If you are looking for details on the Grand Porch Party happening on June 11, 2017, check out their website.
Back in 2011 the Grand Porch Party was but a wee sprout in Tenille Bonoguore’s mind. Tenille invited Troy Dettwiler, myself and a few other friends and neighbours to help water the seedling and we are so proud of how this community event has taken root and bloomed. In 2012 I brought Insight Eye Care on as a sponsor and we have enjoyed supporting the GPP year after year.
A couple years ago, Troy and I were driving up to his grandparents’ cottage and we passed two musicians hitchhiking. We decided to pick them up and take them to their destination for a festival. Low and behold, we discovered in conversation that these musicians had played at the GPP for the last two years. They thanked us for helping to make the event possible and we thanked them for creating beautiful music that helps bring people together when it’s so easy in this world to be divided.
Community events make the world a smaller place; when executed well, they connect you with your neighbours, they turn strangers into familiar faces and even ripple out to touch other communities as well. The GPP has inspired a few porch parties in other cities and I love that the events are not competitive, but support each other and genuinely want to encourage human connection while supporting music, environment and local businesses.
This year will be the first year that I get to wander around the neighbourhood and experience the various musicians as previous years I have been situated at a sponsorship tent. The owner of Insight, Tim Sloss, lives in the neighbourhood and loves that we are a part of the GPP. Because so many people call him Tim Sloth, we made some stickers in his honour. Find us wandering around at the GPP and we’ll give you one of these!
