The Space jams with new youth audience

Sandra Omari-Botang/Feature Editor

Need a place to listen to music, view art displays or discover local entertainment? Look no further than The Space, an increasingly popular non-profit venue that serves as an outlet for members of the community to share their creative work.

Located in downtown Cedar Falls at 109 East Second Street, The Space, rightfully named, is a space to display art and serve as a music venue. In addition, they host a wide range of other activities to get in touch with public, such as literary readings, poetry, clothing swaps, amateur yoga, mix-tape exchanges and potlucks. It’s an environment where community members can get together a few times a month and share something with each other.

The Space regularly hosts shows every Monday and on the weekends, some of which include performances by CFHS students.

“My band has played there maybe five times,” junior David Boody said. “I love the venue, even the small shows we have feel like big ones, and there is always interesting art up on the walls.”

Local bands such as Boody’s are also requested to play shows with touring bands.

“Since our guitarist Oliver [Weilein] books some of our shows, he either throws us in the shows or has us perform with other bands,” Boody said.

Many students and recent graduates have been spotted in the crowds of these shows from week to week as well. Although the local music scene is mainly punk, the performance of the bands is worth seeing for fans of all music genres. “I love going to the shows. Even if I don’t always like the music, the bands that play make it fun to just watch their performances,” junior Kayla Elliott-Wach said.

There are a variety of bands that perform at The Space, but mainly it gives off an underground vibe.“I can say that I generally feel old at some music events, leading me to believe there is a good amount of high school students that have helped make The Space so successful,” CFHS graduate Emily Berregaard, one of its creators, said. “I know that there is a band, Faceplant, that I believe is a high school band, and they have played more than once. They bring a great crowd too, so it has been nice to see the wide variety of people and ages.”

The Space opened its doors to the public in May; it used to be an old book store run by John Jacobs, the owner of the building. In addition to Berregaard, The Space was started by Rebekah Engstorm, Chance Greaves, Natasha Woods and Randy Timm.

“I personally knew John from both being regulars at a coffee shop and buying old postcards from his shop once a week,” Berregaard said. “I … noticed a lack of collective spaces here in the Cedar Valley. My good friends Rebekah Engstrom and Chance Greaves and I talked multiple times about starting something like The Space. At this time, John expressed his desire to turn his book store into something else. After many meetings with John, The Space was under way.”

In March, Berregaard and the others began helping Jacobs clear out his book store and refinish the building so that they could hold events there. By May they held their first show, and since then they have hosted up to 10 events a month.

Woods, a CFHS alumni, has been in charge of musical events for The Space, bringing in large crowds. “I get really excited about some of the ‘smaller’ bands that have come through,” Berregaard said. “Wet Hair from Iowa City performed this summer, which was a big deal to me. We have had Brooks Strause and the Gory Details. Stubborn Tiny Lights played there, which brought almost 100 people.”

There is now consistent funding for The Space because they are a non-profit organization. They also have many volunteers to help out, giving a great amount of support to the organization. All the money made at the events goes directly back to the artists and performers, and donations are welcome.