The Marysville Art Club has a long history – it started in 1913. The club began when a painter didn’t have a space to display her work, and afterward, a group of women decided to form the Marysville Art Club. "In 1913, they didn't have electronics, TV, none of that.
Women couldn't even vote," President Charline Gonder said. "But they could gather and share niceties, I'd guess you'd say." Currently, the group has over 100 members, including men and women.
According to Gonder, members' ages range from about 35 to 99. "We have a very diverse group," Gonder said. "Every type of person is in our group, every type.
From the mayor, he belongs, all the way to (the) little lady who people think she's homeless but she's not." The Marysville Art Club is a service club with monthly meetings showcasing guests. "Our last member that just passed was 106, so we don't want to put them to sleep and we don't want the guests to be insulted because someone does fall asleep," Gonder said.
So the speeches are usually 20 minutes long. "We do all kinds of things because it's always art-oriented, but we believe the arts are pretty big. So culinary, history – everything is an art in one way or another to us.
So we have a lot of people come in and speak. A lot of times it's about flowers and nature," Gonder said. Supporting the group, the Marysville Art Club's yearly tea fundraiser is approaching.
It will occur on Sept. 7 at the Marysville Art Club. "My grandmother had a teacup collection, and my mother had a teapot collection.
And so I inherited over 200 cups and saucers – fancy cups and saucers. And of course, all the teapots that my mother had, and so when you walk in, the tables are set with all of these beautiful teacups and saucers, and then the teapots here and there," Gonder said. "It's gorgeous.
" With the fundraiser, she said that her sister, Janie Hood, surveys the whole place to see which teacup she wants. They both love the club. "It's one of the most important things in my life – it is," Hood said.
"When you come in here, the people, it's not boring by any stretch. I mean, these people have been through a lot and, and you can just speak to them and they speak back. It's just that they're basically kind, friendly and loyal (people).
They really are." As the first vice president, Hood shares something inspirational at the monthly meetings. For example, she has shared a speech performed by actor Robert Duvall in the "Secondhand Lions" movie.
Some say that that movie is about believing in yourself. The Marysville Art Club is located at 420 10th St. in Marysville.
Tickets for the tea fundraiser are now on sale for $20, and they can be purchased at The Backyard at Honey Barn, located at 324 D St. in Marysville. Tickets can also be purchased at the Carnes and Company Salon in Yuba City, located at 870 W Onstott Frontage Rd.
in Yuba City. For more information, call 530-218-7065. "Most people come in tea clothes, which means a lot of them wear hats, and so it's an event," Gonder said.
"We have probably 25, 30 different types of tea." The Marysville Art Club also has a meeting every first Monday of the month from October to June; the group suggests coming at 11:30 a.m.
to grab seats. To become a member, it is $25 a year. The group likes for people to check out a meeting before joining; it's $10 a meeting for lunch.
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