Venues

Eureka Theatre, 612 F Street, Eureka. 707-442-2970 www.eurekatheater.org

Architect: William B. David, Art Moderne Style, 1200 seats. The Eureka Theater was built in 1938 by George Mann, the Founder of The Redwood Theatres Corporation. Mr. Mann, a well known name in the movie business went on to construct and manage many movie houses across the Western United States.

The theater was converted to a triplex (with the balcony being split into two separate theatres) in the mid-70s. The Eureka Theater closed its doors in 1987 due to the building of new multiplex theaters in the Eureka area.

In February, 2000 the theater was in disrepair and suffering from water damage, neglect, and vandalism. Bob Richards, a long time resident of Humboldt County and former Eureka Theater usher, called the owners to talk about the theater's lack of use and potential for restoration. Bob was given permission to create an organization to run the theater for community events. After forming volunteer communities and a board of directors, the Eureka has reopened for the community to use. While still under restoration, the theater is now available to rent. Photo by Megan McKenzie.

Arkley Center for the Performing Arts, 416 G Street, Eureka. 707-442-1956 www.arkleycenter.com

Architect – renovation: Frank Georgeson, with Reid Bros. of San Francisco. In 1920, Eureka’s music loving public who admired vaudeville and motion pictures had their desires gratified as the Hippodrome, Eureka’s new theatre, opened it’s doors, built as a project by Eureka Mayor, Richard Sweasey. The theatre was fitted with a massive pipe organ intended to add sound to silent films. New release movies were presented as part of a double bill with live stage shows of elaborately choreographed dance reviews or a mix of song, dance and comedy acts–variety shows known as Vaudeville.

Moving through the 20’s live vaudeville theatre was eventually replaced by talking movies, so in 1929 the Loew’s State Theatre was remodeled to accommodate talkies. The new RCA Photophone equipment, installed at a cost of $15,000 handled all types of sound pictures and gave a lifelike reproduction of music and speech. The feature sound picture presented at the Grand Re-opening Friday, April 5, 1929 was "The Leatherneck." The theatre continued to be a focal point of the community. Just shortly after this grand debut an explosion of a boiler caused a fire that swept through the State theatre, leaving behind a huge financial loss and blackened building. Within an hours time the most beautiful show house in Northern California had been reduced to a charred mass of ruins. In 1973 Loew’s State Theatre closed and was purchased by Daly’s department store, which it was for the next 20+ years, until closing, leaving it vacant for three years. In 1998 Humboldt State University purchased the theatre to use it as a venue for the Performing Arts. The university, however, never made it there and in 2003 sold it to Rob and Cherie Arkley, who helped revitalize the downtown Eureka area bringing top notch entertainment to Humboldt County while providing a center stage for the community. In 2003, Rob and Cherie hired Kramer Properties to begin the restoration, completed in 2007.

Old Town, Eureka. (1st through 3rd Streets, between C and M Streets.) www.eurekachamber.com

This Historic district is a 350-acre area containing 154 buildings, mostly from the Victorian era. Art galleries, coffee shops, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, antique stores, museums, and public areas (complete with views of Humboldt Bay and its marinas) are highlights of this gem of the North Coast.

Arts Alive! occurs each first Saturday of the month in the Old Town and Downtown sections of Eureka. More than 80 local galleries and other shops display local art to the public. The open house event often features wine, non-alcoholic drinks, and hors d'oeuvres. Live music venues abound, and performances by musicians, jugglers, fire dancers and poets are often visible on street corners as well as in the shops and galleries. Photo by Megan McKenzie.

Morris Graves Museum of Art, 636 F Street, Eureka. 707-442-0278 www.humboldtarts.org

The Humboldt Arts Council is the county's largest arts organization, founded in 1966 and dedicated to the promotion of arts and culture in our region. The Morris Graves Museum of Art, a program of the Council, is located in the former Carnegie Library in Eureka, built in 1904 and completely renovated in 2000 with over $1 million in donations from the local community. 1996 the Humboldt Arts Council accepted an offer from the City of Eureka to undertake the effort to save the historic 1904 Carnegie Library building, which was destined for demolition. The former Carnegie Library had been a symbol of community pride and local culture for over 100 years. After the successful Carnegie Capital Campaign to raise $1.5 million from the local community, foundations and corporations, the Council began the restoration process in 1999 to convert the historic Carnegie building into a regional art museum and art center. On January 1, 2000 the Humboldt Arts Council and the community celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate the Morris Graves Museum of Art for its new "Century of Service" to the community.

The Morris Graves Museum of Art houses seven galleries including the Melvin Schuler Sculpture Garden, a Museum Gift Shop, Youth Gallery and Classroom facilities, Arts Resource Center and Performance Rotunda. Join us each First Thursday at 6 pm FREE ADMISSION This monthly event is designed to provide quality film and open discussion based on PBS Point of View (POV) and Independent Lens programming. Many of these films are documentaries and deal with issues such as art, music, education, race, gender, politics and MORE! Photo by Megan McKenzie.

Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center (HBAC), 921 Waterfront Drive, Eureka. 707-443-4222 www.humboldt.edu/~hbac

The new Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center is located next to the Adorni Center on Eureka’s Waterfront. The Aquatic Center’s purpose is to provide recreation and education opportunities for the HSU campus & local community and to host various events which will enrich the opportunity for off-campus activities. Future programs will include boating safety classes, extended education classes, special events, Center Activities leisure and aquatic classes, after-school programs, an aquatic based environmental education program and crew athletic training and practice facilities. Photo by Megan McKenzie.

Access Humboldt Community Media Center, 1915 J Street, Eureka (Eureka High School campus). 707-441-2508

Part of a new visual arts and industrial arts complex on campus, one of the remodeled buildings at Eureka High School houses this Community Media Center television studio as a collaborative effort with the local cable company, local governments, and the community. Photo by Megan McKenzie.

Redwood Acres Fairground, 3750 Harris Street, Eureka. 707-445-3037

Redwood Acres Continues to be the largest Class III interim use Fair in the State with over 500,000 attendees yearly. Redwood Acres is governed by a nine member Board appointed by the Governor of California. The annual Fair is held each year during the last full week in June with scheduled events weekly throughout the year, including Stock Car Racing on a 3/8-mile paved track, BMX, baseball field, batting cages, 164-stall horse boarding facility with four riding arenas (one covered), RV and boat storage during winter months, Satellite Live Simulcast Horse Racing Facility and a 52-space RV park with water, electric and sewer hookups.

Minor Theatre, 1015 H Street, Arcata. www.catheatres.com

The Minor Theatre in Arcata is the oldest running movie theatre in the US. The theater was built by Isaac Minor for a cost of $20,000. Ground was broken for the building of the theater on April 2, 1914, and the project was finished in November of that year. The grand opening was December 3rd, 1914. This was one of the first buildings ever built with reinforced concrete. It was constructed soon after the San Francisco earthquake with safety in mind.

Patrick's Point State Park, Trinidad. (25 miles north of Eureka, CA) www.parks.ca.gov

Patrick's Point's dense forests of spruce, hemlock, pine, fir and red alder stretch over an ocean headland with lovely wildflower-festooned meadows. A dramatic shoreline ranging from broad sandy beaches to sheer cliffs that rise high above the Pacific Ocean offers great opportunities to explore tide pools, search for agates and driftwood, and watch whales, sea lions and brilliant sunsets. The park offers several miles of hiking trails, a recreated Yurok Village, a native plant garden, visitor center, three family campgrounds, 2 group camps, a camp for hikers and bicyclists, and 3 group picnic areas.

Red's Crescent Drive-in, 2303 Elk Valley Cross Road, Crescent City. 707-464-1813 (1 1/2 hours North of Eureka)

Almost in Oregon, and one of California's smallest Drive-ins, the Crescent is a classic Drive-in experience in a pleasant setting, operating since 1959. Parking capacity for 280 cars; movie audio provided with both AM & FM radio broadcasts, plus: there are still classic pole-speakers for the nostalgia minded.

Fortuna Theatre, 1241 Main Street, Fortuna. 707.725.2121

Architect: Bill David. The Fortuna Theatre was built for Redwood Theatres in 1938. Recently restored, the theater reopened in November, 2000. The main theater features original wall sconces and chandeliers, which have all been completely restored. It also has a 46 foot screen and newly installed stadium seating. The other two theaters are located in the reconstructed balcony. The Fortuna is adding a 3-screen addition that will bring the complex to a total of 6 screens. As part of the restoration, over 500 feet of new neon tubing was installed on the tower. It was lit for the public for the first time in over 35 years, in October 2000.

Ferndale Repertory Theatre, 447 Main Street, Ferndale. 707-786-5484 www.ferndale-rep.org

Located in an historic theatre in the Victorian Village of Ferndale, The Ferndale Rep is the longest running live theatre on California's north coast. Since 1972, they have produced more than 270 productions... from comedies to classics, mysteries to musicals, fine dramas to magical fantasies. All find a home on their stage.

Garberville Theatre, 766 Redwood St., Garberville 707-923-3580 (1 1/2 hours south of Eureka)

An Art Deco-style, family-owned and managed theatre in the Redwood Empire.

Persimmons Garden Gallery, 1055 Redway Drive, Redway. 707-923-2748

Persimmons Garden Gallery is an ever-changing experience for all your senses. The shop's delightful nursery is filled with olive trees, water gardens, and unusual perennials. The revolving fine art gallery changes monthly to feature a different local or global artisan.

The gallery also carries a large selection of children's books for all ages. Persimmons Garden Gallery’s wide range of seasonal textiles include: hand painted silk pillows, quilts, purses, and scarves, wool and velvet vests and coats, fair trade organic chocolates, knit and felted wool hats as well as many other gifts created to support the local craftspeople with an emphasis on respecting the environment. New for this season are French linens (traditionally woven from outside of Paris), and local ceramics for the house and garden.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Burlington Campground (45 miles South of Eureka) www.humboldtredwoods.org

Burlington Campground is located on the Avenue of the Giants next to the Visitor Center. The second-growth redwood forest is cool and shady. Campers can relax at the river, a short five-minute walk away. Water level and sand bar locations at the river vary from year to year; sometimes there are good swimming holes. The river is always a good place for wading on hot summer days. Several trails are accessible from the Burlington river bar. There is a seasonal footbridge installed over the river every year. On quiet evenings, campers may hear flying squirrels as they scamper about in the trees overhead. Deer, gray fox, and raccoons are often seen at night here.

The Visitor Center next to the campground offers displays, a slide show, and videos that describe the park and its cultural and natural history. The store has books, postcards, maps, and other interpretive items available for purchase.

DIRECTIONS:

From the South: From Highway 101, take the Myers Flat exit. At the intersection with the Avenue of the Giants, turn right. Drive through the town and continue on the Avenue of the Giants 4.4 miles to Burlington Campground. Distance from San Francisco: 232 miles.

From the North: From Highway 101, take the Weott exit. Turn right at the intersection at the bottom of the offramp. Drive all the way through town to the end of this road. It will end at the intersection with the Avenue of the Giants. Turn left and drive 1.5 miles on the Avenue of the Giants to Burlington Campground. Distance from Eureka: 45 miles.