Coffee House Series Ends on a High Note

By any measure, this year's coffee house events at Ledyard High School, which were organized as fund-raisers by the National Honor Society, were a big success. The final coffee house of the year was Thursday night in the school's courtyard.

The event, which was open to any performers, including poets, musicians and singers, was supposed to end at 9 p.m. But it seemed it was hard to say goodbye for yet another year, and so the music continued until almost 10. 

As guests and performers began to arrive, National Honor Society volunteers sold tickets, set up chairs and even carried a small couch from the auditorium into the courtyard. They set up lights, seats, and equipment in the stage area, and created a list and schedule of performers. They stayed throughout the night to introduce acts and clean up.

Kurt Janke, the NHS’s advisor, said that there were 16 or 18 volunteers working. He gave the students the credit for organizing the show. “I just pretty much sign the papers, and I’ve been here all night just as an adult supervisor. The kids do all the work,” he said.

At this point in the year, student volunteer Morgan Lynch said that the hard part is over. The high school has already hosted several coffee houses. “We pretty much got it down to rote, so it’s not that bad,” Lynch said.

Another volunteer, Addy Jakuba, said that the $4 admission fees will go toward the NHS’s community service efforts and other projects.

The student performers also put their effort into the event. Jakuba said that the performers were “students from Ledyard, and I’m sure students from other schools, too, but mostly from Ledyard.”

Anyone who wanted to could perform, and many wanted to. “We have a lot (of acts) tonight,” Jakuba said. “Almost double our usual amount.” Which was another reason the music carried on until nearly 10 p.m.

The majority of performers were musicians. Individuals, pairs, and bands played and sang. The songs themselves varied from an instrumental piano piece to a duet from Brazil to rock and roll. Many students covered professional artists’ songs, but others also wrote their own.

A few poets also read their work. One, Ledyard senior Michael Salas, read an original piece and a passage from Shakespeare called “All the World’s a Stage.” 

Salas said he comes to the coffee houses every chance he gets. “I usually read two or three original pieces, but I haven’t written very much new lately,” he said. 

The performances were pretty casual. “It’s meant to be sort of a freeform experience. The kids really appreciate that. There’s a lot more freedom than in other concerts,” Janke said.

That goes not only for the performers, but the audience. Some students sat in the chairs the NHS volunteers carried out. Other spread blankets and sat on the ground. Listeners spoke to each other, and wandered around.  Cookies and coffee were served at a table in the back. As the light faded, glow sticks started to appear in the crowd.

Some students even played hacky sack and tossed or kicked around the yellow balls Carolyn Wilson had given out. Wilson works for the Ledge Light Health District. She came to the coffee house to connect with kids for the Ledyard Safe Teens Coalition. “I plan on definitely coming to more of these events,” she said.