New Grosse Pointe City event to bring live music to neighborhoods

GROSSE POINTE CITY — Outdoor concerts will be coming to a different kind of stage later this year in Grosse Pointe City.

The City intends to host the community music event Porchfest for the first time this year, on the Saturday after Labor Day, between the hours of noon and 6 p.m. Local musicians play on front porches and lawns while attendees stroll through neighborhoods to hear various acts.

“This program has been in existence since 2007 throughout the country,” City Manager Joseph Valentine said. “The program … is (intended) to build some camaraderie in the community.”

Valentine said the city expects about five to 10 homes would offer their porches for these concerts in the first year.

“What’s contemplated here is a smaller trial effort,” Valentine said. “Essentially, it’s residents allowing individuals to set up instruments and play music on their porch.”

Mayor Sheila Tomkowiak said they were advised by other cities that have hosted a Porchfest to “start small and let it grow organically.”

She said they’re looking at trying to use porches closer to The Village this year.

“The way this got started is, a resident came to me after seeing this in another community,” Tomkowiak said.

Tomkowiak said City Councilman Seth Krupp offered to chair the committee overseeing the event. The committee will be tasked with obtaining permissions to use private porches, finding musicians interested in performing, coming up with the concert schedule and promoting the event.

“I assume there would be some kind of procedure to get permission from your neighbors?” City Councilman Dave Fries asked.

Valentine said because the event happens during the day, not at night, it wouldn’t violate the city’s noise ordinance. In the event of a louder act, Valentine said the city could take another look at that.

Porchfest’s original organizers in Ithaca, New York, ask musicians to play acoustically or “keep their amplified volume low,” according to the Porchfest website.

City administrators say they don’t anticipate any costs to the community as a result of Porchfest.

During a meeting March 17, the Grosse Pointe City Council unanimously approved a resolution to create the Grosse Pointe Porchfest Committee.