The 10th annual North Heights Porchfest in Joplin, held on Oct. 10, had a lot to offer attendees. Seventy musical acts played on 32 porches throughout the neighborhood and at several businesses, and the Michael and Jeri Lynn Joseph Family Park acted as a central hub for a variety of other activities.
“Last year we had a mega block, but then we had the food trucks in the park,” lead coordinator Angela Hudson said. “Now it's all the vendors, all the food trucks and a main stage all in the park.”
There were also kids activities sponsored by Home Depot and a community art project.
Porchfests happen across the country, as well as in Canada and Australia. According to co-lead coordinator Willliam Clift, the one in Joplin was started by a group of neighbors who wanted a way for people to connect with each other.
“We didn't know if one year was going to go well,” he said. “But it was kind of a huge hit from the jump, and it has done a whole lot to bring people together.”
Clift also believes Porchfest has an impact that reaches beyond the day of the event.
“We put more and more every year into beautifying the neighborhood, helping people around the neighborhood, things like that,” he said. “So I think it's just had a really tangible effect on the neighborhood, too.”
It’s had so much of an effect that it now shows up in real estate listings. Hudson bought her house in the neighborhood because of Porchfest, and so did Brittany Lowery, who was a first-time porch host this year. She’s from Joplin originally and had been to Porchfest when it started, but then she moved away for about six years. She came back for Porchfest during that time because one of her friends was involved.
“So when I took a job here in Joplin, I knew immediately that I wanted to live in this area,” she said. “So I found a house I knew would be central to Porchfest, and here I am, hosting bands for the first time myself.”
The first of three performers Lowery hosted was Trevor C. Smith, a singer/songwriter and guitar player from Carthage. It was his fourth time playing at Porchfest.
“I talk to musicians from beginner level to professional level, and a lot of them who have not been here, it's an honor to get to come be a part of this event,” he said. “It was for me in the beginning. I didn't think that I would get selected, and I did, and I was very excited about it.”
When Porchfest first started, the organizers had to find local bands who were willing to play. Now it’s grown to where there is an application process, with Clift reviewing the applications and then coordinating where the musicians play with the porch hosts. He said it’s still local, with most artists being from Joplin and the surrounding areas.
“I think it kind of helps people realize just how rich their communities are,” he said. “I don't think many people know in their day-to-day lives just how much talent they're surrounded by.”
For Smith, the unique format of Porchfest benefits both the musicians and the attendees. Musicians get to perform for people who are there for the music, and attendees get to go to an event that’s family-friendly.
“They get to experience local musicianship and get to see what's there, whereas they're not going to go to the bar, especially strolling up with a kid,” Smith said. “That’s just not going to happen. So it's brought the arts to the people rather than the people having to go to the arts.”
He also likes that it celebrates the community and hopes it continues to do that in the future.
“I really wouldn't want to see it become something where we're bringing in big acts from outside, or we're trying to get big ticket acts here,” he said. “This is about elevating the local culture.”
Hudson has a similar sentiment when it comes to the future of the North Heights Porchfest. Rather than trying to outdo this year, she wants the goal to simply be making it a good time.
“Just sustain the good vibe,” she said. “Not worry about making it the biggest thing that there is, just worry about making it the best quality kind of festival and something that people really enjoy going to.”
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