Folk music is an impossible-to-define style of music. In the corporate music world, if it’s a singer-songwriter playing an acoustic guitar, it’s folk music. Among scholars, folk comprises songs of unknown source handed down from generation to generation. And then there are those who point to folk’s long tradition of bringing people together to make a better world. Here at Caffe Lena, we happily embrace all of the above. If you’re in the community-building folk camp, you’ll like this week’s schedule.

We just passed the 102nd anniversary of Lena Spencer’s birth. In 1960 she introduced espresso to Saratoga Springs and baked desserts for the weekend shows. By the ’70s she’d become a bold and colorful impresario whose off-the-beaten-path venue was part of ushering in the singer-songwriter era and moving American music forward. She did not do it alone. Change was in the air. Lena opened her doors to a community that was excited about new music, freedom, creativity and fun. And that brings us to today, the beginning of Caffe Lena’s 65th Anniversary Year–and the community that you are a part of!