Feed Store Music Jam - Transcript

Where in Iowa would you go if you were in the market for a varmint like these sugar gliders? Or maybe some baby doves? What about that hedgehog you'd had a hankering for?

You can buy these critters and more at the Acorn Food and Supply Company in Council Bluffs. Surprised? Well, like any other feed store you can also pick up some grain, pet food or straw. But if you stay awhile you might get more than you bargained for.

For nearly fourteen years the Acorn Feed Store has been home of the Saturday Oprey. Every Saturday afternoon, rain or shine, the Acorn Feed Store has welcomed musicians to come and play Blue Grass, Country Western and just about every other kind of music to the delight of animal buying music lovers.

[Jam Fan:] "Actually I heard about it from a friend of mine at work who came here to buy his dog food. And he knew that I played music and said I should come check it out and I wasn't sure what to expect. And I've been coming here for about a year and I actually come here to buy dog food as well. "

Oddly enough the co-owners of the store, father and son, Harry and Dave Frunk never imagined their feed store would become what it is today.

[Owner:] "Well, we opened the store here and I started taking guitar lessons. So I had some of my buddies come down to practice on a Saturday afternoon and really nice in here. They said, hey how about next Saturday too? So it just started out. Every Saturday it picked up a little steam and it's rolling along pretty good now.

"I gotta be here all day and… Saturdays would be pretty boring if I just didn't have the music. It really works out neat, I like it."

Just like the eclectic herd of animals, there are musicians of all different breeds drawn to the inviting atmosphere of the Acorn Feed Store.

[Fan:] "I think its great. I don't think you'll find a place like it around here anywhere and I've been here since as long as they have, you know. And we love it here."

[Fan:] "I like the Acorn Feed Store because its intergenerational. You'll see little kids running around. You'll see our older folks, actually older than me, running around."

Along with the many friends who gather at the Acorn, Dave and Harry's family is also ever present. In fact, they're happy to say that their workplace is their home away from home.

[Owner:] "It's all been good things, you know. It's just a workable feed store. It's our family home and its what we like to do. And it's the whole family enjoys it so we're pretty lucky to be working on a job that we like."

It's amazing that even though these jam sessions are never publicized so many people seem to find their way to the doorsteps. Even musicians from out of state and other countries have flocked to see what the fuss is about.

[Fan:] "Well I'm originally from Council Bluffs here. This is my home; I left in 1951 during the Korean War. Stayed in the Coast Guard twenty-seven years and I ended up in Mobile, Alabama. So every time I come home, I fix it so that I'm here on a Saturday and I come down here and play with them."

Once you've signed your name in Dave and Harry's visitor book, you're no longer a stranger. You're a friend. And all of their friends are invited to make music no matter what their experience, skill or instrument.

[Musician:] "It's a violin that I found on a friend's wall. And she had painted it and he sold it to me.

"It's a pretty good feeling if you haven't played an instrument and then you finally learn. And although if you just have the basics it makes you feel pretty good to promote yourself a little bit."

Along with those just beginning there are also the… old-timers. No matter who's performing, you'll be impressed by the talent heard at these jam sessions. Who knows, you may even see a star being born. Take young Tommy Buehler, a fifteen-year-old from Omaha. Many have compared his voice to that of Randy Travis.

[Tommy Buehler:] "I love music because without music I don't know what I'd do. I'd just be playing -- have my guitar in my hand and singing up there on the mike. I'm happy there."

When your eyes aren't glued to the performers there are plenty of other things to gaze at. Don't be surprised if you see first hand the wild game Harry and Dave claim to have caught. But you can rest assured that the Acorn isn't just another stuffy museum. As a tribute to the many musicians who've walked through the door Dave and Harry have inscribed their names on bricks along the walls. Harry estimates there are over seven hundred names. And although they are proud of their everything goes attitude there is one rule that the father and son are real sticklers about. If you don't step up to the mike, you don't get your name on a brick.

[Musician:] "There's a doorway over there. I'm only four bricks up so you know I had to be one of the earlier ones.

"People like to come down, just buy dog food and listen to the music. It's a different kind of place. You'll never, ever find another place like this in the world. It's just not there. Nobody could duplicate it. It's too much fun. We always got something going on -- something different you know. You're having a good time aren't you?"

Nice people. That's what the Acorn is all about. Whether you're a newcomer or a regular, everyone's welcome. And that's exactly the way Dave and Harry plan to keep it.