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he first one worked so well last fall – an afternoon of musicians playing on front porches along Broad and Hodges Street in Oriental – that plans are now underway for a 2nd Annual Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival.

Harborsounds, the Oriental-based bluegrass/gospel/folk band playing on the porch of Oriental’s Town Hall at the 1st Annual Ol’ Front Porch Music Fest in Oriental. Members of the band had dreamt for years of a bluegrass/traditional music fest in Oriental. That merged into the idea of turning Oriental’s porches in to stages.

The 2nd Annual Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival is coming up on Saturday, October 17 with music starting at 11a and running til 4p on the porches.

The Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival was inspired by the jam sessions that used to happen on the porch of Billy and Lucille Truitt’s (now gone) Ol’ Store. One Saturday last September, hundreds of attendees walked from one Oriental porch to another to hear music.

In foreground a model of the Ol’ Store, the inspiration for the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival. At the 1st Ol’ Front Porch Music Fest it shared the porch/stage with the Green Creek Bluegrass Band which used to play at the Ol’ Store.

The music-on-the-porch spirit revived, it’s now coming back for a second year.

The basic idea will be the same – musicians use some of Oriental’s porches as their stage, and an audience listens in. This year, though, there are some fine-tunings.

For one, after the porch performances, there may be a concert near the river on the Methodist Parsonage lot.

That concert, which hasn’t yet been finalized, would be free to attend, just like the porch performances.

The New Sensational Messengers, a gospel band from New Bern played on the porch of Ken Pitts’ home on Hodges Street.

Supporting the Fest, Button By Button

Last year, attendees generously plunked bills in to jars set up near the various porches. The money went to the festival and has given the shoe-string operation some start-up money for its second year.

Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival Button. Now on sale for $5, they raise money for the festival and help to advertise it, one button at a time. You can get them at Nautical Wheelers, Marsha’s Cottage, and at Town Hall, or by calling Donna Luh at 252-249-1190.

At this year’s fest, attendees can give financial support to festival — and show their support at the same time. The festival is selling buttons – something akin to what the Ocrafolk Festival does. Designed by artist Marguerite Garrett the pin-on buttons are selling for $5 apiece. Proceeds from their sale go to the festival. They’re on sale in advance at Nautical Wheelers and at the fest on October 17.

A jam session drew musicians who played, in some cases for hours, after their own slated performances ended. The jam session returns this year.

At this year’s fest, there will still be tip jars set out at each porch, but this time the tips will go to the performers on that porch. Chief coordinators for the fest, Leslie Kellenberger and Dottie Osmun. say that’s a way to compensate the musicians.

The Del Rios Americana set at the 2014 Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival.

Also returning for a second year will be the marketplace where local artisans and vendors may sell their works.

Just about three months out, the organizing team is now looking for porches, performers and artisans.

Porches

Last year, all of the porches that were transformed in to stages were along Broad and Hodges. This year, porches on quieter side-streets (with less car traffic) are welcomed as well.

Wherever it is, if you have a front porch where the public could see performers – either from the yard or, if it’s big enough, from the other side of the porch, the organizers would like to hear from you.

Click here for the Porch Host Application.

For still more information, contact Leigh Price at lmprice2@gmail.com.

Performers

Some musicians have already been in touch about playing at this year’s fest. More are welcomed – from close to home and from far away. The festival is seeking an ever wider diversity of musicians and styles.

“Roots music,” is what the fest aims to showcase, says music coordinator Dottie Osmun, running down a list,“bluegrass, country, gospel, Americana, 50’s / 60’s, folk.” The kind of music that you’d think of as acoustic, although some amplification may be used.

Click here for more info and the Performer Application. If you could, include a sample of your music when you send in the application.

For more info, contact Dottie Osmun at 252-617-0540 or dottieosmun@gmail.com

Country Market Place

Last year local artisans sold their works in a Country Marketplace. The market returns this year on Broad at Main.

Click here for the vendor application form.

For more info, contact Jennifer Del Rio at 252-671-5103 or jcraft827@gmail.com

Non-profit groups may also sell that day. Non-profits offering information or wares for sale may set up in the Country Marketplace at Broad and Main. If it is food that the non-profit is selling, they would set up in the parking lot next to Town Hall. Whatever they are selling, there is a form for non-profits in particular.

Click here for the Non-Profit Vendor Application form.

Sponsors Welcomed

The first OFPMF operated on the thinnest of budgets. For this second year, organizers are again putting the festival together in a resourceful way. Still, there are expenses and the festival is welcoming individuals and businesses to sponsor some aspect of the event. It might be one of the porches, or the concerts at the end of the day. Or, yes, a porta-john. Sponsors will be publicly thanked in the festival program and on a sign at what they sponsored.

Click here to download the sponsor form.

The organizers say they need some more volunteers to help with coordinating other aspects of the music fest. If you can pitch in, contact Dottie Osmun at 252-617-0540 or dottieosmun@gmail.com

For a look at Oriental’s 1st Annual Ol’ Front Porch Music Fest, click here.

Posted Monday July 20, 2015 by Melinda Penkava