Allentown’s Main Street will become a showcase for music, art and local history Saturday, Sept. 12, when the Allentown Village Initiative presents the borough’s first PorchFest.
The free event will run from noon to 4 p.m. and is part of TAVI250, the organization’s yearlong celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Local musicians will perform from front porches along Main Street, while local artists display their work at participating homes. Visitors also will be able to read about the history of the houses being used as PorchFest locations.
TAVI will have a welcome table where visitors can pick up a map and schedule for the afternoon’s performances.
Self-guided walking tours also will be available, giving visitors a chance to explore Allentown’s historic architecture, cemeteries and its role in the Underground Railroad.
Organizers are encouraging visitors to spend time downtown between performances, stopping at Allentown’s shops, restaurants and cafes while moving from porch to porch.
PorchFest is the latest program in TAVI250, a series of events marking America’s semiquincentennial. TAVI credited Main Street homeowners for opening their porches to musicians, artists and visitors for the inaugural event.
The event is being presented with support from First Commerce Bank and Fulton Bank, along with a grant from Monmouth Arts, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners.
TAVI was still inviting additional local artists and musicians to participate when its August newsletter was published.
For more information, go to allentownvinj.org.
Note: The print edition of the September Messenger-Press erroneously listed the incorrect website link for this event. Please use the URL above. People can also find information on TAVI’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/allentownvinj.
