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Musicians play in 2016 on a front porch by Lawrence Park in Morgan City during the inaugural Porch Fest. The second annual Porch Fest will be held Saturday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (The Daily Review/Shea Drake)

Second 'Porch Fest' to benefit playground

The second annual Porch Fest will offer a full day of music in and around Lawrence Park in Morgan City, while also serving as a fundraiser to build a new playground at the park.

Porch Fest will be held from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Several residents who live by Lawrence Park volunteered to allow bands to play on their porches during Porch Fest.

All music is free of charge to attendees. Event volunteers will sell drinks, jambalaya and burgers to raise money to buy new play-ground equipment for Lawrence Park.

Morgan City resident Scott Sicard brought Porch Fest to Morgan City in April 2016 for the inaugural event after attending Larchmere Porch Fest while living in Cleveland. He dedicated the event to the memory of his son, Jacques O’Neal Sicard, who passed away.

Organizers focused on getting local musicians to perform.

“We found local bands worked best because they drew the crowds,” Sicard said.

Local band Jus Cuz performed at the 2016 Porch Fest.

“Since then, they’ve been doing really well, so I thought I’d have them close (the 2017 Porch Fest),” he said.

Sicard is on the Morgan City Main Street board, which promotes the downtown area and helped him see a need to raise money to improve things in the community.

The Lawrence Park playground “is well in need of a new facelift,” Sicard said.

Once organizers get enough funds to replace the playground equipment, they plan to raise money for another project in the city in following years. The 2016 event raised about $6,000 to go toward building a new play-ground at the park.

The inaugural Basin Brew Fest held in March also raised money for the playground, and Sicard hopes 2017’s Porch Fest will double the money raised in 2016.

Sicard has ideas for future fundraising projects Porch Fest could support.

A playground or green space at the city’s riverfront wharf one day would be a nice way to “promote people to spend time out there,” he said.

Kiwanis Club of East St. Mary will have volunteers operating the drink booth, while another volunteer group will cook hamburgers.

“It couldn’t be done without those two groups,” Sicard said.

Sicard plans to continue holding Porch Fest each year and raise more money for worthy causes.

Also, during Saturday’s event, there will a train ride for kids from 4 to 7 p.m.

Below is the 2017 Porch Fest music schedule:
Noon-1:15 p.m. Jahne Bailey and Cody Duval of Jus Cuz at Shannon Thomas’ home.
1:15-2:30 p.m. Kyle Daigle and Jena D’Shay of 90 Proof at Barry Dufrene’s home.
2:30-3:45 p.m. Hal Bruni at Ed Leonard’s home.
3:45-5 p.m. Darryl Dimaggio at Shannon Thomas’ home.
5-7:45 p.m. Jus Cuz at Lawrence Park gazebo.

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