In April, Good Vibes Coffee House at the Mount St.
Louis Parish Hall celebrated its sixth year of existence. Quite an accomplishment
for a non-profit venue run by volunteers! 81 guests signed in during the evening, a record number. Representatives
from The Life and Times newspaper took photos of the event, and actually printed a full-page, full-colour report on the evening,
with lots and lots of photos. Due to this, we had a record number of people attending the following week - 55 - the
most to attend on a non-event night.
Good Vibes has its roots in Don’s
Coffee House, formerly located in Hillsdale. When Don & Carolyn Beaulieu
were unable to continue with their coffee house for personal reasons, the regulars got together to brainstorm. Reluctant to lose the camaraderie and the chance to entertain and/or be entertained, they voted to start
up their own coffee house.
A contest was held to come up with
a name for the new venue. “Good Vibes” was chosen as best representing
the camaraderie of the group. The Mount
St. Louis Parish Hall was chosen as its new home, and Thursday from 7:00-10:00 pm as its night
of operation.
Good Vibes operates on an open-stage
basis. There is a sign-up board; the first ten people to sign up are allotted
15 minutes on stage; the next ten spots allow for two songs/poems/readings.
There is no telling on any given Thursday
what kind of entertainment you can look forward to. Acts have included people
singing acappella, or accompanying themselves on guitar, piano, banjo, accordion, and even occasionally the harp. Others have been instrumental only. Music styles range from
folk to country to classical guitar. Comedians and poets grace the stage on a
regular basis. Some perform their own creations; others do covers of well-known
artists such as Gordon Lightfoot, Connie Calder, and Bach and Beethoven.
All levels of expertise are represented,
from the semi-professional to the first-timer who’s never set foot on stage. The
welcoming and appreciative reception given to all is a signature of Good Vibes; a warm welcome is extended to all.
Audience participation is not only
welcome at Good Vibes, it is encouraged. On the tables can be found an assortment
of shakers, maracas, tambourines, wooden spoons and even train whistles – all of which have been used to great effect
from time to time.
Of course, a coffee house couldn’t
carry that name without coffee, and there’s plenty of that on hand – decaf too.
Coffee and tea are $1.00 with unlimited refills, and there are always delicious home-made squares to tempt you for
50 cents each. Admission is nominally $5.00 but, not wanting to discourage anyone
who may want to join the fun but is short on cash, the sign on the donation jar advises that you can also pay “whatever
you can afford”.
After all – the
whole purpose of Good Vibes is fun and entertainment, not making money. If you’d
like to join us, either as entertainment or as audience, why not pop in any Thursday night between 7:00 and 10:30 at the Mount St. Louis Parish Hall, corner of Mount St. Louis Road and the 4th line of Oro-Medonte. For more information, contact John Vella at 705-528-0611. See you there!
