Ceramic shop attracts crafty people

The first thing you'll notice about the road to Bud Longenecker's house is that it is entirely lacking in signs that say "Keep Out." The fact that he operates a business here is part of that -- the ceramic shop called the Knik Knack Mud Shack has been on his homestead property for years. Mud Shack Road, a spur of Knik-Goose Bay Road at Mile 10, is named after the shop.

But the lack of "No Trespassing" signs speaks more to Longenecker's easygoing manner than to any efforts to draw customers. He doesn't want to encourage trespassing -- get on the 70 acres of hayfields with a four-wheeler and you'll get a talking to -- he just doesn't believe signs can discourage certain people.

"Just say I don't want to crawl down to their level," Longenecker said.

Longenecker came to Alaska in 1951 and homesteaded a 160-acre spread off Knik Road in 1958. Many Valley residents know Longenecker as the grounds manager for the Alaska State Fair. He's been involved with the fair for 31 years. Longenecker's three children attended school in Wasilla.

Alaska is a good place to put down roots because it's unspoiled and uncrowded, he said. There are three reasons to live here.

"Clean air, Clean water and if you live out here like I do, it's not crowded," he said.

That isn't to say he doesn't have visitors. The Knik Knack Mud Shack has been attracting crafty people from all over the state for years. Occasionally people bring visitors from Outside and Longenecker gets to hear them say, "This is the biggest ceramic shop I've ever seen."

There are about 6,000 molds here, everything from dragons to angels to egg ornaments and clocks.

And yes, Longenecker still has a supply of Alaska clay he can mix with ceramic clay to create the swirled effect that made the Mud Shack an Alaskan institution. Contrary to popular belief, the Alaskan clay isn't from the nearby mud flats. Longenecker got his supply from an excavation site on First Avenue in Anchorage.

"When it's gone, it's gone," he said of the clay.

The homestead also has a small museum that was once accompanied by a zoo and is now more of a preservation vault than a visitors attraction. Among the dozens of vehicles are a gold-rush-era oar wagon, a stage coach, and a vintage ambulance. One building houses everything from tools to old license plates to a printing press that reportedly operated in Knik, Iditarod, Nome and Fairbanks before being retired.

Longenecker's speech is as matter-of-fact as speech gets. Point out that not many people have a museum at their house and he shrugs.

"Not many people have a ceramic shop at their house either."