Located in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the ...

, Caffè Lena is the oldest continually running coffee house in the United States. Founded in 1960 by William and Lena Spencer (née Nargi), it claims to be the oldest folk-oriented coffee house, in the U.S., featuring acoustic concerts and cultural events showcasing

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

, traditional music, and singer-songwriters of a wide range, including artist

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, who performed for two consecutive nights at the cafè in 1961, a year prior to the release of his debut album. During the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic A pandemic ( ) is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic (epi ...

of 2020–2021, Caffè Lena began streaming live music on a donation based pay scale, featuring the music of folk musicians like Kate McDonnell and Natalie Haas. Since Lena Spencer's death on October 23, 1989 (she was born on January 4, 1923), Caffè Lena has been a not-for-profit organization.

References

Bibliography

* Kristin Baggelaar and Donald Milton (1976)
Folk Music: More Than A Song, p. 364-7
', . * Kristin Baggelaar and Donald Milton (1977)
The Folk Music Encyclopaedia, p. 364-7
', .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Caffe Lena Coffeehouses and cafés in New York (state) Music venues in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Saratoga Springs, New York Tourist attractions in Saratoga Springs, New York