I missed it this year but hope it will go on and on; last year I found the experience
delightful!

The types of problems described in this article can be easily solved with a slightly different approach to scheduling, volunteers working in performance zones, and some more "official" signage and instructions.
SAC and Porchfest organizers can expect a call/email from me with a bunch of ideas - as well as volunteer time - to ensure that this event becomes a Somerville tradition.

If there were noise issues on Morrison Avenue, they probably came from a nearby event in Lexington Park which had loud drums and which was unconnected with Porchfest.

the only musicians on Berkeley Street were the Back Bay handbell ringers -- very unlikely to cause annoyance to anyone!

I found it to be a wonderful event. I've been talking about it to friends and family, making plans for them to come next year. It brought the neighborhoods alive, gave us a chance to see the enormous amount of talent around us, and was an opportunity to slow down and enjoy all kinds of musical styles. I didn't see any of the disturbances, just smiles and enjoyment. On the other hand, without a doubt, I agree that it should be respectful of neighbors and their properties.

I also found it wonderful. I sure hope the city decides to try to work these out. It is a wonderful community event that really brings people together.

I came home from a meeting on Saturday morning to find music being played in the neighborhood and absolutely loved it. Made me feel very proud and lucky to live in Somerville! Please don't end the event. I'm looking forward to it next year.

talk about bad apples. i too would be agitated by constant BLARING music in my neighborhood. complaints mentioned can all be handled by our policemen in the ordinary course of duty. it's not legal to drink on public by-ways, it's not legal, without the proper permit, to blare music into your neighbor's castle, porch day or not.

porch day is so serendipitous. it lights up my heart. whose idea was it? that person or persons should be given the keys to the city. we are a better city because of porch day and the myriad other wonderful cultural happenings that seem to have swept this community

Porchfest started in Ithaca, New York, and has since spread to several other places in the US, including Somerville.

I, too, hope it can be worked out. But a handful of complaints shouldn't make the whole concept shut down. It is a wonderful and creative way to celebrate!

Where I was there were no issues at all and if anyone had a problem no one said a single thing to the homeowners. In fact, all I saw were people standing on the sidewalks or sitting in the grass enjoying the great music and beautiful day! It's possible that the "road blocking" mentioned above was because cars were slowing down to listen to the music as they drove by. Not to mention, I was sober and found it was a nice relaxing day and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to live music in the sun. My husband and I think it would be a great event for more towns to put on. Honestly, people will find problems with anything and I can attest that this was not an issue nor was there anything to complain about.

There's a certain arrogance here in assuming that if you like the music then it's music to everyone else. I came home Saturday afternoon and there was loud amplified music down the street that I couldn't avoid even inside with the windows closed and the air conditioner on. I'd have no problem with Porchfest Unplugged, but if I don't want to hear something it doesn't matter if it's music to someone else. It's noise to me. I was glad that I had missed most of it so that when they finished up it was only an hour or so of having turn things up in my home to drown it out.

I had a band a few doors away from my house playing music. I loved how the neighbors came out and mingled with each other. The band sent fliers announcing they would be playing. There was rock, folk and classical on our street, all spaced far enough apart to not interfere with each other. I saw no cars being blocked, but plenty slowing down to listen. It made a change to see a car observed speed on a street where there are many children and too many people who feel 40 mph is OK to drive. More porchfest, more music. Once again Somerville is on the map for a good reason.
Have you noticed that Cambridge is now in their third year of Open Studios, as we recently celebrated our 14th year. I suppose it's only a matter of time before they have a porchfest also.

I totally agree with Eileen Levett. I loved how all the neighbors came out and enjoyed the music on Electric Ave. I am so glad that i was around to hear the wonderful music and chat with everyone. I can't wait for next year's PorchFest. Let's get the word out early so we won't miss out.
Thanks,
Julie Fitz

We happened upon porchfest on a walk back from the park, and it was great fun to be a part of (if only as a listener). I certainly hope it will be back.

Yeah. And damn that marathon on Patriot's Day for screwing up traffic and bringing thousands of people in to town. Better stop that. And church on Sunday? Loud bells, people traipsing all over. I want peace, quiet, and total approval over what anyone does in my city.

Funny, in contrast to one neighbors' aggravation with Porchfest above, I thought that it was a widely successful neighborhood event on our street, bringing people of all ages and backgrounds out of their homes to enjoy a beautiful day and mingle. Better yet, we were treated to more than just a medley of musicians playing lively music on a sunny afternoon, but also neighborhood kids making and then performing a dragon dance, a table full of homemade goodies, and an opportunity to support a local school's music program. Thanks SAC and all of the participants for making Porchfest happen!

Why not make Porchfest all acoustic on smaller, residential streets and keep the amplified music confined to the Squares? How about having acts agree, as a condition of being able to participate, that they will have a couple of friends designated to act as "crowd control" if that becomes necessary? How about having police cruise the neighborhoods after 6 to make sure musicians stop at the time they have agreed to stop? A few little tweaks and some mutual respect could make a lot of difference.

The biggest thing that's been missed here is that, try as the city might, you cannot create 'community'. I find it laudable that the organizers have seen where they were lacking and admitted that the event was not fun for everyone, and complaints need to be addressed. The article referred to this as a wonderful event that brought neighbors together. My neighborhood was blasted by a live band for 5 hours on a Saturday afternoon, and I saw none of my neighbors in the crowd. So let's recap: the city, Arts Council, and a band thought it was a good idea to set up shop next to my house, abuse my property, take away my right to enjoy my home as I wish, and if I don't like it there's something wrong with me? What if I had planned a graduation party that day? What if I had a newborn or a family member who was ill? I get tired of the city inconveniencing the many for the wants of the few. And my street was not blocked because people were slowing down to hear the music. It was blocked because people decided their wants trump everyone else's rights. They even set up some type of game in the street. And please don't lecture me about 'neighbors'. The people playing in my neighborhood have lived there for about a year. This would have been a nice chance for them to meet their neighbors by reaching out to them first. Instead, I couldn't tell you which people (if any) on the porch actually lived there. Music festivals do not belong in neighborhoods. Period.

Joel,
I hear your concerns and comments, but I was "subjected" to a live band for 1.5 hours (our music time was 2-4 and the bands on my street played within the limits). Perhaps I got lucky, as I had my nearest band send me a flyer about the festival. I also knew about the festival from the city website, the Journal, Patch and word of mouth.
I saw people talking to each other at the event, musicians offering iced tea and watermelon to listeners. I had time to go outside and talk to my neighbors, interacting with them about the event, and the city in general. These are the same neighbors who shovel snow when I travel, use their snowblowers on my property when we experience a particularly heave storm, and generally look out for my family and I do the same for them.
That to me is living in a neighborhood. The majority of my area of the street will say "hello" to each other and sometimes even more. We welcomed Porchfest and look forward to it again. It's something different to do in the city, like the Somerstreets, the HonkFest, the Road Races etc. If you don't want to participate, then don't. And to be subjected to 5 hours of music? Did you complain to the city at the time? Did you call in a disturbance of the peace? The Arts council stated two hour playing windows and I am sure they will keep an eye on who adhered to that slot and will not be so fast to accommodate them the next time. We are lucky to live in a happening city.

I agree with Joel. There was no respect shown to the neighborhoods by the Arts Council, the city, or in some cases the bands. If my neighborhood is to be turned into a concert hall, I think I have the right to be informed. Not only by the bands, but officially, by the city. Someone needs to provide oversight to keep people off the neighbors' property, and out of the neighbors' driveway, as well as to insure that time and sound guidelines are strictly adhered to. I actually did call 311, who transferred my call to the police, when the band was still playing at 6:30 p.m. The attitude I seem to hear from everyone is 'this was a great event, I loved it'. That's wonderful, but people need to stop being so self-absorbed and step outside themselves to see that not everyone loves the same thing, or that some people have other things going on in their lives that don't allow room for a 5-hour concert outside their window.

Last year I was subjected to inconsiderate neighbors playing from 12:30 pm to 7:30 pm, with instrument practice starting at 8:30 am. The crowds started spilling into my driveway. This year, I closed the gates to my driveway and people felt it necessary to ornament their bike on my fence. The neighbors still played past their allotted time. There was public drinking right in front of my house. It's like one big public block party with no detail cops. The Somerville Arts council should have paid detailed cops to control the traffic on my street. I dislike the porchfest along with my obnoxious neighbors who think it's porchfest everyday. I hope they do away with it.