Nervous eyes to the sky gave way to the sights and sounds of one of Highlands largest fall festivals on Sunday.
The third annual Porchfest, presented by the Center for Life Enrichment, brought 45 musical acts to town at 14 unique venues to celebrate Highlands place in the Western North Carolina music scene.
While the event drew big crowds all over town, the day was in doubt early on Sunday morning as heavy rain fell across the area. Fortunately, for the event organizers and music lovers, the weather moved out before noon and allowed for the festival to start as scheduled at 1 p.m.
One new and notable performance included in this year’s lineup was soul and funk artist, Lamont Landers. An Alabama native, Landers became an overnight YouTube sensation, and went viral following his performances on the popular reality tv contest, “America’s Got Talent.” He has since performed twice on Steve Harvey’s “Showtime at the Apollo.” Returning to Porchfest this year were American Idol finalist and R&B singer Jerius Duncan, local legend and cover artist Zorki, and Asheville singer-songwriter Lindsay McCargar.
“I just want to thank everyone for coming out, this town is a really beautiful place and I’m happy to be here and play for everybody,” Landers said. His set at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park was among the best attended events of the afternoon.
Porchfest 2023 featured several new music venues, including Fern of Highlands, Mountain Life Properties and Art Highlands Gallery. Returning venues included Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, Satulah Mountain Brewing Company, Midpoint Restaurant and Bar, The Ugly Dog Public House, The High Dive, Town Square, The Bascom, Highlands Wine Shoppe, Highlands Smokehouse and First Presbyterian Church.
The Center for Life Enrichment, located inside the Peggy Crosby Center on 5th Street in Highlands, is celebrating its 30th year of bringing unique educational programming to Highlands in 2023. The organization got off the ground in 1992 and presented its first series of programs in 1993. Since that time, CLE has grown its audience base to include more than 500 members and supporters.