LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1518261
LOCALadk 12 The process of transforming raw materials—wood, metal, yarn, clay and others—into useful and some- times beautiful objects is one that has captivated humans throughout history. Most of us have, at some time in our lives, participated in classes (I'm recalling a shop class full of massive WWII-era tools at Roos- evelt Jr. High in my hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa) where we got up close and personal with one or more materials and subsequently cut, prodded, and shaped until we ended up with our very own "thing" that sometimes resembled the desired objective—be it a picture frame, box, or a vase. If we had a good instruc- tor, the right materials, a willing mindset, and proper tools, our efforts might have been met with success and maybe, just maybe, we ended the exercise with an object that we were proud to have made with our own hands. I, for one, still own a small wooden box that my 12-year-old self made in that workshop in junior high. It's not perfect, but all these years later, it still holds my trinkets and stands as a reminder of the beginnings of a lifelong journey into woodworking and crafting that continues to this day. In 2015, my wife Terri and I bought our home in Lake Luzerne, NY, a small community about an hour north of Albany in the foothills of the Adirondack Moun- tains. While still in the process of buying the house, we began to explore the town and quickly found ourselves getting an introduction and tour through the facilities of the Adirondack Folk School, located on the town's main street between the public tennis courts and Mill Creek (the outlet from the lake that runs into the last free-flowing stretch of the Hudson River) immediately behind the school. I will say that the moment I walked through the door and saw a dis- play of hand crafted items I felt the "hook" being set. When I learned that the school offered 200 classes each year across 15 areas of craft— I knew I had found a place that would become a part of my life from that day on. And, as it turns out, for Terri as well—more on that later! The Adirondack Folk School (AFS) grew out of the desire of town resident Jim Mandle to be proactive in finding ways to revitalize the historic downtown district of Lake Luzerne. After three years of attempts The Adirondack Folk School: A Place to Explore, Discover and Create By: John Cerveny