Sunset over The Galleries at Sunset Center

The Sun Won’t Set on Sunset Center

How many indoor malls have closed their doors and become the victim of the wrecking ball and dump truck? In Amarillo, the second indoor mall was evacuated and taken down so that a new updated strip mall could come in. All around the country, I’ve seen malls that have fallen in disrepair and get little retail traffic. Growing up here in Amarillo, Texas,  I have memories of shopping at Sunset Center, the first indoor shopping center in Amarillo. No longer did we have to go downtown and search for a parking place and walk from one end of Polk Street to the other from store to store. You could go inside and shop until you dropped and never leave the comfort of the mall. Santa helicoptered in on Thanksgiving weekend. Sunset was the place to see and be seen for all of us preteens. My friends and I loved going there and hanging out–shopping at Daisy’s, The Hub, Penney’s, The Hollywood, and Woolworth’s. It was great fun! So Sunset Center holds a spot near to my heart.

Over the years, shopping centers have come and gone. A mall takes the place of a main street and a new mall takes the place of an older one. But I’m here to tell you that the sun is not setting on Sunset Center. On the contrary, the sun is rising to a new purpose, a new season at Sunset Center.

When you enter Sunset Center from the east, you see a beautiful sculpture garden that beckons visitors to view the sculpture amid the ponds and koi. Just take a break and enjoy the beautiful Amarillo day in the garden. Entering under the stained glass sunset, you are engulfed in a tranquil setting under the Panhandle sky as skylights brighten your stroll amongst the largest geraniums I personally have ever seen. Approximately 50 galleries line the walkway. Panhandle Art Center (PAC) is now the flagship of The Galleries at Sunset Center along with Sunset Gallery and Amarillo Art Institute (AAI). What a way to spend your day—relaxing, enjoying the art, and shopping the climate controlled mall that holds beautiful works from over 100 artists.

Where else could you do that? Even Santa Fe is not climate controlled! I love to go to Santa Fe and Taos and enjoy the galleries, but this is right here and I can go just about any day. I’m an artist and I couldn’t have found a more enjoyable place. I love to stroll through art galleries and visit with artists about their work. It inspires me to paint something new, just be creative. So finding a beautiful row of galleries right here in Amarillo has been a treat—and to think it is right there in my old hang out.

Panhandle Art Center is an artist cooperative. Artists rent a wall to display their works each quarter of the year. You can see the work of many local artists. Everything from jewelry to photography, all mediums of painting and sculpture, abstract to realistic—are in one location. The Amarillo Art Institute is a nonprofit organization sponsoring art classes for all ages in all kinds of media. The Galleries at Sunset fill the inside of the mall with a variety of art.

I know people wonder how this old shopping mall was given a new life. In every city in the country, there are old malls that are dying. But in the case of Sunset Center Mall, the owner had a vision and she has worked to see it come to fruition.

About three years ago, Ann Crouch, the owner of Sunset Center and a talented artist in her own right decided to take her mall and create something that most artists would love to have in their home towns. She wanted to give the artists of Amarillo and the region surrounding us–a place to study, create, and sell their art. Panhandle Art Center and Amarillo Art Institute were already in operation at Sunset Center, so studio/gallery space for local artists was just a natural fit for the mall.

Ann‘s passion for art and creative artists, along with her generosity, has created an artist colony within the walls of a beautifully renovated shopping mall. She worked with artists to find spaces where they can work and show their art. The Texas Panhandle is blessed with many fine artists in every medium. Ann found spaces for young contemporary artists and many of the older established artists have moved their studios or opened new ones in Sunset Center.

I heard about Ann’s dream and how she wanted to create a place for artists to work together. In my heart, I knew that someday, I would have a studio there and I was excited about the possibility. This summer, one of my dreams came true when I moved into Sunset Center to share studio sentosa with two painting friends. Elizabeth Nussbaum and Maynon Benson have painted with me in class for over 20 years. Now we share studio and gallery space 109 on the east wing of Sunset Center. “Sentosa” is a Malay word for serenity or tranquility. It is a place where we can escape the hustle and bustle of our lives and enjoy painting. Although we are three very different women, we have so much in common in our artwork.

The artists of The Galleries in Sunset Center have each taken their spaces and decorated them to fit their personalities and needs. Ann has made the studio/galleries affordable to even the starving artist. Everywhere you look, artists are collaborating and working together. It’s a place where watching paint dry is just fun!

It is a joy to work in such a happy place. The artists at Sunset Center encompass a wide variety of age and experience and do every kind of art imaginable. There is something for everyone, everything from abstract to traditional, a cross section of the arts.  Although the artists are a conglomerate of independents, we are a community.  We talk to each other, critique each others’ work and share ideas. If there is any creative essence running in your veins, it will have a chance to grow in the garden of artists at Sunset Center. When you create in a group, there is an energy that is exchanged through the interaction of the artists. We invite everyone in to learn in our workshops, to enjoy our art, to share their opinions, to have a meeting or event in our beautiful banquet hall, to borrow a book at the institute library, or to just walk in our beautiful mall.

Art educators from all over the country have workshops scheduled at AAI and local artists teach classes for beginners and advanced artists. A fully equipped clay lab is available for sculpting and pottery. Artistic ability knows no age and children’s classes are offered during the summer and throughout the school year. Children bring energy and enthusiasm into the art center and we believe in the right to experience the joy of art. Amarillo Art Institute offers scholarships for students whose parents are unable to provide art lessons. Sunset Center and AAI have become a hub for the art community of our region serving artists from the Texas panhandle, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Sunset Center is also a place for the artists to market their art. We hope that as the public visits the studios and galleries, they will find a place to go to purchase fine works of art–that “just right” painting to go over your fireplace, or to find that perfect unique gift for someone special. You can find a one of a kind gift for just about any occasion and at a just about any price. When you come into Sunset Center, you meet the artists, ask questions, watch them work, and develop relationships. It makes your purchase mean more than ever when you have seen the artist at work. Most of the artists will do commissioned works to fit their customers’ special needs and wants. Even the most discerning art collector will find that Sunset Center is a haven for the collector, as well as the artist.

Special events and art shows by various artists are planned throughout the year.  August Lights, an annual celebration of the arts is now held in August at The Galleries in Sunset Center. This year, several artists from Oklahoma, Taos, Santa Fe, and Colorado joined local and regional artists to demonstrate their art and display their works for sale. It was a huge success and plans are underway to make it even bigger next year.

Although Amarillo Art Institute, Panhandle Art Center and the Sunset Gallery keep regular hours, some of the artists cannot be available every day. If you want to visit when most of the galleries are open, watch the paper for special events or come for  “First Friday Art Walk”  from 5-9 pm on the first Friday of each month. In studio sentosa, we say our hours are by chance or appointment. Give us a call at 676-1733 to make sure someone is there. The next big event will be Holiday Market , November 14-15 and will showcase holiday gifts and works of art. Be sure to mark your calendar to visit Sunset Center during that weekend. Let us help you do your Christmas shopping early this year and truly enjoy every minute of the shopping experience. Give unique works of art this year and surprise and delight those that you love the most.

Sunset Center began as a place for people to come and shop. My friends and I loved to go and just hang out. It is still drawing people in, but for a different reason. It is still a place to see and be seen, a great place for walking. But the now visitors will find a community of artists that bring their art and their hearts to share with everyone that comes in their doors. One of a kind, handmade works of art can be found throughout the center. Artists across the country are envious of the energy being created inside the walls of this beautiful, old shopping mall. The artists are a humanity of creativity. Sunset Center is a gift to Amarillo and its artists. It has given me and everyone in our community a place to come together to grow and learn, create and just have a ball hanging out. I hope you will come out soon, enjoy the art, and see the sun rising over Sunset Center.

New Life for and Old Mall is a post from: Destination Amarillo

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Over the years, Route 66 has been the locale for many rides and races—classic car rallies, motorcycle runs, and even marathons, but perhaps none as notable as The Bunion Derby of 1928. From the start Route 66 was a link to the West, a road winding through America’s frontier. Promoters along the highway were looking for ways to get Americans on the road, spending their money along Route 66.  As more Americans purchased their first automobiles in the late 1920’s, they became more interested in the highway and its attractions.

Lon Scott, publicist for the National U.S. Highway Association, thought of a creative idea to draw American motorists to the wonders of Route 66. He envisioned a 3,422 mile foot race from Los Angeles to New York City to gain publicity for “The Main Street of America.” C.C. Pyle was put in charge of overseeing the race. Red Grange, a grid-iron hero from the University of Illinois and Arthur Duffy, the first man to run the 100 yard dash in 9:3.5 seconds were referees for the cross-country. Pyle planned on cashing in on the race by charging a $100 entry fee from each runner, selling programs in towns along the race and obtaining sponsorship from cities along the route.

As they lined up in Los Angeles on March 4, 1928, the 199 runners from across the country and around the world had their eye on a $25,000 prize in the longest race ever held on the longest road ever paved. Some ran barefooted, some carried Bibles, one had a cane and another played a ukulele, but all had that prize money on their minds. Perhaps America’s first brush with integrated sports, the starters included five African Americans, a Jamaican-born Canadian, and as many as fifteen Latin Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders, representing about ten percent of the competitors.

It proved to be a grueling race and as early as the second day, more than a dozen runners had already dropped out. The uphill slog of the Cajon Pass in southern California known for freezing fog and high winds took out another fifty runners. The hardships they dealt with were treacherous—primitive roads, desert heat, numbing cold, sunburn, lack of food and chronic injuries from running 30-60 miles per day, seven days a week.

They were faced with a blizzard for thirty-seven miles from Vega to Amarillo and on April 5^th, only ninety-one runners made it into the Texan ball park where the Amarillo Broncs were scheduled to play a rival team. Patrick LaMarr, a former lightweight boxer, sprinted in ahead of the others. LaMarr had developed blisters and bleeding feet after the first few days of the race, and he was advised to drop out. Refusing the medical advice, he proceeded to hobble with two walking canes until his blistered and bleeding feet healed to form a callous which gave him a unique pair of running soles. Amarilloans cheered the only Texan in the race, Kenneth Campbell, who was among the early arrivals. The ballgame was cancelled due to the inclement weather  and it was only a brave crowd that stayed to hear the runners names as they entered the stadium. The runners camped on the ball park that night in the wind, rain, and snow.

Amarillo’s close proximity to Oklahoma made Andrew Payne of Foyil, Oklahoma another favorite. As he entered Amarillo, he was in 3^rd place for lapsed time and Arthur Duffy said this young man of Cherokee descent was not developing the physical problems that so many of the runners were experiencing and his attitude was growing stronger every day. This unlikely contender was met by the Oklahoma governor as he entered the state and he took a breather to speak to the crowd, “Hello, home folks, I’m glad to be back. Hope to see you in New York.”

Amarillo marked the thirty-third day of the long grind which was expected to end around May 25^th.  They had survived the ninety-five degree heat in the Mojave Desert, freezing mountain passes, the thin mountain air in Arizona and New Mexico and a Texas Panhandle blizzard and they weren’t even half-way there. The hardships they dealt with were treacherous—primitive roads, unbearable desert heat, numbing cold wind, sunburn, lack of food and chronic injuries from running 30-60 miles per day, seven days a week. As they left for Groom at 7:00 a.m. the next morning, the desk sergeant at the city jail reported a very busy evening the night before.

Black runners ran side by side with white runners into the Jim Crow segregated South where they were forced out of the communal tent into a “colored only” ten. In Western Oklahoma, a farmer trained a shotgun on Eddie Gardner’s back and rode behind him the entire day, daring him to pass a white man. They also found tightly knit black communities that supported them, raised money for them and gave them a clean bed and solid meal to keep them going in the face of so much hate. White runners had bonded with them like brothers over the brutal miles of Route 66. They protected and supported their black brothers from the angry mobs claiming that blacks had no business racing against whites.

Stories revolved around the promoter, C.C. Pyle, who saw the race as a cash cow. But with many towns refusing to pay the sponsorship fee, it became questionable whether the winners would receive any prize money at all. Between the absurdly Spartan accommodations and broken promises, Mr. Pyle became so hated by the runners that they cheered when his luxury travel vehicle was seized by creditors. Many tales were told of the runners and their tribulations across America on Route 66.Take Pat LaMarr, who after running 50 miles one day—on feet that had just healed from bleeding and blisters, was found shuffling away the hours in a dance hall in Holbrook, Arizona. There was Frank Chavis who insisted on wearing red trunks—not a problem until he met a bull that was attracted by the red shorts and helped Frank make the best time of the race for a few minutes that day. A few runners were hit by cars and there was at least one hit and run. A few runners suffered nervous breakdowns. By the time the runners reached New York City, they looked more like POW’s than athletes. Somehow they all survived.

On May 26, 1928, fifty five weary men made their final laps around Madison Square Garden, marking the end of the eighty-four day ordeal. These men had all been looking for a piece of the American dream. They did not run for medals or trophies, but for that prize money that could pay off a mortgage, buy a house, or give their children decent clothes to wear. In 1928, $25,000 was a small fortune.

In the end, it was the twenty one year old Cherokee Indian farm boy from Foyil, Oklahoma that finished first. Andy Payne finished the 3,421.5 miles in 588 hours, 40 minutes, and 13 seconds hours ahead of all other competitors. That is a 4 ½ hour marathon, all the way across the country—over the mostly unpaved and potholed Route 66, in all kinds of weather, every day for eighty-four days. His youthful endurance and fearlessness embodied the American “go-getter” attitude and he quickly became a true American hero using his prize money to pay off the family farm.

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The 1928 Bunion Derby: The Route 66 International Trans-Continental Foot Race – By Marsha Clements is a post from: Destination Amarillo

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Working Ranch Cowboys Association (WRCA)

(806) 374-9722

http://www.wrca.org/contact.php

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Working Ranch Cowboys Association is a post from: Destination Amarillo

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Tradewinds Airport is a post from: Destination Amarillo

This local theatre company hosts two separate seasons in two venues. The main stage hosts more traditional favorites while the new Adventure Space specializes in more cutting edge dramatic and comedy productions.

http://www.amarillolittletheatre.org/

(806) 355-9991

2019 Civic Cir
Amarillo, TX 79109

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American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum is a post from: Destination Amarillo

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(806) 373-7464

www.amarillolivestockauction.com

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(806) 376-7767

3301 E 10th Ave
Amarillo, TX 79104

www.AmarilloNationalCenter.com

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Famous Cornbread Cheeseburger and SOB Chili and mega-sandwiches!

Located on historic Route 66  Barnaby’s has been servin’ up its famous chili for over 30 years. If you’re lookin’ for real cowboy chow this is the place to find it. With a menu that features cornbread cheeseburgers, stew, beans, and pippin’ hot cobbler this is the place for real Texas comfort food.

3811 West 6th Avenue
Amarillo, Texas 79106

(806) 358-6998

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