There is a special coffee club in Lynchburg that has been around for 33 years now. Beginning in 1993, the group meets on most days for coffee and conversation. There are about 15 members, and 10 to 15 will show up on most days.

    The club originally met at the Iron Kettle restaurant, and then the Fixin’s restaurant after the Iron Kettle sold. However, Fixin’s owner didn’t particularly appreciate their patronage, so the club sought another home. The group sent then Sheriff Mark Logan to negotiate a “contract” with Southern Perks Coffee House owner Jodi Wallace.

    Logan came back to the group with an offer from Jodi that the group would bring their own coffee cups, and she would charge $1.39 a cup for coffee. That was a no go for the group. They insisted that they pay no more than $.50 for a cup of coffee, and sent Logan back for further negotiations. Jodi agreed, provided that they set up their own table, clear it when they are done, and they furnish their own ground coffee and cups. Members say that the way Jodi tells it, “I can charge $10 for a biscuit and they won’t bat an eye, but I’d better not charge more than $.50 for a cup of coffee.”

    With the agreement settled, the club moved in and has been there ever since. Not long after they started meeting there, Jodi agreed to buy the coffee, as she could purchase it at a much better rate than the club could.

    As mentioned, the club is very serious about their coffee. They keep records. Yes, they keep records, going all the way back to 1994. Since the beginning of record keeping until December 31, 2025, the club has consumed 116,380 cups of coffee. For 2025, the club consumed 2421 cups, with Dudley Tipps being the top coffee drinker with 276 cups for the year. The club records monthly totals as well.

    Records are kept in their “library” there in the store, marked “Archives.” Included in the archives is a list of 46 former members of the club who are now deceased. Pictures of many of these former members are displayed on the wall by the club’s table.

    Every day, the group plays “High/Low.” The prior day’s winner picks a number between 1 and 1,000. The members start guessing what the number might be, with the picker telling whether the number was high or low, narrowing the range down by each guess. Finally, there is a winner, and the lucky winner pays for everyone’s coffee for the day. Then the next day that winner is the picker.

    A longer-range guessing contest is the date of the first frost of the fall. The official winning date is the first date that frost appears on the roof of the Lynchburg Nursing Home. Members make their guesses and then must wait to see if there is a winner.

    The group is an eclectic mix of mostly retired local professionals, getting together to talk about current affairs, tall tales, and whatever else comes to mind. And, of course, to drink coffee! The group includes a former TBI agent, a former air traffic controller, a developer of semi-active laser guided missel systems, merchants, bankers, and others. A jovial group, they obviously enjoy each other’s company, and highly regard and respect their own history and traditions. As Lynchburg has a legacy of history and tradition, theirs is an important contribution. Here’s hoping the club continues those traditions for many more years to come.