A warm, comfortable place to sit, sip some hot cocoa, and listen to live music and poetry: This is the atmosphere that ASB plans to create at Cocoa Café.

The café will take place in the Wenatchee High School new commons on Jan. 15 with a student cover charge of $3. The café was originally set to take place on Dec. 17, but was postponed because of the lack of space in the commons due to a choir concert.

According to ASB adviser Brent Grothe, the café is far from a fundraiser and the money collected will be used only to cover the cost of the refreshments (hot cocoa, cookies, coffee, and other treats) provided at the show.

“It’s morphed into sort of a precursor of the Janice Franz talent show,” Grothe said. “Kids come and play and realize they like to perform. It really shows us some of the unique talent we have here at WHS.”

According to ASB treasurer Isaiah Kim, Cocoa Café is an outlet for students at WHS to show off their talent, whether that be performing acoustic music, poetry, or even comedy skits.

In the past, performers have shown up to the café in hopes of getting their five minutes of fame on stage, but this year ASB aimed for a more structured showcase by handing out applications for performing at the show.

Senior Ariana Keyser, who will sing at the café with senior Tonje Farstad, said she remembers going and having a good time as an underclassman and is looking forward to participating on stage this year.

“My sister [Marijke Keyser] took me when I was a freshman,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun. I’m performing this year because I mentioned it to Tonje and she said we should do it, so I thought ‘Why not?’ It’s such a nice atmosphere. Like, really intimate, but not in a creepy way.”

According to Grothe, the café has been a tradition for the past five or six years. It was originally an ASB student’s idea and was created to give all WHS students the opportunity to experiment with performing in a peaceful, welcoming environment.

“We’re really trying to make it like Café Mela,” Grothe said. “There’ll be Christmas lights everywhere and refreshments… it’s just meant to be a nice, cozy place.”