The walk to Martha Picinich's front porch from Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, is a short one. It takes you past houses that range in size and design, but with a few things in common: most are about a century old, and many feature a large front porch which acted almost as a second living room in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Everybody was living on their porches," said Martha's friend and neighbor, Hannah Allen.
"Yeah, because we could," added Martha. "We were far enough apart to be able to talk to each other and feel connected, still, and supported."
"You'd walk down the street, you'd have your daily walks just to get out, and people were on their porch," said Josh, a local musician with the band Humphreys Anonymous. "It was like something you would hear about from your grandparents. 'Oh, you'd always hang out on the porch?' This is that neighborhood and they do it now."
On Saturday, August 23, Josh and his band will be playing a set right here for Kenwick Porch Fest, a neighborhood music festival organized by Hannah and Martha.
"I think Porch Fest demonstrates an energy that is all around Lexington," said Martha. "I've noticed, as somebody who has not lived here my whole life but transplanted, the energy of this 'willingness.' It's like, 'Oh, yeah, totally! Let's do it!'"
"Why wouldn't we want to listen to music with our next door neighbors on their front porch?" added Hannah.
This year's festival features 37 artists performing sets on 18 different porches within the Kenwick Neighborhood. The concerts kick off at four with a performance by the March Madness Marching Band at the Kenwick Community Center.
"We have someone playing flute this year, a flautist," said Hannah. "We've got someone doing a DJ set of house music on their front porch; there's a guy who's doing emo and pop-punk, but it's just him. So, he's doing emo and pop-punk acoustic, and I think that's going to be kind of wild."
The day's lineup and a map showing the bounds of the festival with each porch marked and numbered is available on the Kenwick Porch Fest Facebook page. Porch numbers will also be displayed on yard signs. The event is open to the public and free, though guests are encouraged to bring cash to tip their favorite performers.
Note: When the audio story was recorded Thursday afternoon, the weather forecast anticipated no precipitation. As of Friday afternoon, there is a 40% chance of rain. As in past years, the festival will continue as scheduled, rain or shine.