The 12th edition of PorchRokr, Highland Square’s music and art festival, drew crowds from house to house and from stage to stage in the neighborhood on both sides of Merriman Road.

From rockabilly to electric blues, from Edgerton Avenue to Hurlburt Avenue, there was plenty of music and plenty of porches along the way. Plus a little rain toward the end for the stalwart fans.

Mike Coduto, left, and Joe Risdon, right, of The Buffalo Ryders perform at PorchRokr.
Mike Coduto, left, and Joe Risdon, right, of The Buffalo Ryders perform at PorchRokr, Saturday, Aug. 17, in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
Lovely Weather performs on Hawthorne Avenue in Highland Square for a gathered crowd at PorchRokr
Lovely Weather performs on Hawthorne Avenue in Highland Square for a gathered crowd at PorchRokr on Saturday, August 17, 2024, in Akron, Ohio. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
Scott Cotton of Frameshifter performs alongside his band at PorchRokr.
Scott Cotton of Frameshifter performs alongside his band at PorchRokr, Saturday, Aug. 17, in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
Arthur Treacherous performs on Morningside Drive in Highland Square at PorchRokr.
Arthur Treacherous performs on Morningside Drive in Highland Square at PorchRokr, Saturday, Aug. 17, in Akron. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
Joe Risdon of The Buffalo Ryders performs on PorchRokr’s main stage.
Joe Risdon of The Buffalo Ryders performs on PorchRokr’s main stage alongside his band on Saturday, Aug. 17, in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
Frameshifter performs on Weber Avenue at PorchRokr.
Frameshifter performs on Weber Avenue at PorchRokr, Saturday, Aug. 17, in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
PorchRokr attendees fill Morningside Drive near Sherwood Drive.
PorchRokr attendees fill Morningside Drive near Sherwood Drive in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood, Saturday, Aug. 17. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
Compass guitarist Harrison Kefalas, 15, performs with his siblings at PorchRokr.
Compass guitarist Harrison Kefalas, 15, performs with his siblings at PorchRokr, Saturday, Aug 17, in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
Carolyn Colley, lead vocalist of Black Wolf & The Thief.
Carolyn Colley, lead vocalist of Black Wolf & The Thief, performs alongside her band at PorchRokr, Saturday, Aug. 17, in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
The Modernes play original songs for a crowd of PorchRokr attendees.
The Modernes play original songs for a crowd of PorchRokr attendees at 255 Merriman Road in Highland Square on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Akron, Ohio. (Signal Akron / Matthew Brown)
Vocalist and bassist Arianna Kefalas, 17, performs alongside the rest of her band, Compass.
Vocalist and bassist Arianna Kefalas, 17, performs alongside the rest of her band, Compass, at PorchRokr on Aug. 17 in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
Aris Logsdon, left, and Anja Petrobic, right, enjoy a performance.
Aris Logsdon, left, and Anja Petrobic, right, enjoy a performance by Lovely Weather at PorchRokr, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
SeanTom performs from a porch on Kuder Avenue.
SeanTom performs from a porch on Kuder Avenue during Akron PorchRokr in Highland Square on Saturday, Aug. 17. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
The Buffalo Ryders’ drummer Mike Lupica performs with his band on the main stage at PorchRokr.
The Buffalo Ryders’ drummer Mike Lupica performs with his band on the main stage at PorchRokr, Saturday, Aug. 17, in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
Karta Stella play a song from their album ‘Crayons for the Color Blind’
Karta Stella play a song from their album” ‘Crayons for the Color Blind” on Weber Avenue at Akron PorchRokr Saturday, Aug. 17, in Highland Square. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)
PorchRokr attendees listen to a performance by Black Wolf & The Thief.
PorchRokr attendees listen to a performance by Black Wolf & The Thief at The Merriman on Merriman Road in Highland Square, Saturday, August 17, 2024, in Akron, Ohio. (Signal Akron / Matthew Brown)
Bert Franco of The Modernes performs.
Bert Franco of The Modernes performs songs from the band’s EPs during PorchRokr, Saturday, August 17, 2024, in Akron, Ohio. (Signal Akron / Matthew Brown)

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.