Stuff happening in the coffeehouse

Chamber Music in the 'house

Last week we got this mention on the Jackson Free Press website:

My absolute favorite day trip to Vicksburg is incomplete without a stop by the jam-packed Attic Gallery on Washington Street. As if the eclectic stacks of exquisite art wasn’t enough you can now hear live music in their new... Highway 61 Coffeehouse" - Herman Snell - Jackson Free Press.

This Thursday would be a good time to check it out...

The Vicksburg String Quartet

will bring a touch of class to Highway 61 this Thursday, August 31. Come listen to some beautiful chamber music from 7:30 to 9:30 PM (we reopen at 7 PM on Thursday night for live music.)

The Quartet is:

Jerry Rankin on first violin
Irma Thornton on viola
Ruth Anne Schnell on 2nd violin
Cindy Scurria on cello

Ruth Anne and Jerry both teach violin and have orchestral experience as well as with quartets. Irma has played with orchestras and quartets for years. The three of them have played together on numerous occasions, but Cindy, who is new to this, contacted Jerry and got them started as the current group.

This is going to be good.

Live Music this Thursday...and Birding Festival news

Join us Thursday, August 24 for live music by Josh Little & Matt Pleasant, singer/songwriters from the Grocers of Despair. These guys are from Jackson and are both entertaining and intellectually stimulating...don't miss it.

We reopen Thursdays at 7 and remain until 10.

...And, Bruce Reid of the Audubon Society wanted me to pass on this message:



Tara Wildlife, in association with Audubon Mississippi, presents the annual Stork and Cork Mississippi River Birding Festival August 25-27, 2006, near Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Explore some of the finest forests and wetlands the Lower Mississippi River has to offer and see spectacular birds and other wildlife. Witness the late summer congregation of Wood Storks, White Ibises, Great Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills and other wading birds.

Lectures and demonstrations will be held at Tara throughout the weekend on black bear restoration, outdoor photography, gardening for wildlife, managing bottomland forests, and other topics. Interpreted birding and woods tours by open-air bus and Mississippi River boat tours will be offered. Booths and exhibits will be operated by Wild Birds Unlimited, the Mississippi Museum of Nature Science, and Audubon Mississippi, among others.

For details on weekend packages (lodging and meals at Tara), see www.tarawildlife.com/stork.htm or call 601-279-4261. Daily admission (Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) is $5 per person, with children 12 and under admitted free. River tours are $20 per person (space is limited; call to reserve a tour). Tara staff will be selling lunch and drinks. For details about other lodging and attractions in and around Vicksburg, go to http://www.vicksburgcvb.org .

Stop by an get a fresh cup of Joe at Highway 61 on your way to Tara.

Our roaster celebrates their 20th Anniversary

We are proud of the coffee we serve from Batdorf and Bronson and proud of their social awareness and responsibility. Read about their 2oth Anniversary in this article from the August 6 issue of the Olympian, a Washington State newspaper.

The New York Times says Coffee promotes health...

In an article entitled: Coffee as a Health Drink? in the August 15 issue of the NYT many claims were made for coffee reducing health risks.

Coffee is not usually thought of as health food, but a number of recent studies suggest that it can be a highly beneficial drink. Researchers have found strong evidence that coffee reduces the risk of several serious ailments, including diabetes, heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.

Read the entire article here...

Lee H plays

Arthur and Cate couldn't make it last night, so Lee H Abraham entertained a packed house. When he kicked off A Whiter Shade of Pale, David and Rhonda were moved to dance. It must be "their song."

Coming Thursday: Jazz with Cate and Arthur (Nexus)

Join us here at Highway 61 for an evening of jazz vocals and guitar as provided by Vicksburg's Nexus a.k.a. Arthur Powell and Cate Brown. This is going to be good music, and we will have excellent coffees and desserts available.

Colin Reid is leaving us this week, headed off to Ole Miss on full scholarship. He won't be here Thursday, so you better come say goodbye to him ASAP.

We have been getting great press in the Vicksburg Post lately. They covered our Thursday night music series in this past Saturday's paper, and on Sunday morning they printed an interview with Angie's daughter, Kate, about her current gig with New Stage in Jackson. The interview had been conducted at the coffeehouse, so Kate was photographed in front of our terrific quilt (from Crossroad quilters in Port Gibson.) It was the third picture of the quilt to run in the paper in the past few weeks.

Come on down and have your picture taken with the quilt (like Jimbo Mathus - see below).

Coming Thursday, August 10 - Eric Stracener

Our live music this Thursday, August 10, will be courtesy of singer/songwriter Eric Stracener of Jackson. Come join us and support our efforts to keep bringing live music to downtown Vicksburg.

We reopen on Thursdays for live music at 7 PM and close about 10 PM...

Friday Night Event

It was a full night at Highway 61 last Friday, August 4. Joanne Morris read excerpts from Barefootin', the memoir of Unita Blackwell, first African-American woman elected mayor of a Mississipppi town.

Unita spoke and was honored by her sorority sisters.

Later Fred Bolm played and sang. It was a fine close to a long rich day at the coffeehouse.

Upcoming Live Music Schedule

Live Music: 7 PM to 10 PM Thursdays

Thursday, August 10 - Eric Stracener - singer/ songwriter from Jackson, Misissippi
Thursday, August 17 - Nexus - Jazz Guitar and vocals by Arthur Powell & Cate Brown of Vicksburg
Thursday, August 24 - Josh Little & Matt Pleasant - singer/songwriters from Jackson, Mississippi
Thursday, August 31 - Vicksburg String Quartet - Classical
Thursday, September 7 - Ezra Brown - Jazz Trio - Jackson

More details - 601 638 9221 / 61coffee.com

1101 Washington Street
Downtown Vicksburg

Jimbo Mathus in the 'House

Major talent, Jimbo Mathus and wife, Olga dropped by Highway 61 Coffee this afternoon for an iced coffee. He's in town performing and just found us. It's a cool spot on a hot August Mississippi day.

Full Circle in the House, Thursday, July 27