Since 1988, the Rose Garden has been bringing the best contemporary acoustic music to Mansfield. Monthly concerts are held, usually on the third Saturday, from September to May (except December), in a large, carpeted activity hall of the church. Average attendance is 100-120. Dress is casual, and free parking is available both on-street and in a church parking lot. People are encouraged to come early, to find nearby parking, get good seats - and to join in the fun, because the Rose Garden is much more than just a concert hall.

"We work to make it seem very warm, homey and inviting," says artistic director Mac McLanahan. "No pretensions, but it's welcoming, with live roses, candles and tablecloths on every table. People really like the friendly atmosphere that the volunteers and the audience project. It becomes a social event more than just coming to hear music, and I think the volunteers help promote that. They're very outgoing, and most of them have been with us from the very beginning."

Music tends to be more contemporary than traditional, ranging from singer-songwriters to blues and bluegrass. The coffeehouse also sometimes hosts Saturday afternoon workshops, with the evening headliner offering up-close musical instruction. Asked what defines the Rose Garden, McLanahan cites how the coffeehouse has been rewarded for its friendly ways.

"There's a level of trust we've built up with a core audience over the years. There are people who come almost every time, and have for years and years. So even when we have somebody new, they come. People will say to us, 'You've opened up my eyes so much to this kind of music, to performers I'd never heard of, so I always know I'm going to see a good show here.'"

Food is home-baked desserts, hot and cold soft drinks. "If there's a specialty of the house," says McLanahan, "it's our Black Forest cheesecake, which we have every time."

The Rose Garden has a couple of popular annual traditions. In addition to its regular show every March, there is a barbecue and bluegrass concert with Northern Lights. The coffeehouse also closes each season with the Rose Garden Songwriting Contest, which has earned a national reputation for the exposure it offers to budding performers. A front-rank headliner always performs that night as well, and contestants have come from as far away as Seattle, Texas and New York City. McLanahan says, "That mix of new talent and proven headliners, the excitement of the competition, and the fun of helping to promote the whole singer-songwriter thing - it's just a wonderful way for us to end the year."