Coffeehouse Returns to Community Center

The afternoon celebration of the holiday season in Barrington on Saturday, Dec. 7, continues at the Bay Spring Community Center in the evening.

“The Gnomes” and “Bay Spring Folk” perform in the second-floor venue of the community center at 170 Narragansett Ave. It’s a Local Brew Coffeehouse show that starts at 7 pm after the Festival of Lights at Town Hall. 

The show is the first scheduled for the second floor since the community center was made totally accessible to the disabled with the addition of a lift on the rear of the building last summer. Performances had to be confined to a cramped first floor for the past couple of years until the building met federal ADA standards.

"The Gnomes" play an eclectic blend of world folk fusion music -- Celtic, Scandinavian, Russian, Eastern European, Caribbean, klezmer, Native American and originals, according to their website. 

The band's members include some of Rhode Island's best known musicians: Phil Edmonds (Irish whistle and button accordion); Cathy Clasper-Torch (fiddle, keyboard, er-hu, vocals); Mike Fischman (guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, banjo, vocals); Peter Breen (bass, vocals); and Ron Schmitt (percussion). They combine their varied musical backgrounds into arrangements that have been described as "exotic, fresh, and unique," according to the website.

Come a little early to the show and you can pick up some holiday gifts at an artisan craft sale in the community center at 6 pm. Local crafters will be exhibiting their creations.

The cost of a ticket is a minimum $10 donation, according to the community center. Kids under 12 can enjoy the entertainment for free.

Sponsors of the show and craft sale are the Barrington Parks and Recreation Commission and Wildflour Bakery.