IN FROM THE COLD

A winding massof peopleoverflows pastthe door,waitingtheirturn to order. Musk from alivebanddrifts in fromthe crowded courtyard where the bestseats are on the ground infront ofthe band. Aromas from many gourmet coffeesfillthe air as laughter floatsthroughthe packed room. Anythingbut drowsy onaSaturday night, "TheDrowsy Poet"beliesits name.

Everyone goesthere. Sometimes allatonce When askedwhy they frequentthisuniqueshop,peoplegive variedanswers:

"Atmosphere," Tammy Britton,a freshman from Delaware,says

'Ifsagreatplacefor anafterdinnerdrink,"NickiGalvin,juniorfrom Maryland,says "Itgivesme thatextra kickof caffeineIneedfor studying Ifs a greatbreak."

"I go tolistento allthe greatmusic Ican'tlistento in my room," Kim Calcutt,ajuniorfromFlorida,says.

Some answersare alittlemore unique. Takethe responseofJennifer Grenier,ajuniorfromMassachusetts, for example: "Igo toTheDrowsy Poet becauseIhopeto meetmy future husband there," shelaughs

Many go to the coffeeshopduring the dayfor a quietplacetostudy Weekends findthe placejammed with LU studentsand Lynchburgresidents because,in the wordsof Shannon Cuddy,alsoajuniorfromMassachusetts, "Ifs the placeto be."

When TheDrowsy Poetopened, managersand LU alumniMark and KrisAllebachhad a "jazzybutsleepy" atmospherein mind. Kris'sparents helpedoutwithbuildingfurnitureand creatingthe overall design They picked the greendecornot onlybecause

Music. Friends. Laughter.

Discussion. Drinks. Desserts. Atmosphere. Atmosphere. Atmosphere.

Jennifer R. Hale

ifsthecouple'sfavoritecolor,butbecause ifsrelaxingandrestful.

Themenu atThe Drowsy Poetis morevariedthanotherareashops They offer20differentexoticcoffeeblendsfrom Indonesia,Columbia,Mexico,Hawaii and Kenya They alsoserveawidevarietyof desserts, Italiansodasand fruitjuices. Thiscoffeeshopisaplacefor people simplyto be You don'thaveto spendtoo much money for aneveningofentertainment. On weekends,there'slivemusic — much of whichcomes from LU — and open-floorpoetryreadings.

Peoplegothereto talkfor hoursata

• The coffee shop of the '60sretrohasreturned. Themellowsoundsof crowdpleaser,Chad Myrie,setsthetonein TheDrowsyPoet A collectionofperformers playseveryweekend, includingthepopularLU acts:Somewhere South,JeffDernlan, MirrorImageand MikeStigman timeaboutanything and everything or nothing atall. They may have heated politicaldiscussionsover an intense game ofcheckersorlazilyplay a game ofginrummy while sipping their favoriteblend

I Weekend crowds fill thetinycafeinCandlers Stationwheretheworld's oldestblendofcoffeeMochaJava—isserved. OpenedinlateJuly,the shopquicklybecamea popularalternativeto Movies10 Aspokesmanfortheshopsays plansforopeningtwo more shopsareinthe worksforLynchburg.

According toMark,thepolitical discussionswere theoriginalpurpose of coffeehouses ingeneral. H esays the cafeis "thehot bed of conservative politicalactivism."

Note: Iguess w ecould say L Uis fairlyconservative,so itlookslike you opened your shop intherightplace, Mark.