816 Jefferson Avenue, LaPorte, IN 46350
For those of you who've not had a chance to spend time with us, a few words about some of our regulars. (Many have suggested that we submit video tapes for consideration as a new weekly sitcom) We have a rather odd mix each day, regularly visited by some irregulars such as Cream-Lady, Jimmy-the Greek, Frick & Frack (sometimes known as FrickinBob)and the ever popular Sausage-Fingers. We're also home to many who appear to be normal, but as you might guess, that is only a facade. We're kinda like a zoo for people. I, the always-in-charge guy, am the zookeeper. Jimmy, the Greek is practically a LaPorte institution having been seen walking all over town for years. Our roving weather indicator and philosopher, a visit from Jimmy immediately tells us how it is outside: "hoooo" means it's cold outside; A short, breathy "whew" means it's hot outside and either of these accompanied by puddles means it's also raining. Always the spiffy dresser, Jimmy's the consummate ladies man. Cream-Lady is happy to consume almost any dairy product in the largest quantity possible. If it ever at one time moo'd, she wants lots of it in her coffee. We also have many "special" regulars with normal names too, like Bud, Phil, Steve and Fish (Fish?) and sometimes you can't tell by looking just how special they might be - that's part of the fun of hangin' out here...you learn the most interesting things. There are, of course more, and the number seems to constantly grow. Do not, however, be afraid to join us. You may find that you are indeed strange enough to fit right in and perhaps someday to be assigned a descriptive name adding you to the ranks of immortal irregular regulars at Temple.
Smokers: Please use common sense and be considerate of others. We want to continue to be a place where you can enjoy a cigarette with your coffee. Beyond that, we encourage you to step outside to smoke due to the small size of our room and the mix of smoking & non-smoking customers. Thanks.
I realize that this will not totally satisfy either side of this debate but it's a simple compromise we hope will make it better for both.
LAPORTE, THE COFFEE SHOP CAPITAL OF NORTH AMERICA... or so it seems. They're here...and then they're not...and then they are again. We appreciate the fluctuations in our business level. We really do and try to make our customers old or new comfortable. It appears that there are more springing up on a regular basis so make sure that you make no mistakes when you come to TEMPLE. We're the "mature" one. Oh, and now the rumors are flying that "FARBUCKS" is looking at coming to town. Why would they come to a town with 20,000 people and 3 or 4 coffee houses already? My theory is that they are the "Microsoft of coffee", wanting to have as many copies of themselves in the hands of the American public as possible. As for us, most of our loyal customers are so because we're NOT like those other guys and we don't expect that to change. WE are not going to change either: we will continue to sell a great product at reasonable prices and you'll still be able to order a "large" without applying any foreign corporate language to get it. (although for you adventurous types, you can call it a "big" if you want...we'll know what you mean.)
One of those incredible but bittersweet moments - watching/listening to our Symphony rehearsing tonight while holding Grace when they begin to play the overture from Bernstein's "Candide". Shoulda, woulda, coulda been three of us there at that moment.
THE NORTHERN INDIANA SAXOPHONE QUARTET AT TEMPLE performed 9/16/07 and wow. They meshed together near perfection on jazz standards with a few classical pieces thrown in and we hope they'll come back soon. We finally made some progress on the age-old question: which IS better, Sax or Ice Cream??? But we can't tell ya.
LAPORTE POSTCARDS. We now have postcards of our beautiful County Courthouse, the round barn, depot, Northside fire station and Odd Fellows building available. We've recently added the Library at night, the channel between Pine & Stone Lakes and a new Temple card. More are in the works. Bring your visitors in to take a bit of LP home with them.
"NEW RINKEL" PANCAKE FLOUR. is all organic and delicious (and here at Temple). If you find yourself on the toll road near the "Howe" exit east of South Bend, it's worth the time to find Greenfield Mills. Take a tour of their 100+ year old mill and check out their country store. There's a link to them on our links page.
NEW TEMPLE SHIRTS. Our new shirts are in and show your philosophy of life in 100% cotton for only 15 bucks plus tax. If you're an "irregular-regular" at Temple, you have to have one. We now have both our traditional forest green as well as the "olive" and a good assortment of sizes available. We also have our HOODIES back in stock!
LAPORTE COUNTY HISTORY BOOK written by Arnold Bass will be for sale in the shop. We had a book signing on Saturday August 5th from 10 am to 1 pm. "Up Close & Personal: A History of LaPorte County" is also available through Amazon. Just click on the link below:
ONE MORE NEW BOOK....co-edited by LaPorte native Tom Watson, "HOME AGAIN: ESSAYS AND MEMOIRS FROM INDIANA" is a collection of essays written by people with ties to our state. These include Michael Martone, Alyce Miller and Kurt Vonnegut. It's for sale through Temple's site (see below) and Tom was here on November 4 for a book signing.
Stopped to see us and play some music on their tour from L.A. to Washington DC. They marked the 20th anniversary of the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament and Don Conoscenti played some of his acoustic music. This guy is great and we urge you to check out http://donconoscenti.com We'll be playing his music here - he's one of the best we've ever had at Temple. (yes, there are 3 capos on that guitar)
Click the link to buy some of Don's CD's:
MARIO MORENO, GUITARIST played for us on Sunday 11/13 from 9am to about 11. Mario plays a great mix of classical, flamenco, jazz and pop styles with only the aid of a drum machine and two guitars. We'll let you know when he's coming in again.
JEREMY BUCK, LIVE FROM L.A. AT TEMPLE Keep watching for their next visit to be scheduled. Click the link below to buy the Jeremy Buck CD:
Buy Kent's music below:
PINETOP PLAYS Good grief! Tuesday, Aug 9, 2005 for the country/bluegrass jam...in walks Mr. Pinetop Perkins, blues legend (92 years young), who graced our keys for the first time. Did some songs, ate some ice cream, smoked a couple and played some more. What a cool surprise.
Buy a Pinetop CD at our store:
THE "JUST FOR FUN" RECITAL & JAM Mr. Robert Auler, Assistant Professor of piano at the State University of New York, Oswego performed for a nicely packed house on Feb 12th, before his more formal concert on Sunday at The Presbyterian Church presented by the LP County Symphony. He dazzled the listeners with some jazz, rock, blues and classical and was backed up by Jack Collings on bass, Bob Sabie and a distracted me (see above) on guitars.
WI-FI INTERNET Now you can bring your laptop (equipped with a wireless card) in and rent 'Net time with no cables. We just installed a small wireless router to further connect our customers.
ROBERT SABIE, JR. LIVE Friday, July 8 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Bob's left to live in Bellingham, Washington(where he plans to become a great and powerful musician) and said goodbye to his LaPorte fans with a final live performance at Temple. All those who heard his show can tell their friends when he becomes famous. NOV. '05 update: Bob stopped in while home for a visit and dropped off some 5-song CD's by the new group in Bellingham, "Street Named James" and we're selling them for 5 bucks each. More about the group at www.streetnamedjames.com
LIVE, OUT FRONT ON THE STEEL DRUM (STEEL PAN) by Kent Arnsbarger. It all happened on Saturday 8/22. Kent played from about 10 am to noon, out under the famous Temple Awning for all to hear. We're hoping we can get him to do us such a nice favor again soon and we'll let you know.WE'RE LETTING YOU KNOW...Next date for Kent will be Sunday June 4, 2006 at about 11:00 am. Out front, weather permitting, or inside - stop in and listen (dance if you need to) In the meantime, you can check him out at http://homepage.mac.com/sonordrum. We now have Kent's new CD, "Trip to the Tropics" in addition to his first, "Sounds of the Caribbean". "they gotta good beat and all the kids can dance to them; I give them a 96, Dick."
LIVE, THE BORN-AGAIN BLUES BAND Paul Thode, Bill Wiles and Rex Schmaltz did the blues again on Thursday, October 14th from 7 to 9pm. They've played here a couple of times and we're happy to have them for another night all to themselves. Temple is one of the few places in the area where people-under-21 can hear live blues. Guitar, bass, harp and vocals make this a fun group to experience.
SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL Watch for this every September. Fun for all in downtown LaPorte.
COOL CARS... Been getting visits from both The Michiana Antique Auto Club and The "Sunday Night Cruisers". Lots of both vintage and restored cars and street rods exhibiting finesse and muscle right here in front of Temple. Remember to bring your classics to the classic soda fountain: WE were here when your car was NEW. Check out our photo album for pictures as we get 'em.
MICHIGAN CITY PEOPLE?? If you, like me, grew up in Michigan City (Indiana), check out this site for profiles of your old friends and pictures/information on MC in the past. http://www.wearemc.us We Are MC:Pretty cool stuff.
STILL NO DRIVE-THROUGH... And no, we won't be getting one. Get out of your car, watch us jerks (soda) work, and enjoy some time INSIDE at Temple. And...time it once. Bet we're faster than sitting in line behind a bunch of other cars anyway. At $2.55+ per gal., we're practically....priceless.
WHAT A NIGHT OF MUSIC... OPEN STAGE on Wednesday, every week. All performances are welcome: music, poetry, comedy. Of course, we're free for all - performers and listeners.More and more good musicians seem to be coming in each week. We even had a visit from a young man named Nicolas Paul Orbovich. Just your average concert violinist.
GIFT BASKETS FOR HOLIDAYS AND EVERY DAY Custom gift baskets by Temple. Anniversaries, Birthdays, Thank-You, Employee Gifts...Coffees, teas, cocoas, chocolates, pastries and more, wrapped beautifully with hand made bows. Simple tell us how many and how much you want to spend and we do the rest. Contact us for more information.
SHOP DOWNTOWN LAPORTE. For you locals, remember that we have a number of unique places to get your needs met right here in LP. Kemp's Office Supplies, House of Stitches, Judee's, Roxy Music and of course, Temple to name a few. We all need each other. For visitors, just find one of us and we'll be glad to direct you to the others.
THE COUNTY MUSEUM. If you're a visitor, stop and see them - you'll be impressed by lot's of things you never knew happened in LaPorte County, Indiana. If you're a local and you haven't been there, you owe it to yourself and to your kids to take a walk through. The museum has now completed its move to the Door Prairie Auto Museum, just south of town.
THE PANINI. Our GRILLED ITALIAN STYLE SANDWICH for lunch. Best you'll find between Pawtucket and Pinola. More (and a photo) on Page 3, Specialties of the House. THE "FORMAGGIO"...One heck of a grilled cheese...Havarti, Provolone and American Cheeses on Focaccia Bread. Whoa. Be sure and check out the pictures in our PHOTO ALBUM.(link is below)
MEETINGS: Yep, we've got 'em. And we have the time and room for more. Got a group with a need for a place to meet? Call us.
JAMAICAN BLUE MOUNTAIN BLEND Very probably our best in-stock bean.Come in and try a bag. Speaking of the islands, there's also PURE JAMAICAN BLUE MOUNTAIN, & while we sometimes have stock, we can always have fresh beans in 1-2 days for your order. Just let us know how much you want. Pure Jamaican Blue Mountain, the king of coffee. (and yeah, if you have to ask, you can't afford it) We also have MEXICAN ALTURA beans in stock.We DO try to have one or two COFFEE BEAN SPECIALS a good part of the time so come in and check for sale prices or look for coupons around the town. Try our beans at a special price and we think you'll be coming back
IN OR OUT AT TEMPLE: Inside it's cozy dry and comfortable with great coffees, teas, iced drinks and things to eat. Ice cream is always available to warm the soul, whatever the weather. And outside...ahh, there's nothing quite like Jefferson Avenue under the famous Temple Awning watching the world go by. Temple's the place.
"HAVE TO TRY" ITEM: Ro's Amish Cashew Crunch. Definitely NOT peanut brittle. LOOSE LEAF TEAS and brewing accessories. We've got "Gunpowder" Green Tea, Cinnamon-Orange-Spice and Peppermint Herb and one thing's for sure: this is NOTHING like the stuff you've brewed from tea bags for years. Try it. It's easier than you think. CHAI, an interesting drink, hot or cold. Chai is a mixture of milk, black tea, honey and spices. For those with the munchies, try our BAGELS, CINNAMON ROLLS and our other pastries. And try some MALTED MILK BALLS while you're at it made by The SOUTH BEND CHOCOLATE CO. from our chocolate case. LOW CARB,SUGAR FREE: turtles, butter-toffee and mint-melt-a-ways. We Also carry Organic "New Rinkel" Flour - check out their website from our links page.
Our 90th year of business! We're one of the few places left where a grandparent can take the grandchildren to the place they went as kids for papers, magazines and penny candy. And now with so much more. Temple has gifts for all your needs. And a Temple gift certificate let's them choose for themselves.
Speaking of acoustic (or maybe not), thanks to Dan Moser, we have the use of a great EV PA System/Board to help boost the vocals a little when needed. Now it's even set up in a neat and orderly manner (thank you, Dan) and we're getting a pretty darned nice mix.
BLUEGRASS/COUNTRY on TUESDAY NIGHTS: Temple is still hosting a group of bluegrass/country musicians who come in and entertain each week. Every Tuesday from 7 to 9 pm the pickin' and grinnin' is goin' on at Temple. Aspiring bluegrasser's are invited to bring their instrument and join the fun. The listening's pretty good too.
As always, THE MID-LIFE CRISIS ACOUSTIC JAM continues on Sundays from 2 to 6pm each week. Musicians of all types are invited to join us and others in some impromptu improvisation. Not an open mic or "performance", this is truly a "jam" in the purest sense, giving us all a place to work and play with others. We even allow listeners.
We don't limit the music to Sunday, though. If you play or sing or hum or strum...Temple is the place to try it out, any time. Speaking of "trying it out", we're lookin' for a few good (or medium) piano players who'd be interested in working with us to set a PIANO NIGHT. Yep, one night a week devoted to tickling the ivories at Temple.
By the way, we have an Epiphone,a Palmer and Bob Sabie's "Johnson" as HOUSE GUITARS. (Yep, we've got Bob's Johnson right here for you to touch) If you play, stop in any time and try 'em out. As always, players are welcome any time. In addition to Kent's Steel Drum CD, we have a number of "Tom Milo's Big Band" CD and Junior and The Igniters (sic) latest "Roll With It" for sale. Ask.
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Temple Page 2: Our Products Temple Page 3: Specialties of the House Temple Page 4: Miscellaneous Stuff & Links Temple Page 8: Tribute to Mr. Max Brown, Guitarist and Carley Dickard. Lots More Photos at Flickr : pics at Flickr The Temple Photo Album : Photographic evidence of it all e-mail us: Mail to Temple |