There are many reasons people come to Fairfield Bay. Some come for the lake and fishing, some for the hiking and natural beauty, others come to reunite with family and friends, and some come to retire and live here full-time.
I am pleasantly surprised every time a visitor says that they return to Fairfield Bay to take classes at the Education Center. What an honor, and a sign that we are doing the right things.
Instructor and resident Fran Schroder has been teaching her Jeweled Spider class in our program for several years now. She is delighted to share her knowledge of “all things arachnid” with her students and can speak eloquently about spider anatomy, geography, biology, and folklore. Her clients range from third generational grandparents to younger visitors, and they quickly become knowledgeable while they create beautiful one-of-a-kind decorative spiders from beads and wires. Many times parents and grandparents who accompany the students become interested enough to join the class and make it a family affair, and each of them take home a permanent memento of their cherished time together.
In a culture of texting and instant communication, our younger generation has lost the art of written correspondence. Much to Fran’s surprise she received two thankyou cards in the mail from a brother and sister who had taken her summer class. They were in the 8-10 year old age range and had meticulously hand written the letters, complete with illustrations! This is a great example of when our teaching extends beyond the classroom into daily life.
Jim Tindell’s group painting class has met every Tuesday morning for the last three years. Our local residents increase their skill, enjoy the social hours, and are often joined by our weekly resort guests. Much to my surprise, a lovely couple from Kentucky signed up and mentioned that this is the second year that they have come back to Fairfield Bay to take Jim’s class.
A bonus for the Education Center was the placement of a full-size loom and a set of spinning wheels relocated from the museum this year. These original turn-of-the-century devices were used for the processing of wool and flax into yarn and woven cloth, and are in the process of being restored to fully operational condition. The announcement of this acquisition in my spring newsletter brought forth a summer visitor from Tennessee, who is an avid artisan of fiber crafts. She quickly accessed the re-stringing of the loom’s warp and weft and was able to describe other important steps that need to be taken to make it functional. She and her husband are owners of a retirement home in Fairfield Bay and she is counting the days until they can be permanent residents here. I suspect that she will fill a volunteer position here as our fiber arts expert.
If you come to Fairfield Bay as a visitor, guest or resident there are an amazing number of classes, events and activities that can keep you inspired and fulfilled. We are constantly adding new learning opportunities to our schedule and the best way to keep informed is to check our Facebook page: FFB Community Education Center.
I hope you can join us at the Fairfield Bay Community Education Center and thank you for your support,
Dr. Catherine Swift