Music Welcomes Each Month at Aspen Leaf Coffee
The first Friday of every month is always an exciting one at Aspen Leaf Coffee in downtown Pocahontas. Owner Dallas Dobbins began running a “Free Music Friday” music series in 2024, and its monthly reoccurrence has carried strongly into 2025.
“I’ve always loved live music,” stated Dobbins. “Concert halls, worship teams, bluegrass festivals, or even just some guy sitting on a stool playing at a bar or a coffee shop. When I bought this shop, I envisioned the garage door and the stage and a packed venue with live music.”
Aspen Leaf has hosted artists from near and far of the Pocahontas County area. Chad Elliot of “The Weary Ramblers”, Tara Faber from Sioux Falls, as well as the local band The Senders are just a few examples of some past performers. The Senders’ performance at the coffee shop was one of their last performances ever in their 63 year career as a band. Dobbins has hosted too many great performers to narrow down any favorites.
“We do live music almost every month all year long on the first Friday of each month,” shared Dobbins. This July will be one of the exceptions, with July 4th falling on the Friday. Instead, Robert Yeltman will be performing at Aspen Leaf during the 155th Celebration, which takes place July 18 – 20, 2025. Yeltman’s performance specifically will be from 2 – 4 PM on Saturday, July 19 during the Celebration.
“We call it ‘Free Music Fridays’ because there is no cover charge,” Dobbins stated on the origin of the idea. “And as long as I’m able to continue that tradition, there never will be. This is just my gift to the community. I don’t wanna charge for it. The Pocahontas area has been very kind and cordial to me…even generous.”
Some great performances are already lined up for the rest of this year, including Al-Bombo, with the exploration of other artists like The Weary Ramblers being pursured. Make sure to follow Aspen Leaf’s Facebook page to stay updated with who is performing each month on the first Friday.
Dobbins concluded his thoughts on the music series with: “I’m just honored to be able to give back a little bit of the love that has been shown to me.”
