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Sad Café a 2nd home
August 13, 2004

By Jessica Feehley
rockinghamnews@seacoastonline.com

PLAISTOW - In a time of divergence between parents and children, families finally agree that The Sad Café offers a safe haven for students of all ages throughout Rockingham County.
Bill Thurston opened The Sad Café with a goal of providing a locale where young, amateur artists like his son could play and listen to the music that inspired them, while also providing a positive substance-free environment to keep kids out of trouble. Thurston first envisioned the café as a for-profit establishment, but after pouring all of his finances into the cause that he believed so strongly in, he faced personal bankruptcy after the first two years of operation. But shortly after announcing that The Sad Café would close, Thurston was surprised and overwhelmed by financial support from both the kids who frequented his café and the communities that they belonged to, who also saw the value in such an establishment. The Sad Café, now approaching its seventh year in Plaistow, is currently doing better than ever thanks to numerous community donations and various grants.

"This summer The Sad Café has been like a second home to over 120 local students, which is nearly half of Plaistow’s school population," said Dick Gerrish, vice chairman of The Sad Café. "Our mission, however, is not just to provide a place for kids to gather but to enhance the lives of families in the area. Parents are always commenting on how grateful they are to The Sad Café for providing a place where they feel safe dropping their children off for the evening." t shortly after announcing that The Sad Café would close, Thurston was surprised and overwhelmed by financial support from both the kids who frequented his café and the communities that they belonged to, who also saw the value in such an establishment. The Sad Café, now approaching its seventh year in Plaistow, is currently doing better than ever thanks to numerous community donations and various grants.

Surveys completed by patrons upon entering the cafe seem to confirm this, indicating that more than 75 percent of fans at The Sad Café performances are students between the ages of 14 and 17. Parents of the performing musicians make up another 7 percent of the attendees. "They’re no different than soccer moms. They’re proud of their children’s talent and they want to come to lend support," explained Gerrish. where they feel safe dropping their children off for the evening." t shortly after announcing that The Sad Café would close, Thurston was surprised and overwhelmed by financial support from both the kids who frequented his café and the communities that they belonged to, who also saw the value in such an establishment. The Sad Café, now approaching its seventh year in Plaistow, is currently doing better than ever thanks to numerous community donations and various grants.

"Kids seem to prefer the Indie-pop (heavy punk) music these days," said Linda Ard, music director at the café. Some of the most popular bands playing at The Sad Cafe this summer include Minus Scale, Hit the Wall, Damaged Goods and Synj. other 7 percent of the attendees. "They’re no different than soccer moms. They’re proud of their children’s talent and they want to come to lend support," explained Gerrish. where they feel safe dropping their children off for the evening." t shortly after announcing that The Sad Café would close, Thurston was surprised and overwhelmed by financial support from both the kids who frequented his café and the communities that they belonged to, who also saw the value in such an establishment. The Sad Café, now approaching its seventh year in Plaistow, is currently doing better than ever thanks to numerous community donations and various grants.

"There’s a lot of diversity in the bands that play here," explained Linda. "We see many local bands as well as touring bands from as near as Massachusetts and as far as California. Musicians as young as 10 and as old as 20 play here, although the average age is probably close to 17. But one thing that remains consistent among all of them is that we’ve never had any problems with any of the band members being rowdy or inappropriate. We have tremendous respect for these youngsters and in return they respect us."

Republished from The Rockingham News which is owned and operated by Seacoast Newspapers.
Copyright © 2005 Seacoast Online. All rights reserved.

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