2009-10 Souvenir Edition

How about a Ferndale scavenger hunt,
complete with prize for those that finish

Enterprise staff photos
Exploring Ferndales historic
Main Street and its neighbor-
ing avenues is a great activity
for visitors. So is taking in the
areas countryside. While you
may not be driving a 57
Chevy, you can followthe lead
of Ferndale sisters Ellie Green,
left, Carolyn Meade, center,
and Loretta Huntress and ven-
ture out a little. Pack a picnic
and enjoy discovering the sce-
nary. Enterprise columnist
Wendy Lestina has a fewhints
about what you may find!
Serving the Eel, Bear and Mattole River Valleys Since 1878 June 2009
Souvenir
Edition
Souvenir
Edition
Souvenir
Edition
Souvenir
Edition
Whats
inside
Year-round
calendar of
events
Page 7
Excursions
Page 13
Ferndale
Walking
Tour Map
Page 16
Ferndale
Driving
Tour Map
Page 16
Ferndales
history
began in
wilds and
willows
Think youve seen and done it all on
your visit to Ferndale? Wait a minute!
By Viola Russ McBride
Do you ever wonder
what met the gaze of the
men who climbed Table
Bluff in 1852 and looked
southward over the Eel
River Valley to what would
later become Ferndale?
According to various
OLD old-timers, most of
the valley was covered with
a dense thicket of willows,
punctuated here and there
by conifers, primarily
spruce and redwood. I can
remember as a child, early
in the 20th century, huge
single trees with night-
marish twisted limbs
throughout the valley.
Seth Shaw and his
brother, Stephen, did more
than gaze across the tan-
gled willows of the valley.
Early in that summer of
1852, they went exploring.
In August, with a friend,
Willard Allen, they pad-
dled an Indian dugout
canoe from Eel Rivers
North Bay south across the
mouth of the Eel River and
up the Salt River branch to
the south of Francis Creek.
Here, they beached
their canoe and followed
an elk trail up the creek
until they came to an open-
ing close to the base of the
hills where there were no
willows.
Ferns grew over the
opening. Some say they
were so tall they would
cover a man on horseback.
Tall enough that the party
decided to call the place
Ferndale.
The rainy season was
close at hand, so the three
hurried to build shelter.
Before long, they had built
themselves a cabin with an
earthen fireplace for
warmth and cooking.
As time went on, one of
their visitors was Seth Kin-
man, later a famous hunter,
trapper and acquaintance
of two U. S. presidents, as
well as barkeep at Table
Bluff.
In 1853, Ferndale held
its first election, where else
By Wendy Lestina
Enterprise columnist
A long weekend in
Ferndale is delicious: you
shop, walk Main Street,
eat four meals in close
succession, drive out to
the beach, see a play,
watch a parade, tour the
museum, and take the
two mandatory hikes: up
into the splendor of Russ
Park, and up again to the
top of the cemetery.
If youre in the mar-
ket for local color, and
the season is right, you
can cheer at a high school
football or soccer game
(or elementary school
basketball), play bocce in
the Firemans Park
(equipment is available
to rent at J&W Liquors
for $5), worship at one of
our five churches (Fern-
dale Community; St.
Marks Missouri Synod
Lutheran; St. Marys
Episcopal; Our Saviors
ELCA Lutheran; and
Assumption Catholic),
eat yet again at the Vet-
erans Sunday breakfast,
and yet again at the
(free) Sunday night sup-
per & show in the social
hall of Our Saviors.
But what if you
stayed longer? Five days?
A week? Sure, the week-
ends are jam-packed
with nonstop fun (Fern-
dale is so busy that its
unofficial motto is the
spot-on remark from
Nina Brown: In Fern-
dale 50 years can go by
and you havent done
your breakfast dishes
yet) but what about
those pesky weekdays?
Suddenly, all your
new best friends are
busy; the toll of midnight
has turned the partyers
back into merchants and
teachers and builders and
farmers. Wait a minute!
No one without a cos-
tume ever has to go to
work in Disneyland.
Head to
the
friendly
Ferndale
Museum
for history
lesson
The Ferndale
Museum serves as a liv-
ing history classroom.
Visitors are invited to
sit on period furniture
in our Victorian parlor
and listen to a tune on
our player piano.
When you have rested
you may stroll down
the lane and peek
into the windows of our
Victorian rooms. Sev-
eral rooms, including a
dining room, formal
parlor, bathroom,
kitchen and bedroom
are set up as they would
have been in the late
1800s.
Visitors will also
find Ferndales last bar-
bershop in its entirety,
a circa 1900 Bosch-
(see MUSEUM/page 13)
(see HUNT/page 12)
This spring The Fern-
dale Enterprise celebrated
the 131st anniversary of
its birth. It was on May 11,
1878 that the Jones boys
William Gaston, James
and Archibald, sons of the
town's Methodist minis-
ter launched their
weekly newspaper. It has-
n't missed an issue since.
The Joneses had taken
space on Brown Street to
house their offices and
printing press. William
Gaston Jones was the edi-
tor. He and his brothers
had launched The Enter-
prise as an answer to oft-
expressed dreams of
Ferndale citizens to have
their own newspaper, and
also in the face of skepti-
cism that the venture
could succeed financially.
Within a few months, the
Jones brothers had
removed any lingering
Enterprise staff photo
The tradition of The Enterprise began with the Jones
boys, sons of the towns Methodist minister, back in
1878.
Ferndale Enterprise keeps the
presses rolling for 131 years
Courtesy Thomas Stewart, Blue Sky Photography
The Humboldt County Fair offers an eight-day racing meet in August when
racing enthusiasts can watch Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Appaloosas and mules
race around a half-mile track.
Fair legend continues in 2009
Since 1896, the
Humboldt County Fair
has been a vital and inte-
gral part of Ferndale.
Located on the
northern end of town,
the 65-acre fairgrounds
represents about one-
fourth of the city's geo-
graphic composition and
contributes substantial
economic and social ben-
efits to the "Cream City"
and its surrounding com-
munities.
The Humboldt
County Fair Association,
a non-profit organiza-
tion, assumes the opera-
tional and administrative
responsibilities for run-
ning the fairgrounds,
which include year-
round rental of buildings
and facilities and the
production of the annual
11-day county fair.
Despite the fair
(see FAIR/page 15)
doubts by engaging sales
agents in Eureka, Rohn-
erville, Petrolia even
Sacramento and San Fran-
cisco.
In 1880, the Reverend
Jones left the Methodist
(see ENTERPRISE/page 14)
(See HISTORY/page 14)
Page 2 The Ferndale (California) Enterprise
600 Main Street, Ferndale, California 95536
(P. O. Box 1066)
Telephone 707/786-4611 Fax 707/786-4311
E-mail: editor@ferndaleenterprise.us
www.ferndaleenterprise.us
Founded 1878.
Caroline Titus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Publisher, Editor,
Caroline Blattner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Proofreader
Published by Cages Publishing, Inc.
Caroline Titus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .President
Stuart Titus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vice-President
Member, California Newspaper Publishers Association,
The annual Souvenir Edition is published every summer
and is available free of charge from participating
sponsors. Copies by mail: $5 each.
Several rooms have win-
dow alcoves overlooking
Ferndale's historic Main
Street. The rooms have
been lavishly appointed
with exquisite linens,
antique armoires and fur-
niture. There are tele-
phones in every room,
cable television is avail-
able upon request and
cable or wireless Internet
access is available at no
charge.
The ambiance is turn-
of-the-century splendor,
and the sky-lit, fern-filled
hallways make a stroll
seem like a trip back in
time. Guests may choose
from the masculine
appointments of the Ira
Russ Suite, named for the
Inn's builder, or its sister-
suite, the Maggie C. Russ
Room, featuring a king-
size bed, a window alcove
and an adjoining single
guest or child's room.
The Enos Room is named
for a beloved local pio-
neer clan and features
family photos and treas-
ured Victoriana. Its
adjoining suite, the Barn-
aby Room, has been
named for Ferndale's
famous carriage horse.
There are several
other rooms decorated in
crisp, bright lace and
summer colors, including
Jessicas Haven, named for
Jennys daughter, and
Hanas Hideaway, the
Emily Rose Room,
Marens Suite and Sylvias
Room, named for the
couples beloved grand-
daughters. A conference
room is available for
meetings and retreats for
larger groups. And guests
are served a full breakfast
each morning.
The Victorian Inn and
its guests are extremely
fortunate to have Curley
Tait, the premier restau-
rateur on the North
Coast, offering his fine
dining experiences on the
premises. Its a case of
Everybody Wins.
Guests will enjoy lux-
ury accommodations,
exceptional service, great
food and all the warmth
and comfort of a small
village inn in this well-
known historic landmark.
THE VICTORIAN INN
400 Ocean Avenue
Tel. 707/786-4949
www. A-Victorian-Inn.com
Innkeeper@A-Victorian-Inn-.com
Photo courtesy of The Victorian Inn
The Victorian Inn offers accommodations, a fine restaurant and conference/meet-
ing facilities.
Victorian Inn offers turn-of-the-century splendor
For over a century,
the building housing the
Victorian Inn of Ferndale
has been a keystone in
the life of this famous vil-
lage. It has been restored
with loving detail and
attention, and is owned
and operated by Jenny
Oaks and Lowell Daniels.
The first-class accom-
modations can fill 21st-
century needs while
surrounding its guests
with the ambiance of the
leisurely, luxurious past.
The newest addition
to the Inn is Annas Suite
on the ground floor, fea-
turing a king-size bed-
room, a living room, a
computer work station &
printer, a full kitchen, a
large screen TV, and a
huge bathroom with a
shower and a separate
claw foot tub. It was
named after a dear friend
who, although she loved
it here, could never stay
because she was in a
wheel chair and couldnt
negotiate the stairs. She
has since passed away,
but if she were still with
us we could enjoy her
company as a guest, and
others who might have
difficulty managing the
staircase to the upper
rooms can now relax and
enjoy Ferndale in luxury
and comfort.
The Victorian-
appointed rooms all have
private baths, some with
old-fashioned claw-foot
tubs and accessories.
Need a chocolate fix? Head to Sweetness & Light
Sweetness and Light offers not only the finest choco-
lates, it also has a take-out window for those quick
fixes of coffee and chocolate!
The sight, fragrance
and taste of handmade,
traditional chocolates are
at Sweetness & Light.
Located next to the
post office, the candy
kitchen and store carry on
a tradition that goes back
to the turn of the 20th
century. Candies are still
cooked the old-fashioned
way: in small batches, with
only the best quality ingre-
dients and no preserva-
tives added.
Many days you can
observe through the
kitchen window the cook-
ing and dipping of tradi-
tional opera creams,
fudges, brittles and
caramels. But time has
not stood still in the
kitchen, and you can also
observe the cooking and
dipping of truffles, giant
all-nut patties, a variety of
candy bars (gooey and
outrageously rich or nutty
crunchy), and chocolate
novelties including choco-
late lollies, cows, baskets
and boxes.
If you're looking for a
quick and delicious coffee
fix, the Sweetness & Light
Espresso Take-Out Win-
dow will certainly please.
Select a traditional
espresso coffee or any
number of specialty cof-
fee drinks served from
6:30 am - 5 pm daily. The
candy store is open from
10:00 am - 5 pm Monday
through Saturday and 11
am - 5 pm Sunday.
If you have a favorite
candy that you can't live
without, be sure to call
ahead so we can have it
waiting for you. We look
forward to seeing you
soon.
Sweetness & Light: Cel-
ebrating 30 Years of Deli-
cious Confections.
SWEETNESS & LIGHT
554 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-4403 or
FAX 707/786-4413
www.sweetnessandlight.com
gray, rainy Saturday after-
noon, the Hart Theatre
was to present its last pic-
ture show. Bogart and
Bacall, Hepburn and
Tracy, Laurel and Hardy
became names from a glo-
rious, but fading past. And
the Hart Theatre mourned
their passing.
The building would
remain empty until 1972,
when Ferndale business-
men and women, dairy
farmers, local residents
and artists who envisioned
a performing arts center
in their town, rehabilitated
the Hart and their vision
became reality: The Fern-
dale Repertory Theatre
was born.
Theatres traditionally
boast of their resident
ghoststhe shades of
actors or actresses who
The Rep will open its
2009-2010 season in Sep-
tember, with what has
made The Rep a popular
destination for nearly four
decades: quality live per-
formances that appeal to
a broad audience.
The Reps line-up of
plays, showcases, and spe-
cial events has something
for everyonefamilies
enjoy affordable enter-
tainment, children and
young adults participate
in the creative process
onstage, and, behind-the-
scenes, adult actors,
designers, and technicians
hone their skills, and audi-
ences marvel at the superb
quality of productions
available in a charming
Victorian setting.
In 1920, the P.F. Hart
family built a theatre in
Ferndale. Families flocked
to the Hart to marvel at
the movies and swoon
over Rudolf Valentino,
idolize the It Girl, and
chortle with Chaplin. Bur-
lesque was big and road
shows made Ferndale a
regular stop on their tour.
By 1928, Thomas Edi-
sons talking pictures
were all the rage and the
Hart installed the equip-
ment to cater to an audi-
ence hungry for this new
form of entertainment.
Twenty-eight years
later, in 1956, on a typical
The Ferndale Repertory Theatre
(see REP/page 15)
Celebrating 38 years of engaging live entertainment!
Rings Pharmacy: Oldest
drug store in California
Its as if there has been
a Rings Pharmacy in Fer-
ndale for as long as there
has been a Main Street.
J.H. Ring originally
dispensed his pills and
elixirs across the street
from the present location,
in a towering structure
built in 1894-95. The 362
Main Street store is com-
mercial Eastlake Stick.
(The J.H. Ring family
lived above the store and
enjoyed a balcony, since
removed.)
When J.H. Ring
retired, he passed the
business to his son,
Meredith.
The building was rein-
forced with steel rods and
timber braces following
the 1906 earthquake. In
fact, these braces are to be
credited for holding the
building during the April
1992 earthquakes.
Owner Tom Renner
operates the pharmacy
behind the ornately-
carved redwood fixture in
the back. You cant always
see him, but hes always
happy to greet customers
and answer questions.
Walk in, and you will
notice that Rings is more
than a drug store. The
front end is stocked with
a little bit of most things,
including cosmetics, film,
postcards, sunglasses and
first-aid supplies. You also
can find character cookie
jars, novelty salt and pep-
per shakers, Napoleon
Porcelain flowers, mini-
hinged boxes, Beanie
Babies and old-fashioned
Raggedy Anns. One also
can take advantage of
two-day film processing.
Even better, print from
your digital camera
or a print-to-print
while you wait at the
Kodak Kiosk.
In Ferndale,
there isnt a one-stop
type of super store, so
we try to carry a vari-
ety of items, says
Tom. The regulars
know where the
tricky items are - but
most customers, res-
idents and visitors
alike, end up asking
for what they are
looking for.
RINGS
PHARMACY
362 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-4511
Rings Pharmacy at 362 Main
St.
Courtesy Ferndale Rep
The Ferndale Repertory Theatre was built in 1920 and has been an integral part
of the town since its days as a movie theatre and now as a home for quality live
performances.
your headquarters for Pol-
ish Pottery. Imported
from Poland, these col-
lectable art pieces are of
heirloom quality.
Para-
sol Arts is
open
Wednes-
day
through
Friday
from 10
am to 9 pm and weekends,
noon to 5 pm.
Private parties are
available weekends: 10 am
to noon and 6 pm to 9 pm.
Walk-ins always welcome.
No appointments neces-
sary.
"We don't teach
classes. We teach when
you sit in the chair."
PARASOL ARTS
405 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-4444
Children are welcome at Parasol Arts and enjoy paint-
ing their own pottery.
Parasol Arts Paint-
Your-Own-Pottery just
celebrated their third year
anniversary! Owners,
Brad and Cathy Curtis,
have created a unique and
colorful atmosphere
where painting pottery is
truly a pleasure. But,
painting pottery isnt the
only attraction.
Birthday parties and
special events are possible
in a variety of packages.
School fieldtrips are
always welcome as well as
classroom To Go Kits.
Gallery art, as well as
cards, gift wrap and cus-
tom hand-painted tile
work are also available.
Parasol Arts has been
a great resource for
fundraising. Let us help
your club, group or non-
profit maximize your
money-making potential.
Parasol Arts is also
Happy anniversary!
Silvas Fine Jewelry is home to
unique collection of rare gems
Photos courtesy of Silvas Fine Jewelry
Jenny Oaks and Lowell Daniels moved their highly
successful fine jewelry business, Silvas Fine Jewelry,
from Sutter Creek to Ferndale.
The former front
parlors of the historic
Victorian Inn now house
one of the largest and
most luxurious collec-
tions of rare gems and
fine jewelry in Northern
California. The unique
collection of specially
designed pieces from
around the world dis-
played in the rich com-
fort of this landmark
building make shopping
for fine jewelry an expe-
rience to be remem-
bered.
Owners Lowell
Daniels and Jenny Oaks
relocated their highly
successful fine jewelry
business from the gold
country of Sutter Creek,
where it flourished for
18 years. On a trip to
Humboldt County, they
encountered the
enchanting village of
Ferndale and the historic
Victorian Inn. They
immediately fell in love
with the area and pur-
chased the building in
January 1999.
The store is named
after Lowell's grandfa-
ther, Joseph Rose Silva,
born in the Portuguese
Azore Islands. Lowell's
grandfather immigrated
to California and,
although born here,
Lowell treasures his Por-
tuguese heritage. An
original portrait of his
grandfather overlooks
the beautiful setting of
the store.
Lowell is a graduate
gemologist and a certi-
fied gemologist
appraiser. He spent sev-
eral years obtaining his
formal education from
the Gemological Insti-
tute of America. He has
a large following of reg-
ular clients from across
the U.S. and Europe. Low-
ell's buying trips through-
out the world have allowed
him to collect a selection
of rare gemstones, unique
original designs and many,
many friends and fans
over the years. Because
the couple rarely buys
from factories or sales rep-
resentatives, their costs are
far below market average,
hence their large client fol-
lowing.
Jenny has also studied
gemology and her style,
insight and grace make
selecting a special piece of
jewelry a memorable expe-
rience. The store special-
izes in custom designs and
repairs and features one of
the few Computer-Aided
Jewelry Design systems in
Northern California. It
takes only moments with
Lowell to design, graphi-
cally visualize, then print
a photograph of a spe-
cially created piece.
Along with dia-
monds, rubies, sapphires,
emeralds and other pre-
cious gems, the large var-
ied inventory includes
cameos, jade, pearls,
tourmaline, tanzanite
and many other rare and
lovely gemstones from
around the world, along
with many other works
of art and treasures. The
beautifully appointed,
specially lit surroundings
make selecting a special
piece of fine jewelry an
experience to remember
at Silva's.
SILVAS FINE
JEWELRY
400 Ocean Avenue
www.silvasjewelry.com
Tel. 707/786-4425
Gems@silvasjewelry.com
ucts for men, women, and
the kitchen in several fra-
grances, lotions, hand
therapy, foot care, fancy
soaps, salts, bath and
shower gels. For that ele-
gant gift, of course, there
are Crabtree and Evelyn
specialty gift packets.
Camille Beckmans vanilla
products and our Euro-
pean Soaps still remain a
favorite of locals. For that
cozy gift our plush robes,
bed socks, slippers and
jackets are a treat for all.
Please plan your visit
and shopping experience
soon. We will be glad to
meet you and make new
friends. Be sure to give us
your email address so that
you can be made aware of
special events, sales, and
coupons. The Ferndale
Emporium is open Mon-
day-Saturday, 10 to 5 and
Sunday, 11 to 4, with after
hour and Internet shop-
ping. Gift cards, personal
shopping service, gift reg-
istry and complimentary
gift-wrapping are part of
our services.
FERNDALE
EMPORIUM
344 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-9877
Fax: 707/786-9882
www.ferndaleemporium.com
Courtesy photo.
Home of The Ferndale Emporium.
The Ferndale Empo-
rium is located in the 1899
Eastlake Victorian that was
originally built for the
Lowenthals Ferndale Reli-
able Store. Since that time
the building has seen
many changes such as a
Buick dealership, theater,
skating rink, mortuary,
church, art gallery, among
others. The Ferndale
Emporium continues the
legacy of a quality store in
this location. Over the
past 11 years we have
made friends and cus-
tomers that we ship to all
over the world. We invite
you to visit our store in
person or via the Internet
at (www.ferndale-empo-
rium.com).
Our unique and
affordable boutique spe-
cializes in items for that
special friend, girlfriend,
sister, or mom. Make her
day special with one of a
kind jewelry, purses,
scarves, or travel acces-
sories.
To enhance your bath
and spa area, mirrors,
towel racks and accessories
are matched together with
our broad range of bath
products and candles,
including candles from
Wood Wick and Archi-
pelago. The Thymes
Company provides prod-
The Ferndale Emporium celebrates 11 years
Guys are welcome at Girlie Girls
After being open only
one year, the trendy little
shop, Girlie Girls, has
expanded. Due to a large
number of requests from
the local community
theyve added mens cloth-
ing to their inventory.
The back room at
Girlie Girls is now dedi-
cated to the guys, sport-
ing Levis, Lucky brand
and Big Star jeans and
apparel.
What a fun year
weve had, commented
Laurel Johnson and Kim
Renfer, sisters who co-
own the shop. Our com-
munity has been very
supportive and we are so
grateful. We are listening
to our customers and
doing our best to bring the
items they want at rea-
sonable prices.
One step inside Girlie
Girls and you know youre
not in Kansas any more.
The fragrant Main
Street store is filled with
glitter, sequins, jeans,
peek-a-boo heels and
everything a girl could
ever want to feel, well,
Find Girlie Girls in the pink on Main Street.
form that many people
think has died out or asso-
ciate solely with horse-
shoeing.
In the Blacksmith
Shops collection of hand-
forged pieces, it is clear
that blacksmithing is alive
and well. The products
offered for sale cover a
wide range from func-
tional art such as cutlery,
bottle openers, clocks, mir-
rors, lamps, tables, beds,
fireplace tools, wine racks,
pot racks, and candle-
holders to decorative items
such as wall art and sculp-
tures.
In 2003, they opened a
gallery two buildings down
from the main shop at 491
Main Street to increase
their display area for larger
furniture and sculptural
pieces. Most of the prod-
ucts for sale are hand-
forged iron, but there are
also pieces made using
brass, copper and bronze.
Many of the sculptural
pieces for sale are cast
bronze, like Mark Hop-
kins fishing sculptures and
Tim Cotterills (aka The
Frogman) frogs.
While the majority of
the Blacksmith Shops
inventory is made from
metal, they also sell fine
hand-made products in
other media, some of
which is made locally like
Holly Yashi jewelry, Fire
and Light recycled glass
dishware, glass paper-
weights by Jesse Taj, and
wire sculptures by Eliza-
beth Berrien. Other
unique offerings include
Orient & Flume glass and
Bovano enameled copper
wall hangings, both for
which the Blacksmith
Shop is the exclusive
retailer in Humboldt
County.
The Blacksmith Shops
extensive inventory has put
them on the map among
retailers of hand-made art.
The Blacksmith Shop
at 455 Main Street was
established in 1979 with
one objective: to create an
extensive collection of
contemporary black-
smithing. Thirty years
later, this objective has
been achieved, as the shop
buys from over 125 black-
smiths, mostly from
within the U.S. The shop
has two reasons for main-
taining this size of collec-
tion one is to support
blacksmiths by purchas-
ing their work, and the
other is to introduce the
general public to an art
Wide variety of handmade
art at The Blacksmith Shop
Courtesy photo
The Blacksmith Shop at 455 Main Street houses an
extensive collection of contemporary blacksmithing
items.
Courtesy photo
The Blacksmith Shop Gallery can be found just down
the street from the main store at 491 Main Street.
girlie.
Renfer and Johnsons
four daughters are also
very much in the picture,
along with other employ-
ees, running things and
stamping the shop with
their hip, girlie styles and
sensibilities. I was told
not to buy without my
daughter Jennys approval,
laughed Kim, though shes
quick to add that she wears
Girlie Girls trendy, con-
temporary clothing and
accessories herself.
Weve had fun exper-
imenting with different
designers and lines to meet
the desires of our clien-
tele, said the owners.
With a wide assort-
ment of designer jeans for
every fit, dresses for every
occasion, and tops and
coats from comfy casual to
cosmo to dressy, Girlie
Girls can dress you in style.
And, if you are look-
ing for accessories, look no
further. This little store has
it all, in every color. Fer-
ndale has never had a store
quite like this, claim the
owners, whose family has
lived in Ferndale for gen-
erations.
We are truly enjoying
being part of the business
community of Ferndale,
they say. Count on us to
keep a close eye on the lat-
est fashions and bring
them to our town.
Come in to see what is
new at Girlie Girls. With
a new exciting line of jew-
elry, the coveted 501
Levis and a full line of
contemporary mens cloth-
ing, Laurel and Kim are
working to keep Ferndale
in style. You dont want to
miss this!
GIRLIE GIRLS
444 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-4544
For five years the Shop
has been honored by
NICHE magazine as one
of the Top Retailers of
American Craft. The cri-
teria for receiving these
awards, which are deter-
mined by polling over
26,000 professional craft
artists, include treating
artists with respect, giving
back to the craft commu-
nity and mentoring emerg-
ing artists.
According to Black-
smith Shop owner, and
blacksmith himself, Joseph
Koches, these ideals have
always been central to his
business practices.
I think of it as invest-
ing in an artist, Koches
said. If there is a young
blacksmith who shows
potential, I like to help
them out by buying their
pieces, so they can buy new
tools or whatever they
need to keep on going.
Merchandise is purchased
from artists who love what
they are doing. They put
their love into their work
and one can see the differ-
ence.
Indeed the difference is
visible to the numerous
customers impressed with
the unique, quality prod-
ucts. As the popularity of
the store continues to
expand, the shop has
grown by launching a web-
site (www.ferndaleblack-
smith.com) that allows
visual communication
with the merchandise.
Amidst updating the
business and planning for
the future, the Blacksmith
Shop will always stay true
to its beginnings selling
an extensive selection of
beautiful hand-made prod-
ucts by talented artists.
The histories of the
buildings that currently
contain the Blacksmith
Shop only add to the
atmosphere of craftsman-
ship.
The 455 Main Street
shop in Ferndale was orig-
inally the G.W. Williams
building and housed a
hardware store upon its
completion in 1888.
The same people began
building the 491 Main
Street gallery in 1895 when
their hardware store
needed a larger space. The
store at 455 has seen some
changes, as it was damaged
in the 1902 earthquake, was
modified in 1954, and was
damaged again in the 1992
earthquake, at which point
Joseph Koches remodeled
the building to look like the
original storefront.
Through all these changes,
the store at 455 Main still
has its original wood floors,
giving an old-time flavor
that is heightened by the
1914 cash register made by
the National Cash Register
Company in Dayton, Ohio,
some antique display cases,
and a whiz machine for
hand-written receipts.
Visiting the Blacksmith
Shop will not only expose
you to beautiful hand-
made artwork by American
artists, but you are sure to
see something made in
metal that you have never
seen before. The Black-
smith Shop is open seven
days a week. The staff has
gift certificates available
and can ship all over the
U.S. Make the Blacksmith
Shop a definite stop on
your way down Main
Street.
THE BLACKSMITH
SHOP
THE BLACKSMITH
SHOP GALLERY
455 Main Street, Ferndale
Tel. 707/786-4216
Fax: 707/786-4516
ferndaleblacksmith.com
Centerville Farms
Courtesy photo
Fran Teall, proprietor of Centerville Farms.
Remember the juicy
sweet, vibrantly flavored
fruit we used to eat
when we were young?
The combination of
Centerville Farms
lightly sweetened
organic fruits comes so
close to tasting like
those older varieties of
fresh tree and vine-
ripened fruit, you can
eat Centerville Farms
Spreadables by the
spoonful, says Fran
Teall, proprietor, a
degreed chef from the
esteemed Culinary Insti-
tute of America, and
whose experience cov-
ers 30 years as a chef and
restaurant owner.
A delicate blend of
honey and organic agave
nectar in a unique for-
mula lightly sweetens
the organic pears, rasp-
berries, apricots, straw-
berries, blackberries,
and oranges in Center-
ville Farms Spreadable
Fruits.
All of the recipes for
Centerville Farms have
been developed in the
kitchen of Tealls cen-
tury-old farmhouse.
There, they have a
small, organic, experi-
mental berry farm on
Centerville Road,
located just outside of
Ferndale in Northern
Californias beautiful Eel
River Valley.
Dont leave Ferndale
without tasting these
exquisite treats. Look
for the beautiful jars of
fruit with their yellow
gingham label at the
Golden Gait Mercantile.
For delicious recipes
and serving suggestions
for Centerville Farms
Spreadable Fruits, to
make purchases, and to
learn more about agave
nectar and our new
organic agave nectar
blends, visit Center-
villeFarms.com.
CENTERVILLE
FARMS
CentervilleFarms.com
707/786-4666
Uniquely and lightly sweetened
organic spreadable fruits - available
locally at the Golden Gait Mercantile
Youll find fine dining and fun atmosphere
at Curleys Grill inside The Victorian Inn
Curleys Grill can be found next to and inside The Vic-
torian Inn at Ocean and Main. The popular restau-
rant features private booths in its dining room for an
intimate dining experience.
Long-time restaura-
teur Curley Tait opened
Curleys Grill in the Vic-
torian Village of Ferndale
in April 1995. Fourteen
years later, Curleys Grill
remains an ever-popular
hit with locals and visitors
alike. On October 31,
1999, Curley made the
move to The Victorian
Inn, where he not only has
a larger dining room, but
a full bar with additional
seating and a large ban-
quet facility.
Curleys fair prices,
generous portions and
consistently good food
contribute to its success,
as does its bright and
cheerful atmosphere.
A sure bet (as well as a
real taste treat) is the
grilled polenta with Ital-
ian sausage, fresh mush-
rooms and sage-heavy
tomato sauce. Or the
moist tortilla and onion
cake served with a tangy
onion salsa. And dont
miss a chance to try Cur-
leys Caesar salad. Its the
best between Ferndale and
the Bay Area. Curleys
also serves great steaks
and grilled fish entrees.
Curleys Grill has been
written up in a number of
publications, including
Northern California
Coast Best Places, 1996.
Now offering catering, no
event is too big or small for
Curleys Catering Service.
During the 2001 film-
ing of The Majestic in
Ferndale, many of the
movies stars could be
found dining at Curleys.
Curley himself was an
extra in the film and
appears in the diner
scene with Jim Carrey.
Come in and see Curleys
Wall of Fame, complete
with autographed pictures
from many of the stars of
The Majestic.
Also, be sure to log on
to Curleys website at hum-
boldtdining.com/curleys
for money-saving
coupons.
CURLEYS GRILL
OCEAN & MAIN
(IN THE VICTORIAN
INN)
Tel. 707/786-9696
humboldtdining.com/cur-
leys
CPAs Aycock & Edgmon at your service
Certified Public
Accounts Phil Aycock
and Stacey Edgmon have
been managing peoples
personal and business
tax and financial issues
from their 523 Main
Street office for more
than a decade.
Together with their
long-time staff assistant
Jessica Ackroyd, they say
theyve handled just
about every imaginable
kind of tax-related issue,
dispensing practical
advice for important
questions like Should I
sell stock? Can I
retire? or Should I
receive Social Security
now or later?
These are all ques-
tions that have tax impli-
cations, explained
Edgmon.
And its far better to
explore the tax conse-
quences of major finan-
cial moves before you
make them.
Aycock added that
keeping good records is a
critical step that many of
us dont pay enough
attention to.
A lot of times people
pay more tax than they
need to because they
dont keep track of their
expenses, he said.
And then, of course,
theres tax season. Its
crazy and hard to sched-
ule anything, then, said
Edgmon, adding that
when people owe taxes
they tend to file right
before the deadline. She
said that their clients
biggest problems at tax
time frequently center
around the tax conse-
quences of selling stock,
especially when it was
purchased long ago and
records are either incom-
plete or not current.
Aycock says that
todays electronics allow
them to handle clients all
over the country, and
that, outside of tax sea-
son, they devote most of
their time to payroll serv-
ices, consulting, and
audits for private, non-
profit, and governmental
businesses of all kinds.
Aycock and Edgmon
are open 8 to 5 during the
week except during tax
season. Then were just
open, laughed Edgmon.
AYCOCK & EDGMON
CPAs
523 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-9798
tons that she, herself,
enjoys using. In addition
to yarns, there are charts,
books and patterns by
Brown Sheep Co., Cas-
cade, Classic Elite, Berella
4, Kid & Ewe, Reynolds,
Noro, Mountain Colors,
JCA, Unger, Sirdar and
many more.
There are also cross-
stitch books and needle-
point patterns and kits by
Theresa Wentzler, Paula
Vaughn and others. And,
of course, Jacque has all
the needles and other
essentials ready for you.
She also offers knitting les-
sons, custom knitting and,
occasionally, limited
repairs to keepsake items.
Foggy Bottoms still
offers a variety of antiques
and collectibles, as well as
audio cassette tapes of old-
time radio programs. All
Find antiques
and yarn at
Foggy Bottoms
Foggy Bottoms has one of the largest offerings of pat-
terns on the North Coast.
I am amazed to find
such a wonderful yarn
shop in a small town!
I cannot believe the
variety of yarns you
carry.
These are just a few of
the common comments
by visitors to Foggy Bot-
tom Yarns in the Victo-
rian Village of Ferndale.
When I offer to order
yarn and mail it to them,
people are really pleased,
says owner Jacque
Ramirez. They enjoy the
old-fashioned personal
service shopkeepers in
Ferndale give.
Jacque now stocks
yarns made of 100 percent
bamboo, corn fiber and
soy silk as well as a great
variety of the fine wools,
Shetlands, alpacas,
mohairs, acrylics and cot-
this and more is why
browsing at Foggy Bot-
toms is such fun. We're
on the right side of Main
Street, next to the Red
Front store, as you enter
town from the bridge.
FOGGY BOTTOMS
YARNS
AND ANTIQUES
561 and 563 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-9188
jacqueknits@sudden-
link.net
Nothing but smiles at the
Ferndale Childrens Center
Ferndale Childrens
Center has been in Fern-
dale since 1989. Its first
home was located at the
Ferndale fairgrounds. It
moved to the Firemens
Pavilion in 1991. The
center is licensed through
the Department of Social
Services for 39 children
ages two thru 12. The
center is open Monday -
Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 6
p.m.
Ferndale Childrens
Center offers two morn-
ing pre-school programs.
There is a two- and three-
year-old program offered
Monday-Friday from 8:30
to 12 p.m. It also offers a
four- and five-year-old
pre-school program dur-
ing the same hours. Both
of its pre-school programs
offer hands-on learning
experiences for young
children, because the cen-
ter believes that children
learn through play. Activ-
ities also offer the children
many opportunities to
explore diversities.
Four- and five-year-
olds make visits to the
Ferndale kindergarten
class bi-monthly to insure
a smooth transition
between pre-school and
kindergarten. The center
is also very involved in the
community and partici-
pates in many local
events.
Ferndale Childrens
Center is very fortunate
to have a qualified and
dedicated staff. Part of
the reason is that it feels
lucky, due to the fact that
Ferndale is such a won-
derful place in which to
work. The staff is all
trained in CPR and first-
aid. They continue their
learning each year by
attending conferences
that teach new ideas.
Youll find lots of smiles at the Ferndale Childrens
Center, located adjacent to Firemens Park.
In addition to the pre-
school programs, it also
offers child care in the
afternoons. The Ferndale
school bus drops off
kindergartners and chil-
dren in grades one
through three. It offers
these children an oppor-
tunity to explore many dif-
ferent arts and crafts, a
computer, games, music
and a time to learn social
skills.
The staff and the com-
munity of Ferndale are
very proud of Ferndale
Childrens Center. If you
find yourself in need of
pre-school or child care,
please feel free to call or
stop by. They are there for
the children!
FERNDALE
CHILDRENS
CENTER
100 Berding
Tel. 707/786 4-FUN
fcc4fun@frontiernet.net
Want to find out more
about Ferndale?
Visit:
VictorianFerndale.com
Ferndales Queen
The Gingerbread Mansion Inn is
Ferndales award-winning B and B
Ferndales pride and joy, the Gingerbread Mansion Inn, can be found on Berd-
ing Street, just one block from Main. Owners/Innkeepers, from the left: Juli and
Robert McInroy and Vince and Susan Arriaga.
Exquisitely turreted,
carved and gabled, and
landscaped with lush Eng-
lish gardensthe Ginger-
bread Mansion Inn is like
nothing youve ever seen
before. It is a visual mas-
terpiece.
One of Northern Cali-
fornias most pho-
tographed buildings, the
Gingerbread Mansion Inn
has been seen in many
major publications, includ-
ing The National Geo-
graphic, The New York
Times and Sunsets Best
of the West issue (which
voted it one of the five best
inns in the West).
The inn has been
awarded AAAs four-dia-
mond rating for the thir-
teen consecutive years, and
has received the Most
Excellent Inn in North
America from
Johansens, an interna-
tional travel guide. It also
has received the Grand
Hotel award from San
Francisco Focus magazine,
and has a three-star Mobil
rating.
The combination of
Queen Anne and Eastlake
styles, elaborately
trimmed with ginger-
bread, makes the Ginger-
bread Mansion Inn an
architectural landmark.
The California Office of
Tourism has even chosen
a sketch of it for the cover
of its brochure on bed-
and-breakfast inns.
Built in 1898 as the
home of Dr. Hogan Ring,
the mansion has been
used as a hospital, a rest
home, an American
Legion Hall and an apart-
ment building. It was in
1983 that Ken Torbert
opened its doors as the
Gingerbread Mansion
Inn.
The interior has been
restored and its rooms
filled with antiques. Four
comfortable parlors await
guests for afternoon tea,
reading, board games and
conversation. The 11 spa-
cious, romantic bedrooms
are designed for a guests
total comfort. All rooms
and suites have private
bathrooms with showers
and extra touches, such as
bathrobes and fragrant
bubble bath.
The Empire Suite is
Northern Californias
most opulent room, with
a richness of decor
beyond imagining. The
private foyer of the
Empire Suite sets the stage
for the elegance and opu-
lence to come. Dramatic
12-foot ceilings, rich gold
and black Regency
Revival wallpapers and a
courtly marble floor (set
with a diagonal checker-
board pattern of Chinese
Cherry Blossom and
Spanish Emperador tiles)
greet approaching guests.
Stained glass Victorian
French doors eight feet
high take ones breath
away as they open to
reveal the luxurious bed-
room suite.
Among the other
suites, fireplaces and claw-
footed bathtubs are to be
found. Two suites have
side-by-side claw-footed
tubs for his and her
The Ferndale Arts Gallery
celebrates its 19th anniversary
The Ferndale Arts
Gallery, a cooperative
of local artists, opened
its doors in April 1990
in the Peers Building
with 21 members.
Today, its membership
is every bit as dynamic
as it was in the begin-
ning.
The gallery has
expanded its scope to
include watercolors, oils,
acrylics, photography,
poetry, jewelry, sculp-
ture, pottery, stitchery,
woodturnings, dichroic
glass, colored pencils,
kinetic sculptures and
textiles.
The gallery is cele-
Courtesy Ferndale Arts Cooperative
The Ferndale Arts Gallery can be found in the Ferndale Art & Cultural Center
at the corner of Main and Shaw.
brating its 19th anniver-
sary this year. Current
members are Barbara
Davis, Joan Katri, Natalie
DiCostanzo, Anita Punla,
Ben Green, Camille Regli,
Pat Cahill, Peggy Dick-
enson, Marj Early, Stan
Bennett, Rosalinda Brain-
erd, Deb Peterson, Barney
Elking, Melanie Kasek,
Leon Porter, Matt Filar,
Kym Hansen, Laura Rose,
Sue Cartwright, Eva Hen-
neberry, Laura Wellman
and Stephanie Harrow.
Many of our artists par-
ticipate in local, regional
and national competi-
tions.
It is the intention of the
gallery to be a positive
participant in the growth
of Humboldt County and
the Ferndale community.
The gallery is open
from 10 am to 5 pm daily.
Please check out our web-
site to view current art-
work and come in to see
the everchanging displays
and meet the artist on
duty.
THE FERNDALE
ARTS GALLERY
Corner of Main Street
and Shaw Avenue
Tel. 707/786-9634
ferndaleartgallery.com
Artwork ranges from paintings to pottery
ABRAXAS
Silver and Gold
Jewelry
Hat Room
Italian Charm
Bracelets
Leather Purses &
Wallets . . . all at
505 MAIN ST.
(707) 786-4288
Find the best selection of
shoes in the Eel River
Valley . . . including
Merrell, Clark, Born,
Keen, Chaco, El Natura
Lista, Ugg Australia, Nine
West, Steve Madden,
Crocs, Reef Sandals
. . . all at
430 MAIN ST.
(707) 786-4277
N
O
W
T
W
O
F
E
R
N
D
A
L
E
L
O
C
A
T
IO
N
S
!
bubble baths! In the Foun-
tain Suite bath, the tubs are
in front of a tiled fireplace.
This is one of two rooms
that have fainting
couches in the bathroom.
The two tubs in the
Gingerbread Suite are end-
to-end, with reading lights
above. The garden-like
bath of the Rose Suite is as
large as the bedroom, and
offers mirrored walls and
ceiling, a French bidet and
a fireplace.
All guests are wel-
comed with afternoon tea,
featuring many choice teas
and an assortment of con-
fections, cookies, tea sand-
wiches, pastries and scones
served with lemon curd
and creme fraiche.
The staff will help
make dinner arrangements
and upon request when
returning from dinner,
guests will find their beds
turned down, with Godiva
chocolates awaiting them.
A gourmet breakfast
with fresh fruit, home-
made granola, the Ginger-
bread Mansions famous
homemade muffins and
scrumptious baked dishes
is served in the dining
room, which overlooks a
manicured English garden.
The Gingerbread Man-
sion Inn belongs to the
prestigious Select Registry
and California Association
of Bed and Breakfast Inns.
As the new owners of
the Gingerbread Mansion
Inn, we want to say how
much we appreciate the
wonderful welcome and
continued support that
Ferndale has given us. The
legacy of the Gingerbread
couldnt have been handed
down to us without the
remarkable vision of Ken
Torbert, who created the
mansion as a bed and
breakfast and set the stan-
dards for the industry.
Thank you, everyone.
GINGERBREAD
MANSION BED AND
BREAKFAST INN
400 Berding Street
Tel. 707/786-4000 or
800/952-4136
Gingerbread-mansion.com
Courtesy photo
Looking for something to remember Ferndale by? How about a signed print of
Jack Mays vision of Main Street, pictured above. Mays also has available a series
of notecards featuring 12 other Ferndale landmarks, including some of the towns
churches and Victorians. The cards are available at Rings Pharmacy and at The
Enterprise office.
Take Ferndale home with you
The Gazebo wants patrons to look
good, smell good and feel good
To Ferndalers, Jack
Mays is an institution.
For more than 30 years he
has sat in his white plas-
tic chair, his drawing
board propped on his lap
and his box of colored
pencils nearby.
Now, Mays popular
drawing of Main Street,
which in its first printing
sold out, is available once
again. Signed prints from
a limited edition second
printing are available at
The Enterprise office (600
Main Street) by mail, or
online at ferndaleenter-
prise.us.
The print, which can
be seen in large form on
Hwy 101 as it passes the
town of Fortuna, has been
described as beyond
photo realism.
The drawing is my
vision of what I consider
utopia, said Mays. Ive
lived here almost all my
life and I cant imagine
being creative anywhere
else. Ferndale visually has
everything I need and
more.
Also available, at var-
ious locations around
town, including Rings
Pharmacy, the Ferndale
Repertory Theatre, the
Ferndale Clothing Com-
pany and The Enterprise
office, are note cards fea-
turing the Main Street
drawing and 12 other Fer-
ndale scenes.
The notecards are of
the Catholic Assumption
Church, the Ferndale
Community Church, the
old Methodist Church, a
Berding Street Victorian,
the Red Front Store,
Ferndales historic fire
engine No. 1, tractors at
the Humboldt County
Fire, the fairs racetrack
viewed from the grand-
stands, the Main Street
lemonade stand and Fer-
ndales horse and carriage.
Along with being rec-
ognized as Ferndales res-
ident artist, Mays is
known for his recent
A Jack Mays limited-edition signed print of Main
Street is a great keepsake of the Victorian Village
Call 1-866-869-MORE (6673) or go online at www.novb.com
Get More.
Community
focused.
Community
driven.
Our roots run deep
in the Ferndale
community!
Ferndale Branch
394 Main Street
Ferndale, CA 95536
Call Helene Nicholson
Branch Manager
(707) 786.9522
Member FDIC
Our Ferndale staff
Do you need a mortgage loan?
)RUDOO\RXUQDQFLDOQHHGV
FRPHWRXV$QGQGRXW
why youll get more at
North Valley Bank!
November 2008
marked the first anniver-
sary of the new Gazebo.
At first the new own-
ers just werent sure which
direction they were going
to take this new shop, in
a wonderfully old, hand-
crafted Eastlake Stick
building, circa 1898, orig-
inally used as The New
York Cash Store.
The building itself
ultimately gave us the
inspiration, says owner
Tami Robinson, formerly
of Hawi, Hawaii, on the
big island, where she had
a custom jewelry and bead
shop.
Robinson leased the
incredible building and
then looked to acquire
inventory.
Initially, we tried a bit
of this and that; like the
proverbial pasta thrown at
the wall to see what
sticks, she said. One day
while I was rearranging, I
noticed the fine hand-
crafted details of the inte-
rior moldings.
In that moment,
Robinson said she began
to see how the Gazebo
could evolve bring the
best and highest quality,
useful products to the
locals and travelers of
Humboldt County.
The more locally
hand-crafted, kind to the
patronage and planet, the
better, and Robinson also
wanted to make available
the coolest and most use-
ful products from around
the globe.
The Gazebo carries
items from perfectly
round hand-hewn
wooden bowls created by
Ferndale retired math
teacher, Tom Weber, to
Kakadu Oil Cloth slickers
and hats from Australia
(for men and women) to
shed some of that rain into
our water system!
We have unique
Venetian glass wine gob-
lets and natural essence
soy based candles to cozy
up the chilly nights, said
Robinson. There are
cool, classy tops guaran-
teed wrinkle-free for trav-
eling and our latest
discovery that were shar-
ing is 100 percent bamboo
fiber towels that are soft
as cashmere, have natural
antibacterial properties,
are more absorbent than
cotton, dry quickly and
not to mention, are
mildew resistant which is
a huge bonus in humid
climates.
Delicious soaps,
lotions and spa baskets
put the finishing touches
on your fluffing and buff-
ing.
The warm and friendly
atmosphere of the Gazebo
invites browsing and dis-
covery and caters to the
curious at heart. On any
given afternoon one can
witness Robinson working
her magic creating a cus-
tom designed necklace,
pendant or pair of earrings
for her loyal customers.
Mr. Ashlee McFall-
moore can share some
local lore, answer ques-
tions, and is happy to carry
your parcels to the car.
The Gazebo is open
seven days a week and
offers shipping worldwide.
We want you to look
good, smell good and feel
good.
THE GAZEBO
475 Main Street
Ferndale
Tel. 707/786-9099
info@gazeboferndale.com
Courtesy photo
The Gazebo is housed in a Eastlake Stick victorian, circa 1898.
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Private, yet close to town and activities
Completely renovated fully equipped kitchen, WiFi,
HDTV, LCD television, hot tub, off-street private
parking, private deck with incredible peaceful view of
pasture, mountains and the ocean in the distance
Rental available for two-night minimum or per week
www.FerndaleVacationRental.com
PeacefulViewFerndale
@
msn.com
707/786-9890
(See MAYS/page 15)
Great food at Ferndale Pizza Co.
You will find the Fer-
ndale Pizza Company at
the site of what was once
the Pythian Castle.
From 1896 to 1930, the
Castle was one of the
towns largest and most
imposing buildings and
the center of the Victorian
Village social life. Dances
and banquets were fre-
quently held here.
But in 1906, the build-
ing sustained considerable
damage. Following an
earthquake in 1930, it was
condemned and subse-
quently demolished. (Any
number of old photos and
information about the
Pythian Castle can be
found at the Ferndale
Museum.)
From 1972 to 1990,
todays Pizza Company
site was a service station
and body shop. In 1991,
it became Me and Dinos
Pizzaria until Skip and
Laurie Wortman arrived
from San Diego.
They discovered Me
and Dinos was for sale on
one of their many visits
here, and decided that
owning it would be a
Whether its pizza or other great Italian dishes, youll
find them at the FPC!
dream come true. In a
matter of months, they
were on their way to Fern-
dale to rename their
restaurant Ferndale Pizza
Company. That was in
June 1994.
In addition to their
ever-popular pizzas,
which are hand-tossed
and baked in a brick oven,
their menu includes a
variety of Italian dinners.
Sandwiches are served on
delicious homemade rolls.
Each day, Skip bakes
the bread, makes his pizza
dough and the meat
sauce. He grinds his own
pork and rolls his own
meatballs.
Skip and Laurie and
their very friendly staff
look forward to serving
you. They hope you will
stop in for some great Ital-
ian food served in their
cozy and casual restau-
rant.
THE PIZZA COMPANY
607 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-4345
vibrant commu-
nity.
The kitchens
come complete
with dishes and
cookware. The
Select Suites fea-
ture one queen
bed. One of the
Family Suites
features a king
bed with twin
trundle beds,
while the other
features two
queen beds. All
the suites have
dining tables and
chairs in the din-
ing area and
couches in the
sitting area.
The two sin-
gle rooms, fea-
turing one queen
bed, also have
small refrigera-
tors and
microwaves.
They also have a small
table and chairs for a
pleasant time in the
morning while enjoying
your coffee, which is pro-
vided in all our rooms, as
well as cable TV and free
Wireless Internet.
We invite you to come
stay and relax with us at
Redwood Suitestoday
or on your next visit to
the Victorian Village of
Ferndale. Were easy to
find. Just go down Main
Street to Ocean Avenue
and turn right for half a
block. We will be on your
left just past US Bank.
Registration is in the
lobby of the Victorian
Inn, at the corner of
Ocean and Main.
REDWOOD SUITES
332 Ocean Avenue
Tel. 707/786-5000
or 888-589-1808
www.redwoodsuites.com
innkeeper@
redwoodsuites.com
For a relaxing stay and a restful
night, stay at Redwood Suites
Redwood Suites, a
sister property to Low-
ell Daniels and Jenny
Oaks Victorian Inn, is
the answer for those
travelers and visitors
who wish space and
comfort while enjoying
their time here. The
suites all feature a full
kitchen, a combination
living room/dining
room, a separate bed-
room and a private bath.
There are also two sin-
gle rooms which dont
have kitchens, but are
just as beautifully
appointed. Because of
the ability to prepare
some or all of their
meals in the full
kitchens, many guests
stay in Redwood Suites
when they are here for
longer periods than is
usual when just travel-
ing through.
Our convenient
location, just a half
block from Historical
Downtown Ferndale
and its unique Main
Street establishments
(332 Ocean Avenue),
makes it the perfect
home base from which
to visit any time of year.
Local festivals, live the-
atre, flea markets and
farmers markets, film
festivals and parades are
just a sampling of the
many events that high-
light the year in our
Courtesy photo
Redwood Suites offers clean and
comfortable accommodations.
Clothing, candles, specialty kitchen and houseware items can be found at GB Far-
mgirl & Company.

Ferndale Festivities, 2009-2010

Ferndale Farmers Market. Certified market, Saturdays through Oct., Main & Shaw Sts., 10:30-2
June 25-26: Dance Theatre, South Side. Ferndale Dance Academy at Ferndale Rep., 7 pm. 786-5483
June 27-28: The Lost Coast Kennel Club Show. Fairgrounds, 8 to 4. Free admission; parking, $3
4th of July Celebration: Fire Engine Rides with Ferndale Volunteer Firefighters, free, 10 am to noon. 786-
9515. ParadeFerndale Rep Theatre, Ferndale Kiwanis and the Chamber of Commerce organize noon
parade. 786-5483. PicnicFerndale Rotary Club cooks at 1 pm. Patriotic Musical Revue, "Celebrate
America"Ferndale Rep Theatre. 786-5483. Independence Day Fireworks, fairgrounds, after dark.
(Receive $5 chip to Bear River Casino for $5 parking.)
July 17-19: Theatre. Senior Theatre Acting Resource show, Ferndale Rep Theatre, 707-786-5483
July 17-19: The Lost Coast Kennel Club AKC Dog Agility Trial. Fairgrounds, 8 to 4. Free.
Aug. 6-Sept. 6: Musical Theatre, Jekyll and Hyde. Ferndale Rep Theatre, 707-786-5483
Aug. 13-23: 113th Annual Humboldt County Fair, Racing, Squeals & Ferris Wheels! Horse races,
carnival, animals, etc. Oldest uninterrupted county fair in California is fun for everyone! 707-786-9511
Aug. 28-30: State Championship Firemen's Muster. Teams from all over California compete with antique
fire equipment. Parade, dinner, dance. Open to the public. Fairgrounds. 707-786-4193
Sept. 11-13: Wildcat Gem Fest. Belotti Hall, fairgrounds. Sat. 10-6 pm; Sun. 10-5 pm 943-1575
Sept. 12-13: Bargain Lovers' Weekend. Shop 'til you drop at more than 100 locations. 9 am to 6 pm
September 12: Ice Cream Social. Fundraiser for Ferndale Tennis Assn. Village Green, noon to 4 pm
Oct. 2-4: North Coast Stand Down Veterans outreach. Fairgrounds. Fri. 8 am-Sun. noon. 707-826-6191
Oct. 15-18: Horsemanship Skills 4-Day Clinic with Jerry Tindell. Fairgrounds. 707-786-9511
Oct. 30: Halloween Carnival & Chili Feed. Ferndale Elementary fundraiser. Fairgrounds.707-786-5300
Oct. 31: St. Marks Fall Harvest Festival. St. Marks Lutheran Church, Fern & Berding Sts. 5-8 pm
Nov. 26: Ecumenical Community Thanksgiving Service. Assumption Church, 10 am
Nov. 27-28: The Folks Christmas Crafts Fair. Veterans Memorial Building. 707-786-9995
Dec. 4: Hospitality Night Open House. Lively block party evening on Main Street. 7-9 pm
Dec.4: Danish Hall Christmas Crafts Fair. Danish Hall, 4-9 pm 707-268-3729 or 707-445-8264
Dec. 5: Santa Claus in Ferndale. St. Nick and his elf bring goodies for kids to Main Street, 10:30 am
Dec. 5, 12, 19: Holiday Entertainment Christmas Brass Band strolls Main Street from 2-4 pm
Dec. 5-6: 40th Annual Christmas Celebration in Song. Ferndale Community Choir sings inspiring music at
Ferndale Community Church, 8 pm Saturday; Assumption Church, 3 pm Sunday.
Dec. 6: Lighting of America's Tallest Living Christmas Tree. A Ferndale tradition since 1934. The huge,
radiant Spruce at the end of Main Street is visible for miles, a beacon to herald the Christmas season. The
whole town turns out for the ceremony, then gathers over free cookies and cocoa. 5:30 pm
Dec. 6: Portuguese Linguica and Beans Dinner. Portuguese Hall, 5-8 pm 707-786-4222
Dec. 12: Victorian Christmas. Shopkeepers, town folk and visitors in Victorian garb. 707-786-9500
Dec. 12-13: Gun Show. Fairgrounds. 530-529-1858
Dec. 20: Assumption Church Dinner at Ferndale Community Center or take-out. 4-7 pm 707-786-9717
Dec. 20: 17th Annual Christmas Lighted Tractor Parade. Local farmers and ranchers parade decorated
tractors and tractor-drawn wagons for a sparkling country Christmas celebration. 7 pm 707-786-4299
Dec. 31-Jan. 1: New Year's Barrel Bash. Covered Arena, Fairgrounds. 707-845-0291
Jan. 28-30: Frey of Ferndale. Slot car racing teams two-day marathon at the fairgrounds.
Feb. 4-7: Horsemanship Skills 4-Day Clinic with Jerry Tindell. Fairgrounds. 707-786-9511
Feb. 6: Packing Clinic by Backcountry Horsemen of CA Redwood Unit. Fairgrounds. 707-786-9637
Feb. 12-14: CA State High School Rodeo, District 2. Sat. 8 am; Sun., 10 am. Fairgrounds. 707-786-9511
Feb. 14: Firemen's Games. Local firefighters vie using old-fashioned firefighting techniques. Noon.
March 7: 33rd Annual Foggy Bottoms Milk Run. A family run conducted by the Six Rivers Running Club
with three different courses through farmlands to the Main Street finish, starting at 1:30 pm 707-822-1861
April 3: Easter Egg Hunt. Prizes in 4 categories for 10-year-olds and younger. 10:30 am Firemens Park.
April 4 & 11: 40th Annual Easter Concert. Ferndale Community Choir performs sacred songs of the
season. April 4: Ferndale Assumption Church, 8 pm April 11: Ferndale Community Church, 3 pm
April 9-11: CA State High School Rodeo, District 2. Sat. 8 am; Sun., 10 am. Fairgrounds. 707-786-9511
April 28-May 2: California Blacksmith Assn. Spring Conference, "A Gathering of California Masters."
250-450 people gather to watch demonstrations by nationally-known blacksmiths, attend workshops and
lectures, and meet other people interested in blacksmithing. At the fairgrounds. Info: 707-786-4216
May TBA: Cinco de Mayo Fiesta by Ferndale Elementary School students. Main Street parade, 11 am
Folkloric dancing, authentic food and Mariachi music, noon to 3 pm Belotti Hall, fairgrounds. 786-9668
May 8: 31st Annual Bicycle Tour of the Unknown Coast. 10-, 20-, and 50-mile cycling courses plus
California's toughest "century," 100-mile loop through the redwoods, tracing the Lost Coast to the F
Start times: 100-mile, 7 am; 50-mile, 8 am; 20-mile, 10 am; 10-mile, 11:30 am 707-845-6117
erndale.
May 9: Kinetic Klassic. Reenactment of the original Main St. race. 707-499-0643
May 15: Ride for Life. Equestrian teams ride for American Cancer Society, 9-5, Fairgrounds. 476-1632
May 22-23: 86th Annual Portuguese Holy Ghost Celebration. 6:30 pm Saturday rosary, bean & linguica
dinner. Sunday, line up (9:30 am) for parade to 10:30 am mass; noon dinner, Portuguese Hall; 2 pm
auction, fairgrounds, followed by dancing; evening meal at Portuguese Hall, 7 pm. 786-4346.
May 31: Memorial Day Parade. 10 am parade followed by a solemn remembrance of the day.
May 29-31: 41st Annual Kinetic Sculpture Race. Wild & crazy people-powered sculptures leave the Arcata
Plaza Saturday to reach the Victorian Village on Memorial Day, all for the glory! 845-1717
May-Oct.: Ferndale Farmers Market. Certified market, Main & Shaw Sts., Saturdays 10:30 am to 2 pm
June 5: Pet Parade. Young children parade costumed pets, Main Street to Firemen's Park at 10:30 am
June 5: Ferndale Kiwanis Cow Pie Bingo & Barbecue Lunch. Main & Francis Sts.
Events subject to change without notice. Confirm
dates & times at VictorianFerndale.com or call 707-786-4477
The Becker Insurance
Agency began in 1950 in
the office section of the
Ferndale Meat Market.
Before it became a full-
time operation, it ran for
seven years in conjunc-
tion with other occupa-
tions.
Around 1960, the
business moved to its
current location at 521
Main Street. From here,
Beckers offers a full
range of insurance. (A
real estate office was part
of the business until
1982.) Most of the insur-
ance business is on a per-
sonal line basis, and
includes autos and
homes.
Small commercial
accounts and farm
accounts are also an
important segment of the
agency.
The business has
stayed in the family. Jerry
Becker sold the business
to his two sons, Bill and
Don Becker, upon his
retirement in 1987. The
entire Becker family has
enjoyed doing business
in Ferndale.
Kelli Boots ( formerly
Kelli Townsend) joined
the staff in May 2007. She
was born and raised in
Ferndale and graduated
from Humboldt State
University in 2006. Kelli
obtained her agent's
license in March 2008.
Their agents continue
to be most supportive of
local functions, particu-
larly those for young
people. The entire
agency also is involved in
community activities and
remains a strong backer
of the Victorian Village.
THE BECKER
INSURANCE AGENCY
521 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-9721
beckerinsurance@
suddenlink.net
The Becker Insurance Agency
GB Farmgirl & Com-
pany has a new look and
lots of new inventory to
offer Main Street shop-
pers.
The fanciful shop,
located at 358 Main Street,
has expanded its inventory
to include high-end Hum-
boldt Apparel sweatshirts
(for men, too) and other
clothing, some 50 differ-
ent kinds of candles
(everything from apple
butter to shortbread), and
specialty kitchen and
houseware items, includ-
ing spices developed by
home maven Martha
Stewart.
Born-and-raised Fer-
ndaler and owner Merritt
Brodt says she wants to
keep the shop upbeat and
fun.
Its fun to put
together things that peo-
ple like, she said. Purses,
jewelry, lotions and scores
of other colorful and fra-
grant products fill up the
shops space. You can even
buy Jelly Bellies.
Brodt, who studied
textile and design at
George Fox University in
Newburg, Oregon, says
her Cowgirl Tuff clothing
line products are perfect
for cowgirls like herself,
and her new Farmgirl line
of clothing and Farmgirl
hats are hot!
Theyre stylish and
comfortable, and cowgirls
like them, she said, turn-
ing around to model her
jeans. Brodt has been
around cattle her whole
life and is now raising
dairy replacement heifers
for her fathers dairy.
And if youre looking
for something less practi-
cal, theres always the flow-
ered hammer with the
hidden screwdriver or the
sterling Tollbeads.
GB Farmgirl & Com-
panys summertime hours
are 11 to 5 Monday
to 4 on Sundays.
GB FARMGIRL &
COMPANY
358 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-4247
Cowgirls always welcome
at GB Farmgirl & Company
JAKE DRAKE
REALTOR
FRANK CASASANTA
REALTOR
444 MAIN STREET
(On the corner of Main
and Washington)
PO BOX 217
FERNDALE, CA 95536
707-786-4720
Serving all
your Real
Estate
needs
throughout
Humboldt
County.
Evenings and
weekends by
appointment.
Information on:
Lodging
Dining
Sightseeing
Hiking
Camping
Birding
Theater
Shopping
Real Estate
Real Estate
Real Estate
www.ferndalerealestate.net
MLS
MLS
REALTOR

Laura Easts Ferndale Dance Academy offers a variety of classes
Perra Properties owner Barbara Perra brings
years of experience to local real estate market
Courtesy Aesthetic Design & Photography
The cast of Ferndale Dance Academys La Marionnette.
Real estate agent Barbara Perra, right, with Ferndaler clients
Paul and Suzannah Mellon.
When we moved to
Ferndale, says Laura East,
the director of Laura Easts
Ferndale Dance Academy,
people told me that a
dance studio in this area
would never make it
because the kids were only
interested in sports. How-
ever, having a dance stu-
dio has been a dream of
mine for years so I
thought it was at least
worth a try.
The first Dance Acad-
emy classes were held in
2003 at An Exercise Place
in a space about as big as
a matchbox, says East.
The floor shook like
crazy whenever we
jumped. One leap and
you were across. Two
leaps and youd run into a
wall.
That was six years ago.
Since that time, the Dance
Academy has moved to a
large studio space on the
second floor of the Dan-
ish Hall. Enrollment has
tripled, and this fall East
is hoping to expand her
Ferndale real estate
agent Barbara Perra has
been in the real estate
business since the early
1970s, receiving her bro-
kers license in 1984.
In 1987 her business,
Northcoast Realty,
received an offer from a
prospective buyer. The
offer was enough to
encourage Barbara and
her husband, Art, to take
an early retirement and hit
the road.
We got into our VW
van and traveled, recalled
Barbara. And then built
a cedar home on a moun-
tain side in McCann, Cal-
ifornia.
In 1994, Barbara
returned to real estate in
the field of mortgage lend-
ing.
However, in 2001 the
company I was working
for went out of business,
she explained. I started
looking for a new career
and was amazed to have
several real estate brokers
here in Humboldt County
offer me a position.
Barbara accepted one
offer and stayed with the
company until the broker
retired.
In 2008 the Ferndale
resident struck out on her
own, establishing Perra
Properties.
Her 30-plus years
worth of experience in
Humboldt County real
estate means Barbara has
indepth knowledge of the
ins and outs of our par-
ticular market here on the
North Coast.
Barbaras website,
www.perraproperties.com
is designed to be a com-
plete real estate resource
for both those looking to
buy and for those wanting
to sell.
My website has the
entire inventory of the
Humboldt County Multi-
ple Listing Service at your
fingertips, she said.
Barbara has completed
dozens of transactions in
Ferndale, and specializes
in both residential and
commercial properties.
The Victorian Village
of Ferndale provides a
vibrant commercial dis-
trict that attracts shoppers
through the variety of
goods and the friendliness
of its merchants, said Bar-
bara. Ferndale is sur-
rounded by lush farmland
and has a prevalent ocean
breeze. I, myself, live here
and find that all my needs
are met within walking
distance of home.
PERRA PROPERTIES
Tel. 707/499-3303
www.perraproperties.com
barbara@perraproperties.com
program to accommodate
a growing waiting list for
classes.
I have students from
Fortuna, Rio Dell, Loleta,
Carlotta, Hydesville, and
of course Ferndale. The
really amazing thing to me
Every student counts at six-year old academy
has been all of the support
I have received from the
Ferndale community. The
people here have really
embraced the dance pro-
gram and have helped to
make its success possible.
The Dance Academy
offers Mommy/Daddy &
Me, Creative Movement,
Rhythm and Movement
for Boys, Ballet, Pointe,
Jazz, and adult classes and
features an annual field
trip to a dance perform-
ance, a scholarship pro-
gram, and an assistant
instructor apprenticeship
program.
Dance Academy stu-
dents have auditioned and
been accepted to summer
programs, including Ana-
heim Ballet, City Ballet of
San Diego, and California
Theatre Arts in Walnut
Creek.
The highlight of the
year is the Dance Acad-
emys annual full-scale
production performed at
the Ferndale Repertory
Theatre and Arkley Cen-
ter in Eureka.
Last years production,
La Marionnette, gave
four sold out perform-
ances. This years produc-
tion, South Side,
incorporates themes from
West Side Story. It is about
two rival crews set in
Philadelphia in the 1980s.
It really is true that at
the Dance Academy every
student counts, says East,
because our shows are
very theatrical, and I
incorporate the unique
personalities of my stu-
dents into our shows and
create roles that highlight
their individual talents.
South Side perform-
ances are June 25 and 26
at 7pm at the Ferndale Rep
and June 27 at 7pm at the
Arkley. Tickets can be
purchased at theatre box
offices.
LAURA EASTS
FERNDALE
DANCE ACADEMY
Danish Hall,
Ocean Avenue
Tel. 707/496-0805
ferndaledance.com
YOURvisit to Ferndale isNT
completewithout a stopat
NILSEN FEED &
GRAIN COMPANY
AN OLD-FASHIONED general
store for ranch, home & garden
Since 1896
NILSEN COMPANY
Nursery & Garden Gifts
An old-fashioned General Store Hay, feed, seed, hardware
1593 Market St. 786-9501 Open seven days a week
Come see our
huge nursery
Indoor plants
housewares
pet supplies
toys
Hardware
western clothing
paint
fencing
Coffees always
on . . . Stop by!
Times Remembered:
a step back in time
Step back in time to
the classic elegance of a
Victorian-era gift shop at
431 Main Street in a build-
ing that has been a meet-
ing hall, variety store,
grocery, bowling alley and
shopping arcade. Today
you will find Times
Remembered, a delightful
gift shop and toy store in
a richly-appointed setting
filled with items to delight
every family member,
regardless of age.
The Times Remem-
bered building was con-
structed in 1875 for
$3,800 as the first Masonic
Hall. It was purchased by
the Odd Fellows in 1890
and received the "I.O.O.F"
letters on the facade that
it bears to this day.
Inside, shop owner
Nancy Zimmerman adds
olde-time flair with a
treasure trove of gifts,
including a wide assort-
ment of teapots, tea-for-
ones, vases, colorful
umbrellas, decorative
gifts, ornaments and col-
lectibles. Nancy also
showcases creations by
local artisans such as Vic-
torian home cross-stitch
patterns (Nancy Spru-
ance), jewelry (Araxa),
sawblade art (Roger
Bradley), local photogra-
phy (Dan Tubbs, Jr.), and
much, much more!
Times Remembered
carries a variety of spe-
cialty cards and board
games, jigsaw puzzles for
all ages, old-time toys, and
an expanded selection of
childrens books. Stop in
and check out their selec-
tion of fun and educa-
tional items.
Remember the toys
you played with as a tod-
dler or young child?
Youll find them at Times
Remembered. Visit
Times Remembered in
the I.O.O.F. building to
bring back happy memo-
ries and to make some
new ones!
TIMES REMEMBERED
Tel. 707/786-9500
nazz@humboldt1.com
431 Main Street
(next to the theatre)
Times Remembered can be found in the I.O.O.F. building.
Photo by Dan Tubbs
Chef Marilyn Cowan, seen behind counter, has expanded her antique store to
include Rose Cafe.
Rose Cottage Antiques
includes delicious cafe
Marilyn Cowan,
owner of Rose Cottage,
says that the first thing
people say when they
walk in is, It sure smells
good in here! They see
the antiques in the front
of Rose Cottage and
think, thats all there is.
But, if you follow your
nose to the cafe in the
back prepare for a
delightful experience!
The space allows
Marilyn to unite her two
passions. The first is
locating distinctive home
furnishings and the sec-
ond is creating delicious
foods. The warm kitchen
aromas drift along Main
Street to gently persuade
people into her shop and
bakery.
First you see the
charming displays of
home furnishings. Near
the entrance of the shop
you may find an Art Deco
cigar humidor near
antique blue transfer ware
china. Walking a little far-
ther you may see hand-
embroidered linen atop
an Eastlake rocking chair.
And then you find the
appealing dining area and
smell the freshly baked
scones, coffee cake or fruit
crumble.
The small tables are
topped with an assort-
ment of cloths that are
also available for sale else-
where in the shop. The
tables also hold a small
arrangement of flowers
from Marilyns garden or
from Gail and Glen
Giamos garden. An
assortment of flatware
reminiscent of a favorite
distant cafe completes
each table. The tables are
arranged around her
beautifully crafted
counter where Marilyn
can welcome each cus-
tomer as they arrive.
Marilyn prepares two
light meals each day.
Menu items are always
fresh, unique and
scrumptious.
The menu changes
daily so I can take advan-
tage of what is in season,
she says. In addition to
morning-baked goods,
Marilyn serves lunch that
may include soup and
salad or a hot entree.
And she always has
her delicious French press
coffee. Marilyn knows
the best way to make cof-
fee is with a coffee maker
known as a French press.
The French presses are
wonderful machines with
which the individual
drinker manually controls
the exposure time, result-
ing in a rich, perfect cup
of coffee.
Because the ingredi-
ents are so important to
Marilyn, she makes every
effort to know her sup-
pliers. She uses products
from Humboldt County
like Gold Rush Coffee
from Petrolia, Monastery
Creamed Honey from
Whitethorn and Hum-
boldt Creamery products
from Fernbridge.
I list them on the
menu board to show
appreciation for their con-
tribution to what I create
in the kitchen, Marilyn
says. It gives me pleas-
ure to have a place where
friends can meet, feel
comfortable and have
something delicious to
eat.
Hours are Wednesday
through Saturday, 11-4;
Sunday brunch, 11-2.
ROSE COTTAGE
ANTIQUES
ROSE CAFE
385 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-4880
Come and discover us . . .
at the corner of Ocean and Main in the
Victorian Village of Ferndale
Graduate Gemologist
Certified Gemologist Appraiser
Accredited Gem Laboratory
of the American Gem Society
Featuring:
ELEGANT JEWELRY ESTATE JEWELRY
CUSTOM DESIGN APPRAISALS
NATURAL GOLD QUARTZ
Lowell Daniels Jenny Oaks
(707) 786-4425 gems@silvasjewelry.com
www.silvasjewelry.com
Open daily
water is stored in a million
gallon underground reser-
voir which has been fea-
tured in The Ferndale
Enterprise.
Over the years, Del
Oro has made many
improvements to the Fer-
ndale District. In 2003,
Del Oro installed an
Alarm Notification Sys-
tem that monitors the
treatment parameters and
notifies Del Oro with
problems. This improve-
ment saves $3,000 to
$4,000 per year in over-
time. Also, in 2005 Del
Oro purchased an under-
ground leak detector to
locate leaks below the sur-
face. In 2006, Del Oro
brought in the Liquid
Engineering Corporation
to clean the reservoir for
sediment and assess it for
structural soundness. In
Del Oro Water Co. employees Troy Hubner, left, and
Pete Thoresen, stand at the door of one of two his-
toric tunnels thought to be dug by Chinese laborers
near the turn of the twentieth century. The tunnels
produce 12 and 20 gallons per minute of fresh spring
water.
Del Oro Water Company
In Humbolt County,
(and its predecessors)
have provided service to
the City of Ferndale and
surrounding areas since
1872, when the system
was installed by Mr. Fran-
cis Francis.
The name of Francis
Land and Water Com-
pany was incorporated in
1906. The company pur-
chased the Cold Springs
Water Company in 1910,
in order to supply water
to customers in the east-
ern section of Ferndale.
The Francis estate
owned the system until
November 23, 1954, when
Citizens Utilities Com-
pany purchased all of the
capital stock. The system
was first issued a water
permit by the California
State Board of Public
Health in July 1953 and
was granted a water per-
mit by the Department of
Health Services on Janu-
ary 31, 1962. The water
system was transferred
from Citizens Utilities to
on October 1, 1996.
Del Oro currently
draws from both the low
and high springs as their
primary source of water.
These springs, which con-
tain 28 individual springs,
have a combined output
of 113 gallons per minute.
Interestingly, the springs
are fed by two historic
tunnels that were dug into
the hillside, presumably
by Chinese laborers, near
the turn of the twentieth
century.
The Van Ness Treat-
ment Plant is used as a
secondary source of water
by Del Oro. This plant
produced 27.39 gallons
per minute as an annual
average for the year 2007.
Prior to distribution, the
addition, over the past ten
years Del Oro has installed
4,135 feet of new main line
with 73 new service lines.
Del Oro employs two
full time staff members
and provides a 24-hour
Regional Call Center to
their Ferndale customers.
Also, the organization is
proud to sponsor the
Humboldt County Fair, the
Ferndale Repertory The-
atre, and has contributed
to many community activ-
ities.
Del Oro looks forward
to servicing the Ferndale
District in the future.
DEL ORO WATER
COMPANY
Tel. 800/794-0276
jec@corporatecenter.us
delorowater.com
Youll find authentic
Mexican cuisine at
Restaurant Matias, as
well as a welcoming
atmosphere and excellent
service.
Right in the heart of
the Victorian Village of
Ferndale, there is Restau-
rant Matias with new
management, new
atmosphere, but, with
the same old Mexican
"grandma recipes."
Pepe and Lulu, cele-
brating 18 months of
ownership, invite you to
come and enjoy their
variety of unique Mexi-
can recipes with the
touch that only their her-
itage can give you.
Everything is prepared
fresh daily.
Mild, medium, and
spicy dishes are made to
your order. And, to wash
them down, all flavors of
Mexican sodas are avail-
able Jarritos, Sangria,
Sidral, Fanta, Coca-Cola
and Tehuacan. Restau-
rant Matias also offers
horchata, coffee, iced or
hot tea, juices, and milk.
Or, how about your
favorite Mexican beer?
Choose from Corona,
Negra Modelo, Bohemia,
Tecate, Pacifico, Carta
Blanca and Modelo
Especial. We also have
non-alcoholic, Ameri-
can, and now local
organic Eel River beers.
Restaurant Matias
For those that prefer
wine, we offer red and
white.
We have specials every
day on our menu. Come
and try something new
each time you visit us.
There is no extra charge
for groups. Private par-
ties are welcome. Dont
forget to visit the back
patio, which is open in
the summer for your
enjoyment. And, now
on Monday, Tuesday and
Saturdays there is live
music.
Owners Pepe and
Lulu Matias pay special
attention to all their cus-
tomers to ensure satis-
faction.
For reservations, call
us, or we can fax the
menu to you, so you can
order ahead for your
group. Well have your
order ready and waiting
for you at your arrival!
Aqui nos vemos!
RESTAURANT
MATIAS
460 Main Street
Tel. and Fax
707/786-4648
www.restaurantmatias.com
restaurantmatias@yahoo.com
Photo courtesy of History of Humboldt County, 1882
The Poppa Joes building, at 409 Main Street, used to
house the Alford Drug Store.
Courtesy photo
Partners at Poppa Joes: (from the left) Steve Sterback, the partner responsbile
for the wonderful Friday night dinners; Maurice Silva, a former milk truck
driver; Glenn Martella, a local dairyman; and Loretta Alexandre, wife of the
original partner, Joe Alexandre.
Good eats at Poppa Joes
Poppa Joes (yes, we
know! Other people
dont spell it that way ...
but Poppa Joe does),
located at 409 Main
Street, is just about the
best place in town to get
breakfast and lunch
seven days a week. It is
also the only place to sit
down with friends in
the morning or after-
noon and play a game
or two of Pedro, (a card
game made popular by
the Portuguese people),
Pinochle or Rummy.
No alcohol is
served, but one might
think it flowed freely,
judging from the ener-
getic outbursts from the
tables every now and
then.
In the early days (1876
until the 1890s, at least) the
building housed the Alford
Drug Store downstairs and
doctor and dentist offices
upstairs. It was also, dur-
ing this time, a Wells Fargo
& Company express sta-
tion.
At some point in time
it became Beckers Pool
Hall, and it was at this
Ferndale RepTheatre
Presents Our 38th Season!
2009-2010

Crimes of the Heart
Oct 8 - 25
Oliver
Nov 27 - Dec 20
Wait Until Dark
Feb 11 - 28
Man of La Mancha
April 1 - 25
Same Time Next Year
May 28 - June 12
RENT
Aug 5 - 29
Plus Special Events throughout the year.
Stop by and see whats on stage!
Box O ce 707.786.5483
447 Main St Ferndale
www.ferndale-rep.org
point that some of the
traditions the patrons
cherish to this day got
started ... such as playing
cards, sharing informa-
tion on the dairy and
timber businesses, enjoy-
ing large and delicious
breakfasts and dairy
lunch specials, and shak-
ing dice (usually, round
the horn) to see who
wins the privilege of pay-
ing.
In July of 1993,
National Geographic
magazine did an article
on Californias North
Face, in which it featured
the premises in words
and photographs. It was
then known as The
Greek Investment Com-
pany ... but the guys
holding the cards are still
the same.
The proprietors who
own the building and
business have an unusual
reason for doing so.
They truly believe in a
need for this very special
place to continue, so that
the guys and gals who
enjoy its old-time down-
home camaraderie may
still use it. Also, another
motivation of namesake
Joe (Poppa Joe) Alexan-
dre, a local dairyman,
was to have a Day Care
Center for himself to
spend his time when he
retired.
POPPA JOES
409 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-4180
HUNT
(Continued from page 1)
The Coffee Creek School bus shelter.
The former Island School.
The American Breeding
Service sign.
The former Price Creek School.
The remains of the old Port Kenyon port.
The old Grizzly Bluff School.
The author (left) and cousin Catherine Monroe Mace
travel inside the Cape Mendocino lighthouse in 1947
to view to touch! the Fresnel lens.
The former Grant Union School.
Watch out for cows!
Heres our 2009 solu-
tion: a scavenger hunt with
a prize at the end. The
prize, sadly, is merely a free
copy of From the Back
Pew, a collection of early
essays from this column
which you can claim, on
your honor, at the offices
of this newspaper.
Let the games begin.
1. A century ago,
sea-going vessels docked
at Port Kenyon. Find: The
remains of the old port are
stubbornly planted in a
field that belongs to Mike
Toste (and is protected by
an electric fence). Viewing
from the road is highly
recommended.
2. Until the middle
of the 20th century, the
valley boasted an impres-
sive collection of rural
schools. Find:
a. The Coffee Creek
School bus shelter (pic-
tured).
b. Grant Union
School (pictured).
c. Price Creek
School (pictured).
d. Island School
(pictured).
3. Find: One of these
schools (Centerville),
which was moved to state
property and preserved.
4. The American
Breeding Service (ABS)
was founded just over 60
years ago; herd improve-
ment with artificial insem-
ination was something to
brag about. Find: a badge
of modernity (the sign says
Cows bred artificially)
on the sides of old barns
and milk sheds.
5. Before the waters
of the Eel River were
dammed and diverted, we
were internationally
famous for fishing and
for fishing resorts along
the river. One, Weymouth
Inn, is survived only by the
remnants of its swimming
pool. Find it.
6. Find: the oldest
house in the valley, out
Grizzly Bluff Road. (Hint:
It has its date of birth
proudly painted over the
front door.)
7. During the Cold
War, the U.S. Navy chose
Centerville as a base for
keeping watch on nuclear
submarines from the
U.S.S.R. The road has
crumbled and is danger-
ous; the base has been
abandoned and neglected.
Find it anyway. You paid
for it.
8. As the American
automobile industry
downsizes across the coun-
try, we nod to the former
dealerships that were once
in Ferndale. Here are your
clues:
a. Chevrolet/Pontiac
with Flying A gasoline:
now, you can buy car
insurance there.
b. Ford: right across
the street from the Signal
Gas Station. Does that
help? Hold the anchovies.
c. Dodge and Rich-
field gas: Jim Carreys fake
diner.
d. Willys-Jeep: In
every heart, theres art.
e. Hamlins tractors:
convenient for a ham-
burger and a beer at Mads
& Guys.
9. In the Ferndale
Cemetery, there are hun-
dreds of recognition posts
and medallions for U.S.
war veterans. And one
Confederate. Find him
and be kind. Its been a
lonely outpost.
10. Once, creameries
dotted the valley; milk
couldnt travel too far with-
out spoiling. Two, no
longer in operation,
remain: the Valley Flower
and the Golden State. The
Valley Flower is a few hun-
dred yards from one of the
most elaborate (and care-
fully restored) butterfat
palaces, and its for sale!
Only $3.5 million, no cows
included.
Bonus finds:
a) The author (left)
and cousin Catherine
Monroe Mace travel inside
the Cape Mendocino light-
house in 1947 to view to
touch! the Fresnel lens.
Where is it now?
b) Until a few years
ago, wild turkeys had all
but disappeared from these
parts (spooked, no doubt,
by the rambunctious
autumn shoots at
Capetown). Now, the
flocks are growing, and
spotting families along the
roadside has become
almost common.
c) Bird enthusiasts
who do not inhabit adjoin-
ing property will also be
delighted with the horde
of black-crowned night
herons that live in the cen-
ter of town. Finding them
is a gimmee.
Did you find
all of the
locations?
If so, stop by
The
Enterprise to
pick up your
prize for
successfuly
completing
the 2009
Ferndale
Scavenger
Hunt . . .
A copy of
columnist
Wendy
Lestinas
book, From
the Back
Pew, a selec-
tion of essays
published in
The
Enterprise.
Were at 600
Main Street,
Ferndale
Congratulations!
Theres more to explore ...
For an exciting ride
try The Wildcat
Thirty miles of
twists, turns
and dips
Photo courtesy of the Hannafords
Fern Cottage is located just outside of Ferndale, toward the beach on Centerville Road.
From its facade, Fern
Cottage looks like a cozy
Victorian English house.
Walk around it, however,
and you will see a ram-
bling 31-room home built
in three phases by Hum-
boldt County pioneers
Joseph and Zipporah Russ
for their large family.
One of the few homes
in California owned and
occupied by the same
family for over a century,
Fern Cottage is on the
National Register of His-
toric Places and is open
for tours from 11 am- 4
pm Wednesday through
Sunday from June 25
through August 31. Tour
tickets are $7 (children
seven and under are
admitted free).
Inside, Fern Cottage
today looks much as it did
after the original section
was built in 1866. The sec-
ond section was added in
1878; the third in 1897.
Originally, Fern Cottage
had eight rooms, but as
the family grew, more and
more were needed (the
Russes had 13 children in
all).
Though well
appointed, Fern Cottage
was not a mansion but a
working farmhouse for
this large family, and it
was the nerve center of the
extensive Russ enterprises:
50,000 acres of ranches
(26 in all) for dairy and
beef cattle and sheep; tim-
ber, a sawmill, a slaugh-
terhouse, a chain of meat
markets, a general store in
Ferndale, and a bank.
Located on green dairy
pastures that line the
banks of the Eel River,
Fern Cottage sits on a site
selected by Zipporah Russ.
One day, riding across this
rise, she said to her hus-
band, "This is where I
would like to have our
house."
Joseph Russ had sailed
around the Horn from
Maine, arriving in San
Francisco in March 1850.
Zipporah Patrick, at age
14, accompanied her fam-
ily from Pennsylvania in
a covered wagon in 1852.
They were married in
December 1854.
For years Fern Cottage
resounded with the laugh-
ter of children. The
youngest to live to adult-
hood, Bertha Russ Lytel,
was born in the house and
was the last to live there.
She died in 1972 at age 98.
Fern Cottage today is
owned and operated by
the not-for-profit Fern
Cottage Foundation.
Joseph Russ became
active in public affairs and
was elected to the Cali-
fornia State Assembly
three times. He was in the
midst of his third term in
1886 when he died.
At that time he was
under consideration to
become the Republican
Partys nominee for gov-
ernor.
A visit to Fern Cottage
and its two-and-a-half
acres of gardens will give
you a taste of life in the lat-
ter half of the 19th cen-
tury. The furniture and
furnishings include those
that Zipporah and Joseph
Russ themselves chose for
their home.
Others were added
over time, including some
choice Craftsman pieces
from the workshops of
Gustav Stickley.
The parlor was used
only for the most formal
occasions, with one excep-
tion: piano practice by
Russ daughters on the
square grand piano, said
to be the first piano in
Humboldt County. You
will see many other rooms
that look much as they did
well over a century ago:
the family living room, the
office, dining room,
kitchen (with its large
wood-burning range),
ironing and laundry
rooms, the multi-purpose
trunk room and several
bedrooms. Throughout
the house are displayed
beautifully preserved
antique gowns belonging
to Mrs. Russ and her
daughters.
Fern Cottage has many
surprises for the modern
visitor and tells a vivid
story of American enter-
prise and the building of
the young state of Cali-
fornia.
FERN COTTAGE
2121 Centerville Road,
three miles west of
Ferndale.
707/786-4835
www.ferncottage.org
Fern Cottage showcases early Victorian life;
historic home just a few minutes from town
One long block west of
the intersection of Main
Street and Ocean Avenue
stands an iron sign on two
tall wooden posts, pro-
claiming "Cape Town
Petrolia." The sign stands
next to what looks like a
country lane meandering
in from the left. But this
is no country lane; it's the
beginning of "The Wild-
cat" 30 miles of twists,
turns, dips and rises and
some of the most spec-
tacular ocean scenery in
America.
The Wildcat had its
beginning well over a cen-
tury ago as a trail across
the big cattle and sheep
ranches that cover the
coastal hills, peaks and
valleys between Ferndale
and the Bear and Mattole
Valleys. Then, in the
1880s, Chinese workers
originally brought to this
country to build railroads
throughout the West
carved a narrow track out
of the sand hills above
Ferndale to make a road
for stagecoaches and wag-
ons.
The country lane
aspect of The Wildcat
evaporates soon after you
have turned onto it. You
climb quickly around
numerous curves under
the sandstone cliffs that
were once the bed of the
ocean. From there you
continue to climb for five
miles through dense Dou-
glas fir forests (but with
occasional views of the
highest Coast Range
peaks some 50 miles to
the east). You reach a crest
of sorts where Bunker Hill
Road comes in from the
left, then you wind your
way downward toward
Bear River and Capetown.
If you've been in the fog
coming up, you'll be look-
ing down on white billows
of clouds at this point. Or,
if it's a clear day, you'll see
the Pacific Ocean in the
distance.
You pass ranch after
ranch on windswept ridge
tops and moors; they have
such names as Spicy
Breezes, Mazeppa, Cape
Ranch, Dublin Heights
and Ocean House. At
Capetown, whose one-
room school house (now
in disrepair) was the last
one to close in Humboldt
County (about 40 years
ago), you cross the Bear
River and begin climbing
again. On top of the next
cluster of mountain tops
you suddenly look out
and down at the vastness
of the Pacific, its rows of
breakers methodically
rolling in toward shore as
far south as you can see. As
you descend toward sea
level, off to the right is a
Gibraltar-size rock just off-
shore from Cape Mendo-
cino the farthest western
point in the contiguous 48
states. It looks just as it
must have when the Span-
ish explorer Vizcaino and
his crew spotted it nearly
400 years ago.
Crossing a small creek,
you pass Ocean House, the
only residence you will see
along this 10-mile stretch
of coast. Offshore, on a
bright day, chances are
you'll spot several wind-
surfers maneuvering their
boards not far from a large
rock that, in silhouette,
looks as if it must be the
ghost of Admiral Dewey's
flagship.
A few miles farther
south, the road winds up
McNutt Gulch to gentle
farmland, ending at Petro-
lia, near the site of Califor-
nia's first drilled oil wells
(1864). Just beyond the vil-
lage is the wild, undammed
Mattole River, now under-
going watershed restora-
tion to rebuild stocks of
trout, steelhead and
salmon. Just across the
river, turn right on Light-
house Road and follow it
five miles to its terminus
behind the dunes of Mat-
tole Beach. The Bureau of
Land Management main-
tains the beach and the vast
King Range Conservation
Area that covers 66,000
acres of the Coast Range
from this point south for
30 miles.
Stop for lunch in Petro-
lia or buy supplies for a pic-
nic at the beach. If you stay
overnight, consider a hike
the next day to the decom-
missioned lighthouse at
Punta Gorda, three miles
down the beach from the
Mattole Beach parking lot.
Caution: even on warm
days, the wind blows
briskly, so dress accord-
ingly. And, the ocean, while
beautiful to see, is too cold
and the riptides too strong
for bathing. Beach strolling
is another matter. The
mouth of the Mattole a
trickle over the sand dunes
in summer is about half-
a-mile north of the park-
ing lot. The summer dunes
hold a large lagoon with
many shore birds.
Or, if tea beckons back
in Ferndale, you can let The
Wildcat take your breath
away twice in one day by
returning after your
sojourn in Petrolia and the
Mattole Valley.
MUSEUM
Omori seismograph still
in operation, a variety of
local Native American
baskets and artifacts as
well as many other items
from Ferndale and the
lower Eel River Valleys
past.
The Joe McIntosh
annex houses a complete
working blacksmith shop,
fishing, logging, farm and
dairy equipment (pow-
dered milk was invented
in Ferndale), a cross-sec-
tion of a 1237-year-old
redwood tree, a huge solid
6 x 12 x 3 redwood
board, and other vintage
tools and equipment.
Artifacts are stored in
a humidity-controlled
storage room, where the
temperature is maintained
between 68 and 70
degrees. Approved
museum methods are
used to keep old clothes,
including wedding gowns,
leather goods, books, an
extensive photograph col-
lection, dolls, china and
crystal. Newspapers dat-
ing back to 1874 are kept
on microfilm for public
research.
Boasting a volunteer
crew of over 75 people,
the museum is supported
by the generosity of vol-
unteer, community and
visitor donations.
The museum is
located one block off
Main Street at the corner
of Shaw Avenue and
Third Street. Summer
hours are Tuesday
through Saturday 11 am
to 4 pm and Sunday 1 to
4 pm. We are closed on
Tuesday from October
through May. We are also
closed the month of Jan-
uary to change exhibits.
If you like Ferndale, youll
love the museum.
THE
FERNDALE
MUSEUM
515 Shaw Ave.
P.O. Box 431
Tel. 707/786-4466
museum@
ferndale-museum.org
www.ferndale-museum.org
Top Ten Healing
Hospital
Redwood Memorial Hospital RMH rst opened as a full-service
hospital in March 1957, the result of collaboration between the
Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange and the community.
Today, Redwood Memorial Hospital is the home of a patient-
centered care philosophy called The Journey that forms the foun-
dation for all programs, services and outreach the hospital provides.
Started in 2001, the Journey philosophy is rooted in the concept of
keeping the patient at the center of all decisions and including pa-
tients and their loved ones in the decision-making process while
providing a healing environment.
Redwood Memorial was honored by the Fortuna Chamber of
Commerce as 2007 Business of the Year and has received presti-
gious awards from Avatar for exemplary care. Most recently, Red-
wood Memorial was named one of the nations top ten healing
hospitals by the Baptist Healing Trust based in Nashville, Tenn.
Visit www.redwoodmemorial.org for more information.
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Youll soon discover
why were
called the
Friendly City. . .
Fortuna ( just across the river
from Ferndale) is the ideal
family vacation
headquarters.
We have 6 motels, an RV
Park & Campground and
more than 160 wonderful
places to shop and dine.
Full Services
Multiplex theater
Parks
Antique Stores
Depot Museum
Conference Center
Community Events:
Rodeo Week, July 13-19, Autoxpo,
July 24-26 Hops in Humboldt, August
29 Apple Harvest, October 4
Farmers Market, Tuesdays
DiscoverTheRedwoods.com
Visit
FORTUNA!
For more information about
Fortuna please call or write the
Fortuna Chamber
of Commerce
735 14th St. Fortuna, CA 95540
(707) 725-3959 (800) 426-8166
The Friendly City

Your
Redwood
Adventure
Starts
Here
ENTERPRISE
and Hazel Waldner (1939-
80). Elizabeth Poston
McHarry, owner/pub-
lisher from 1982, sold The
Enterprise to TSM Pub-
lishing, Inc. in October
1995. In October 1998, the
paper was sold to Editor
Caroline Titus, who had
edited and contributed to
the paper for seven years
prior, and to her husband,
Ferndale native Stuart
Titus.
Now, as it celebrates its
birthday, Ferndale's
hometown newspaper has
more than 1,500 sub-
scribers, an average of
3,500 to 4,000 readers
each week, and sub-
scribers in 28 states
besides California.
In 1997, for the first
time since Hazel Waldner
announced the end of
World War II with a
handprinted red banner
headline, The Enterprise
won a statewide newspa-
per competition. It was
judged first in its class for
editorials and second for
spot news by the Califor-
nia Newspaper Publishers
Association. Since then its
winning streak continues,
with a total of 19 state and
national awards gracing
the office wall.
We love the fact we
can win state and national
awards but at the same
time give our readers a
fun community newspa-
per, remarked Caroline
Titus. This paper really
is all about us us being
the wonderful community
were lucky enough to live
in.
Drop by and see us
while you are in Ferndale.
You won't find a green
eyeshade or any printer's
ink anywhere, but you will
find a friendly staff and
maybe a fresh cup of cof-
fee.
We hope you enjoy
our Souvenir Edition and
take it home to remind
you of your visit to the
Ferndale area. Better yet,
bring Ferndale to your
home every week of the
year with a subscription.
(52 issues for $50.) Order
your subscription at our
office; send a check to
P.O. Box 1066, Ferndale,
California 95536; or bet-
ter yet, subscribe online
at our website: fern-
daleenterprise.us
THE FERNDALE
ENTERPRISE
600 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-4611
Fax 707/786-4311
editor@ferndaleenterprise.us
ferndaleenterprise.us
Church, and his sons
moved with the family.
This caused them to sell
the newspaper to F.A.
Alford, a physician.
Over the years, The
Enterprise has changed
owners 14 times. The
longest-running owner-
ships were those of Her-
bert N. Briggs (1901-10, in
partnership with William
E. Butler and 1910-32 as
sole owner); and George
HISTORY
but in the Shaw cabin, and
21 voters cast ballots. Obvi-
ously, the community had
grown.
In 1854, Shaw had
under way a larger house
which, in 1859, became Fer-
ndales first post office and
in 1863, a stopping place for
travelers. Shaw was made
Ferndales first justice of the
peace.
On July 12, 1862, a
weekly mail service was
established. Charles Bryant
undertook to carry the mail
between Ferndale and
Eureka each Saturday.
Centerville, just five
miles west of Ferndale, had
been a center of activity for
the southwest part of the Eel
River Valley. It could be
reached by a long slough
navigable by small or flat-
bottomed boats from the
Eel River.
Between 1852 and
around 1870, the Eel River
Valley was such a mass of
trees and willow brush, the
only practical route south
was in this direction, all of
which made Centerville a
vital center.
At first, a good part of
Ferndales acitvity was from
the ranches and dairies in
the coastal hills to the south.
That created a need for a
route that was more
dependable than the tidal
beach near Centerville.
In July 1879, a trail was
blazed over these steep and
rugged hills, which later
became a wagon road with
the appropriate name, the
Wildcat. It is still the prin-
cipal route to the Bear River
and Mattole areas.
In May 1878, Ferndale
had a newspaper. The next
year, Roberts Hall, complete
with a rostrum, was fin-
ished. A census, which pre-
sumably included
Centerville and Port
Kenyon together with Fer-
ndale, reported 1,050 native
born; 90 from Denmark;
111 from Switzerland; 72
from Germany; 34 from
Nova Scotia (Blue Noses)
and 34 from Canada (not
Nova Scotia).
Probably the first to
come in any number were
the Swiss. The Italians were
among the later arrivals
at the turn of the century.
The Portuguese began
arriving after 1900, mostly
from the Azores and a few
from the mainland. Like the
Italians, the Portuguese
brought their culture with
them.
By 1884, Ferndale was
organizing a fire depart-
ment. By 1893, it was vot-
ing (89 to 47) to
incorporate.
Jumping ahead to the
winter of 1955, disastrous
floods shook the area.
Before World War II, only
redwood and tanbark had
been harvested. But after
1945, Douglas fir and other
conifers were ruthlessly har-
vested.
In the absence of an ade-
quate forest management
plan, there were clogged
streams, unprotected
drainage slopes, and in the
winter of 1955, the worst
flood in Humboldts history.
The ranchers in the val-
ley had only partly recov-
ered in 1964 when an even
worse flood hit. I remem-
ber that along Van Ness
Avenue in Ferndale, there
was flood water next to the
higher pavement of the road
on the north side, but no
water had yet gotten into
the fairgrounds.
Although Ferndale had
been spared, it had become
a ghost town. The dairy
ranchers who supported the
town had been all but
ruined. Store after store was
empty. Buildings were for
sale for almost nothing. The
old Red Front Store, now
Abraxas, sold for less than
$1,000!
But Ferndale recovered.
Within a few years, build-
ings went for $10,000 to
$12,000. Artists discovered
the town and the available
space.
(Ed.s note: Viola Russ
McBride (1906-96) was a
writer and artist who lived
in Ferndale virtually all her
life. She was also a well-
known rancher, logger,
mother of three and all-out
supporter of Main Street
and the artists in our com-
munity. A plaque, next to
the Candy Stick Grill and
Fountain, commemorates
her contributions to Fern-
dale.)
Bear River Casino will
celebrate its fourth
anniversary in August
2009. Bear River Casino is
home to the friendliest
slots in Humboldt County
and the best odds for table
games. The newest addi-
tion to the Bear River fam-
ily is Bear River Pump &
Play, located next to Bear
River Casino.
Bear River Casino
offers over 300 slot
machines, and table games
including blackjack and
Texas hold em poker.
Youll also find the Rivers
Edge Restaurant and the
Thirsty Bear Sports Bar &
Grill.
The Rivers Edge
Restaurant serves break-
fast, lunch, and dinner
seven days a week, plus
weekly all you can eat
prime rib, and land and sea
buffets.
The Thirsty Bear
Sports Bar & Grill has live
entertainment three nights
a week, and you can watch
your favorite sports on a
big screen TV.
Bear River Pump &
Play features a small non-
smoking casino (with both
slots and blackjack), open
to ages 18 and older; a con-
venience store, and incred-
ibly low cost gasoline and
diesel, available 24 hours.
New members of the
Players Club at both loca-
tions receive $10 free slot
play. Players Club mem-
bers can also receive a total
of $50 free slot play during
their birthday month.
Bear River Casino and
Bear River Pump & Play
are located two miles south
of Loleta, and mile east,
off Highway 101. Take exit
692 (Ferndale/Fernbridge),
turn on Singley Road and
a short drive up the hill
leads you to the casino.
BEAR RIVER CASINO &
BEAR RIVER PUMP &
PLAY
11 Bear Paws Way, Loleta
Tel. 707/731-YOGI
800/761-BEAR
bearrivercasino.com
Courtesy photo.
Bear River Casino is just ten minutes from Ferndale.
Your best odds are to head to Bear River Casino
Del Oro
Del Oro
Water Company
Water Company
1-800-655-3582 1-800-655-3582
A proud member
of the
Ferndale
community . . .
is committed to carrying
on the 137-year-old
tradition of
delivering fresh spring
water to its customers
. . . And a proud sponsor of
The Humboldt County Fair
and many other Ferndale
community activities!
Planning a picnic? Stop by the Loleta Cheese Factory for all the fixins
Its the cheese that
counts at Loleta Cheese
Factory in Loleta, just
across the Eel River from
Ferndale.
Bob and Carol Laf-
franchi founded Loleta
Cheese Factory in 1982 in
the small town of Loleta.
The idea started with Bob
when he was teaching
agriculture education at
Eureka High School. He
began to lead his dairy
class students through the
maze of cheesemaking,
and the rest, as they say,
is history.
Bob and Carol
decided cheesemaking
was what they wanted to
do with their lives, that is,
manufacturing superior
quality cheese, and in the
process, contribute to the
economy of Humboldt
County.
They are located in
the 1919 Bertsch build-
ing, which they bought
and remodeled as a fac-
tory. As a family-run
business, Loleta Cheese is
dedicated to the produc-
tion of great-tasting
cheese. Loleta Cheese is
made in small batches
using traditional recipes
to ensure old-fashioned
flavor, making over 2.6
million pounds of cheese
a year.
Their medal-winning
cheeses, 38 varieties, are
noted for having a rich
creamy taste and a
smooth natural texture.
In 1995, Loleta Cheese
became the first cheese
factory in California to
make organic cheese.
Today they produce a
variety of four different
organic cheeses.
The Cheese Factory
has developed a follow-
ing for its varieties of fla-
vored cheddar and jack
cheeses. A few favorites
include smoked salmon
cheddar, jalapeno ched-
dar, garlic jalapeno jack,
havarti with herbs and
spice, garden jack, and
hickory-smoked jack.
A fun part of a visit to
Loleta Cheese Factory is
the treat of watching
cheese being made and
tasting all the varieties. As
an additional attraction,
Loleta Cheese has created
a beautiful garden for vis-
itors to enjoy all year
round.
To get to the Loleta
Cheese Factory, take the
Loleta Drive off-ramp
from 101 and follow the
curves. The factory is
open daily from 9 am to 5
pm. Visit us online for
more information.
THE LOLETA CHEESE
FACTORY
252 Loleta Drive, Loleta
Tel. 707/733-5470
Toll-free: 1-800-995-0453
Fax: 707/733-1872
store@loletacheese.com
www.loletacheese.com
FAIR
REP
organization's official
status as part of the Cal-
ifornia network of fairs,
it does not receive
money from either the
state's, or the county's
general fund. Rather, it
is funded through rev-
enues it generates locally
and $124,000 it receives
annually from a licens-
ing fee on wagers placed
on horse racing.
Pari-mutuel wager-
ing on horse racing in
California was allowed
through a constitutional
amendment in 1933,
which designated that a
portion of the proceeds
go towards the support
of California's 81 fairs.
Assets managed by
the association include
an array of features, all
of which add hand-
somely to Ferndale's
unique characteristics.
The 15,000 square
foot Belotti Hall, which
includes a newly reno-
vated commercial
kitchen, serves as the pri-
mary event center in
town, hosting weddings,
receptions, graduations,
shows, exhibits, enter-
tainment events, ban-
quets and more.
C.J.'s Turf Club is a
banquet facility with
kitchen, perfect for
events of smaller pro-
portions, such as family
reunions, birthday par-
ties, pancake breakfasts
and service club meet-
ings.
The association's live-
stock facilities include 200
horse stalls, as well as the
largest covered arena
north of Santa Rosa. The
arena hosts everything
from pleasure riding,
horse shows and packing
clinics, to high school
rodeos and team roping
competitions.
And for guests trav-
eling to Ferndale for a day
or two of rest and relax-
ation, the fair's R.V. facil-
ities include 90 hook-ups
which include water, elec-
tricity and access to a lift
station, all within hearing
distance of the Pacific
Ocean to the west and
with a view of the Wild-
cat Mountains to the
south.
The annual Hum-
boldt County Fair in
August is the largest pub-
lic event in the area. The
11-day event is a classic
representation of what a
county fair is all about,
including carnival rides
and games, fairtime food,
commercial and compet-
itive exhibits, livestock
shows and auctions and
featured entertainment.
The highlight of the
fair, however, is the eight-
day live horse racing pro-
gram, which draws
people from throughout
Humboldt County and
northern California.
Racing is conducted
on California's only one-
half mile track and fea-
tures thoroughbred,
Arabian, quarter horses
and even mules.
In addition to the live
races offered each day of
the fair (except the first
Thursday, Monday and
Tuesday), the Association
also utilizes satellite tech-
nology to "import" races
from Saratoga, Del Mar
and Golden Gate Fields,
providing fair patrons the
opportunity to wager on
over 50 total races a day.
Ferndale's racing pro-
gram is provided similar
access to the satellite net-
work, with local races
being broadcast to 30 off-
track wagering facilities
throughout California
and to dozens of other
facilities across the United
States.
The 2009 Humboldt
County Fair is scheduled
for August 13-23. Join us
as we experience Racing,
Squeals and Ferris
Wheels!
THE HUMBOLDT
COUNTY FAIR
1250 Fifth Street,
Ferndale
Tel. 707/786-9511
or 725-1306
Fax 707/786-9450
humcofair@frontiernet.net
humboldtcountyfair.org
were simply unable to leave
behind the magic that is
theatre.
The Rep is no differ-
ent. Affectionately known
as Bertha, this guardian
angel trods the boards after
the final curtain, when the
lights have gone to black,
the applause has faded and
the patrons and cast
returned home to their
other lives. Rumors
abound of misplaced
props, out-of-place set
pieces and unexplained
shadows in dusty corners.
However, whether
Bertha exists only in cre-
ative imaginations or
whether she is truly a pres-
ence from the past is yet to
be determined. But one
thing is certain: the Rep
has its share of guardian
angels.
Hundreds of Hum-
boldt County merchants
and thousands of individ-
uals have donated to the
Rep over the years to help
insure that the magic will
continue.
And making magic is
not easy. The illusion does
not come without its
stresses and disappoint-
ments, but the successes so
far outweigh the failures,
so that this thing we call
theatre is eternal.
It began 4,000 years
ago and will be a part of
our cultural heritage as
long as we call ourselves
civilized. And the Rep
will be eternal as long as
there are dreams to be
dreamt, tears to be cried,
and laughter to resound
from the aging rafters.
So, how is it that The
Rep has succeeded to sur-
vive the vagaries of econ-
omy and changes in taste
when others have failed to
do the same?
In the 38 years that the
Rep has been a mainstay
on Main Street in Ferndale,
more than 25,000 dedi-
cated directors, actors,
designers, technicians,
builders, stage crew, ush-
ers, box office personnel,
and volunteers from every
walk of life have called The
Rep home.
Most have returned
again and again to share
their talent, their passion
and, most importantly,
their time, in the creation
of works of art that endure
only in the memories of
those who have partici-
pated. They are all volun-
teers.
Unlike a painting or
sculpture, theatre is tran-
sitory. When the curtain
falls on the final perform-
ance and the applause has
faded, what is left is sim-
ply the knowledge that
hundreds of our neighbors
and visitors have been
touched in some way by
what we have done. And
so, we move on and the
process begins again.
The stage is the artists
canvas and the company
creates its magic again and
again, year after year..
Those who are truly pas-
sionate about their partic-
ipation in the performing
arts often find it difficult
to articulate why they will
so readily devote hun-
dredsthousands!of
hours to the processbut
on behalf of artists and
patrons the world over, we
thank them for their pas-
sion. It enriches our lives
beyond measure.
The soul of a commu-
nity is measured by its
interest in and support of
the arts. Ferndale has a lot
of soul. Give the theatre a
call, or stop by and say
hellothe Rep staff will
be pleased to show you
around the old girl or
make reservations for one
of our many productions.
The Ferndale Rep:
entertainment worth expe-
riencing!
THE FERNDALE
REPERTORY THEATRE
Tel. 707/786-5483
Production office
707/786-5484
ferndale-rep.org
Courtesy photo
Fill your picnic basket with local cheese and other delicious local food items at
the Loleta Cheese Factory just a short drive from Ferndale.
MAYS
benevolence.
In early 2007, the
result of Mays two
decades worth of draw-
ing, for the first time was
shown to the public.
Mays, 71, decided to
hold a one and only art
show of more than 200
unique drawings of Fern-
dale after he was diag-
nosed in 2004 with
terminal kidney cancer.
Shortly after his diagno-
sis, the community of Fer-
ndale held a benefit dinner
for Mays, and organizers
auctioned off more than
100 of his Jacks Corner
cartoons a feature he
draws weekly for the
towns newspaper, The
Ferndale Enterprise.
More than two years
later, and still feeling
healthy, Mays decided to
give back to the commu-
nity that he credits for
nursing him back to
health. Along with his
first-time show, Mays
allowed 13 of his drawings
to be made into prints,
with all the proceeds from
the limited-edition signed
prints to go to a new foun-
dation Mays and his
friends organized.
The Amaysing Grace
Foundation, to date, has
raised more than $40,000,
and its sole purpose is to
help Ferndale families
who must travel outside of
Humboldt County for
needed medical care for
their children.
An assortment of the
benefit prints is still avail-
able and can be viewed at
The Ferndale Enterprise
office or by logging into
the Ferndale Chamber of
Commerce website: vic-
torianferndale.com.
JACK MAYS PRINTS
available at 600 Main
Street (The Ferndale
Enterprise)
Tel. 707/786-4611
ferndaleenterprise.us

Ferndale offers many sights to visitors up and down Main Street. Not only are there
interesting shops, restaurants and bed and breakfasts, visitors also can see stately
Victorians, exemplary of an important architectural period in American history.
The sights extend beyond Ferndale, too. And as you can see from our Excursions
page, theres the Pacific Ocean along Centerville Beach and the hamlets of Fern-
bridge, Loleta, Eureka and Fortuna across the Fernbridge. We hope you enjoy our
city and its environs as much as we enjoy having you visit.
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(Jerry hulse, L.A. Times Trevel Editor}
Visit the Victorian ViIIage on-Iine at VictorianFerndaIe.com
Fernda|e 6hamber of 6ommerce P0 Pc/ J25 FeJa'e, C/ J55Je P|ce/Fa/ (707| 78-4477
GRIZZLY BLUFF FARM GIRL
FERNDALE REAL ESTATE
WACHOVIA WELLS FARGO
FERNDALE EXERCISE PLACE
SALON FLOCCHINI
FERNDALE CLOTHING CO.
THE PERFECT PALATE
GIRLIE GIRLS
REDWOOD SUITES
LITTLE SHOP IN THE MIDDLE
GAZEBO ANNEX
GAZEBO OF FERNDALE
THE FERNDALE ENTERPRISE
THE WILDCAT WINE SHOPPE
Clothing, candles, specialty kitchen and houseware items can be found at Grizzly
Bluff Farmgirl & Company.
Grizzly Bluff Farmgirl
& Company has a new
look and lots of new
inventory to offer Main
Street shoppers.
The fanciful shop,
located at 358 Main Street,
has expanded its inventory
to include high-end Hum-
boldt Apparel sweatshirts
(for men, too) and other
clothing, some 50 differ-
ent kinds of candles
(everything from apple
butter to shortbread), and
specialty kitchen and
house ware items, includ-
ing spices developed by
home maven Martha
Stewart.
Born-and-raised Fer-
ndaler and owner Merritt
Brodt says she wants to
keep the shop upbeat and
fun.
Its fun to put
together things that peo-
ple like, she said. Purses,
jewelry, lotions and scores
of other colorful and fra-
grant products fill up the
shops space. You can even
buy Jelly Bellies.
Brodt, who studied
textile and design at
George Fox University in
Newburg, Oregon, says
her Cowgirl Tough cloth-
ing line products are per-
fect for cowgirls like
herself.
Theyre stylish and
comfortable, and cowgirls
like them, she said, turn-
ing around to model her
jeans. Ive been around
cows my whole life.
Still is in fact, since
she lives with her family
on her fathers Ferndale
dairy ranch to this day.
And if youre looking
for something less practi-
cal, theres always the flow-
ered hammer with the
hidden screwdriver or the
sterling Tollbeads.
Grizzly Bluff Farmgirl &
Companys summertime
hours are 11 to 5 Monday
to 4 on Sundays.
GRIZZLY BLUFF
FARMGIRL &
COMPANY
358 Main Street
Tel. 707/786-4247
Cowgirls welcome at Grizzly
Bluff Farmgirl & Company
RECYCLE, FERNDALE
Heres what can be recycled . . .
#1-#7 plastic bottles, containers and plastic bags (Saran wrap,
milk jugs, margarine tubs, etc., with lids removed are ok)
Aluminum, steel and tin cans and empty aerosol cans
Cardboard (including pet food bags, cereal boxes, shoe boxes
and rinsed ice cream cartons)
Glass jars, bottles and CRV containers
Junk mail, newspapers, magazines
and other similar paper products

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How about a Ferndale scavenger hunt,

complete with prize for those that finish

The Friendly City

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