Two weeks ago, Mapleton Hill residents emptied their attics for the annual neighborhood rummage sale. Now they’re clearing off their front steps for an even noisier tradition. Proof that whether they’re selling vintage copper cookware or hosting 53 live bands, nobody turns a historic front lawn into a public party quite like Boulder’s Mapleton.
On Sunday, Sept. 20, Mapleton Hill PorchFest returns to one of Boulder’s oldest residential neighborhoods, turning porches, yards and driveways into concert stages for the afternoon. From noon to 4 p.m., 53 performers (an “all-time record,” organizers said) will play across 34 host properties beneath the neighborhood’s stately silver maple tree canopy, sending listeners along flagstone walks and from block to block through the historic district.
Behind all that seemingly casual music-making is a rather intense logistical operation. Organizing Mapleton Hill PorchFest falls to a volunteer committee of just seven people who spend months trying to solve what longtime committee member Kathy Spear describes as a giant, suburb-shaped puzzle.
With more than 100 bands competing for 34 host properties this year, organizers quickly blew past their informal 45-act cap to make room for familiar faces…