Page 12 The Ferndale (California) Enterprise

There’s more to Main Street; discover Artisan AlleyA stroll down Fern-

dale's historic Main Streetis a pleasure for all thosethat visit Ferndale, butmore awaits in a localetucked behind MainStreet called Artisan Alleywhere one can "catch thevibe and stroll the splen-dor!"

"The whole blockfrom Joe Koches' black-smith shop to publicparking comprises theArtisan Alley Commu-nity. It is a natural culturaldistrict that includes aneclectic group of individ-ual artists and craftsmen,"according to Bruce Keller,painter, scenic artist andsculptor. "The block ofArtisan Alley not onlysurvived the recession butis now flourishing," hesaid.

Keller, along with hiswife, ceramic artist andsculptor Lois Keller,bought their piece of Arti-

san Alley 10 years agowith an eye on studiospace and art education.

"We're still movingforward," said Bruce, whois now ecstatic that newartists have arrived on thealley block or have joinedhis Artisan Alley Studios.The studios and the alleycan be easily accessed viathe city's parking lot in themiddle of Main Street,between the FerndaleClothing Company andthe Ferndale Music Com-pany.

The art scene in Fer-ndale has been vibrant formore than 35 years withsuch notables as HobartBrown, founder of theworld-famous KineticSculpture Race and JackMays, a renowned artistand sculptor and co-founder, with Brown, ofthe Kinetic SculptureRace, which still con-cludes in Ferndale on

Memorial Day.From live theatre at

the Ferndale Rep tomusic, dance, fiber, wood,metal, paint, pencil andclay . . . Ferndale has beenthe stage for all mediums.

With the resurgence ofthe art vibe, one can findon a visit to Artisan AlleyStudios: stained glass, finehistoric sailing ships,woodcraft, painting,ceramics, sculpture,threads and fiber, techni-cal theatre design, engi-neering, construction,and many archaic craftdemonstrations for allages.

For instance, DanielLawrence's Artisan AlleyAnnex is 100 percent vet-eran owned and operatedand specializes in stainedglass design, repair andrestoration, as well asunusual fine wood prod-ucts.

On most days, you'll

Courtesy photo.Artisan Alley located at 375 A (for alley) Main Street, Ferndale.be able to view AndyDoerner meticulouslybuilding to scale his his-toric West Coast shipmodels, and see his won-derful nautical prints,many of which can befound in local restaurantsand homes.

Ayala Talpai, folk artistand feltmaker, offers a finecollection of unique dollsand wearables.

Artisan Alley Studiosmembers all encourage arteducation throughout thedistrict. Bruce currentlyteaches a drawing class andLois, of Lois Keller's Porce-lain and Old Lace Studio& Gallery, is planningfuture workshops. DanielLawrence is apprenticingstained glass students andAndy Doerner is teachinghis model ship building

techniques.Artisan Alley Studios

are open Tuesday throughSaturday from 10 am to 3pm.

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Ferndale Dance Academy celebrating its 10th anniversary!

Courtesy Aesthetic Design & PhotographyThe cast of Ferndale Dance Academy’s 2012 production, “Cinderella Liberty.”

“When we moved toFerndale,” said Laura East,the director of FerndaleDance Academy (FDA),“people told me that adance studio in this areawould never make itbecause the kids were onlyinterested in sports. How-ever, having a dance stu-dio has been a dream ofmine for years so Ithought it was at leastworth a try.”

The first FDA classeswere held in 2003 at thelocal gym in a space“about as big as a match-box,” says East. “The floorshook like crazy wheneverwe jumped. One leap andyou were across. Twoleaps and you’d run into awall.”

That was 10-and-a-half years ago. Since thattime, FDA has moved toa large studio space on thesecond floor of the Dan-ish Hall. Enrollment hastripled, and the studio hasexpanded its roster ofclasses.

“We have studentsfrom all over HumboldtCounty. The really amaz-ing thing to me has beenall of the support we have

received from the com-munity,” said East. “Thepeople in the Eel RiverValley have reallyembraced the dance pro-gram and have helped tomake its success possible.”

FDA offers Tutus forTots, Ballet, Pointe, Musi-cal Theatre Jazz, Hip Hop,and Tap. The studio fea-tures an annual field tripto a dance convention, ascholarship program, andan assistant instructorapprenticeship program.FDA is also the home ofHumboldt Dance Force, agroup of the studio’s mostdedicated students whoperform throughout theyear at various local ven-ues. FDA students haveauditioned and beenaccepted to summer pro-grams including AnaheimBallet, City Ballet of SanDiego, and CaliforniaTheatre Arts in WalnutCreek.

The highlight of theyear is FDA’s full-scaleproduction performed atthe Arkley Center for thePerforming Arts inEureka. This year’s pro-duction, “Starlight Sere-nade,” was written by

Laura and her husbandand business partner,Michael East.

The story takes placeon the back lot of a Hol-lywood movie studio andfollows a girl named Judyas she endeavors to get ascreen test to play Dorothyin “The Wizard of Oz.”

“It really is true that atthe Dance Academy everystudent counts,” says East.“Our shows are very the-atrical, and we incorpo-rate the uniquepersonalities of our stu-dents into the shows andcreate roles that highlighttheir individual talents.”

“Starlight Serenade”performances are June 21and 22 at 7 pm at theArkley Center. Ticketscan be purchased at theArkley box office in per-son, over the phone (442-1956), and online.

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“Every student counts” at popular dance studio

Nothing but smiles at theFerndale Children’s Center

The Ferndale Chil-dren’s Center opened itsdoor in 1989. Its firsthome was located at theFerndale Fairgrounds. Itmoved to the Firemen’sPavilion in 1991. The cen-ter is licensed through theDepartment of SocialServices for 39 childrenages two through 12. Thecenter is open Monday-Friday from 7:30 am-5:30pm.

Ferndale Children’sCenter offers three morn-ing programs: a two-year-old program, three-year-old program and a pre-kindergarten program.

These programs offerhands-on learning expe-riences where childrenlearn through play. Manyopportunities are offeredto the children to explore

diversity. The pre-K class makes

multiple visits to the Fern-dale Elementary kinder-garten to ensure a smoothtransition from preschoolto kindergarten. The cen-ter is very involved in thecommunity and partici-pates in many localevents.

Ferndale Children’sCenter is very fortunateto have a qualified anddedicated staff that enjoysworking in the wonderfultown of Ferndale. Thestaff are all CPR and first-aid certified. They con-tinue their education eachyear by attending work-shops and conferences.

In addition to themorning programs, thecenter offers afternoon

Enterprise staff photosYou’ll find lots of smiles at the Ferndale Children’s Center, located adjacent toFiremen’s Park.

childcare. Kindergartenchildren to 12-year-oldsattend the center beforeschool, after school, holi-day vacations and summer.The center offers school-age children the opportu-nity to explore differentarts and crafts, games,music and time to learnsocial skills.

The staff and commu-nity of Ferndale are proudof the Ferndale Children’sCenter. If you find yourselfin need of preschool orchildcare, please call orstop by.

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