Your Porch Parties, No. 6

Well, you did it! We asked you to join us in hosting a city-wide porch party on July 13th and we were overwhelmed by the response.  Thanks to those of you who have sent us photos and accounts of the day. We’ll be sharing many of them here. So, enjoy! And if you haven’t had  a porch party of your own, what are you waiting for?

For us (my husband and myself) and a good circle of old friends, Sunday afternoons on the porch are, by now, assumed and expected and anticipated. Sometime before 1:00 pm, someone shoots out the first text: "Porch?" The responses sometimes trickle in or other times come in a flood: "3:00, our porch." "See you then." "I'll be there by 4."

But today, July 13, 2014 was special. For a couple of weeks now, neighbors have been spit polishing their porches in response to the call for a City-Wide-Porch-Party from the Harrison Center for the Arts. Paper lanterns were hung. New furniture and cushions appeared on previously empty concrete stoops. And at our house, we made a little more effort than usual. Our teenage girls and 10-year old son sponged and hosed and helped clean off the chairs and tables. I cut flowers and draped the table with our stripey-festive tablecloth. I made more food than usual and anticipated our friends' arrivals. Summer porch time feels best with guacamole and a gin and tonic in hand. Sangria, beer, lemonade, salsa - nice embellishments. But best of all - genuine laughter. Good, hard laughter. In heavy doses.

Porches are important places for community to take root and thrive. Thank you HCA for encouraging urban neighbors to invite each other over for a drink and laughter.

Craig and Kimmie Burton