Last year, on Saturday, September 28th, a unique festival took place in Milford, the likes of which our Small City with a Big Heart had never seen. The festival, PorchFest, was a huge hit for the community and brought out hundreds of folks to take part.
PorchFest itself is an organic grassroots global initiative meant to develop community and bring together local musicians and residents for music and fun in the casual setting of the front porch. The town of Ithaca, NY hosted the very first PorchFest, founded by residents Lesley Greene and Gretchen Hildreth, in 2007. Since then, more than 130 communities in the United States and Canada have had their own Porchfests, and the event has also spread beyond North America.
Julie Nash, director of Economic and Community Development, was the driving force behind bringing the event to town. Nash, who has attended several PorchFests in the Black Rock neighborhood of Bridgeport, felt that it would be a great fit for Milford.
“I’d been thinking about it for a few years, and knowing how successful another music event, Make Music Day, was for Milford, in 2019 I finally pulled the trigger. There was a great response,” shared Nash. “It felt almost magical, like a giant block party. We left the commercialism out of it and made it very neighbor-friendly.”
According to Paige Miglio, Executive Director of Milford Arts Council (the MAC), the event was a huge success, a wonderful way to embrace what makes Milford so special. “The arts bring us together and music is a huge part of that,” said Miglio
“Milford, a city with many musicians and those who appreciate music, was a perfect place for its very own PorchFest.”
The event, which ran from 1:00pm-6:00pm, consisted of close to 70 bands, singers, and instrumentalists of many different genres, and played on close to 70 front porches around the city. Attendees walked, biked, or drove from house to house, enjoying the different musical offerings, local bars, and restaurants or even having picnics along the way. Some homes hosted multiple bands throughout the day while others hosted one. At one home the popular local band RumRunners played twice!
Meg Pelletier-Tramuta, whose porch hosted RumRunners, felt it was a very successful event. “It was amazing; I loved it. It was wonderful and so much fun to see people get together to listen to music, dance, and sing along. Everyone was so happy, and I thought it was a positive experience for the whole town.”
Another popular local band, The Elwoods, performed at the home of Michelle Kramer. “I thought PorchFest was a brilliant idea and a great way to bring music to the community,” said band frontman Tom Intelisano. “The Elwoods totally enjoyed our location and hosts. I’m hoping we can do it again…”
Attendance at Milford’s 2019 PorchFest exceeded expectations, with at least several hundred people participating in the fun. It is estimated that approximately 75% of the people attending were Milford residents, and the other 25% came in for the day from out of town. According to Pelletier-Tramuta, whose downtown location lent itself to foot traffic that day, “Some people came on the train, and it gave them the chance to see the downtown. Some were even able to visit the Milford Historical Society and learn about Milford’s history.”
At the time of this article’s writing it is not known whether there will be a PorchFest in 2020, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. According to Nash, since there is not a great deal of lead time required for the event to be successful, there is a chance of it happening. Those interested can follow the Discover Milford page on Facebook for any updates on a possible 2020 PorchFest in our city.
– Shaileen Kelly Landsberg
