It is said that the road to a friend's house is never long. This road will soon be shortened considerably for two long time San Mateo institutions. Come fall, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Works and Kirkpatricks School of Dance will remain neighbors and friends in their brand-new location at 1701 Leslie Ave., behind the American Legion Hall and near Trinta Baseball Field.
The IBEW and Kirkpatricks have been neighbors since the dance school moved to its current location on Eighth and Railroad avenues, near downtown San Mateo, nearly 20 years ago. Started by Bob and Betty Kirkpatrick in 1956, thousands of local children have taken their first dance steps at the school throughout its 47 year existence. (In the interest of maintaining journalistic integrity, I here disclose that I, too, was a tiny dancer). The school is currently owned by Stacey McDonald and April Bongi, both of whom teach at the school as well. Kirkpatrick dancers are familiar faces around town, often sighted at Samaritan House, Casa de Flores and other local non-profits, where they perform as part of the school's contribution to the community.
For the student dancers, the extravagant June dance recital held at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center marks the end of the school year and the true beginning of summer.
In the years the two organizations spent across the street from one another, the IBEW members became familiar with the comings and goings of the dancers and their families who constantly streamed in and out of the school's storefront location. As time went by, Kirkpatricks quickly outgrew its cramped quarters and the congestion caused by parents dropping off and picking up students began to create problems for the school and people living nearby.
These traffic and crowding problems will soon clear up as the school undertakes a big move at the invitation of the IBEW, who offered Kirkpatricks space in their new building. This match seems to one made in heaven.
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The new building will provide Kirkpatricks' students with a state of the art facility, expanding the dance school from 4,000 square feet to 7,000 square feet. Also, the new location will provide plenty of curb space for parents to pick up and drop off their children. The move will take place as soon as the IBEW customize a portion of the building for the dance school. In addition to gaining a wonderful tenant, The electricians also have the knowledge they are helping to keep dance alive for families from throughout the Peninsula.
Miss Stacey and Miss April, as they are known to all their students, suggest that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and particularly their representatives Michael Meals, David Mauro, and Mark Gribble come to the center of the stage and take a big bow for putting together this winning combination.
For those of you without a dancer at the school, it's worth it to swing down Leslie Street and check out the new International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers' building. The columns on either side of the main entrance are decorated with famous names from electrical history. Isn't that illuminating? We all know Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin, but how many of the others do you recognize? A little brush up on our electrical history wouldn't hurt any of us, I'm sure.
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It used to be that the Rocky Horror Picture Show was the place to be Fridays at midnight, but times certainly have changed. These days, Harry Potter is the big star and this Friday night the fifth book in the trendy series will be available at a bookstore near you. M is for Mystery, Barnes and Nobles, and Borders will all be hosting late night gatherings for fans of all ages. The new Harry Potter book,
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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