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2018 Oakhurst Porchfest: Which Streets Are Participating So Far?

One month ago, we announced our Block Captain effort for this year’s Oakhurst Porchfest. The idea is simple: We carved the neighborhood into 32 zones. Within each, we need a minimum of two neighbors to help keep an eye on things as Block Captains. Once they register, that zone becomes eligible to participate in this year’s event.

We’re now halfway through our registration period and, conveniently, halfway to our goal of full participation.

Here’s how our event area is presently shaping up (click image for larger view). The 16 zones in green are GO for participation. Remaining zones still need to rally.

Block Captain registration ends Friday, July 27. Zones signed-up by that time will comprise our official boundaries for 2018.

Don’t miss out. If you’re in Oakhurst and want your street to participate this year, get with your neighbors and get a crew together. Everything you need for registration is here.

2018 Oakhurst Porchfest: Block Captain Sign-Ups Launch Today

Since we started the Oakhurst Porchfest in 2015, we’ve tried to cultivate a radically generous celebration of music and community self-run by the Oakhurst neighborhood. A day where neighbors, collectively and as individuals, take full ownership of their streets and extend an open invitation to whomever wants to drop by.

By most accounts, it’s been well received. But with success comes growing pains, particularly in terms of crowds. So this year, at the request of our friends at the Decatur Police, we’re instituting an extra layer of oversight: Block Captains.

Think of them as a neighborhood-wide battalion of hyperlocal overlords. Mayors of Good Vibes, helping to make each street’s experience more unique, accessible, and responsive to the inevitable challenges that come with an event of our size.

We’ve carved the neighborhood into 32 zones — streets or parts of streets where neighbors are likely to know each other. Each zone will become eligible to participate in Porchfest once a minimum of two resident Captains have established a local presence.

You can sign-up more than two and split the shifts as you wish but two’s the minimum. And keep in mind, serving as a Block Captain doesn’t preclude being a porch host. Many folks may choose to do both.

The job description is pretty simple, and consistent with a role many folks have already played informally in years past:

Coordinate in advance with your fellow Block Captain(s); establish shifts;
Encourage neighbor-initiated efforts like decorating, traffic management, etc;
Help clear crowd obstructions and/or temporarily direct traffic as necessary during the event;
Make sure performances don’t occur outside their assigned time or exceed allowable volumes;
Keep booze access in check;
Serve as a point person for Decatur Police.

Ready to help take Porchfest to the next level? Then start talking with your neighbors and get a crew together. Sign-ups are now live so find your zone and register today. Any zone that signs up becomes eligible to participate in this year’s event.

Everything you need can be found here.

Let the Music Play: Your Oakhurst Porchfest Schedule for 2017

It’s that time of year again: When Georgia’s largest organic free-range crowd-sourced music festival fills the street’s of Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood. And once again it’s totally free of charge thanks to the voluntary contributions of almost a thousand people.

Presenting the line up for the 2017 Oakhurst Porchfest — 220 (!) individual performances on an equal number of porches, spread over seven hours in a square mile area.

Like years passed, we’ll have old-skool printed programs (available a few days prior) matched with a Google Map showing porches, performers, times, descriptions, food, and parking info. We’ve also got a few kids activities popping up in there. Generate a performance wish list on your computer in advance or fire it up on your phone as you walk around to build your experience along the way. Here’s all you need to do:

On a Desktop

Your browser window will show both the menu and the map. Notice how the menu is broken up by category layers — times and logistics — that you can turn on or off. Working directly with the map, you can zoom in and see all artists for any particular street or area, color and time coded to reflect when they’re playing. Click any performer and you’ll get specific details in the menu. Or, using the menu, click the drop-down arrow under each time slot and you’ll get the full list of performers. Clicking any particular one shows you their location on the map and gives you their details.

On Your Phone

Access the link using your phone’s browser. When the map appears, you’ll notice a white bar at the bottom labeled “Oakhurst Porchfest 2017.” Tap that bar and you get the menu. From there, it works pretty much just like on the desktop.

It’s that simple. So check it out now at www.tinyurl.com/oakhurstporchfest2017 to explore this year’s talent.

Further information and logistics are still coming together but as they do we’ll be releasing them here and on our website. But go ahead and start planning your day now.

See you October 14!

Porchfest Monday: Postpunk Edition

We’re now a month in to this year’s Oakhurst Porchfest registration and, not surprisingly, we’re bigger than ever. 217 performances to date on an equal number of porches. So much music, in fact, that we’ve had to bring individual registrations to a close.

Fret not, however. Anyone looking to get registered can still do so a little while longer, so long as the registration comes in the form of a porch/performer pair. That way our balanced schedule stays balanced. Which we’re fairly certain makes sense but, even if it doesn’t, it still affords you the opportunity to jump in. So have at it here.

The Oakhurst Porchfest takes place Saturday, October 14, from 12-7pm. It’s brought to you by your friends here at Decatur Metro, The Decatur Arts Alliance, countless musicians, and hundreds of Oakhurst neighbors, with the added assistance of city sanitation and the Decatur Police Department.

Though the day will surely feature no shortage of Americana and other picker types (perhaps the porchiest of all porch music), we’re equally excited about some of the other genres expected to make an appearance. Such as the legendary Subsonics (pictured above) and today’s featured performer, Ambulette.

Ambulette is an Atlanta-based, post-punky wall of goodness co-fronted by California transplant Halley O’Malley and former Uncle Green frontman, Matt Brown. Check ‘em out here, then we’ll see you in October.

Oakhurst Porchfest Update: Registrations exceed 80% full, limited time left

Well, friends, we asked for your enthusiastic participation and you did not disappoint. In our first week of registration for the Oakhurst Porchfest we’ve amassed 180 performers and 162 porch hosts. As we mentioned when we launched, our intention is to cap this year’s event at 200 which really just means one thing: If you’re inclined to get on it, now’s the time.

Here’s how it’s shaping up:

Not unexpectedly, Mead Road and Fayetteville Road are once again positioning themselves for domination while Maxwell Street hints at being a serious player. But that’s becoming less unique overall as impressive clusters of activity continue to materialize all around the ‘hood. (Or almost all around, as a few relatively dead zones still remain. Feld, 2nd Avenue, Olympic Place, and Adams Street south of the park, let’s see some hustle out there!)

All in all, an amazing show of support by the Oakhurst Nation. Give yourselves a pat on the back, then share this post with anyone who might still want to jump in. And if you want to register yourself, it’s performers here and porch hosts here.

Strum, Thump, Croon and Twang! Oakhurst Porchfest Registration Now Open

Hoo-boy. Here we go.

The 2017 installment of the Oakhurst Porchfest, Georgia’s largest organic free-range crowd-sourced music festival, gets officially underway today. Host and performer registrations are now open.

Performers, head this way. Porch hosts, go here.

Expect an encore of all the things you’ve come to love. Still on a Saturday (October 14). Still six hours (12-6pm) of the best dang porch performances you’re likely to find. Still a community owned and operated spectacle, destined to be whatever our hundreds of volunteering hosts and musicians and thousands of attendees want it to be.

Some things, however, will be a bit different. Most notably, we want to ensure we grow in manageable increments so registrations this year will be capped at 200 porches and an equal number of acts. That means if you want to be a part of the madness, it’s best you act sooner rather than later.

So, again: Performers, head this way. Porch hosts, go here

Finally, one note about music. We’ve had great variety over the past two years and would love to keep building on that. So if you know anyone in hip-hop, doo-wop, gospel, punk, funk, electronica, jazz, soul, pop, reggae, show tunes, classical, or any other genres not immediately associated with porches, give ‘em a shout and let them know: We want the most eclectic and unpredictable Porchfest possible. All folks welcome. Y’all come.

Last year we amassed over 50 porches and 50 acts in the first 48 hours. Surely you’re not going to let that record stand, are you? Are you?

Sweet Old Dog Found at Dancing Goats

Do you know this dog? She was found Sunday evening, November 6, wandering the Dancing Goats parking lot. The good folks at the Village Vets have confirmed she has no microchip ID so we turn to you, the DM Nation.

She’s presently safe with a place to sleep but it’s a short-term situation. Please spread the word and leave any relevant information or updates in the comments. Let’s get this old girl home!