Greetings, Fellow Avilones. It’s time to gear up for the month of May, with two notable, and one not so notable, dates on the calendar. First, of course, is the one we all know better than to forget – MOTHER’S DAY on May 14th! Get your shopping done early before all the best greetings cards, candy, flowers or whatever you want to gift are still in stock. Later this month we celebrate Memorial Day on May 29th, a three-day weekend that also signals the opening of the floodgates for visitors who each summer commandeer our beloved Avila Beach. Lesser known and enjoyed in America is “May Day”, a public holiday celebrated on May 1 in many different cultures around the world. It is a day of unity, togetherness, and rebirth; a day for everyone to come together and celebrate life as we know it. All in all, lots of fun in store this month.
One of the really neat things about this time of year is the re-positioning of the Avila Beach Lifeguard Towers, featuring the touted public art murals created and installed by local artist icon Colleen Gnos back in 2017. Over the years these murals have generated lots of positive response and, unfortunately, some unwanted attention by people who enjoy defacing public structures. Yes, I am referring to the graffiti outlaws who, on two occasions, left their marks on the towers. Fortunately, Colleen and her team have been able to repair the damage both times. Most recently she removed the markings and applied a coat of anti-graffiti varnish that should last 15 years, and enable about 160 acetone treatments of graffiti removal without affecting the original artwork. While the lifeguard towers and murals are now owned by the Port San Luis Harbor District, the project was spearheaded by the Avila Beach Community Foundation. In shifting ownership to PSLHD, the “Foundation” agreed to help with ongoing maintenance of the murals by raising funds to help pay for cleaning every two months, and graffiti removal as needed. A special Avila Beach Public Art Preservation Fund was formed for this purpose. If you would like to donate to this fund, for a contribution in any amount we will gladly give you one of our limited-edition Proud Avilone license plate frames. Donations can be sent to PO Box 297, Avila Beach, CA 93424.
For those of you who spend time along the beach boardwalk and overlooks, you may have noticed a crew of adults doing some sweeping up of sand and debris several mornings each week between May and September. The crew comes from an agency known as PathPoint, a non-profit organization that offers a wide variety of services to help individuals with developmental disabilities overcome barriers to employment, to place them in jobs, and to provide them with the training and support they need to keep jobs. While gaining these valuable work/life skills, client/employees are entitled to wages equal to California’s minimum wage regulations. You might be surprised at the amount of sand that finds its way from the beach, up the stairs, and onto the walkways and gutters. Likewise, debris such as cigarette butts, bottle caps and can pull tabs. All this produces potentially dangerous and harmful conditions, so removal is good for the environment and good for the public. The “Foundation” contracts with PathPoint each year to provide this service, thanks to the generosity of our project funding partners; SLO County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg, Chevron and PG&E.
As a special treat for those of you who missed out on the “Foundation’s” History of Front Street presentation, or for even those who did attend and want another look, you’re in luck! If you visit the home page of our website, you will see an introduction and link to the several dozen old time photos shown by Pete Kelley at the March event. Front Street is depicted from many different angles and during various periods of time. One of the common threads over Avila’s history is that the beach was always popular and crowded.
Last but not least is one more reminder that the Avila Beach Farmers’ Market launches its season this coming Friday, May 5th. That also marks the first date you can grab a free ride on the Avila Beach Trolley if you want to avoid crowded parking conditions. You should be able to find the Trolley route and schedule by visiting the SLORTA website.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. Have a great month, and we’ll see you at the beach!
One of the really neat things about this time of year is the re-positioning of the Avila Beach Lifeguard Towers, featuring the touted public art murals created and installed by local artist icon Colleen Gnos back in 2017. Over the years these murals have generated lots of positive response and, unfortunately, some unwanted attention by people who enjoy defacing public structures. Yes, I am referring to the graffiti outlaws who, on two occasions, left their marks on the towers. Fortunately, Colleen and her team have been able to repair the damage both times. Most recently she removed the markings and applied a coat of anti-graffiti varnish that should last 15 years, and enable about 160 acetone treatments of graffiti removal without affecting the original artwork. While the lifeguard towers and murals are now owned by the Port San Luis Harbor District, the project was spearheaded by the Avila Beach Community Foundation. In shifting ownership to PSLHD, the “Foundation” agreed to help with ongoing maintenance of the murals by raising funds to help pay for cleaning every two months, and graffiti removal as needed. A special Avila Beach Public Art Preservation Fund was formed for this purpose. If you would like to donate to this fund, for a contribution in any amount we will gladly give you one of our limited-edition Proud Avilone license plate frames. Donations can be sent to PO Box 297, Avila Beach, CA 93424.
For those of you who spend time along the beach boardwalk and overlooks, you may have noticed a crew of adults doing some sweeping up of sand and debris several mornings each week between May and September. The crew comes from an agency known as PathPoint, a non-profit organization that offers a wide variety of services to help individuals with developmental disabilities overcome barriers to employment, to place them in jobs, and to provide them with the training and support they need to keep jobs. While gaining these valuable work/life skills, client/employees are entitled to wages equal to California’s minimum wage regulations. You might be surprised at the amount of sand that finds its way from the beach, up the stairs, and onto the walkways and gutters. Likewise, debris such as cigarette butts, bottle caps and can pull tabs. All this produces potentially dangerous and harmful conditions, so removal is good for the environment and good for the public. The “Foundation” contracts with PathPoint each year to provide this service, thanks to the generosity of our project funding partners; SLO County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg, Chevron and PG&E.
As a special treat for those of you who missed out on the “Foundation’s” History of Front Street presentation, or for even those who did attend and want another look, you’re in luck! If you visit the home page of our website, you will see an introduction and link to the several dozen old time photos shown by Pete Kelley at the March event. Front Street is depicted from many different angles and during various periods of time. One of the common threads over Avila’s history is that the beach was always popular and crowded.
Last but not least is one more reminder that the Avila Beach Farmers’ Market launches its season this coming Friday, May 5th. That also marks the first date you can grab a free ride on the Avila Beach Trolley if you want to avoid crowded parking conditions. You should be able to find the Trolley route and schedule by visiting the SLORTA website.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. Have a great month, and we’ll see you at the beach!
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