ALBEMARLE — With over 15 different acts scheduled to perform, there will be no shortage of live music in downtown Albemarle this Saturday.
The internationally-held Play Music on the Porch Day event is set for an all-day showing at the Isaiah Snuggs House and the Freeman-Marks House located at 12 N. Third St. Presented by The Stanly County Historical Society, the outdoor concert will be free of charge thanks to a Stanly County Community Foundation grant.
“This has been going on for several years but this is the first time that Albemarle has participated in it,” local musician Bucky Hinson told SCJ.
Hinson and his Americana-folk group The Rusty Whistle Band are slated to perform during the 11:30 a.m. time slot at the Freeman-Marks House.
“I think it’s pretty awesome,” Hinson said. “There are a lot of volunteers helping out to run the soundboard. They’ll have one stage going with someone playing on the porch, and right beside it another stage will be getting set up with no downtime — continuous music from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.”
The headlining sets of the night belong to Braden Harwood Acoustics (7 p.m.) and Radio Flyer Bluegrass Band (8 p.m.). Other acts include Jacob’s Creek, Jacob Almond with Coastal Mountain Connection, Spencer Ayscue and the North Street Band, Joe Judge, Tom Lipe, Rod Almond, and The Dancing Fleas.
The concept for a worldwide Play Music on the Porch Day — held annually on the last Saturday of August — was developed in 2013 by Brian Mallman, a Los Angeles based artist. Within five years, musicians from at least 70 countries and over 700 cities had signed up for the event.
More information about the lineup of musicians for Albemarle’s first annual “Porch Fest,” a nickname that has latched on in some locations, can be found by visiting The Stanly County Historical Society’s Facebook page.