Best Of Napa Porchfest: PHOTO SHOW

From Al Francis:

The fifth annual Napa Porchfest was a gigantic success Sunday as thousands attended the popular family event with all sorts of music, in mostly the downtown area, performed by local bands from porches and driveways.

Visitors moved from venues by bikes, mopeds, skateboards, Segways, vehicles and on foot -- with one young lady cruising around on roller skates.

Some 116 bands and musicians were scattered among 59 locations of mostly Victorian-type homes, bed and breakfasts, with several locations west of Jefferson Street and some near the Oxbow part of downtown.

Crowds were so big that some streets were blocked, and it was difficult to get through -- even on bikes.

The day started off with a glitch as with so many visits to the event website to download the porch locations and the band schedule that it crashed according to Elizabeth Skylar with Napa PorchFest. However, there were maps at the central site at the Napa County Library parking lot. Food trucks were busy all day, too, at the library location.

And there were surprises along the way.

For example, the band “Change” performing on Patchett Street provided a cooler-full of ice cream and tossed paper airplanes with poems. And on Madison Street, “The Swift Band” re-located to a driveway next door to try and reduce the impact of music on a neighbor. The band also provided sandwiches and water.

On Oak Street, there were more treats in store with one location giving out lemonade for a smile, and across the street, gourmet pizzas were being made in a portable oven -- with donations going to Napa Hospice.

And, there was no doubt that everyone got their “money’s worth” ... since the event was free.

Photo credit to Al Francis of NapaSonomaPhotos.com.