EASTON, Pa. — Easton has put out the call for performers who have a knack for tearing it up on porch-based stages.
Oh, they also need some porches, too!
College Hill’s PorchFest has confirmed its sixth annual event for Sept. 29, and organizers are on the lookout for both musicians and porches who would like to play a part in the performances.
The free event centers on fostering a sense of community and enjoying local musicians, promoting appreciation for all genres. Attendees are welcomed to stroll from porch to porch with their blankets or folding chairs to enjoy the diverse mix of musical offerings and mingle with friends old and new.
Shows are set to run each hour on the hour from 1 to 4 p.m., culminating in a grand finale of the Second Line Parade featuring the Big Easy Easton Brass band kicking off at 5 p.m. at College Hill Presbyterian Church, 501 Brodhead St.
The free event centers on fostering a sense of community and enjoying local musicians, promoting appreciation for all genres.
That last performance aims to bring a bit of New Orleans to the Lehigh Valley, with all the energy and spectacle that entails.
"A Second Line parade is not one you just watch go by, it’s one you participate in: Walk along, Dance along, Sing along, Shake a tambourine, Fill the streets with bubbles or even learn to play an instrument and jump on in. This band wants to blur the line between spectator and participant,” a release from PorchFest reads.
Deadline approaching
But in order to make that magic happen, PorchFest needs people and places to play. Interested parties are encouraged to apply online at the College Hill PorchFest website by July 31 to secure a slot.
Organizers are hoping to lock down another vibrant lineup ranging from bluegrass to classical to just about every flavor of rock music, with setups ranging from solo acts to 40-person groups.
At the moment, the event is anticipated to include around 150 local musicians in 56 performances on 31 porches across the “flats” of College Hill, with support provided by The Village on College Hill and Lafayette College.
The concept of PorchFest started in 2007 in Ithaca, New York, all thanks to some ukelele playing and a friendly conversation between neighbors Gretchen Hildreth and Lesley Greene. On that very day, the idea sprang into life, and the pair collected 20 bands to launch the first iteration of the event that September.
The number of bands increased every year since, and the concept has spread across the country – though Easton happens to be the only city with a PorchFest in the Lehigh Valley or western New Jersey, so make sure you swing by if you want to see all the local music scene has to offer.
