On Saturday, May 9, despite the rainy weather, Moorestown community members came together at Moorestown Porch Fest to celebrate talent, listen to live music, and raise money for a local landmark preservation project.

Moorestown Porch Fest is an annual event where musicians of different backgrounds share their music and express themselves. What makes this festival unique is that these musicians perform on different porches throughout Moorestown. Each year, the event raises money for a different cause. The goal of this Porch Fest was to raise at least $15,000 for a landmark preservation project that the “Saving Historic Moorestown” organization is organizing. 

The festival was packed with musicians from many different backgrounds who were eager to share their music with the lively and energetic crowd. 

A few of the members of Lost Art, a local band playing at the festival, shared that their band has been attending Porch Fest for years, and they enjoy the openness and excitement of the crowd. 

“It’s a really beautiful town, and people are very receptive to music and very open [here],” said Alex Pepiak, guitarist and vocalist in the band. 

“It’s just a very nice feeling, and it’s a really good opportunity to perform original music, and it just seems like in this kind of a setting, like Porch Fest, people are just more interested in it,” said bass player and vocalist Sue Pepiak. 

The Pepiaks have been exploring music “since they were kids,” and their passion has only gotten stronger as they continue to perform. 

“I was born with it,” said Alex. 

Although there were many experienced artists at Porch Fest, like the Pepiaks, there were also some who were new to the music journey and were just beginning to explore their talents.

“This is our first time doing a porch fest,” said Sara Renner, a member of the band Dancingdancing with Bearsbears.

Renner shared what led her and her partner, Jeffery Blanford, to pursue music. 

“We both work at a summer camp, and we play together there, me on drums and [him] on banjo.”

She expressed how music of all different genres had been a part of her life since birth, but she had only recently begun to explore it.

“I always had rhythm in me. I always had music in me,” she reflected.

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