By Katrina Salokar | EastLeeNews.com
LaBelle has been busy this summer with art, history, community activities, and patriotic events, bringing residents together downtown and along the Caloosahatchee River.
The LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation is helping highlight several local happenings, including the Caloosahatchee Creativity Camp, summer activities through Arts of the Inland, and an upcoming patriotic evening at Barron Park in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
Downtown LaBelle became a classroom for young artists this summer during the Caloosahatchee Creativity Camp, a hands-on arts program held at the LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation office on Park Avenue.
The camp, designed for children ages 7 to 12, gave students a chance to learn through art while exploring the people, places, wildlife, and stories that make the LaBelle area unique. Weekly themes included Florida birds, swamp cabbage, Seminole history, and pirates, with each week connecting creative projects to local culture.
During Swamp Cabbage Week, campers began historic architectural journals, learned about early Florida cattle drivers, and built miniature Cracker homes. They also walked through downtown LaBelle to sketch historic buildings along Bridge Street. The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office helped provide a safety buffer while students worked outdoors.
Campers shared journals, drawings, and favorite projects, including sketches of local buildings, fire trucks, animals, and historic landmarks. The experience encouraged students to see their own town as a place worth studying, preserving, and celebrating.
Arts of the Inland is also keeping creativity alive this summer with expanded gallery hours, classes, and upcoming events. The “Artisan Alley” gallery, located at 471 N. Lee St. in LaBelle, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
Summer classes include digital photography, creative writing, crushed glass art, charcoal drawing, pastel drawing, colored pencil drawing, and acrylic painting. Upcoming Arts of the Inland events include a member meeting and potluck Aug. 19, LaBasel on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6, the Falling for the Arts Gala on Oct. 10, and a Dessert Auction on Nov. 24.
The summer season will also include a patriotic evening on the river as LaBelle comes together to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. The community is invited to gather at Barron Park, 1559 De Soto Ave. in LaBelle, beginning at 5 p.m.
Families are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, enjoy food from local food trucks, listen to live music, and settle in for a fireworks show over the Caloosahatchee.
The evening is planned as a celebration of freedom, community, and 250 years of American history in the heart of LaBelle.
For more information about the LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation, visit downtownlabelle.com.
For more information about Arts of the Inland classes and events, visit artsinland.com. For more information about future Caloosahatchee Creativity Camp programs, email caloosacreativitycamp@gmail.com.
