…I did my best not to die from heat stroke while covering this event. I’m actually not entirely sure I did survive… I’ll let you know tomorrow morning.

This is not an easy event to cover. At least not if you want to give proper attention to all twenty-two of the acts. I covered this event last year [link], and it was just as hot, but I really didn’t take care of myself while I was walking around. This year I went through six bottles of water, some orange juice, two pops, and a big bottle of grape Zero Sugar Gatorade.

When I got home, I had a chocolate milk, and about a litre of lemonade… for what it’s worth I had a great hamburger for lunch from Nicko’s and, for an early supper, I had the largest (and best) Chicken Caesar Salad I’ve ever had, from Anjou’s on Mill Street. There, now we’re all caught up.

…other than the heat and the walking, the hardest part of shooting an event like this is getting the right composition. The porches are mostly right up against the sidewalks, and since the roads are still in use, the crowds have to gather across the street. Which leaves a lot of open space between the entertainer and the crowds watching them. And the bands themselves are, generally, pretty laid back. There are no ‘Tool’ or ‘AC/DC’ cover bands. So photos of the bands make it look like they’re out there on their own, and mellow bands do not make dynamic photos.

The major difference between last year’s version, and this year’s, was behind the scenes: there’s a new organizer for PorchFest, a newish group called the ‘Vankleek Hill Live-Music Co-Op’. According to their Facebook Page…

“The goal of the co-op is to combine our efforts to bring incredible live music to our little town. We aim to punch above our weight class and bring in bands and artists that would not normally make Vankleek Hill a destination on their tour and to encourage artists to provide a more unique performance because of our more intimate set up.”

They’re taking over from the VKH Business and Merchants Association — which is still involved in some fashion, I’m just not sure how exactly. If I was getting paid for this stuff I’d probably ask more questions. The VKHLM Co-Op has already brought a bunch of acts to town, including Ottawa’s ‘Slo’Tom & The Handsome Devils’ (Tom used to be in ‘Furnaceface’ [link], which is awesome) and, from New York City, Vic Ruggiero [link] (from ‘The Slackers’ [link]… which is also very cool).

I was accepted into their Private Facebook Group today, I’m their 69th member… which is, of course, hilarious. I’ll be advocating at every meeting for bringing ‘Big Country’ to town.

…anywho. Click on a photo to get the carousel going. Or not. No pressure…