I don't think anyone will wonder whether or not the groundhog saw his shadow today. Here in South Bend, we have several weeks of winter left to enjoy. When the roads become passable again, take advantage of what our mamma (nature) gave us. Go tubing at St. Patrick's Park.
This county park, just off Auten Road north of the city, does not close down after picnic weather is over; rather, it offers several reasons to get outside in the cold. First, the inner-tubing hill. It's open on weekends from 11am-5pm, and for $3, you can rent a tube for the afternoon. (Sleds aren't permitted -- head south of town to Marion's hill for that.) If hurtling yourself downhill doesn't appeal to you, take advantage of northern Indiana's topography for some cross-country skiing on St. Pat's many (flat) trails. You can rent ski equipment for $10, and a trail fee applies.
For more information on inner-tubing, click here.
For more information on xc skiing, click here.
Check conditions at http://www.sjcparks.org/ -- there's even a webcam!
For readers residing a bit more on the Mishawaka side, Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park also offers inner-tubing, and snowshoeing. Check here for details.
#119: Fire Arts
You know the feeling when you've driven past something often enough that you sometimes forget it's even there? Well, I'm ashamed to say that's happened to me. I've passed by the Fire Arts Gallery countless times on my many (many) trips up and down Colfax, but somehow it's never really registered and I've never had the inclination to visit. Until today.
On this empty afternoon before the impending "blizzard of the 21st century" I stopped in on a whim and was pleasantly surprised in many ways. Fire Arts features a small gallery in the front of the building which houses the work of the 13 (soon to be 15) in-house artists as well as special exhibits. The special exhibit currently features the work of Wayne Harshberger and his stone carvings. The gallery as a whole boasts significant display pieces as well as smaller items such as jewelry (I particularly loved the key necklaces), vases, and mugs (more on that later). The work featured is eclectic yet all collected under the banner of three-dimensional art.
This becomes more apparent if you're lucky enough to get a tour of the expansive artist studio space behind the gallery. I was apparently curious enough and inexperienced enough that the owner offered to give me one. I can't recount his entire tour, which is why you should go and visit yourself, but the studio features spaces for jewelry-making, silver-smithing, wheel-throwing, slab-carving, bronze-casting (the only space in Northern Indiana that offers this possibility), and much more. For an artistic beginner it was merely fascinating to see the work in process.
They've only been in existence for six years, but it's clear that Fire Arts has established a close-knit community of artists in the area. Not content to simply sell and display the art, these artists also offer a variety of classes for the beginner to the expert in many of their areas. So visit; maybe you'll discover your inner artist or maybe you'll just buy yourself a locally-made mug to drink hazelnut coffee out of on a wintry afternoon. Like me.
Location: 305 East Colfax
Hours: 12:00pm-9:00pm, Tues. and Thurs. 11:00am-4:00pm, Sat.
For information on classes or more information about the gallery, visit their website here.
On this empty afternoon before the impending "blizzard of the 21st century" I stopped in on a whim and was pleasantly surprised in many ways. Fire Arts features a small gallery in the front of the building which houses the work of the 13 (soon to be 15) in-house artists as well as special exhibits. The special exhibit currently features the work of Wayne Harshberger and his stone carvings. The gallery as a whole boasts significant display pieces as well as smaller items such as jewelry (I particularly loved the key necklaces), vases, and mugs (more on that later). The work featured is eclectic yet all collected under the banner of three-dimensional art.
This becomes more apparent if you're lucky enough to get a tour of the expansive artist studio space behind the gallery. I was apparently curious enough and inexperienced enough that the owner offered to give me one. I can't recount his entire tour, which is why you should go and visit yourself, but the studio features spaces for jewelry-making, silver-smithing, wheel-throwing, slab-carving, bronze-casting (the only space in Northern Indiana that offers this possibility), and much more. For an artistic beginner it was merely fascinating to see the work in process.
They've only been in existence for six years, but it's clear that Fire Arts has established a close-knit community of artists in the area. Not content to simply sell and display the art, these artists also offer a variety of classes for the beginner to the expert in many of their areas. So visit; maybe you'll discover your inner artist or maybe you'll just buy yourself a locally-made mug to drink hazelnut coffee out of on a wintry afternoon. Like me.
Location: 305 East Colfax
Hours: 12:00pm-9:00pm, Tues. and Thurs. 11:00am-4:00pm, Sat.
For information on classes or more information about the gallery, visit their website here.
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