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San Juan Bautista has participated in Music on the Porch Day, a worldwide celebration on the last Saturday of August, for the past three years. It’s like a musical trick-or-treat: The public walks from house to house in a scheduled series of stops to hear local amateur and professional musicians perform.
This year, it falls on August 30, but the San Juan Bautista Recreation Department is offering a preview: the Porch Sounds series. The next installment is on April 26 at the Windmill Shopping complex. The series will continue on the last Saturday of each month through July.
“Music on the Porch Day was the biggest smash hit the recreation department put on last year,” said Recreation Coordinator Caitlin Brady. “We want to take our best things and ensure we grow them, so this is our response.”
The series debuted on March 30 with five of the performers who will participate in the August event. According to musician and co-organizer Steve Harris, about 40 people attended the performances.
“People would go in and buy a sandwich at the market, or some pizza,” he said. “Then they’d sit there and listen to music. Some kids had their hair braided by the lady at Country Cuts. It was really sweet, and I think it was also good for the businesses there.”
Harris and Brady devised the idea for Porch Sounds while planning the upcoming Music on the Porch celebration.
“We were thinking, ‘Okay, how can we build on this?’” Brady said. “We wanted a casual and community-based tie-in with a similar vibe. There are a lot of musicians here in town, and I think this touches on the importance of working with them.”
Harris approached Jim Gibson, the Windmill complex property owner, for permission to use its outdoor seating area. Over a cup of coffee at Vertigo, Gibson agreed.
While most of the musicians who will be performing over the next few months have already been booked for Music on the Porch Day, Harris and Brady are open to others joining in.
“People just need to let us know what they want to do,” said Harris, who performs with the well-known local band, The Dead Cowboys. “They can play an instrument or recite poetry. We hope people will participate, but they can also just come and watch.”
Harris said one of his hopes for Porch Sounds is that it will encourage people to participate in Music on the Porch Day.
“We have places in town,” he said, “where people want artists for their porch, but they are not artists themselves. There are many talented people in this city who could join us, so we could take this event and put San Juan Bautista’s stamp on it.”
Brady said 11 homes so far are included in August, and there is room for a few more.
“We’re trying not to go over 15,” she said, “Because that’s just a really long day. And if we do end up with a lot of people interested in participating for next year, we’ll change the format so that we can accommodate as many people as want to participate.”
This year, San Juan Bautista City Councilmember Jose Aranda has offered to host the kick-off of Music on the Porch Day at his home for the second time.
“I like being the starting point,” he said, “because it allows me to go and enjoy all of the music. As soon as everyone leaves, I jump in my golf cart and head over to the next porch. I get to join the community and be part of the celebration.”
Aranda said he thought Music on the Porch Day was one of the recently formed recreation department’s more exciting projects.
“It’s such a cool thing,” he said. “The turnout was bigger than for their Monday Night Lights or Friday Film Night. It’s like a traveling block party that allows everyone to go out and meet their neighbors. And I love that.”
Porch Sounds runs from 3 to 5 p.m. on April 26, May 31, June 28 and July 26 at the Windmill Market shopping complex. To participate in the Porch Sounds series or Music on the Porch, contact Caitlin Brady at (831) 833-5755 or Steve Harris at (831) 333-6615.
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