Beautiful ballads float through the air, while musicians serenade locals from their front porches. This is Porchfest, which returned for its 10th year on Sept. 18. Hundreds of bands performed in the Fall Creek neighborhood of Ithaca, from North Aurora Street to East Yates Street and Thompson Park.
Thompson Park served as the center for the festivities, where local vendors sold food and Porchfest t-shirts.
Many local bands of alternative, indie rock and folk genres performed at Porchfest this year including The David Graybeard Band, Tyrannical Vegetable and The Smalls Kings.
The Small Kings are a local Ithaca band that has performed at Porchfest several times in the past. This year, they performed on W. Marshall Street. Mike Levy, the bassist in the band, said Porchfest is a great event for anyone to attend and enjoy music.
“Unlike most festivals, there is no vetting,” he said. “Anyone can play, and anyone can get on the official map.”
He said that in a matter of hours one can travel from porch to porch and listen to dozens of excellent artists.
MegsRadio, an internet radio program featuring local music, had its own booth at Porchfest as well. The program was created by Doug Turnbull, an associate professor of computer engineering at Ithaca College, with help from Ithaca College students. Hand-painted signs were displayed in front of the porches of the bands who donated music to the “Ithaca Porchfest Station” on the program.
Sophomore Laura Bonerbo, who attended the festival for the past two years, said going to the festival was a great break from schoolwork and is an opportunity to discover local bands.
“The festival is a great way to relax and unwind,” Bonerbo said. “Porchfest is a great way for IC students to become better integrated into the community, and it helps the Ithaca community to get to know the students better.”
