Eastern Illinois University - Warbler Yearbook (Charleston, IL)

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Sullivan: We try to give . . . exposure to local talent as well as nationally-known talent ensure a good time. At pre- sent the Rathskeller is not able to serve liquor and this accounts for many people going else- where for the evening. Another factor is the lack of publicity and coverage given by the campus newspaper. lVlany of the students dont really know what the Rathskeller offers according to Sullivan. With word of-mouth as its best advertiser and the possi- bility that a state law allowing beer to be sold on University grounds, may soon be passed, the future of the Rathskeller is looking up. The little cafe in the basement may yet become the place to go. Betsy Kaske sang the blues-both her songs and those of her favorite folk singers. la' ik James Lee Stanley played some beautiful songs, but his most memorable was his Latin hit , Oh, Hemophelia Oh, Cortazonf' Bill Camplin put a lot of feeling into his works.

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it on its feet of 1974 delayed construction until the contract was picked up by another firm. Finally in December, 1974, the new addition was completed but the opening of the Rath- skeller was delayed because of problems involving staffing and checking the kitchen equipment. The task was completed and on February 2nd the first coffee- house performance was a real- ity. ln terms of being a finan- cial success, it was a flop.Few people paid to see Divided We Stand that first night and the tally sheet showed a loss of 3395. Increased publicity has helped improve the gate receipts for the shows but the coffee- houses are not presented with making a profit in mind. Bob Sullivan, Coffeehouse co- ordinator for the University Board, pointed out that fact quite clearly. We don't hope to make a profit on the shows because that is not our pur- pose. We try to give the stu- dents exposure to some local talent as well as nationally- knows talent. Sullivan said that as long as the coffeehouses break even he will continue to keep the ad- mission fees to a minimum. The Rathskeller is funded al- most 70 per cent by student fees so it seems only fair that the cost to the student remain low. Since the initial performance in February of '75 the talent showcased has been excellent. Many of the artists have al- ready recorded albums with major recording studios prior to coming to Eastern. Such head- liners as James Lee Stanley, Betsy Kaske and Ross and Bowles have delighted enthus- iastic audiences in the Rath- skeller. Sullivan said that the crowds haven't been as large as was hoped due to several factors. Eastern, like many colleges, has a large portion of the student body that relies on booze to

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At left: Billed as the dirtiest story teller ever, Mississippi Sheik Sam Chatmon was indeed an offthewall performer. Lower Left: Fifty cents is a real bargain for the shows the University Board presents. Below: Blagen and Sayer played their own type of music-with a variety of strange musical instruments.