(Stittsville Central caught up with Sarah Blakely, Organizer of the Stittsville Front Porch Concert Series at Spencer Scharf’s laneway concert July 16. Photos: Stittsville Central.)
Sarah Blakely repeated her talent and success of bringing the joy of music to Stittsville’s front porches, laneways and parks again in 2021. The Organizer and inspiration behind the Stittsville Front Porch Concert Series (SFPCS) could not be more pleased with this year’s turn-out and the surpassed donation goal of $8,000. The second annual SFPCS was a tremendous success and the generosity of Stittsville residents, businesses, and visitors have outshone themselves again.
As of July 19th, the venue has raised $9,184.46 for the Youth Services Bureau program for youth mental health, surpassing Sarah’s goal of $8,000. But, we know Stittsville can do better and round out that donation number to $10,000 by visiting https://www.ysb.ca/stittsville-front-porch-concert/.
UPDATE: Sarah received additional donations from venue locations on July 20, bringing the total to $9,733.46, then the same afternoon, Jeff Robinson, owner of Crave Tacos added an additional $300 donation, bringing the grand total to $10,033.46 to surpass Sarah’s goal.
“I am so thrilled that we were able to have another successful event. Thank you so much to all the performers, our sponsors and everyone who came out to enjoy the shows. I am blown away by the talent of our neighbours and the generosity of our community. This event was a success because we all came together.
“The highlight for me was being out and seeing so much happiness on the streets of Stittsville.
“Hope to see you all out again next year,” Sarah joyfully told Stittsville Central.
The evening was filled with the incredible performances by: AnjChito, Arc of Fire, Antique Blonde Ensemble, Corey & Mike & Dan Pettie, Cory Colbourne & The Other Krow, Curtis, Dallas Alexander, Dan Tremblay, Divided Highway, Glynn & Ed, Groove with the Guitar, High Maintenance Band, The IMBYs, Kate Forsyth, Kiara Côté, Kylie Hughes, Meet us at the Corner, Victorious Melodies, Ottawa Woodwind Project, Ozy, The Remainders, Robert van Wyngaarden, Saggy Bottom Boys, Salty Dawgs, Sarah and Curtis Blakely, Shawn Tavenir, Slightly Seattle, Spencer Scharf, Sunnyside Children’s Music, Suzanne & Bob Denney, Taming Vegas Band, Therabands, The ThinkTones, Time Warp, TRAPT and Tyler Kealey.
Again this year, several local businesses and the Kiwanis Club of Kanata-Stittsville stepped up to sponsor the event. The businesses were:
- Brew Revolution
- Crave Tacos
- Friends of Amberwood
- Jiffy Photo and Print
- Jojoscreameria and Jo-Jo’s Pizzeria
- Mjolnir Construction
- MacDonald Webster Group – Real Estate
- Risirealty
- U-Rock Music School
The Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa posted on their Facebook page, “Huge thanks to everyone involved in the 2nd Annual Stittsville Front Porch Concert Series, from performers to sponsors and donors! We so appreciate you contributing to the success of this event and are grateful for your support of YSB’s Youth Mental Health services. Seeing families and small groups enjoying live music – likely for the first time in a long time – was amazing. A special heartfelt thanks to Sarah Blakely for organizing the event, and for sharing her talent as part of a duo with her husband.”
As was done last year, we are sharing this year’s photo memories of the amazing evening filled with Stittsville talent…