Local talent takes over downtown coffee shop

A little before 5 p.m. last Friday, a tall man with a beanie and guitar in hand walked towards the popular local coffee shop, Java Blend. He took the handle to the door and a faint ‘ding dong’ from the bell that hangs on the door filled the room.

A few seconds pass and the owner of Java Blend pops out and greets the man with a warm welcome and asks if he’d like a drink? “On the house,” she states.

Minutes pass, and you are instantly surrounded by the smell of fresh coffee and steamed milk which seem to be dancing to the soft tunes the man with the beanie, Jake McIntosh, a Kimball resident, strums.

His fingers move gracefully across the guitar. McIntosh said he enjoys playing his acoustic original pieces every first Friday of the month down at Java Blend.

“This is just a hobby,” said McIntosh

The local coffee shop isn’t just hosting local raw talent. It is also a place where residents and nonresidents who have knowledge of instruments or love for music come out and stand out. The atmosphere has a humble origin. The stage is a small corner of the shop that is adorned with a microphone that has a skull for a handle connected to a small speaker.

The stage and open mic nights at Java Blend are waiting for anybody who ranges from comedian to poet to novelist and anything in between. Come out and support the artists or take part in this event Java Blend is offering for the community every first Friday of the month at 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.