Ledger-Dispatch

By Scott Thomas Anderson (sanderson@ledger-dispatch.c= om)=20

From left, Kenny Clark, Franci Clark, = Kylie=20 Windley, Jayme Nevin, Andrea Bonham and Rosemary Johnson are = excited about=20 Ione's new community hub, Clark's Corner.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson
Andrea Bonham remembers a time = when people=20 in Ione loved to spend their mornings chatting with friends and = neighbors in the=20 comfort of a warm cafe. Now, as the town's faded Main Street continues = to=20 brighten with a vital new pulse, the councilwoman is helping open = Clark's Corner=20 - a stylish gathering hub that celebrates Ione's rich history while = seeking to=20 bolster a unique community spirit residents hope will usher them into = the 21st=20 century.

Growing up in Ione, Bonham has always carried a deep = affection=20 for the "old timers" - the ranching and farming families who have made = the=20 Jackson Valley their home for generations. Though she's spent some of = her adult=20 life away from the city, her return nine years ago culminated in = becoming an=20 active city council member and eventually the mayor. Bonham, like many = residents=20 of Ione, has noticed a bustling energy return to its streets in the form = of=20 revamped restaurants and hotels.

"I think we're heading in a good = direction," she observed. "A lot of positive things are going on right = now."=20

Yet even with Main Street showing signs of life and the Preston = Castle=20 Foundation taking strides in restoring that part of the city's history, = Bonham=20 and others felt something was still absent.

"When I was a kid, I = saw how=20 everyone here used to gather around tables and really talk to each = other," she=20 recalled. "That kind of interaction kept people in the town really = connected;=20 but for a long time we haven't had that."

Six months ago, a = number of=20 business owners began to feel the same way. Kenny and Franci Clark, = along with=20 Craig Clark - the owners of Images and More - approached Bonham with the = idea of=20 creating a new gathering place in Ione - something that would be a = hybrid of a=20 cafe, an art gallery, a performance venue and all-around community = center. In=20 mid-December, that vision became a reality when Clark's Corner opened = its=20 doors.

A spacious building with bold colors and ornate decor and = trim,=20 Clark's Corner has now joined the Ione Hotel as a historic front that's = been=20 restored to its original luster.

"The goal was to reflect a part = of the=20 area's legacy that I don't think people often realize," Bonham said. = "Even=20 though the people who came in to establishments like this were more on = the=20 rugged side - mostly cattlemen and miners - the establishments = themselves were=20 clean, nice places. In that respect, we wanted to make a place that was = classy=20 but casual."

The interior of the cafe is a kind of showroom of = polished=20 bricks and glossy sections of its original wallpaper from the 1920s. The = sleek=20 tables, bright paintings and hanging lights all add to the jazz-age = atmosphere,=20 while rustic hardwood floors and old planks burned with local cattle = brands help=20 keep the nuances of Ione's history in full view.

In addition to a = stage=20 for artists, musical performers and public speakers, Clark's Corner will = soon=20 feature computer databases for locals to immerse themselves in Ione's = storied=20 past. For Bonham, interest in the town's history presents a special = avenue for=20 the longtime residents and relative newcomers to form lasting bonds and = a=20 stronger sense of community.

"There was a time when there was a = lack of=20 cohesion between the people who'd grown up here and the folks who were = newer who=20 live in Castle Oaks," Bonham said. "But now we're starting to become one = town.=20 We're seeing a lot more involvement in local government from Castle = Oaks. We're=20 seeing a lot more involvement from that part of town in = everything.

"I=20 really believe teaching Ione's history plays a big role in that. When = new=20 residents learn about the history, they take pride in it just the same = way the=20 people who grew up here do. They become even more invested in the=20 city."

Bonham added that the return of landmark phrases that have = traditionally only been known to the oldest residents of Ione - such as=20 referring to City Hall's parking lot as "between the meat and the = market" - are=20 proof that Ione's one-of-a-kind character is rebounding with help from = new=20 blood.

"When I hear people who have recently moved here use our = sayings,=20 I just love it," she said. "It shows that we're coming together over = what's=20 special about this place."

Scott Thomas = Anderson