The Unitarian Universalist Cobblestone Church is so beautiful and historic that it should be more deeply embedded in the community, said Susan Weitz, co-producer of a new event.
This Saturday, the first monthly Cortland Coffeehouse Plus will be at The Unitarian Universalist Cobblestone Church. In addition to having some coffee, quiche and baked goods, attendees can hear live music and peruse a rummage sale and book sale.
“We have this beautiful historical cobblestone church building,” Weitz said. “It was a stop on the Underground Railroad, it’s where Ralph Waldo Emerson came to speak when he went to this area and it’s where Martin Luther King Jr. came to talk. It’s got so much history to it, and we just want to preserve the building and make it more part of the community so we decided to start hosting events.”
Music starts a half-hour after doors open, so people have time to shop and buy refreshments before the concert starts.
“We call it a Coffeehouse Plus because we’re having an ongoing rummage sale for all of us who miss rummage sales when summer is over,” Weitz said. “We’re going to continue having that at every event, and we’re also going to have a little bookshop.”
On Saturday, singer/songwriter Jonathan Ochshorn will perform, who is also a recently retired Cornell architecture professor.
“He’s just super, and so full of personality, so we’re looking forward to getting to hear him,” Weitz said.
Chris Merkley, creative director of Rose Hall – established in 2018 by the Dan and Rose McNeil Foundation in a former church just up the street – said churches are great spaces for community events with live music.
“They’re generally spacious buildings with ample room to host larger audiences and events, and they typically have lively acoustics that can really enhance different genres of music and a variety of performances,” Merkley said. “Those acoustics can also be challenging at times, but more often than not, I think they tend to elevate the experience for both performers and audiences.”
Patty Francis will perform at the second Cortland Coffeehouse Plus on Oct. 26.
