By Anna Grace Usery
Editor-in-Chief
anna.grace.usery@hottytoddy.com
Many southerners have stories they can vividly recall that happened on a front porch in their childhood or early adulthood.
The Mill at Plein Air is celebrating that aspect of storytelling during its third annual Conference on the Front Porch event Oct. 25-26.
Plein Air Developer Campbell McCool said the reason for the conference is to celebrate the significance of the front porch in the American South.
“As we say, ‘it’s not just lumber; it is a way of life,'” he said.
The conference aims to explore the significance of the front porch in the American South, both from an architectural, as well as a sociological, perspective. The two day conference explores the origins of the front porch, its role in building and sustaining community, the porch and food, the porch and music, and the porch and its impact on the storytelling tradition in the South, according to the website.
Patrons can expect to see several well known Mississippians at this year’s conference including keynote speaker John Berry, author of “Rising Tide”, Erin and Ben Napier of HGTV’s “Home Town” and Beth Ann Fennelly, Ole Miss professor and Mississippi’s Poet Laureate.
This year’s event, in partnership with Garden & Gun, has several local sponsors including Visit Mississippi, Artist Vodka, the Graduate Oxford and Wren & Ivy.
The event hosts a series of lectures and panels, including a porch concert with Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors and a play with Johnny McPhail. The conference is $395 to attend and is open to architects, developers, planners, social historians and lovers of all things porch.
McCool said the event is limited to 200 people; some tickets are still available. To register for the event, please follow this link.
