Michalskis Host Bluegrass at Napa Porchfest

Bluegrass has always been front-porch music, and on July 31 Napa’s preeminent bluegrass band will bring it all back home on the porch of Lynn and Henry Michalski’s home at 266 Randolph St.

The Napa Valley Ramblers are one of 42 bands – more than 120 musicians in all – performing during a three-hour span on the porches of homes in historic neighborhoods around the city of Napa.

The free music festival, called , is believed to be the first porch-based music festival west of Ohio.

A 100-percent-volunteer effort, Napa Porchfest is modeled after the original Porchfest in Ithaca, N.Y., according to Juliana Inman, a key organizer of the our local festival.

Inman is an architect and preservationist who also happens to be on both the and the board of , the nonprofit sponsor for Napa Porchfest.

Another Napan who’s played a leading role in Napa’s first Porchfest is lifelong music-lover and emerging bass-player Thea Witsil, owner of longtime First Street boutique .

Napa Patch is also a sponsor, though only in-kind: We've committed to posting articles profiling every band on the festival schedule.

Napa Porchfest has asked for no money from anyone.

As Inman put it with a smile, "We're sparing every expense."

And as the event draws closer, more volunteers and well-wishers have reached out to embrace the first all-volunteer, all-Napa music festival.

If you, too, would like to help out with Napa’s first grassroots, all-city music festival, Porchfest needs .

Duties are light: Each home on the tour needs a “Porch Pal” to provide directions and answer questions. Maps will be provided and available online.

Following the festival, musicians and listeners alike are invited to the for a no-host after-party.

For an complete schedule and interactive map of the first Napa Porchfest, visit napaporchfest.org

You can also print out a map and schedule here.

To learn more about the bands and the festival, click on the "" tag for a round-up of all the articles on Napa Patch.

Napa Porchfest is also on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.