from Josh F....

At what has become an annual Kaldi’s Kirkwood tradition, this past Thursday evening (July 10, 2008) Erin Bode delighted listeners with calming tunes from her new album The Little Garden. Tranquilized by Erin’s mellow demeanor, an estimated 2000 listeners socialized quietly in lawn chairs that lined the plaza patio - a fitting Kirkwood hometown welcome for a local star.

Since it’s opening in June 2005, Kaldi’s Kirkwood truly exhibits the connection between coffeehouse and community. With Kirkwood City Hall bordering the west side of Bode’s stage, this year’s concert showed the resilience of a community still healing from the tragic shootings that took place just 6 months ago. Former Mayor Swoboda and several of the city council victims were loyal customers often seen sipping their favorite cup of joe on Kaldi’s patio. We wish Mayor Swoboda a speedy recovery and thank the city of Kirkwood for its continued support.