November’s featured performers at the Third Friday Andover Community Coffeehouse will be a trio newly named as Category 3, although the performers have been playing together since the late 1970s under the name The Mink Hills Band, based in the Warner area.  The concert will be held in its usual space at the Highland Lake Grange Hall, in East Andover, on Friday, November 17. 

Music will begin at 7 PM, although the Grange Hall doors will open at 6 PM for simple supper food and beverage purchases, for sound checks, and for open mic sign-ups on a first-come, first-served basis.

Since coming together as the Mink Hills Band, the trio has run the gamut from traditional folk, bluegrass, swing, and original compositions. After years of playing together, the three are embarking  on a stripped-down offering to explore new and old territory. The selections to be offered at the Coffeehouse reflect a desire to share the good songs and tunes, both from the past and “hot off the press.” 

Forming Category 3 are Val Blachly on upright bass and vocals; Ted Blachly on guitar and vocals; and Jim Barthelemy on mandolin, guitar, and vocals. Category 3 will lead off with a 35-minute set and come back on stage around 8:30 to close out the evening. In between, up to a half-dozen open-mic performers from the area will perform two songs each.

Admission is free, although the hat will be passed and donations, which are shared with the featured performers, are gratefully accepted.

To learn more about the Coffeehouse and earlier featured performers, check out the Coffeehouse website at www.AndoverCoffeehouse.org. For information about The Andover Community Hub, under whose auspices the Coffeehouse is organized, contact TheAndoverHub@nullgmail.com or www.andoverhub.org.