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Edition 74 l FEBRUARY 2021
CALDWELL FIRE DEPARTMENT NAMES EMPLOYEES OF THE YEAR! Pg. 3 TOPS CLUB HELPS RESOLUTIONS! Pg. 8 MOSAICS DONATES OVER 1200 LBS OF FOOD! Pg. 10
Dawn Bashore enjoys a quiet moment painting on canvas at her studio in downtown Caldwell
ITS ALMOST TIME TO GET OUTDOORS! Pg. 12
Business Spotlight: Fire & Ice Pottery Studio
Nestled on 7th Ave in Caldwell with a view of Indian Creek plaza, sits a charming little DIY pottery studio. If you’re up for a unique date night, birthday party, or just feel like trying something new, a memorable experience awaits you in crafter’s paradise. Owner Dawn Bashore greets her patrons at the door and guides them through the process of creating original personal masterpieces. Want to try clay sculpting, glass fusing, or free-style painting? Bashore offers DIY arts and crafts to “people who may not have the money (or desire) to invest in all the tools and supplies to try something.” Things like making a sign that looks professional and customized for the customer. She makes it clear that talent isn’t a requirement for participation
Family Fun Day
and has even been known to complete several projects for those who grow frustrated! There’s a plethora of creative, white ceramics from which to choose- including animals, dinnerware, and other novelty items that all seem to beg, “pick me!” After selecting their perfect paints from a generous wall of colors, artists are free to create by themselves with help always nearby. Water is changed by an employee and everyone is welcomed to stay as long as they wish. After painting, artists simply hand their finished products off to the professionals, who will fire them into flawless, glass finishes and have them ready for pick-up a few days later. Every piece of art tells a unique story, and the studio has a special one of its own.
Fire and Ice Studio got its start at a storefront next to the Reel Theatre in Nampa, where it stayed from 20062010. Due to the recession, it became necessary to close the storefront and instead operate a mobile business anchored from their home base. Two main factors influenced Bashore’s choice of re-opening her business in downtown Caldwell in November of 2019: The first came about when she learned of the downtown revitalization project. She “fell in love” with Indian Creek Plaza and saw an opportunity to be part of the small businesses coming with it. The second came about in a very unexpected but wonderful way. Tearing at the memory, Bashore recalls how she was watching
The perfect party place for people of all ages.
by Valerie Christensen, Caldwell Perspective
“Wednesday’s Child” on TV one December night when the reporter asked a little girl in foster care what she wanted most of all for Christmas. The girl answered emphatically, “ I want to be with my brothers and sisters!” Bashore’s heart was both broken and touched by her reply; so much so that she began researching, thinking and praying before proposing a ‘crazy’ idea to her husband. As it turned out, he had been praying too and had providentially come to the same conclusion. They decided there was a reason they hadn’t felt the need to sell a house that had become too large for their needs. Instead, they filled it with love beyond anything most could ever imagine. After becoming foster par-
Kids enjoying a day painting
ents for a time, the Bashore’s adopted the five siblings and a new family was born. They wanted to give their children, some with special needs, all they had to offer. Dawn knew if she opened the pottery studio again, her children would gain “a great first experience in the working world.” It would become a slow-paced, peaceful haven where they could heal, create, and thrive. If you look around purposefully, hearts in many forms can be found throughout Fire and Ice Studio-some made of ceramic, others etched in wood-or the real ones that beat in a kind woman named Dawn and her five rotating staff members who will greet you at the door; ready to help you create a masterpiece.
Guided paint parties available check out www.fireandicepottery.com