Porch Fest, the annual street festival in downtown Sitka, on Saturday will again celebrate Sitka artists, art in all its forms and, perhaps most of all, community.
“My favorite thing about Porch Fest is the sense of community, just being able to be downtown and have so many exciting, lively things happening,” said Tonia Puletau-Lang, a member of the Greater Sitka Arts Council board and one of the organizers of the all-day event on Lincoln Street.
Porch Fest runs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and includes art vendors, street performances, art workshops and activities, live music at the Crescent Harbor shelter, food vendors and sidewalk chalk art. Most events are free.
Lincoln Street will be closed 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for are the street performances in front of St. Michael's Cathedral. Sitka Cirque will perform 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Sitka Studio of Dance 1 to 2 p.m.; Emily’s Fitness 2 to 3 p.m.; and Zumba with Kate 3 to 4 p.m.
Sitka Cirque director Frances Donohoe said there will be eight or nine solo performances from the studio's spring show “Fairy Tales from Around the World.” The studio will set up an outdoor rig for their silks performances, presenting samples of the pieces the artists worked on all year for the big spring show.
Art vendors will be staged in front of Sitka Mercantile in the 100 block of Lincoln, and art workshops and activities will take place in front of Island Artists Gallery, 205 Lincoln. They include buttonmaking with the Sitka Conservation Society; a copper wire bracelet-making workshop taught by Petra Lechner; a watercolor workshop with Pat Kehoe; and a beaded bracelet class by Linda Janacek.
The workshops by Lechner, Kehoe and Jancek are organized by Island Artists Gallery,
Another activity nearby is Poetry on Demand and Creative Writing, in which the public is invited to write poetry on a typewriter provided by Tongass Mist. “Share stories about your history and experiences in the Tongass and Sitka,” the Porch Fest description says.
The art vendors in front of Sitka Mercantile include Rugged Weaves, Crafting for Justice, Tidal Trove, Gone Feral, The North Art Collective, Forty Nine & Pine, Bizarre Sitka Arts, Uprooted Jewelry Design, Mert’s Shirts and Sitka Twisters (balloon animals).
Food vendors next to the shelter include Juan’s Cuban Cuisine, The Donut Shack, Jessie’s Uptown Dogs and El Oso Cafe.
Before joining the GSAC board, and volunteering to serve as one of the organizers for Porch Fest, Puletau-Lang was a regular attendee with her kids, and enjoyed it personally and as a fun family-friendly event.
“I love Sitka and I love being downtown, but to be able to take a little workshop and then watch people dance in the street and then go buy art from local artisans, and go to a dance – all in one day, all in the span of just a couple hours is a unique experience to have in downtown,” Puletau-Lang said.
She and fellow organizer Hannah Portello-Swagel said one event sure to be popular is sidewalk chalk art near the Crescent Harbor shelter. Participants are invited to pick up a piece of brilliant-colored chalk, and claim a sidewalk square to decorate. Some areas will be covered with a shelter to protect the creations from rain.
Portello-Swagel was born and raised in Sitka, and after 22 years away moved back two years ago with her wife Sarah Prelutsky. Prelutsky recently finished building the trailer for her business, The Donut Shack. The trailer had its trial run today, and will be at Porch Fest.
Portello-Swagel said she heard about Porch Fest in the years she was away, and is excited to be a part of it now. “It’s an event for locals and by locals,” she said.
GSAC board member Maia Carter organized the lineup at the Crescent Harbor shelter stage:
11 a.m. to noon - Pointy and the Birds
Noon - The Song Wranglers
1 p.m. - Summerfall
2 p.m. - Open Mic with Maia
3 p.m. - Trytones
4 p.m. - Dixon Elegant
5 p.m. - Barn Dance, with Fishing for Cats
7 p.m. - Maia, Marshall and Adam
8 to 9 p.m. Zak Kirkpatrick & Friends.
Porch Fest is organized by the Greater Sitka Arts Council, with sponsorship by the Chamber of Commerce and Harry Race. The full schedule is at: sitkaartscouncil.org/porch-fest.
