PorchFest itself represents the heart of the Somerville community. For one day in May the whole city turns into a giant block party where neighbors get to know each other and let loose. Many parents walk the city with their children to enjoy the free outdoor music and festivities. Young adults roam the streets in groups, hitting up bars along the way and making new friends. The wide range of music genres heard during PorchFest reflect the diversity of cultures we have here in the city that gives Somerville its unique flavor.

I had originally planned to chronicle my PorchFest adventures in a timeline in this week’s column, but I was overwhelmed by all there was to see and quickly abandoned my itinerary. So I decided to just wing it and see where the wind would take me. Throughout my travels I had bumped into neighbors and friends I hadn’t caught up with in far too long and I had shortly assembled a small posse. Luckily, rain held off and my friends and I enjoyed a nice spring day walking around Somerville listening to local bands that far surpassed our expectations.

We spent most of the early afternoon in the Winter Hill area. There were a few great bands playing right on Broadway as you got towards the top of the hill and we couldn’t pull away from them. Before we moved to the next area to see some more porch bands, we stopped by to see our friends at Winter Hill Brewery for a beer and were treated to a few stellar performances on their newly opened outdoor deck. After a quick round of drinks and a nice chat with WHB founder Jeff Rowe, we were back on the move.

The next few hours were spent bouncing from one porch to the next backyard checking out the local talent. Many houses seemed to have an awesome little party going on in their backyard, but were so crowded that getting in was next to impossible. On some porches young couples played acoustic covers of pop songs, while others had a New Orleans style jazz band. BLOWW (Boston League Of Women Wrestlers) even put on a classic backyard wrestling show and beat each other senseless while a rock band revved up the crowd.

After walking the city all day, the smell of grilled brats drew us to the Magoun Square dance party for a couple more beers and a bite to eat. (Brats were amazing. Kudo’s Olde Magoun’s) Magoun Square had been blocked off and a band played on stage while everyone crowded the streets as we shoveled food in our faces. It was a great way to end the night. As it got colder we finished our beers inside and shared videos and photos of the day’s events. Amongst the many different local bands were photos of all the different smiling faces of those whose paths we’d crossed. Funny how a simple idea such as inviting people to play music for their neighborhood can unite a city.

Later ‘Villens. Keep on rockin’ in the free world.