Family Fun: All Fired Up

“All of the staff was friendly and most importantly for us, they enjoy kids.”

By Charlie Good

For this family outing we decided to try our hand at painting pottery at All Fired Up in the Village at Squaw Valley. The store originally opened four years ago in the Cobblestone Center in Tahoe City, then with a change in ownership moved to the Village at Squaw in November.

When we arrived Olivia Ostrie, one of the owners, greeted us. We were all excited, especially my 5-year-old daughter Sydney. My 3-year-old son Zach did not know what to expect and therefore was somewhat apprehensive. The first step in the process is to pick out the piece of pottery you want to paint. There are different categories of pottery from figurines to dinnerware and household items and everything in between. They even have pet bowls to paint for those pet lovers.

Sydney chose a dragonfly and my Zach picked out an elephant to paint. My wife, Jenna, on the other hand chose to paint a cake plate for our oldest daughter, Breanna, who is nearly 16 years old. Once we picked out our pieces we were ready for the next step – selecting the paint.

The back wall of the store showcases a large selection of paint that can be mixed into any color imaginable. Jenna had the foresight to get the paint herself and pour each color my children wanted into the miniature palates.

Once the colors were available, my kids wasted no time in covering their pieces in a wide array of colors. At first Zach was amenable to some help from me, but soon he felt comfortable dipping the brush into the color and painting his elephant on his own. We made a wise choice only giving him two colors on his palate since he was mixing the two colors from the start. As for Sydney, my perfectionist, she was deftly coloring certain parts of her dragonfly different colors while making sure to rinse the brush in the bowl of water at the center of each table. Once she had the first coat of colors on her dragonfly, she decided to put a few more coats of paint on the advice of Olivia. It was nice to know that no matter how messy Sydney and Zach got, all of the paints are water-soluble and non-toxic. After helping Zach to hit some of the areas of his elephant he was missing, I decided to check on the Jenna’s progress. She was doing an incredible job on the cake plate for our oldest daughter.

Jenna used some of the stencils and stamps to provide a personal touch to her piece, and naturally took the longest since everything had to be perfect. In the meantime, Zach was placing another layer of paint on the elephant’s posterior section, his favorite place to paint, while Sydney was examining her piece for any spots that she missed.

When we were finished we left the pieces on the table along with the considerable mess that resulted from this experience. Olivia assured us that she would take care of finishing our pieces (glazing and firing them in the kiln) and be happy to clean our mess – what a relief. All of the staff was friendly and most importantly for us, they enjoy kids. They are also accessible to everyone and always right there if they can help in any way.

All Fired Up is the perfect place for your next special occasion (birthday and bridal parties, scout troops, home schools, field trips, gifts, church groups and fundraisers/auctions). For those of you with newborns or infants, All Fired Up can capture your little one’s handprints or footprints on one of their ceramic pieces. There is no age limit or experience necessary. All options are affordably priced and all inclusive. They offer a one- to two-day turnaround for your painted pieces to be glazed and fired in their kiln. All final products are food and dishwasher safe. If something happens to your piece when you take it home, they also repair pieces for a nominal price.

All Fired Up is offering several different deals and discounts. For Mother’s Day bring, your mom in to paint and receive 20 percent off. And, through the end of May, locals receive a 15 percent discount. In addition, they are offering a Friday Night Kids Club, which allows parents to have some time alone while the staff at All Fired Up takes care of the kids with painting, games and pizza.

All Fired Up also is offering a weekly summer kids camp from June 21 to Aug. 20. Each day will consist of learning new artistic techniques, Cable Car rides, games and pottery creations. Day 1 will consist of painting a portrait plate. Day 2 is making a mug. Day 3 features designed an ice cream bowl. Day 4 consists of making a mosaic and the last day the artwork made throughout the week will be showcased along with an ice cream party with everyone wearing their crazy hair/hat. The hours for this camp are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. The cost for this weeklong camp is $199, which includes everything. Local discounts also are available. Reserve your spot today since space is limited and slots are filling up fast.

All Fired Up is located at the Village at Squaw across from Fireside Pizza. Hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information or to make a reservation, call (530) 584-6200 or visit www.allfireduptahoe.com.
Family events

Incline Village presents the 4th Annual Kids for Conservation Festival on April 22 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the D.W. Reynolds Community Non-Profit Center featuring earth-friendly educational activities for kids ages 3 to 10, Bug Station, eco-games and more. Call (775) 832-1284.

Rideout Community Center will host a Family Movie Night on April 26 at 7 p.m. featuring “Cheaper by the Dozen.” Bring blankets, low back chairs snacks and drinks. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Publisher Charlie Good enjoys spending time with his family during what he considers the best time to be outdoors in Tahoe. If you have a family friendly idea or suggestion, contact Charlie at publisher@tahoethisweek.com.