Ferndale vs. McKinleyville 

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• photo duel by Bob Doran
• Ferndale vs. McKinleyville

It can be hard to get Humboldtians out of their houses at night. OK, there's some good stuff on TV, I get it. But if you're like me, during your once a month pilgrimage to Arts Alive! in Old Town, you find yourself saying, "They should do this more often." Businesses open late, people walking around, exchanging smiles and pleasantries. It almost feels like community, or something. In fact, someone realized the motif works so well, they bottled it up, complete with exclamation mark and started the monthly Arts! Arcata. Smart move. But that only covers two weeks out of the month, people. Geez, how can we keep these good times rolling?

Well, the Victorian Village of Ferndale has answered the call. On Friday, June 18 from 6-9 p.m., get ready for the first Ferndale After Five, the latest monthly addition to the Humboldt calendar. (What? No "!"?) Those making the trek over Fernbridge will find all of Main Street's restaurants and cafés, as well as a majority of its quaint shops open late for your art walking, shopping and dining enjoyment. You'll also find live music and wine tastings. If you've ever been to one of Ferndale's open house nights around Christmas time, you know what a treat it can be to saunter around the historic town at night. Admittedly, all those holiday decorations won't be up this week, but it will be a lot warmer.

According to After Five organizer Karen Pingatore, the evening was the brainchild of new business owner Michelle Miller of Café Main Street who saw the community benefit of the other arts nights in the county. After brainstorming with other merchants, they took their idea to the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce and made it official. Thank you, Cow Town.

But, wait a tick. Isn't there already a third artsy night on the Humboldt County calendar vying for your attention? Oh, right. Turn to page ... of this week's Journal and you'll see the listings for the McKinleyville Arts Night, which also takes place on, that's right, the third Friday of the month. Looks like we have a George vs. Ringo brouhaha on our hands. While a little competition never hurts, those of you located in Humboldt's Greater Eureka/Arcata population center have a big decision to make. Will your car head north or will it go south on Friday? Whichever direction it is, just make sure it doesn't stay in the garage.