Oakland Ice House – Janet fisher

Spring Celebration of the Arts

March 23, 2026Janet Fisher2 Comments

Artists and Authors celebrated the beginning of spring last weekend at a gala in historic Oakland, Oregon, at the wonderful 1905 Oakland Ice House, hosted by Conni Westford Riley. I so enjoyed being a part of this event and sharing my books there.

*Me at my table next door to Jim Hart’s display of his delightful children’s books. I believe he was in the next room with his guitar offering music at that moment.*

The room with its old brick walls and antique furnishings offered a lovely setting for the event and our host Conni Riley added many special touches.

Here’s Conni in the photo below next to my table where I sold and signed books, A Place of Her Own and The Shifting Winds, my Oregon pioneer stories. Also on the table is a book of photos, including pictures of Ireland, setting for my next book. Conni did the beautiful display above the table, adding my “Author” sign to her decor, a sign I have used since I received it from the Oaklanders who made it for me at an event they sponsored some years ago. I especially loved the violin. Nice touch.

Conni offers this space at the old Oakland Ice House for fundraisers for non-profits, community dinners, movies, including chick flicks, and other group shows. This was the first spring event for artists and authors and hopefully she’ll do it again next year.

*Carolyn St. Clair and two of her adorable friends.*

One of the authors/artists, Carolyn St. Clair, brought some of her wonderful woolie characters along with her book entitled A Swete Book of Tales. The “Swete” comes from her grandmother’s middle name. This third character represents spring.

Carolyn’s book displays 50 of these characters in full color with enchanting stories for each one. She has made each character by hand (in fact she was working some wool during the event to show the process). I’m not good at estimating sizes but I would guess they’re about two feet tall. The books are available on Amazon.

Another skilled artisan at the event was Peppi Melick of Peppi’s Pottery.

Her sales gallery is in Roseburg, Oregon, on Cleveland Rapids Road.

Here she is with some of her beautiful work.

And for a wide look at the room here’s Elaesa Jones, below, a young author with unbounded energy and enthusiasm, with a collection of her books, There Once Was a Rabbit, Tales by the Fire, and many more. She loves magic and delving into fantastical realms for her stories. I found her online by going directly to “elaesa jones books.”

This is just a sample of the artists and authors. Visitors included longtime friends and new folks I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with as well. An excellent event all around.

Spring Event at Historic Oakland

March 19, 2026Janet FisherLeave a comment

Spring is springing this Friday, March 20, and I’m happy to announce I’ll be signing books at a springtime event starting that Friday evening at 6 o’clock in the historic town of Oakland, Oregon, and running through Saturday, and Sunday afternoons, March 21, and 22. It’s the Spring Artists & Authors Open House and Showcase for the whole family with music and storytelling and sparkling cider with some sweet bits to eat. And the event is free.

In my previous experiences at Oakland events I’ve found that these Oaklanders hold delightful parties that can take you right into the past. This one will be held indoors at the 1905 Oakland Ice House, 212 SE Locust Street, a setting brimming with true history.

A personal aside: I’m also celebrating the completion of the rough draft for a new novel set in ancient Ireland, a sequel to the one my new literary agent is pitching to editors. I’ll have pictures of the Irish settings on display in Oakland.

*I took this photo outside the Ice House a few years ago for another historic event.*

For more information on Oakland’s springtime event check out the two posters below–one made specifically for me by program coordinator Conni Riley …

… and one for the full program.

The 1905 Oakland Ice House is just up the street from the old Stearns Hardware on the corner of Locust Street and SE 2nd Street pictured below, which as the sign says goes all the way back to the year 1887.

*Another photo I took a few years ago for another historic event in Oakland.*

And there’s the beautiful old building across the street, pictured below, the Page & Dimmick Building that also takes a person into the past when strolling down Oakland’s center.

First Friday in Historic Oakland

October 7, 2017December 3, 2022Janet Fisher

On a gorgeous golden Friday yesterday I had the privilege of being included with my books at First Friday in Oakland, Oregon.

In the photo above I’m signing a copy of A Place of Her Own for a customer, Holda Crocker, who came with her little helper. My table is right outside Tolly’s, a restaurant with plenty of old-fashioned atmosphere, in the alcove of the right-hand door. Thanks to Victoria Kietzman for taking our picture. Victoria’s the lady who directs this monthly event highlighting local artists.

“My definition of art encompasses a great deal,” Victoria said. “It can be gardening, canning, ceramic, painting, photography, writing, produce, soaps, candles, lotions, music, acting knitting, plants, jewelry, crocheting, macrame, dream catchers and so on. If the hands and mind were involved then it must be art.”

This is the last First Friday for the year. They’ll start up again in May.

Before the day’s event began I took a short walk from Tolly’s and snapped a few pictures. A walk in Oakland’s downtown feels like a walk through the past.

Up the street on the opposite corner you find Stearns Hardware. As the sign shows, the store dates from 1887, and it still sells hardware.

I remember my grandfather talking about shopping there when I was a child.

Beyond Stearns you walk past some cheery seasonal decorations to the Oakland Ice House of 1905 (below), a slightly younger establishment.

Everything looked quiet at 4:30 in the afternoon.

Across the street the lofty Page & Dimmick Building (below) now houses an antique shop, but the building is an antique itself.

I love the artistry in the brickwork.

When I went back to set up my table it remained quiet for the first half hour or so. I wondered if anyone would come by, though I enjoyed the pleasant breeze whisking down the street on this warm fall day.

Things picked up suddenly, and customers started coming by. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with folks and it turned out to be a good sales day for me. And when it’s time to leave this historic town you just hop onto a–oh, wait! Wrong event. The stagecoach wasn’t working during First Friday, as it was at Oakland’s Living History Day last fall.

They aren’t doing Living History Day this year but hope to next year. As Victoria said, I’ll have to get out my bonnet then.

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