Uniting Through Music: Guilford To Hold First 'Porchfest' Event
GUILFORD, CT — The sweet sounds of music will fill the air in the downtown area on Sept. 7 during the town's first-ever Guilford Porchfest. Event organizers officially announced the free, community-building event at the Grass Island Shack on Tuesday, but planning has been in the works for months.Last year, Guilford resident Laurie Kenney challenged herself to learn the guitar and record an album of original songs. Her debut album, "Every Apple Does Go Bad Eventually," was released last October, and through the process of learning an instrument and going through the musical process, Kenney had the idea to bring a porchfest to Guilford. Many towns across the country have hosted porchfests through the years, and Kenney said she was surprised Guilford hadn't held one yet.The concept is simple. "It's a way to bring the community together," Kenney told Patch several weeks ago. "Young or old, novice or someone who plays regularly, a school group, a soloist, a band — anybody who's a Guilford resident who's interested in performing — will be able to fill out a form and sign on to perform on Saturday, Sept. 7."Guilford homeowners with a porch (and an accessible power supply) can apply to be a host for performers.The event is meant to be hyperlocal; all solo performers, or at least one member of any duo or group, will be Guilford residents, and all host porches will be within an approximately 10-minute walk from the Guilford Green."We will match up performers with porches and put together a schedule where people can come into town and walk around the mile square in downtown Guilford and hear free music from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.," Kenney said.Sets will last one hour in total, including the time needed for setup and breakdown. The application deadline for volunteering, hosting or performing in the event is July 31.Kenney enlisted the help of two Guilford friends to help make the event come to fruition: singer-musician and graphic designer Libby Kingsbury, and musical theater choreographer and professor Diana Dart Harris, who is also the program and public relations associate at Shoreline Arts Alliance. The trio has a goal of building and strengthening bonds through a shared passion for playing music, or simply the passive enjoyment of listening to music in all its forms."You can be an instrumentalist, you can be just a solo singer, you can do jazz. Music brings people together, it's a commonality, and with so much division in the world, our hope is that in an event like this, people connect on this level for their love of music and can see past the labels we put on each other," Kenney added.Guilford Porchfest 2024 is free and open to the public. It's sponsored by Guilford Insurance, Shoreline Arts Alliance, Guilford Savings Bank, The Guilford Foundation, GreenStage Guilford Live Arts, and The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.Guilford Porchfest 2024 t-shirts are available for pre-order for $25. Guilford Porchfest 2024 will partner with the Guilford Foundation to donate 100 percent of profits to repair and protect the Grass Island ShackFor all the latest information, including FAQs, upcoming porchfest preview concerts, pop-up merch shops, t-shirt pre-orders, and other opportunities to get involved, follow Guilford Porchfest on Facebook and on Instagram @guilfordporchfest, and check out the event website.The rain date for the event is Sunday, Sept. 8.The article Uniting Through Music: Guilford To Hold First 'Porchfest' Event appeared first on Guilford, CT Patch.
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