11/21/2024
To all Front Proch
A few days ago something was posted on the Ferndale Forum page about bringing back The Front Porch that would replicate the type of event it was when it started and the music experience it presented but also made mention of the recent “rogue” Front Porch-like event that has happened the past few years.
However, one person inserted themselves by disparaging the planners of the original concept and the event that it became and that the new (“rogue”) event was created because, as this person indicated, “It’s rogue because initially there was a planner that wanted to profit and when they could not they bailed and it would not have continued if it wasn’t for these homes and bands.” Furthermore indicating, “The second year almost didn’t happen if it wasn’t for the neighbors. Trust me, I heard the story from the Withington and Breckenridge area.”
This person is ill-informed. And while “firing back” seems combative and unproductive, and only stirs things up in a negative fashion, especially on social media, as one of the organizers/producers of the event I feel compelled to refute and rebuke what was said.
In 2016 I experienced first-hand an event called the Larchmere Porchfest, a music event featuring artists on the porches of this neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland. Later, I came to find that this “porchfest” concept had happened in numerous cities around the country.
As a huge music fan and someone who came from the entertainment business, I had to bring this concept to metro Detroit.
So, a plan was crafted to showcase Michigan artists/bands playing on the front porches “somewhere” in southeast Michigan. It was created as a grassroots, community, "place-making" event.
It was obvious from the start that the best neighborhood to present this event was Ferndale. The porchfest concept required an urban-like, walkable, and biking-friendly setting. When you look at the complexion of what a porchfest event is, you quickly realize it is a perfect fit for the make-up and personality of the Ferndale community.
It just fits!
So, Ferndale it was. A presentation/” pitch” was made before the City Council and quickly approved.
The rest, as they say, is history! The Front Porch – A Day of Music on Ferndale Porches was created.
Within days of the news that Ferndale was to “house a one-day concert event on front porches” numerous “hand-raisers” – musicians and Ferndale residents – quickly expressed their interest in participating.
The inaugural event took place on Saturday, June 24, 2017. Twenty-five (25) artists/bands performed on “host” porches throughout the Ferndale community. Our own estimates as well as police estimates put attendance hovering near 5,000.
By 2019, the 3rd Annual event, presented fifty-seven acts playing on twenty-seven porches.
In three short years, The Front Porch became one of metro Detroit's most anticipated summer music events!
How do we know this? Because that’s what everyone shared with us – people attending, city officials (including the mayor at the time), police, media, and sponsors.
But the most crucial and supportive, feedback we received was from the participating musicians and porch hosts. The event would not have existed without them and achieved what it did.
Now, let me say this…this was a passion project and NEVER executed to be a money-making proposition. Not a “red cent” was made by the planners In fact, in the first year a personal investment was made to see this event off the ground.
It should be noted that to be endorsed as an “official” city event we had to pay for police costs, secure event insurance and name the city within such, pay for portable toilets, and other event-related costs such as marketing and promotion. These costs were thousands of dollars.
We did secure sponsors to help offset these costs.
Again, never were we looking to “profit” from this endeavor and never was the event, as we neared the second year, was it in jeopardy of not happening.
In the three years of producing this event, we never heard any backlash from musicians, porch hosts, or otherwise about how we operated and that we were looking for musicians to play for “free” while we benefited. This is so far from the truth.
Musicians played because of what they saw in this event…bringing community, from everywhere, together through music.
It was the musician's decision as to whether they wanted to play.
Regarding porch hosts, we only used porches west of Woodward in the first year. After that event, the city received many requests from residents east of Woodward they wanted to be included if the event happened again.
We complied.
So, after the 2019 Front Porch, unfortunately, due to COVID, the 2020 and 2021 events were canceled as the city did not sanction any public events.
By the time 2022 rolled around, momentum was lost, and other priorities took precedence.
In that year, a handful of Ferndale residents and musicians, those I know and many who participated in The Front Porch, created LiverNOISE which primarily takes place along Withington and Breckenridge.
This is great. I attended this event as well. I am happy that The Front Porch lives on in some manner…even if promoted as a “rogue,” more localized, neighborhood event. The event has even been promoted on this page and, ironically, was the last post before this one.
More so, to this day pleas are received to bring back the city-wide Ferndale Porchfest.
It is this sentiment and lasting impact that The Front Porch has made that brings so much gratification that what was created and how we operated makes me hear the music!
