“What a perfect day,” said Holly Dirks, Hotpoint artist and Bristol Merchants Association member who coordinated the State Street Fair this past Saturday. Blessed with gorgeous September weather, the juried fair featured 52 unique artisans at both lower State street and in Rockwell Park. Acoustic entertainment from Music by Mel, and two food trucks, one offering tacos and street corn and another Brazilian food, were also on hand in the park.

Ms. Dirks checked in with all the artisans during the course of the day and the verdict was unanimous: it was an excellent event, and people were buying. “The vendors were really happy,” she said. This concludes the summer season of Bristol Merchants Association events; Ms. Dirks said that they will hold another artisan fair in May.

The following day, PorchFest returned to Bristol after a 2020 hiatus, and it come back with a bang. An estimated 4,000 people strolled High Street from Walley to Byfield streets, enjoying 18 bands on nine porches. It was a light lift for Bristol’s finest, who closed both ends of the venue to traffic and detail officers enjoyed an event that Major Brian Burke said was “very uneventful, from a policing perspective.”

“Lt. Steven St. Pierre was the officer in charge,” said MaryKae Wright, one of the event organizers. “He and Patrolman Greg Silvia were a very positive presence and kept everything running smoothly.”

Ms. Wright said that she and the rest of the PorchFest team, including Nancy Kellner, Bradley Wester, Doug Popovich, Dave Carney, and Joe Caron, have been overwhelmed with positive comments about PorchFest. “What an incredible day! We loved having bands on our porch and could feel the happiness radiating off of the crowd,” emailed one porch owner. “I love that I live in a town that hosts this thanks to the Herculean efforts of the PorchFest committee!”

“It’s been an absolute joy to host on our porch Bristol’s own Andre Arsenault, and along with Bristol Warren high school students,” said Nina Murphy, another porch-owning host. “So much talent abounds in the classroom, and Porchfest provides real world experience for the students.”

Mt. Hope High School Chorale Director David Lauria agreed. “Our students had a wonderful time, and they were absolutely blown away by the huge crowd and welcoming reception.”

“I had a really awesome time, and I just wanted to let you know how wonderful it was to be able to play a concert in my own hometown,” said singer/songwriter Allysen Callery. “I got to see so many friendly faces.”

And finally, one overheard comment really threw down the gauntlet. “This is amazing — this is going to be bigger than the Fourth.”