The fall Porchfest JCMO will go on as planned.
But, much like the spring event, it will be held virtually, to ensure everyone's safety during the global pandemic.
Leann Porrello, cultural arts specialist with Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, said that instead of setting up on porches in a Jefferson City neighborhood, artists have been busy submitting videos that will be uploaded and made available during the event Sunday.
Porrello said each video must be no longer than 15 minutes, family-friendly and set on a porch or in a yard, to keep that outdoorsy feeling the event has always provided. And one of the benefits of moving online is the format allows for more options for artists, she said.
"Usually, we are acoustic when doing an in-person event, but virtual allows us to accommodate more artists that are not acoustic, as long as they can still hook up and perform on a porch," Porrello said in an email.
Categories for Sunday's virtual Porchfest have been expanded from previous events to include culinary arts, literary arts, dance, performance art and art education, in addition to music and visual arts. Porrello said the event also will feature "some of the amazing public art around Jefferson City," as well as some craft demonstrations. Lists of supplies needed to complete each craft can be found on the Porchfest JCMO Facebook page.
A lineup of performances is expected to be posted on the Porchfest JCMO Facebook page today, Porrello said. Performances will begin at 11 a.m. and run until 4 p.m. Sunday, and will be available on the Porchfest Facebook page, as well as on the Porchfest JCMO YouTube channel.