell craft.
“The 2024 festival will fill the Eau Gallie Auditorium with shells, shell fossils, shell crafts and shell vendors," she said. "Plus this year, we've added artist demonstrations and a kids corner activity, something for everyone."
Given that admission and parking are free, and we’re talking really, really pretty shells here, how can you go wrong?
“It’s a once-a-year opportunity to see museum-quality seashells from all over the world, from the Philippines to the Bahamas, from deep sea trenches to coastal tidal pools, all in one place, right here in Melbourne,” Kedzierski added.
Scientific displays, vendors offering shell jewelry, decorative art and home décor, as well as raffle and door prizes are part of the two-day event. It will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday at the Eau Gallie Civic Center, 1551 Highland Ave. in the Eau Gallie Arts District.
Added bonuses are the displays and talks on ocean treasure hunting by Jenifer Marx, wife of the late Sir Robert Marx, also known as the “Father of Undersea Archeology,” and live demonstrations by the artists of Eau Gallery.
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The shell club was founded in 1966 by a group of beachcombers, educators and marine scientists. The club’s most notable member was “Mr. Seashell,” R. Tucker Abbott, PhD, author of more than 30 books and founding director of the Bailey Matthews National Shell Museum in Sanibel.
Each of the seashells on display at the Seashell Festival once served as home to the creatures that created them ever so slowly by secreting layer upon layer of protein, chitin and minerals. When the shelled animals passed away, they left the shells behind. Their loss is our gain.
Astronaut Trail Seashell Festival
Where: Eau Gallie Civic Center, 1551 Highland Ave., Melbourne
When: Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 20 and 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: Free
Website: spacecoastseashells.com or facebook.com/spacecoastseashells
Can't get enough of shells?
The Astronaut Trail Shell Club meets at 1 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at Satellite Beach City Hall, 565 Cassia Blvd., and always welcomes new members. Meetings feature talks ranging from shells of Hawaii to how shells and their creatures are being used in medicine to shellcrafts. The club also offers beach walks and purely social events including an annual holiday party. Potential new members are encouraged to attend a meeting at no charge; annual membership fee is $15.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Love seashells? Annual festival will be in EGAD on Jan. 20-21
