A brand-new event is coming to Highlands thanks to the Center for Life Enrichment.
26 musicians will take over Main Street on Sept. 19, for the first annual Highlands Porchfest.
The idea behind Highlands Porchfest was brought to the CLE by Karen Hunt.
“Karen just moved here from Napa Valley,” Highlands Porchfest director Fallon Hovis said. “She helped organize the Napa Valley Porchfest. They had been doing it for about 10 years. So, when she came here, she wondered why we didn’t have one.”
With Highlands’ lack of porches, the CLE decided to modify Porchfest to feature local businesses.
“We had to modify the concept to fit with the Highlands community,” Hovis said. “So, we decided that the musicians would go around to different businesses instead of residential areas. We started the process of planning this event during the COVID pandemic when all of these businesses were shut down. Now, with this event being on a Sunday, it could boost extra sales and have a positive effect on lodging because people are staying that extra day.”
So far, Hovis said the community has shown excitement about the event.
“I absolutely love the community excitement about this,” Hovis said. “We are getting a lot of feedback and a lot of people are super excited that it is free to the public. Of course, we recommend leaving tips for the musicians, but it is completely free.”
One of the goals for Porchfest is for local musicians to be discovered.
“The good thing about this event is that there are a lot of musicians that are going to get discovered,” Hovis said. “For example, Old Edwards Inn is one of our vendors and they requested a certain musician and I know that she will get even more bookings just from this event. It is really cool to see musicians getting found. Some of the musicians are coming from Greenville and Atlanta, but most of them are local people.”
The CLE is promoting other non-profits to come set up a table at the event to promote themselves.
“I think it would be great to have these organizations come and promote their mission and cause,” Hovis said. “It’s just non-profits helping other non-profits.”
Hovis said Porchfest wouldn’t be able to happen without the help of their sponsors.
“Every day we are so thankful that this community sees this event as important,” Hovis said. “We couldn’t do it without them and that is why we flood our Facebook because it is what they deserve. There are also several other businesses that have offered in-kind donations, such as Highlands Excursions offering to pick up people from parking and drive them to the different locations.”
Highlands Porchfest is completely free to the public and is scheduled for Sept. 19, from 1 – 6 p.m.
To register for the event, or to buy a t-shirt, visit highlandsporchfest.com.
By Christopher Smith