Clarence Rutland and an unknown judge or exhibitor converse at the 1964 Sanibel Shell Fair held at the Sanibel Community House. An Art Exhibit and Sale have regularly been a part of the annual Shell Fair.
Most Sanibel resorts provided some place to clean the live shells their guests collected. It was a place to boil out and clean the animal from the shell, without bringing the "catch" into the guest rooms.
The first Sanibel Shell shows were competitions between the winter residents at the Sisters Hotel (later Casa Ybel Resort) and the Matthews Hotel (later the Island Inn) a couple of miles west along the beach. By 1909 the competitions were being reported in the Fort Myers newspaper, and attracted people to see the exhibits. This early exhibit includes Lion's Paws, in front of the woman, possible the Tayntor's.