Coming from someone brand new to WSU, finding culture in the Palouse might at first seem impossible. Small towns can be quaint in their own right, but students still look for where the action happens, where they can spend a Friday night sipping coffee or beer and listening to the local music.

Fortunately, the Palouse community has several hidden gems—pockets of culture waiting to be discovered by students and community members alike. And there’s no better example than Bucer’s Pub in Moscow, owned and operated by Pat Greenfield.

“It’s a family business,” Greenfield said. “It’s not just my pub, it’s my social life. It’s fun!”

Originally opened by two couples 14 years ago, Greenfield has become the sole operator of Bucer’s. Starting out in a college town, she said she knew a simple coffee place wouldn’t make it. When she discovered the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho, she realized that the nearby universities created a virtual pipeline for musicians that were itching to explore new musical territory.

“I realized that just because someone studies classical or jazz, that doesn’t mean it’s their passion,” Greenfield said. “I have every kind of music right here in our community. They come to me.”

Greenfield is a music coinsure and community builder by her staff’s standards.

“Pat does an amazing job of bringing in music that spans a wide variety of performers, in age and in genre,” said Kanaan Trotter, a staff member at Bucer’s. “Pat is very selective and so all the music we have here is really good.”

Bucer’s offers live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Auditions to perform at Bucer’s are held Sunday nights after closing hours. Greenfield said she stays and listens to hopeful performers to make sure that the sound and the level of talent is up to Bucer’s standards. Thursdays are jazz jam nights, an old-fashioned get together where anyone is welcome to bring their instrument and join in on improvisation and standards.

The atmosphere is classic and warm, with leather chairs, a long wooden community-friendly table and a combination of art and books lining the walls. This is a place that makes you feel at home, even when it’s nothing like where you come from, Greenfield said.

The unique community-focused attitude Bucer’s has to offer also brings the city and other businesses together.  Greenfield organized a block party last August where bands played outside the pub on Main Street. The response was so positive that she has organized a second block party with One World Café.

“Sometimes those kinds of events can feel really put on,” staff member Eric Maus said. “It’s like we just pushed the wall of our pub out into the street to give kids room to dance. It’s like an extension of the pub.”

Head over to Bucer’s tonight to see local Moscow alternative band, Skinny the Kid. Music at Bucer’s doesn’t have specific start times but usually begins around 9 p.m., and there is no cover charge.

“Melting pot is too cliché,” Trotter said, “but when all kinds of people are coming in, especially on music nights, it creates a culture.”