Marianist Student Community Fosters Hospitality, Fellowship With Porch Fest

Melody Conrad
Assistant A&E Editor

Students gathered on the front porch of the 340 Stonemill Marianist Student Community Friday night to listen to music and spend time with friends and neighbors.

The event, open to the whole campus, was centered around the ideals of hospitality and friendliness as the six women who live in the home hoped to gather for a fun, relaxing Friday night.

Sarah Richard, one of the women in the student community, shared that she was happy to open up their home to welcome in fellow students for a few hours of music.

Richard noted, however, that PorchFest wasn’t their original idea. The event was a spinoff from a local Dayton event- also called PorchFest- that showcased small concerts on porches on St. Anne’s Hill. Hoping to emulate it, the women decided to bring in four students to perform.

Ethan Trapani, Nathan Niehoff, Alan Theisen and Carter Spires sang and played instruments on the porch throughout the evening, their voices dipping and soaring above the ebb and flow of conversation on the porch.

The atmosphere was casual and relaxed, with people sitting on the wall or porch swing.

A variety of refreshments were also provided, ranging from popcorn to chocolate chip cookies.

The women of the 340 Stonemill Marianist Student Community hope to host another campus-wide event in November. As of publication, the most likely event will be an instructional paint-night.

Photo courtesy of the women of 340 Stonemill.