The Ripton Community Coffee House is a non-profit concert series held the first Saturday of each month throughout the year (except for August). Concerts are held in The Ripton Community House located at 1305 Vermont Route 125, Ripton, Vermont, a block up from the Ripton General Store, just next to the town office.
Join us February 4th for a concert with
The Bluegrass Gospel Project!
The Bluegrass Gospel Project has been impressing audiences with expertly-rendered performances since its inception in 2001. The group has been called “one of New England’s premier concert acts” (Casey Rea, Seven Days, 2005). The BGP brings together top-tier vocalists and instrumentalists (“Just try and find a better group of singers” -Robert Resnik, 2009, host of Vermont Public Radio’s ‘All the Traditions’) to interpret a wide range of material, from southern spirituals and Appalachian gems to contemporary songs by Brett Dennen and U2.
Admission at the door. Doors open at 7:00.
$9 adults/$6 seniors & teens $3 kids under 12
Call 802-388-9782 for day of show information
You can also find us on Facebook. Become a fan!
link : The Ripton Community Coffee House
Since we started the Ripton Community Coffee House in May 1995, we have been very fortunate to have a consistent, enthusiastic, and attentive audience at each performance.
The coffeehouse is held in the historic Ripton Community House, a beautiful wood frame meeting hall with a small balcony. It seats about 135 people.
Our concerts start at 7:30 with a one-hour open mic set (generally very interesting). This is followed by an intermission during which beverages and baked goods are available. The money generated by the refreshment sales benefit a different local non-profit organization for each concert. The featured performer(s) then do a single set. The set lasts an hour to an hour and a quarter.
There are no advance ticket sales. Admission is $9.00, $6.00 for teens and seniors & $3 for children. People who are baking for the non-profit get in for free, as do the open-mic performers. Our featured performers are paid from the door receipts, as are our expenses.
Our concerts are publicized in area newspapers and radio stations. In addition, the concerts are announced by flyers and posters at area locations.
There is no alcohol or smoking allowed at the Ripton Community House.
The Ripton Community Coffee House is extremely fortunate to have our coffee donated by the Vermont Coffee Company. In addition to being passionate about roasting delicious organic coffee, the Vermont Coffee Company is also dedicated to fair trade: buying their coffee at a price that provides a living wage and covers production costs for the farmers. They are also good local citizens. Please support them.
Farm Fresh Radio 102.9 has been very supportive of our efforts. They have played music from our artists on their radio station, and also kept everyone involved with the coffeehouse happily tuned into their wonderful eclectic mix of music. If you are in the Champlain Valley, give these guys a listen. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, commercial-free, community-supported radio.
We have received generous support from the Vermont Arts Council, the New England Foundation for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. The continued health and growth of arts in our communities are greatly helped by their efforts. We are very grateful for their assistance. If you also support the work of these important organizations, please be sure to let your elected representatives know how you feel.
The Ripton Community Coffee House is a member organization of the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance (the Folk Alliance for short), an organization that brings together musicians, dancers, presenters, radio stations, record companies and others. They work year-round as advocates for the folk music and dance industry. They also host an annual conference every February -- four days of non-stop workshops, music and fun. Some serious work gets done there as well.
Our local regional chapter of the Folk Alliance is the Northeast Regional (NERFA) NERFA hosts an annual conference every November that is smaller and easier to deal with than the full Folk Alliance one, but certainly no less productive or fun. These organizations have been very helpful to us. We appreciate the incredible efforts the people from both organizations have made in support of folk music.
Open Mic Performer and Kitchen info for Non-profits
For more information about the Ripton Community Coffee House, to sign up for the open mike or to arrange to have your non-profit organization provide refreshments at a concert, contact Richard Ruane or Andrea Chesman at 802-388-9782 or via email at rcchfolks@gmail.com.
Performers interested in being a featured performer should read the Booking Guidlines page.