Rockville Centre celebrates five years of Playing on the Porch

Rockville Centre’s fifth annual Playing on the Porch music festival was a success, with more than 30 musical acts performing across the village. The event, presented by the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce, featured artists performing on porches, lawns, and driveways for the community.

Ed Asip, president of the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce, said that due to the weather forecast calling for heavy showers during the afternoon, organizers discussed the possibility of moving the event back to Sunday, however, since not everyone would be able to make the sudden switch, they decided to proceed and hope for the best.

“Considering we were dancing with the rain drops, it went really well,” Ed Asip, president of the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce, said. “Everybody was glad we really held the line. Once a decision is made people hunker down and do what they can to make it work.”

Despite the brief interruption caused by the sudden downpour, the sun soon returned and people were back outside to enjoy the music.

“It’s probably one of the most fun events we do,” Ed Asip, president of the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce, said. “The feedback we’ve been getting had been phenomenal.”

The three-hour event showcased over 33 musicians and groups spanning several different genres including rock, pop, jazz, classical, hymnal, reggae and more.

The idea behind a community-wide roaming concert series originated in Ithaca, New York, where, for more than a decade-and-a-half, local musicians and neighbors have gathered together to celebrate its local artists and musicians. Iyna Caruso introduced the idea to Rockville Centre in 2019, which has since spread to other Long Island communities including Long Beach and Baldwin.

The fifth annual Playing on the Porch festival was organized by Brian Croutier, who said that while coordinating 33 different performances is always a challenge, the event has gotten to the point where it pretty much runs itself.

“It was another great day, another great year,” Croutier said. “We hope to keep doing it forever.”

This year’s festivities kicked off with a special performance by Molloy University President James Lentini. More than simply a leader in higher education, Lentini is an award-winning composer and classic guitarist. He is also a voting member of the Grammys National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

This year’s festival featured a variety of performers, ranging from South Side High School students and middle-age dad rockers, to choir singers and a Nirvana cover band. Crowds gathered around to watch the performances, as residents walked, biked or drove around to each location.

This year’s festival was particularly noteworthy, as several bands decided to use their platform to help raise money for local charities.

Rich Lind and Andrew Ciancimino of Two Italian Dads said for the past two iterations of the festival, they have been helping raise much-needed funds for the Family and Children’s Association of Long Island.

“Playing on the Porch is an amazing opportunity to not only bring together our Rockville Centre community to celebrate local bands, but also create awareness for good causes,” said Lind. “As a board member for FCA, I’ve had the privilege of seeing the impact of how FCA provides services to over 30,000 of Long Island’s most vulnerable individuals. Every bit counts, and we were happy to sing for a great organization.”

Joe Di Salvo of the dad-rock band MannChild, in a recent interview, explained that each of the band’s performances are tied to a charitable fundraising effort. And this was no different.

He said their performance on Saturday was a “tremendous success” helping raise more than $3,500 for the Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation through the sale of band merchandise and direct contributions.

“MannChild was privileged to be able to support the cause,” Di Salvo said. “There is truly a sense of community that is developing around MannChild and its charitable efforts and performances and I could not be more proud to be a part of it.”

Playing on the Porch is largely provided through the support of the local business community, which organizes “porch patrons” to help sponsor the different homes. It is always free and open to the public, however, donations are encouraged via the Chamber of Commerce “virtual tip jar” online or through the purchase of local merchandise. All proceeds go to benefit the Chamber’s South Side High School Scholarship program.