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Page 2 The Ferndale (California) Enterprise

207 Francis Street (P. O. Box 1066), Ferndale, California 95536Telephone 707/786-3068

E-mail: editor@ferndaleenterprise.uswww.ferndaleenterprise.us

Founded 1878. Caroline Titus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Publisher, Editor

Published by Cages Publishing, Inc.Caroline Titus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President

Member, California Newspaper Publishers Association,National Newspaper Association

The annual Souvenir Edition is published every summer and isavailable free of charge from participating sponsors.

Copies by mail: $5 each.

large screen TV, and ahuge bathroom with ashower and a separateclaw foot tub. It wasnamed after a dear friendwho, although she lovedit here, could never staybecause she was in awheel chair and couldn’tnegotiate the stairs. Shehas since passed away, butif she were still with us wecould enjoy her companyas a guest, and others whomight have difficultymanaging the staircase tothe upper rooms can nowrelax and enjoy Ferndalein luxury and comfort.

The Victorian-appointed rooms all haveprivate baths. Severalrooms have window

alcoves overlooking Fern-dale's historic MainStreet. The rooms havebeen lavishly appointedwith exquisite linens,antique armoires and fur-niture. The rooms featureflat screen cable televi-sions and free wirelessInternet.

The ambiance is turn-of-the-century splendor,and the sky-lit hallwaysmake a stroll seem like atrip back in time. Guestsmay choose from largerking suites to smallerqueens and even oneroom with a standarddouble bed.

A conference room isavailable for meetings andretreats for larger groups.

And guests are served afull breakfast each morn-ing, choosing from themenu of our full-servicerestaurant downstairs,The VI.

Guests will enjoy lux-ury accommodations,exceptional service, greatfood and all the warmthand comfort of a boutiquevillage inn in this well-known historic landmark.

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Photo courtesy of The Victorian Inn“Your room is ready” at the Victorian Inn, which offers accommodations, a fine restaurant and confer-ence/meeting facilities.

Victorian Inn offers turn-of-the-century splendor

For over a century,the building housing theVictorian Inn of Ferndalehas been a keystone inthe life of this famous vil-lage. It has been restoredwith loving detail andattention, and is ownedand operated by JennyOaks and Lowell Daniels.The first-class accom-modations can fill 21st-century needs whilesurrounding its guestswith the ambiance of theleisurely, luxurious past.

The newest additionto the Inn is Anna’s Suiteon the ground floor, fea-turing a king-size bed-room, a living room, acomputer work station &printer, a full kitchen, a

Need a chocolate fix? Head to Sweetness & Light

First stop? Ferndale PieCompany for good eats

Enterprise staff photoSweetness and Light offers not only the finest choco-lates, it also has a take-out window for those quickfixes of coffee and chocolate!

The sight, fragranceand taste of handmade,traditional chocolates areat Sweetness & Light.

Located next to thepost office, the candykitchen and store carry ona tradition that goes backto the turn of the 20thcentury. Candies are stillcooked the old-fashionedway: in small batches, withonly the best quality ingre-dients and no preserva-tives added.

Many days you canobserve through thekitchen window the cook-ing and dipping of tradi-tional opera creams,fudges, brittles andcaramels. But time hasnot stood still in thekitchen, and you can alsoobserve the cooking anddipping of truffles, giantall-nut patties, a variety ofcandy bars (gooey andoutrageously rich or nuttycrunchy), and chocolate

novelties including choco-late lollies, cows, basketsand boxes.

If you're looking for aquick and delicious coffeefix, the Sweetness & LightEspresso Take-Out Win-dow will certainly please.Select a traditionalespresso coffee or anynumber of specialty cof-fee drinks served from 7am - 4:30 pm Mondaythrough Saturday andSunday from 7 am to 3:30pm. The candy store isopen from 10 am - 5 pmMonday through Saturdayand 11 am - 4 pm Sunday.

If you have a favoritecandy that you can't livewithout, be sure to callahead so we can have itwaiting for you. And,don’t forget, we ship!

After you return homefrom your visit to Fern-dale and get the hanker-ing for Sweetness & Lighttraditional chocolates,

check out our website.Along with special promocodes for discounts, thesite will make your mouthwater as you shop by fla-vor, category or readreviews from other choco-late lovers. Don’t forget toto “like us” on Facebook.

Sweetness & Light: Cel-ebrating more than 30years of delicious confec-tions.

By 1928, ThomasEdison’s “talking pic-tures” were all the rageand the Hart installed theequipment to cater to anaudience hungry for thisnew form of entertain-ment. Twenty-eight yearslater, in 1956, on a typi-cal gray, rainy Saturday

afternoon, the Hart The-atre was to present its lastpicture show. Bogart andBacall, Hepburn andTracy, Laurel and Hardybecame names from aglorious but fading past,and the Hart Theatremourned their passing.

The building would

remain empty until 1972,when Ferndale busi-nesspersons, dairy farm-ers, local residents andartists who envisioned aperforming arts center intheir town rehabilitatedthe Hart and their visionbecame reality: The Fer-

The Ferndale Reper-tory Theatre will open its2013-2014 season inOctober with what hasmade the “rep” a populardestination for more thanfour decades: quality liveperformances that appealto a broad audience.

The rep’s line-up ofplays, showcases, andspecial events has some-thing for everyone—fam-ilies enjoy affordableentertainment, childrenand young adults partic-ipate in the creativeprocess onstage andbehind-the-scenes, adultactors, designers, andtechnicians hone theirskills, and audiences mar-vel at the superb qualityof productions availablein a charming Victoriansetting.

In 1920, the P.F. Hartfamily built a theatre inFerndale. Familiesflocked to the Hart tomarvel at the “movies”and swoon over RudolphValentino, idolize the “It”Girl, and chortle withChaplin. Burlesque wasbig and road shows madeFerndale a regular stopon their tour.

The Ferndale Repertory Theatre

(see RREEPP/page 15)

Celebrating 42 years of entertainment worth experiencing!

Ring’s Pharmacy: Oldestdrug store in California

It’s as if there has beena Ring’s Pharmacy in Fer-ndale for as long as therehas been a Main Street.

J.H. Ring originallydispensed his pills andelixirs across the streetfrom the present location,in a towering structurebuilt in 1894-95. The 362Main Street store is com-mercial Eastlake Stick.(The J.H. Ring familylived above the store andenjoyed a balcony, sinceremoved.)

When J.H. Ringretired, he passed thebusiness to his son,Meredith.

The building was rein-forced with steel rods andtimber braces followingthe 1906 earthquake. Infact, these braces are to becredited for holding thebuilding during the April

Ferndale Pie Com-pany is one of Ferndale’sgreat local eateries. OpenMonday thru Saturdayfrom 7 am to 7 pm thisfamily owned and oper-ated restaurant offerssomething for breakfastlunch and dinner as wella variety of freshly bakedpies and other tastydeserts.

Freshly preparedcrepes and pastries,including donuts andbagels, are available allday long. Both hot andcold sandwiches andbread bowls are availablefor lunch or dinner withthree varieties of soupsand chili daily. A freshsalad bar is also open forlunch and dinner.

Pies are baked freshdaily and are availablewhole or by the slice. Onecan also enjoy a varietyof ice cream, cupcakes,brownies, cookies,donuts, candied apples

and other sweet desserts.Kids also enjoy watchingthe automatic donut-making machine locatedinside, as well as othertreats being prepared inview of customers.

Desiring hot cocoa,coffee or espresso? Fern-dale Pie Company is yourstop for your favorite hotdrink.

Owners Doug andBonnie Brower and fam-ily invite you to stop in atthe Ferndale Pie Com-pany, located right acrossfrom Ferndale’s postoffice, and sample one oftheir freshly made minidonuts and to say hello!

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1992 earthquakes.Owner Tom Renner

operates the pharmacybehind the ornately-carved redwood fixture inthe back. You can’t alwayssee him, but he’s alwayshappy to greet customersand answer questions.

Walk in, and you willnotice that Ring’s is morethan a drug store. Thefront end is stocked witha little bit of most things,including cosmetics, film,postcards, sunglasses andfirst-aid supplies. You alsocan find character cookiejars, novelty salt and pep-per shakers, NapoleonPorcelain flowers, mini-hinged boxes and old-fashioned Raggedy Anns.Ring’s also stocks heliumballoons for all occasions.Make prints from yourdigital camera or a print-

to-print while youwait at the KodakKiosk.

“In Ferndale,there isn’t a one-stoptype of super store, sowe try to carry a vari-ety of items,” saysTom. “The ‘regulars’know where the‘tricky items’ are - butmost customers, res-idents and visitorsalike, end up askingfor what they arelooking for.”

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Ring’s Pharmacy at 362 MainSt.

Courtesy Ferndale RepThe Hart Theatre was built in 1920 and has been an integral part of the town sinceits days as a movie theatre and now as a home for high- quality live performancesas The Ferndale Repertory Theatre.