September 19, 2026 Post by : Editorial Events

There is something about music drifting down a hillside at dusk that makes neighbors slow their steps and pull up a lawn chair. That feeling is exactly what the Highland Porch Concert Series hopes to bottle up again this summer, returning for its third season with eight free performances spread across the bluffs from June through August.

The idea started small. A violinist on Aldercrest Lane began playing from her wraparound porch on Friday evenings during the quiet stretch of 2020, and within a few weeks, strangers were leaving folding chairs on the sidewalk and clapping between movements. Organizers say the series has kept that same loose, unpretentious spirit even as it has grown.

How the Summer Lineup Shapes Up

This year's schedule leans heavily on acoustic acts that suit a residential street: a folk duo, a jazz trio, a mariachi ensemble, and a pair of singer-songwriters who grew up in the neighborhood and moved back to raise their own kids on the hill. Each show runs about ninety minutes and starts an hour before sunset, so the final songs land right as the streetlights flicker on.

Homeowners volunteer their porches, which means the venues shift week to week. Organizers publish addresses on the series' printed flyers and on the corkboards at the coffee shop and the hardware store on Summit, keeping with the neighborhood's fondness for low-tech communication. Attendees bring their own chairs, blankets, and snacks. A few streets have started coordinating potluck tables, though that is entirely optional.

"We are not trying to build a festival," said one of the volunteer coordinators. "We are trying to build an excuse to sit outside with the people who live around you."

What to Know Before You Go

Parking is the perennial question on these narrow, winding streets. Organizers ask guests to walk or carpool when they can, and to avoid blocking driveways, mailboxes, or the fire lane near the ridge overlook. Leashed dogs are welcome at most locations, but check the flyer, since one host has a nervous rescue cat who watches from the window.

Donations collected in the passing hat go directly to the musicians. There is no ticketing, no reserved seating, and no rain plan beyond a hopeful rescheduling text to the neighborhood group chat. If a show is canceled, organizers try to announce it by early afternoon.

For families with young kids, the earlier start times have made these evenings a gentle introduction to live music. For longtime residents, the series has become a way to reconnect with neighbors they mostly wave to from cars. Either way, the invitation is the same: bring a chair, come as you are, and let the music carry up the hill.

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