In 1978, the Sunrise Beach Benefit Association bought the land that now holds the city complex. When it was paid off, the association deeded it to the city. The building that became the Civic Center was, in the words of the city's own history, "just a big welding shed." Nearly half a century later, most of the town's fall happens inside it. That includes the first-Friday potluck, Halloween Bingo, the fire department's Veterans Program and the Christmas Party.
Those events are booked into the Civic Center because the group running most of them was formed to finish the building, and it still lists the building's upkeep as its main job.
A building bought without a bond
The city's "A Nearly Accurate History of Sunrise Beach" explains why the purchase went through the Benefit Association. If the city had bought the property itself, it would have had to float bonds, hire special advisors and follow expensive state-mandated rules. The association bought the land outright and handed over the deed once it was paid off. The city and the association paid for restrooms, a foyer and space for a kitchen, then stopped. No more money would be spent until residents showed they wanted a city complex for activities and group meetings.
That decision is how the Citizens for Community Action Association, the CCAA, came to exist. Alice Oberg started the group and served as its first president.
"Ten people loaned the CCAA $500 each for a $5000 startup fund and I started the one hundred dollar club and off the yellow brick road we went."
Fundraisers began inside the half-finished building almost as soon as the walls went up. According to the history, every few dollars the CCAA raised went straight to materials. When the sides were closed in, the group bought heat pumps, all paid for "with contributions and donated labor." Most of the lenders told the CCAA to keep half of their loans as a donation. The history gives special credit to volunteer Ed Houy. It says he got the land purchase started, drew the building's plans, tracked down most of the materials and worked more hours than anyone else.
Then, in 1985, 14 inches of snow fell on Sunrise Beach. The weight caved in the Civic Center roof and left the building unsafe. Insurance covered only part of the repair. By then the CCAA had already raised money from residents and from companies including GTE, Exxon and the LCRA. Through all of it, the history says, "the Primary function of the CCAA still continued to be the maintenance and upkeep of the Civic Center."
The fall season, date by date
With that history in mind, the 2026 calendar reads as the same building doing the job it was built for. Here is what the city and the CCAA have posted for the rest of the year:
| Date | Event | Where | Run by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m. | CCAA Potluck Dinner | Civic Center | CCAA |
| Saturday, Oct. 31, 6 p.m. | Halloween Bingo | Civic Center | CCAA |
| Wednesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m. | SBVFD Veterans Program | Civic Center | Sunrise Beach Village Fire Department |
| Thursday, Nov. 26, 9 a.m. start | 5th Annual Wobble before you Gobble | Sunrise Beach Federated Church, 105 E. Lakeshore Dr. | CCAA |
| Saturday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m. | CCAA Christmas Party | Civic Center | CCAA |
A few details are worth having before each date:
- The potluck is part of a first-Friday series. The CCAA's own page says there is no potluck in December, because the Christmas Party takes its place.
- The Christmas Party is listed for Dec. 5 on the city calendar. The CCAA site still showed the date as to be determined when we checked, so confirm with the group before you put it on the fridge.
- The Wobble is the one CCAA event this fall held away from the Civic Center. It's a Thanksgiving-morning walk with 1-, 2- and 5-kilometer options for all ages and fitness levels. Arrival and music run from 8:30 to 8:55 a.m. in the Federated Church parking lot, and refreshments wait at the finish. The CCAA's archive includes a "Wobble before you Gobble 2022," so the 2026 walk is the fifth in a row.
What the potlucks and Bunco nights keep running
The events in that table are only the visible part of a fuller schedule. The CCAA lists two game days a month. Bunco night is the fourth Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Civic Center, next on Oct. 27. Players bring $10 to play, plus a snack and their own beverages. The group's general meeting is on the second Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Civic Center, except in July and December. That puts the next two meetings on Oct. 14 and Nov. 11.
Membership is automatic. The CCAA says every resident of Sunrise Beach Village is a member, and its about pages list no dues. The money comes from programs. The clearest example is the Flag Program. For $100 a year, CCAA volunteers put a flag up at your home for patriotic holidays and store it in between, and the proceeds go into the general fund for social events and approved community improvements. The group says it also raises money for parks, pickleball courts and walking trails. Its Outreach Committee works with local churches, the city and other groups when a neighbor needs help.
The 2026 board is led by chairman Dena Arnold, with Bettyelane Chambliss as vice chair, Leslie White Carlson as treasurer and Joanne Rimkus as secretary. Nancy Townsend and Pam Johnson lead outreach, and Tammy Guest and Stephanie Evans serve as advisers. Residents who want a bigger role can join the event, outreach and community-needs committees. Committee meetings appear on the CCAA calendar or come up at the monthly general meeting.
The group has outgrown the building at least once. Its Sip & Stroll art show grew enough to move outdoors to McNair Park. The fifth one was held there on Nov. 8, 2025, with live music from the band Long Tooth, a silent auction, a raffle and a wine pull. No 2026 date had been posted when we checked.
The firehouse on the same calendar
The one fall event at the Civic Center that the CCAA doesn't run is the Sunrise Beach Village Fire Department's Veterans Program, at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11. The two groups' histories are tied together too. According to the city's history, the CCAA's founding freed the Ladies Auxiliary to put its full attention on supporting the fire department, because the town now had a second civic group to take on new projects.
That fire department is going through its own building project this year. DailyTrib reported in February that Sunrise Beach Fire Station No. 1 is getting a renovation costing more than $1 million as Emergency Services District No. 5 moves from a volunteer department to a professional one. Firefighters will work 48-hour shifts, so the 10,000-square-foot station is adding four bunk rooms, a shared kitchen and living area, a separate ventilated room for turnout gear, and a treatment room near the front entrance. "This is their house for one third of their life," Fire Chief Patrick Cates told the paper. The layout also lets volunteer firefighters get to their gear and trucks without walking through the living quarters. So the Veterans Program this year comes from a department in the middle of a changeover, and the CCAA hosts it in the hall it built.
Renting the room yourself
Between CCAA events, the Civic Center is a city facility regulated by the City Council. Individuals and groups can rent it, and the fees help pay for maintenance. The current rental contract has three rates, each for a four-hour block:
- Community-group activities, $20, with a $25 deposit. The activity must be open to all Sunrise Beach residents, and at least 75 percent of the group must be residents.
- Personal events for Sunrise Beach property owners, $160, with a $500 deposit.
- All other private or group uses, $250, with a $500 deposit.
The contract names CCAA activities among the uses allowed at the Civic Center. At its Sept. 17 meeting, the council amended the rental rules for Fair Park and the Civic Center to clarify how deposits and the holding period work. Check the current contract on the city's website before you book a holiday gathering.
If you want to go farther afield on an open weekend, Llano Oktoberfest runs Oct. 10–11 at the Llano Fine Arts Guild, 503 Bessemer Ave. The Llano River Pumpkin Float is Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Horseshoe Bay Resort's Wine, Dine & Jazz Festival is Nov. 6–7, and the resort lists its Nov. 7 day pass as open to everyone, with no hotel stay required. The city's own events, listed at sunrisebeachtx.gov, and the CCAA's calendar are where the Civic Center dates appear first.
At McAlister Realty, we follow Sunrise Beach Village through its civic calendar as closely as we follow its sales. Places like the Civic Center help explain what owning here is like. If you'd like to talk through what this season means for your property, Tara is glad to sit down with you. Request a Market Consultation.
