This year's PorchFest set to be biggest yet

Taylor Cooper, The Brunswick News, Ga.
·3 min read

Oct. 14—The weekend of Nov. 11 will be a busy one for Brunswick.

Both PorchFest and the inaugural Brunswick Backyard BBQ are scheduled for that same weekend.

Jason Umfress, representing the PorchFest planning committee, met with the city's Downtown Development Authority to talk about the committee's plans.

Plans for security and traffic flow are still under development in cooperation with the Brunswick Police Department and the city manager's office, he said.

Some roads will be closed, but Union Street will not be among them. It is a major thoroughfare for locals and will likely serve as the primary trolley route to ferry festival-goers from parking to Halifax Square, the epicenter of the event.

He made a simple request to the DDA. It has historically pitched in by paying the event insurance fee, which was $650 in 2021. This time, Umfress said the estimate is $800.

PorchFest is set for Nov. 13, and the committee is still looking for residents in the city's historic district to volunteer their porches for the event.

The committee will schedule performances that will include music and dancing on each porch.

Anyone interested should visit porchfestbwk.com, he said. Registrations are due by Friday.

"It's a huge SAT problem to make sure you have the right bands on the right porches at the right time, understanding there's some crossover in the bands. This drummer may play in (multiple) bands," Umfress said.

This year is set to be the largest yet, with 60 bands and performers around 50-55 porches and 10-12 food trucks involved. The event will feature a wide variety of performances, including rock and country bands, gospel singers, dancers, and Elvis tribute artists.

It's gotten so large the committee had to establish an organizational structure to manage it, a departure from how it started, with "a group of do-good neighbors who wanted to get together and throw a party on their porches," Umfress said.

While the committee is an LLC, it was never intended to make money. He told the DDA Board on Wednesday that, as the festival grows, any profit from merchandise sales will go toward either Rise Risley, a community resource center in the historic Risley High School campus, and Signature Squares, which is dedicated to restoring Brunswick's historic squares to their former glory.

"It's important to this group to keep those dollars in organizations that are making a difference in the (downtown) area," Umfress said.

Most revenues from past events went to paying for the event's overhead, he said.

Most of the members of the DDA Board were willing to support PorchFest but took no formal action Wednesday.

"PorchFest embodies everything Brunswick is more than any single event I've been to," said DDA Board Chairman Michael Kaufman.

In other business, DDA Events and Marketing Coordinator Jennifer Krouse updated the board on the Brunswick Backyard BBQ, set for Nov. 11-12.

So far, only three teams have signed up. With the cancellation of Southern Soul BBQ's Firebox event due to Hurricane Ian, she's going back to some local restaurants and cooks to recruit.

Live music, games and other festival staples will fill Mary Ross Waterfront Park starting that Friday afternoon. Teams will offer some food to visitors on Friday, but the main event on Saturday is when all the slow-cooked meats will be available and judged.

The Georgia Barbecue Association is sending judges, she said.

She's also still looking for sponsors. For sign-up information, visit discoverbrunswick.com.

Also Wednesday, the DDA:

—Heard a recap of the reworked Commercial Property Enhancement Grant from Hill. City commissioners approved the DDA's request with some changes. For major renovation to historic buildings in the city's downtown area, the DDA will award a grant of up to $25,000. City commissioners added a few stipulations, including a clause barring double-dipping and requiring the owner to pay back the grant if they sell the building within two years of the award.

—Listened to an update on a groundbreaking ceremony at Wright Square, which was rescheduled for noon on Tuesday.