The Money Shot
3rd Street Coffeehouse is a place of minor miracles, especially around Christmas time. This past Saturday night, we proved that once again. I say “we” because there’s no single person that makes it happen. It’s a bunch. It’s a community. It’s a whole village. Let me tell you about it.
2025, as a whole, has been a really weird year in America. We all seem more than a little off balance because of things happening (and not happening) around the world and especially in Washington DC. Earlier in the fall, the U.S. House of Representatives decided to take a few days off because they couldn’t agree on the budget for the country. More than a few days actually. That didn’t really bother me (or a lot of others) because they are a rather toxic and ineffective lot. But as their extended vacation got longer and longer, general safety net programs like food stamps became a political weapon. With grocery prices already through the roof this year, and food banks running low, it was looking pretty grim for low income Americans in Southwest Virginia. The thought of depression era bread lines returning was nauseating to say the least. Local guitar wizard Keith Goggin called me up and said “we need to do something”. We needed to put together a fund-raising benefit concert for Feeding Southwest Virginia. Keith offered to bring his whole band.
Holding a benefit concert takes a little more than just throwing open the doors and cranking out the jams. First of all, you have to find a free date in everyone’s schedule – not the easiest thing with gigging musicians. Second, you’ve got to promote the show, get people to show up and be willing to part with their hard earned money. Show up for people that they probably don’t know, and may never know, unless they volunteer at the food bank or are a person in need. It takes a special kind of person to see a need or join a cause, and then support it with money or something else of actual value. Fortunately, big-hearted and generous people seem to like live original music and, in particular, an itty-bitty music venue called 3rd Street Coffeehouse. They punch way above their weight when it comes time to show up for our community.
Keith and I teamed up with David Dantzler and Lisa Uhl of Feeding Southwest Virginia, along with songwriters and performers Randolph Thomas, Mike DeGiorgi and Larry Sakayama. We hatched a plan to host a concert last Saturday night and have a huge raffle to go with it. Local businesses like Fret Mill Music, Martin’s Downtown, The Grandin Theatre, The Jefferson Center, The Harvester, and The Spot On Kirk, all came through with great raffle prizes. Local authors like Beth Macy, Bruce Bryan and many others from the Persiflage Writers Group, provided signed original books to raffle off. The prize list grew, and so did community interest and advance raffle ticket sales. Local media including the Roanoke Times, WSLS and WDBJ-7 ran features about the concert and all over social media, people liked and shared our posts. The anticipation and excitement were palpable, and everyone seemed happy to be able to strike a blow for decency for our community of friends and neighbors who needed help.
The final week was not without challenges. My mother-in-law was hospitalized. The venue went without power for several days due to building renovations and bad weather. Calls for help and more than a few prayers went up, when things got dicey. But the music and the community would not be denied. Saturday night, with a full house, roughly 1,500 raffle tickets sold and a sheet cake from Sam’s Club, we cranked out the jams all night and raised over $4,000 to feed the people. Better yet, the Board of Directors for Feeding Southwest Virginia dug deep into their own pockets and provided a 100% match. With that match, we raised well over $8,000 to support our community through the power of music. That's over 16,000 meals. For a small venue, we’ve sure got a great crowd of volunteers and fans, all of whom came together to solve a problem that affects us all – a minor miracle for sure. I couldn’t be prouder of them. What a way to celebrate the season of giving and honor our traditions at 3rd Street Coffeehouse. If you were there or supported us in any way, my eternal thanks and gratitude go out to you.
I welcome your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Please share this post with others who value both humor and serious stuff about this blue marble that we all share.
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