Book Discussion & Signing

* Tomorrow (Thursday) at 6:30 p.m. Gunther Skaletz, author of "Life on Both Sides of the Wall" will be at the Stumpjack to discuss his book. This event is free and open to the public.
From the Herald Times Reporter:

The autobiography tells of Skaletz's life as a teenage boy who refused to give up, first to the Gestapo and later to the KGB. He survived World War II as a prisoner of war, was arrested by the KGB, and found himself in a Russian labor camp where he fought for his real survival. Skaletz hopes to remind, inform and inspire readers of his book that, even today, people around the world struggle to survive in the aftermath of war, destruction and chaos, according to a news release.

* This Saturday at 11:00 a.m. we will also have a Children's Reading at the Stumpjack. Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" will be the featured book. Bring your children and enjoy a cup of coffee while they listen to the story.

Pick and Squeeze

Another full house, standing-room-only at the Stumpjack tonight for "Pick & Squeeze" (Greg and Andy Pagel). What a fun time tonight and what an age-diverse crowd...it never ceases to amaze me what a range of ages we attract and even more amazing and cool is how absolutely courteous, thoughtful and respectful most everyone seems to be to one another (this is worth some ink on a future post). Andy and Greg are very skillful musicians with a wide and deep repertoire, a great sense of humor and a rather unique style that blends jazz, folk and ragtime into their own funky neo-retro sound. We're having the guys back sometime in early June. Here's a few pics from tonight.

Community, springtime, business, etc...

This morning I read Two Rivers City Manager Greg Buckley's column from yesterday's Chronicle, wherein Greg talked about the recent celebration of canoeist Rick Kark's 300th river experience here on the East Twin river. A small armada of canoes and kayak's joined Kark on the river, followed by a post-trip discussion and presentation from him at the Community House. The article got me to pining for warm weather and more outdoor activities that don't necessitate layered or insulated clothing. By the way, Greg does a nice job with his weekly column, regularly providing a well-written essay of interesting and worthwhile information on some of what's going on in the community...it's worth reading.

Our goal here at Stumpjack Coffee is to get more involved in and even initiate ourselves a number of events and "happenings" in our community here. As business continues to grow (which I'm pleased to say is indeed the case) we will be better able to diversify and expand our reach into the community with both time and resources. Community involvement and enhancement is an exciting prospect and is one of the key points in our mission statement.

We do have at least one item in the works right now that I can tell you about and that is the "cigars in the park" event that Joe Donati of Lakeshore Cigar Company is planning for sometime in June (specific date to be announced soon). We will be a part of that project, helping Joe with the planning and gofer stuff ("go fer this, go fer that") as well as providing drinks and perhaps some additional coffee/cigar tasting expertise. This event is going to be a lot of fun and Joe gets a huge tip of the hat for coming up with the idea and putting it into action (so you should make a point to visit his shop in Manitowoc, buy several cigars and tell him thanks). Chow Chong of Unique Flying Objects in Two Rivers, and a cigar lover himself, suggested naming the event "Cigars Under the Stars"...I like the sound of that.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Kelly!

"Kelly is a babe!" says her husband Mike.
"Kelly Zimmer rocks!" says her friend Suzy.
"Kelly...Kelly who..." says anonymous Stumpjack patron.
"Kelly, Kelly, Kelly..." says Woody from Cheers.
"Kelly uses all my to-go cups even when she stays in!" says David.

In lieu of a picture of Kelly (didn't think to take one) we have instead a picture of famed sharpshooter and woman-extraordinaire Annie Oakley. Oakley's birthday was in August and so there is really no connection to Kelly Zimmer other than Kelly's fondness for Oakley's attire, which Kelly can often be seen wearing as she walks the streets brandishing her trusty rifle (I think Annie Oakley did, however, join Buffalo Bill's famous Wild West Show in the month of April).

Also sharing birthdays with Kelly in this month of April are William Shakespeare, Charlie Chaplin, Maya Angelou, Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo Da Vinci, Willie Nelson and Adolf Hitler.
Happy Birthday Kelly from your coffee drinking pals at the Stumpjack Coffee Company.

Hanging Out...

Val, Laura and Marv hold a clandestine meeting to come up with "The Next Big Thing"

Pat contemplating the social and ethical ramifications of the game Twister.

Allie smiles smugly at knowledge that, yes, blonds do have more fun.