Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 17, 2007

FORT SIMPSON - The series of unique First Friday Coffeehouses began this month in Fort Simpson.

Along with the seven types of coffee, people were given a chance to check out some local musicians and try their hands at an art workshop.

Michael Blyth was one of the musicians who took to the stage during the First Friday Coffeehouse in Fort Simpson. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

These components will be at the core of the series of coffeehouses, said Lynn Canney, executive director for the Open Sky Society which hosted the event.

The Open Sky Society has been running coffeehouses in the village for a number of years but not on a regular basis, said Canney. The First Friday Coffeehouse series will change that with one held on the first Friday of every month.

For Open Sky, the events offer a chance to practice organizing venues. For the rest of the community, they're just for fun.

"It's just to get people out to enjoy the arts," said Canney.

She expects the coffeehouses to grow in popularity as they progress. "Fort Simpson's actually very rich in art," she said.

Everyone is invited, especially musicians who want to come and jam or take to the stage and perform on their own, said Canney.

At the first event, Mike Canney was on the stage at the recreation centre playing the drums while Michael Blyth handled a guitar. They were joined by a number of other performers including Wesley Hardisty and Karen Gelderman on the fiddle.

The coffeehouses are a cool idea because they give youth the chance to get on the stage and play, said Chuck Blyth who was listening to the music. "It's like a no-pressure situation because it's very laid back."

With some youth already getting a taste of performing in front of the public, maybe they will bring more of their friends with them next time, Blyth said.

Artists are also welcome. People with crafts can display and sell their wares or teach interested people.

For the first coffeehouse, Marion Storm ran a session on painting designs on light-switch covers.

The craft was something easy to do that didn't require a lot of time on a Friday after work, said Storm, surrounded by five people wielding paintbrushes on their lightswitch plates.

"I think it was great," she said about the first coffeehouse. "People seem to be festive and smiling."