Owner Bryan Uecker stands with house musician and booking agent Richard Ballard at the Book Nook and Java Shop in Montague.

"I am pleased to have that type of entertainment in town, which is pretty much local musicians," says Montague Mayor Henry Roesler, Jr. "It gives them an opportunity to show their skills and gives an opportunity for visitors and residents to enjoy local talents. It's always nice to have musicians from other areas come into Montague to display their skills also."

According to Bryan Uecker, one of the new owners of the store, "I think music at the Book Nook & Java Shop is one facet of the shop's role as a social magnet for culture and activity in the White Lake area and beyond. It's this culture that makes this such a special place, and we see our job as giving the community what it wants through this special place. It's here for all of us."

The free musical entertainment, a mainstay at the bookstore since its opening in 2002, continues to be popular in the White Lake area, aided by the bookstore's house musician and "booking agent," Richard Ballard.

According to Uecker, "Richard is an expert and a saint. Not only does he play every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings, he oversees the booking. He is currently working on the April schedule and has begun filling in the entire summer schedule. He is great for the job because he is so connected with and supportive of our musicians in the area."

Musicians are scheduled to perform at the bookstore every Friday and Saturday, from 6 to 8 p.m. The third Friday of each month is the store's Northern Exposure night, created "to give young musicians more time to play," according to Ballard. The last Saturday evening of the month is "open mic" night.

A recent new offering features classical music. Uecker, a pianist who participates in the new night of entertainment, reports the music has been well received. "What a hit the classical music night has been here for White Lake," he says. "It was standing room only last month, and the feedback has been terrific. This is an excellent showcase for the wide range of talent we have in the area. It is held the first Wednesday of the month from 6 to 8 p.m., with four different acts, with cappuccino breaks in between. So far, Book Nook customers have heard violin, fiddle, piano, clarinet, and guitar."

When scheduling entertainment, Ballard often relies upon popular local performers, such as folksinger Mike Snell, or he may bring in musicians from outside of the area, such as Earl Hyde of Kalamazoo, who he terms "a premier guitar player who has played with Ella Fitzgerald and Satchmo."

Ballard also coordinates a monthly jazz jam session at Tiffany Woods Apartments, where he lives. This gives him a "big network" for finding performers.

"People want to play and we want to have them," he says. Sometimes musicians even seek him out, which is what happened with the featured musician for Feb. 13, ‘Cooper,’ a trumpet player from East Lansing who requested an appearance at the bookstore.

John Cooper, who prefers to be called "Cooper," grew up in North Muskegon and returns frequently to the area, staying at a cottage he maintains in his home community. A "big fan" of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and its director, Fritz Stansell, Cooper has served on the organization's board since 1997.

While music is not his main career, he has found a way to nurture his trumpet "hobby" as he calls it in an unusual way. An attorney and mediator by day, Cooper's weekends are a busy schedule of travel, much of it international, to perform at private parties and weddings.

Before he plays in Montague on Feb. 13, he will have been in Boulder, Colorado. Afterward, he will travel to a gig in the nation's capitol. Recently, Cooper has played his favorite kind of music, "romantic love songs," in Stockholm, Sweden; Copenhagen, Denmark; Montreal, Ottawa; Ho Chi Minh City in Saigon; Singapore; the Virgin Islands; France; Italy; Germany; the Netherlands; and in big cities throughout the U.S.

The musician also likes to practice in parking ramps - he likes the sound --and he has played in the Holiday Inn parking ramp in Muskegon, as well as the former Clay Avenue parking ramp, which was demolished several years ago.

The well-traveled musician says he is especially familiar with the White Lake area.

"I was addicted to chocolate malts at Lipka's and rented in Montague for years and years," he reports. "I love the area and love the downtown in Montague. I really like the people there."

The Book Nook and Java Shop is not a typical venue for the trumpet player. "Not at all," he says. "I don't think I have played in a place that small." But, he says, "I like the timing (before Valentine's Day).”

In addition to "romantic love songs," Cooper also plays "jazz, old classics, and some newer songs that people will recognize.

"My mother taught me to share and to give gifts you don't buy at the store," he says. "I love to share my music with people. I love people and hope to put on a good show."