T.S. Giilck
The Barn Co-operative Network has found a different – and very popular – way to raise the roof this month.
The co-op, located in the familiar barn east of Meaford on Highway 26, has been hosting a Sunday afternoon open mic jam session and brunch. It’s quickly finding itself on the radar of hip music aficionados and food enthusiasts.
On Sunday, January 31, between 75 and 100 people packed into the second floor of the barn to feed both their ears and their bellies. Audiences at the brunch-time performances have been growing steadily in the month or so that they’ve been offered, organizers said.
Candice Newmaster, general manager of the co-op, said, “We started out in December, and there was such immense support for it we decided to continue.
“A couple of us here had the idea almost simultaneously, and we decided we had to do this. We had to have a place where there was music and good food and a place for the community to come together on Sundays,” she continued. The concept is a bit of an outgrowth from the “barn raiser” seasonal parties the co-operative has been hosting, Newmaster added.
The performers come from all around the region, including Meaford, Owen Sound, and the surrounding area. “The diversity has actually been quite astounding,” Newmaster said. “We have folk singers, we have spoken word, we have drummers, we have bands. It’s quite incredible.”
Mary Little and Richard Sitoski of Owen Sound’s Deep Blue Honey were two of the repeat performers on January 31. “We performed two of our songs for this great crowd and great atmosphere here today,” Sitoski said. The duo, who described themselves as “indie singer-songwriters”, had debuted at the brunch the week prior, although they’ve been performing since last summer.
“It went over well last week, so we’d thought we’d do it again,” he said. “It was really great,” Little added. The duo is planning to make the brunch a regular stop on their circuit.
The brunch features items available for sale in the market end of the business. Newmaster said the co-operative’s cook creates a menu from whatever items are plentiful each week. She said she thinks the growth in people attending the brunch is due more to word-of-mouth than advertising.
Sherry Snider, the secretary of the co-op, said, “Initially we only began (the brunches) as an addition to the holiday season, but it was so well-attended we decided to do it every week. We have a great venue and we have a few members who like to play music. We wanted to include more of the younger community groups, and we thought this was a way to do it. It’s just been a bonus, and many Sundays we’ve sold our food out.”
