The 48-year-old Labor Day art exhibit, once a premier event, suffered from dwindling attendance.

An art show known for drawing thousands of visitors to Fort Williams Park annually since the late-1960s has been canceled.

Engine One Co. in Cape Elizabeth announced its decision a few weeks ago to drop sponsorship of the 48-year-old Labor Day Art Show, originally scheduled for Sept. 6.

According to Cape Elizabeth Firefighter Mike Davis, the art show administrator, Engine One decided in February to stop organizing the show, and since then, it has yet to find another group to take over.

“It may be resurrected, it may not,” Davis said. “I don’t have any idea at this point in time.”

One of the main reasons for canceling the show is the decline in attendance in recent years, not only by the public, but also by the artists, Davis said. In its heyday, he said, the show would draw 100 to 125 artists and 4,000 to 6,000 visitors.

While he doesn’t think there is any less art interest, he said, more art shows have popped up throughout Maine in recent years, which means artists don’t need to travel far to participate.

“From mid-May to mid-October, there is an art show or craft show, or two, somewhere,” said Davis, who has organized the show for 35 years. “There’s one more close to home now for almost everybody. That was not the way it was until eight to 10 years ago.”

In addition, arranging the show was a huge time commitment for organizers, and this year they decided to pursue other interests, said Davis.

Engine One Co. is an organization of firefighters that raises money for the department.

The Labor Day Art Show was organized as a fundraiser in the 1960s. Every year, the money raised from the artist entry fees – last year about $1,000 – went toward purchasing new equipment, furniture, “and all things that relate to the firefighting activity,” Davis said.

“I am going to miss the show incredibly,” he said. “We thank everybody for their past support.”

Charlie Widdis, a southern Maine landscape photographer who took first place for “best photography” during the 2014 art show, said the event was special to him for several reasons.

“The best part about it was always the location,” he said, “and there was also a guarantee that, no matter the weather, it always drew a crowd.”

Widdis also enjoyed the “laid-back” environment of the show, which he attended for the last four years. He also loved the fact it was held toward the end of tourist season in Maine, which created a different “vibe” than some of the other shows statewide.

“The conversations I had there were probably deeper and longer,” he said. “I would have 10- to 15-minute conversations with people. I’ve had several people who I met specifically at that show who have since ordered more stuff from me, and participate in workshops I’ve put together.”

He said he was disappointed to learn the show would not be happening this year, if at all. “It’s usually the last show I do every year,” Widdis said. “I looked forward to it quite a bit.”

In an email to the Cape Elizabeth Town Council on Monday, Town Manager Mike McGovern confirmed that there would be no art show at Fort Williams Park in September.

“It takes a lot of work to put on an outdoor show, and especially to deal with many artist’s inquiries prior to the event,” McGovern said. “It also takes a considerable amount of marketing to build an audience for the show and to generate the sales which attract artists.”

One Maine artist, Gay Williamson, who has participated in the show for nearly every year since 1986, said she thought the event wasn’t publicized enough, especially in the last few years.

“I think the show is inexpensive, and could stand more of a boost financially, in order to do better advertising,” she said. “I think (the show) should appeal to more fine-art artists because it brings out a better class of purchasers.”

Of her experience, she said, “It’s been wonderful, until the last couple of years when they started taking crafters. Not that craft shows aren’t good – they are – but it changes the population (of visitors) coming to the show.”

Williamson, a Willimantic resident who paints landscapes, seascapes and street scenes on oil and canvas, said Cape Elizabeth is not alone. Several other annual art shows in Maine have been canceled in recent years due to dwindling attendance, she said.

Her favorite parts of Labor Day Art Show – once considered a “premier” art show in Maine – she said, have been the camaraderie of the artists, the dedication of the organizers, and the location.

“I would do this show again in a heartbeat,” she said. “If they had it tomorrow, I’d be there.”

“It was a real big disappointment for me to see it be canceled,” said Denis LeBlanc, a 2-D painter from Auburn. “It had gone downhill for many years. It had changed from just being an art show, to being a craft show, which also diminished sales for artists.”

Instead of drawing a crowd that was willing to spend up to $1,000 on original artwork, he said, the craft show, which was held on the same field as the art show, attracted more people to Fort Williams who would rather spend $15-$20 on items, like bracelets.

LeBlanc, who had participated in the show since 1995, also said the “decline in attendance comes from the decline in good artists being available.” Especially after the economy tanked in 2008, artists’ sales began to dwindle.

“It used to be really big,” he said of the show. “There was a lot of Maine artists and artists from all over. It was quite something.”

A Willimantic resident and artist, Gay Williamson participated in the Labor Day Art Show in Cape Elizabeth nearly every year since 1986.