Happy birthday, Alternative Grounds and Linda – its wondrous proprietor.   She is handing out delicious cake made by Sweets From the Earth, and incredibly, the cake is  moist and truly delicious,  even to yours truly, a non vegan.

The cafe has really been true to its name for seventeen years – supporting progressive causes and nurturing the community in many ways.   She has hosted coffee tasting, live  community musicians, social change groups, and has run a “Fair Trade” business from the start, when others were dragged onto the bandwagon late, with resistance .

Here we learned about what to look for in the taste of coffee, and here we held a memorial to Tony, a homeless panhandler who died last October.   He used to drink free coffee here, and it could be said that Alternative Grounds brought Tony and the community together.  Now that’s progressive.  That’s alternative.