Live Oak Art Center prepares for annual Brunson Night

Future of the financially struggling nonprofit will depend on community support

Live Oak Art Center member artists gathered to paint pumpkin decorations, Tuesday, Sept. 2, for the center’s upcoming annual Day of the Dead Brunson Night Fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 18.

The Live Oak Art Center puts out monthly artist calls for members to socialize and engage in an artistic activity. This month, the center called artists to paint, decorate and style fake pumpkin table decorations to be raffled as fundraisers during Brunson Night. This year’s Brunson Night theme highlights Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead.

“We realized that there were really no adult-themed-type Halloween parties, and we didn’t want to go full on Halloween. It’s just a theme,” Live Oak Art Center President Renee Long said. “...We are just trying to do something fun because for the longest time it was Denim and Diamonds, and it felt [like] that was starting to get old and tedious...We just wanted to go in a little bit of a different direction and have something that was more fun with bright colors.”

The annual Brunson Night is primarily the Live Oak Art Center’s biggest fundraiser. The funds support opening the doors, maintaining the old building, employing staff and running programs. Long said that the center is struggling to keep certain programs like the summer school classes free. According to Long, the financial success of Brunson Night has significantly decreased over time. Last year’s event failed to reach the fundraising goal of around $30,000 to $40,000, which is less than a quarter of the nonprofit’s annual budget.

“We need Brunson [Night] this year to be successful in order to keep all of our programs in place,” Long said. “... The Live Oak Art Center, like a lot of non-profits, is struggling...We need the community to step up to the plate and make Brunson Night a success.”

The event’s name, “Brunson Night,” serves as tribute to the Brunson Saloon, the historic building where Live Oak Art Center calls home. According to the Texas Historical Commission, German immigrant Charles Brunson built the Brunson Building in 1891 and added the adjacent store in 1896. From 1898 to 1907, the building witnessed much of the violence from the Reese-Townsend Feud. In 1906, the saloon served as a gun depositary after a citizen resolution made carrying guns illegal. The feud ended with the arrival of the Texas Rangers who took over law enforcement activities. The building was last utilized as a saloon in 1919. The Live Oak Art Center was formed in 1954 and moved in in 1986. Long said Brunson Night also serves as a tribute to the history of the building.

“The history of the building is so fascinating when you realize all the different things that went on there that had such a profound impact on the history of this town,” Long said. “...We just like to acknowledge and embrace that part of our history at the Live Oak Art Center. We really try to keep the Brunson theme alive in the minds of everyone that comes in the building.”

The event will feature live music from the Emotions Band, catering from Calle 7 Tacos, bucket raffles, a silent auction and a beer and wine bar. Doors at the Southern Oaks Event Center will open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $50 per person, and dressing up in costume or makeup is optional.