Look who performed at the Baldwin Porchfest

An impressive array of musical talent will be showcased during the community-wide Baldwin Porchfest on Saturday Aug. 31, following months of planning to line up the performers.

Marguerite Keller, vice president of the Baldwin Civic Association, which is sponsoring the popular event, announced the lineup in a recent Facebook post. The schedule contains a versatile list of artist performing everything from gospel to Irish music.

“Our committee has been meeting monthly to put together a spectacular lineup of diverse musical genres all throughout Baldwin,” Keller wrote to the Herald. “This is the first-ever Baldwin Porchfest, and we are hoping it’s the first of many.”

Keller formed the committee, along with volunteers Sara Hill, Rita Kavanaugh, Kim Malone, Ronnie Roddy and Karen Montalbano.

The popular porchfest originated in upstate Ithaca in 2007, designed to celebrate local talent and foster community connections in a relaxed, informal setting. The event, which will see 10 musicians or bands perform in different venues throughout the neighborhood, is free and open to the public.

Baldwin is following in the footsteps of nearby communities such as Long Beach and Rockville Centre, which have already held their own porchfest.

With performances scattered throughout the neighborhood, porchfest turns everyday spaces into stages, whether on a front lawn or driveway, inviting residents and visitors to enjoy live music, meet their neighbors, and experience the creative spirit of the community.

The day will kick off with a barbershop quartet performance from 3 Old Dogs & A Pub, at the historic Kellogg House, 960 Merrick Road, at noon. The house was constructed in 1900, and Keller previously told the Herald that the type of music would fit nicely into that time period.

Next up, Sami Shaker will uplift the crowd with praise songs at 802 N William St. Then, SBC Worship and Arts Ministry will bring gospel music from 1 to 2 p.m. at 800 McKenna Pl.

Following that, Jim Hawkins will bring the lively rhythms of traditional Irish music to 2500 Parkview Place, while Matthew Ponsot will serenade the audience with his acoustic American tunes, at 1011 Field Place, from 3 to 4 p.m.

The afternoon will continue with Baldwin Folkestra’s international folk group performing at 841 Sprague St., and Fancy Cat’s alternative rock group, at 1603 Alpine St., both from 4 to 5 p.m.

In the evening, the fest will shift to rock and roll with Crucial Experiment performing from 4 to 5 p.m. at 510 Russell St. Smooth Jazz and R&B will follow with Luke Waldron at 1357 Woodside Ave. From 5 to 6 p.m., El Kabong will deliver a dynamic blend of rock and roll and blues at 8 Bay Front Drive.

Porchfest will conclude at the Baldwin Community Garden, at 1980 Grand Ave., with a jazz performance from Musically Inclined at 6 p.m.

“The Baldwin Porchfest is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by the Huntington Arts Council,” Keller said.

The civic association received $1,000 from the community regrant program through the Huntington Arts Council.