Christiansburg mayor Mike Barber will host the first in a series of “Coffee with the Mayor” events at 8 a.m. Sat. at The Mockingbird Café (4 W. Main St.).
A bright yellow awning, wrought-iron sidewalk furniture, an historic landmark and breakfast all-day means that The Mockingbird Café on Roanoke St. is a perfect spot for Christiansburg’s first “Coffee with the Mayor.”
The monthly coffee and conversation get-togethers will be held at small and landmark businesses throughout Christiansburg.
The town has taken its cues from mayors of towns large and small including: New York City, Boston, Sequim and Washington, all working toward the same goals of increasing government accessibility, showcasing local business and strengthening community ties.
These morning gatherings are designed provide a casual venue, familiar as pancakes and syrup, for conversation that let citizens talk about what’s on their minds.
At each breakfast, the mayor will be joined by other community-leader guests, council members, the fire and police chiefs to speak on salient topics, give updates on what’s going on, answer questions and just be available.
“The mayor is the staple,” Casey Jenkins, the town events coordinator, who launched the project, said. “This time, at the Mockingbird, he will also be joined by Town Manager Randy Wingfield who will introduce our new Assistant Town Manager Andrew Warren.”
The first gathering will be held in the Mockingbird Café’s storied Blue Room, with its lofty ceilings, windows over Franklin Street, reached by the century-old wooden ramp, up which Fords once trundled to the building’s second-floor dealership repair shop.
“When we opened, we always hoped to be a catalyst for more business downtown,” Mockingbird owner Donna Speaks said. “I remember when there was a theater and a Rose’s and a diner downtown. We appreciate that people come in and get lunch, but people are still surprised we’re here. It’s nice to work together.“
Speaks remembers a busier downtown and sees the Coffee with the Mayor events as a beginning and businesses are moving into the vast brick landmark.
“Of course the antique store has been open for years. And we’d like to see more.
Now there’s photo studio and upstairs is dance. The third floor is a blank canvas. Hopefully it spreads from there. I’d like to see a little dress shop or a bookstore. Wouldn’t that be great!?”
The café, sunny yellow with blue gingham curtains, pastry and signature bicycle-with-flower-filled basket offers breakfast all day.
”I know the mayor is a big fan of our business and his mother and my grandmother were friends. When he comes in, he has an egg salad sandwich. It was my mother’s recipe. One he’s familiar with.”
The mayor currently breakfasts at the Hardee’s on Roanoke Street, chatting with citizens every morning before work.
When he pitched the idea, Jenkins knew this was new territory for Christiansburg.
He hoped it would be well-received not just by the mayor, but by the public, that this kind of casual outreach would strengthen tie and broaden avenues of communication among citizens, the town and businesses.
“Feedback from the public will let the town know, do you like having access to your public figures? Or do people feel like there’s already enough of that already,” Jenkins said.
Arriving to the events coordinator position this spring, Jenkins, whose background is museum operations and community engagement, has spent the summer working with the Montgomery Museum, local artists and dancers, the Montgomery County Tourism Office, the library and civic organizations bringing walking tours and flash-mobs to the Thursday farmers’ market, creating a map and app of Christiansburg landmarks old and new called Culture Crossings and now coffee with the Mayor.
“This event is another way we’re just looking for ways to do better for our citizens. Building on what we have. Our goal is to strengthen relationships between governing body and the community, bolster public perception and strengthen the heart of Christiansburg.”
