Aaron Metthe, a former youth pastor, had always dreamed of owning a coffee shop. Now, it has become a reality.
Just like FedEx and Amazon, Salt City Coffee goes to its customers, delivering fresh beans to doorsteps every Thursday morning. But owner Aaron Metthe has always wanted to do more than put coffee in his customers’ hands and stomachs. He’s longed for a space where coffee and community can come together — and that is finally about to happen.
Donation drives and benefit concerts create ways for locals to support the water protectors against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
In front of the Schine Student Center last week, a group of Syracuse University students held signs that read “Celebrate Indigenous Survival,” “No DAPL” and “We Stand with Standing Rock!” They were waiting for the university to formally announce its recognition of Indigenous People’s Day on campus and spent the morning raising awareness about the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).
The NewsHouse caught up with the Block Party special guests on the formation of the band, playing in front of their parents and holographic Tupac.
NewsHouse: Let’s start from scratch: how’d you two meet and when did you know it was time to make a band?
Sarah Barthel: We’ve been friends since we were 15 or 14 years old. We went to high school together and my neighbor was one of Josh’s best friends. It was just that little block where all the kids would come to hang out. Then I went to college and Josh went to New York to work on different bands and we both moved back upstate at the same time in 2005. We started hanging out and after about two years we decided to take the band seriously.