By Riki Bolster
The first sound Darin Glass and Sarah Foster heard on their porch that Saturday morning was the music of David Bowie. As Ormewood Park residents for almost 20 years, this was something new.
“All the musicians were wonderful,” Glass said, describing the musical artists who performed from their front porch during last year’s Ormewood Park Makers Festival. In addition to the main stage music in the center of the festival, organizers featured a Satellite Stage at the corner of Eastwood and Delaware Avenues. The corner was at one end of the festival, a “safe and natural place to bookend the music,” he said.
The majority of the musicians performing at the Satellite Stage were musicians from the neighborhood or had neighborhood ties, including Adam Lenhard, better known as Boss Man Music. Half-joking, Lenhard, a fraternity brother of festival co-organizer, Noah Trepper, had offered, “If you need someone to play music I’ll fly in from California.” And he did.
“It was great because my family all live in Atlanta. I brought my girlfriend, and she got to meet all my family. And they all came to hear me play – grandparents, parents, my brother and his wife, my sister and her fiance, aunt, uncle and cousins,” Lenhard said.
Lenhard was especially impressed with “how cool it was to play on somebody’s patio, at their home.” Unplugged, he and his ukulele could wander through the audience playing folk pop and eco-friendly songs like “Sally the Snail,” as well as a little Outkast. He estimated about 40 people came through to hear his set.
Glass pointed out that the audience was very respectful of the property and festival organizers made sure everything ran smoothly, even providing a sound technician.
The success of the Satellite Stage led music organizer Dave Mayr to add a second Satellite Stage for the Ormewood Park Makers Festival on October 10. This stage will be at the other end of the festival, Woodland and Eden. Jay Suever’s porch, surrounded by wonderful plants and flowers, once belonged to a horticulturist from Zoo Atlanta. “We just try to keep it up,” Suever said.
“I was happy to volunteer our front porch. People are welcome to set up chairs on the front lawn to listen to the music,” he said. Performances will begin around 11:30 a.m. and go through the afternoon.
Suever has been at his corner since 1991. “I remember [in the 90’s] there was a big festival with vendors up and down the street, and a tour of homes. I’m happy to see it happening again. I look forward to the music and the festival,” he said.
The Glass/Foster family volunteered again for the 2026 Makers Festival. “We wanted to make sure we were here the day of the event,” Glass said. “What we like about this festival is the vibe, the easy-going atmosphere compared to other festivals. And now you can hear music all over the place,” he added.
