Morgantown Coffee House patrons danced and sang with Lancaster County musician Jim Conners Jan. 17.
The third Saturday night Open Mic invited Conners to come play his renditions of classic crowd favorites from 6-8 p.m.
Since the November opening, the coffee house has been looking to create events that will welcome and support the community.
“We started about three weeks ago with the Open Mic,” said owner Ellie Donnegan. “It’s been a lot of fun. We are looking for talented musicians to come and do sets.”
This past Open Mic featured Jim Conners, a local musician that recently moved to the Intercourse, Lancaster County area.
Conners played to a full house, performing hit covers by musicians like Elton John, Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac.
“I like to do songs that everyone knows because it brings people back to certain moments in time,” said Conners. “It’s all about having fun.”
Conners has been playing music for a living since 1976. He is originally from Northeast Philadelphia and has played up and down the East Coast, at one point settling in New Hampshire where he met his wife in 1995.
The couple moved to the Lancaster County area at the start of the New Year.
“I’m not quite sure yet if I’m going to continue to pursue music as a full-time income,” he said. “I’m probably going to back off and do a little bit less, and this is the perfect venue to do that because it is small and intimate.”
Conners has played for crowds of 5,000 but prefers performing in venues like Morgantown Coffee House.
“I like this a lot better because you can be a lot more intimate with the people who are right in front of you,” he said.
On Jan. 17, as the back room filled up with listeners, Conners got the crowd laughing, dancing and singing along.
“I thought it was first class,” said Kass Templeton, an attendee. “He was fantastic.”
Templeton, a friend of the owners, has been and intends to continue traveling from New Holland to attend Open Mic at the coffee shop.
“Even if they weren’t my friends, I’d still come out because this is terrific,” she said. “Everyone I’ve seen so far has been great. Usually the chairs are full, but this is the most I’ve seen.”
Although Jim Conners was the only musician to perform, upcoming Open Mic events are open to performers of all ages.
“I really want to get Twin Valley students to come down here and feel free enough to sing and perform,” said Donnegan. “I bet there is a lot of great talent.”
Each Open Mic allows an hour of time from 6-7 p.m. for anyone to play, followed by a featured performer at 7 p.m.
As business grows for the coffee shop, Donnegan hopes to continue engaging and supporting the community through a variety of events.
“We’re having a soiree on Jan. 30, and that’s to invite all the area businesses,” she said. “We will have an open house, hors d’oeuvres and all the regular fare we usually have. It’s a free event to come out and get to know us and our staff.”
Other upcoming events can be viewed on the Morgantown Coffee House Facebook page.
“We just want to be a place where people can feel comfortable, that they can go in the back room and use this as their own space,” said Donnegan. “Our mission is to be very service oriented and to give people a place to go, hang out and relax and catch up with friends.”
For more information on Jim Conners, visit www.jimconnersmusic.com or call 603-331-1515.
