I attended my first PorchFest in 2013. I had just come back to the Boston area from grad school, and my cousin who had lived in Somerville invited me to check out the PorchFest hosted there. I immediately loved it. What I saw – people of all different types and ages, walking around their community, and enjoying in many musical talents hosted by their neighbors – was exactly the type of thing I wanted to see in Quincy.
When I decided to run for the Quincy City Council, creating more opportunities for community engagement was important to me. I began to recognize that Quincy’s changing demographic population needed innovative ways for people to interact and engage. I sat with Walter Hubley, who heads up the Wollaston Hill Neighborhood Association, who shared my belief. So, why not have a PorchFest in Quincy?!
What was just a point of discussion one year ago, and an outline put together back in January, is going to happen this Saturday, June 18. What was aiming for the goal of having 10-20 performers, is now almost 70 performers strong! Check out all of the amazing talent that will joining us on Saturday here!
We’re also going to have food trucks and vendors joining us on Saturday!
PorchFest is a first-of-a-kind event in Quincy, and it has been great to hear people young and old alike talking about it with interest and excitement. There is clearly a place for new and exciting events for the people of Quincy, and I see this – along with other events, like the Beer Garden put together by Kerry Byrne last weekend – as just the beginning.
I must say, though, PorchFest Quincy would not have happened without Wally Hubley, who has put a ton of time and energy into it’s planning. So, when you see him out there on Saturday, please shake his hand, or pat him or the back, and say, “thank you!” I also have to thank Discover Quincy, Margaret LaForest, Kerry Byrne, and Nina Liang, who were all in the background helping us get things together. And, to our performers, our neighbor-hosts, our food and beverage vendors, our diligent city officials who helped us permit everything, THANK YOU!
I can’t wait to see in my hometown what I saw in Somerville three years ago – my friends and neighbors, walking around their community, and enjoying the many musical talents hosted by their friends and neighbors.
