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This has been a big year for local bands in Napa — a high-profile presence at BottleRock, headlining at Silo’s, opening for major artists at the Uptown and City Winery, and what can only be described as a sprawling presence, 105 bands, at this year’s upcoming Porchfest, to be held Sunday, July 27, from 1 to 6 p.m.

Thea Witsil, the owner of Wildcat Vintage Clothing and co-founder/organizer of Porchfest, talked last week about the origins and growth of the event. “There’s a lot of great talent out there,” she said, “and that’s basically why I do what I do. This community is filled to the brim with musical talent and there are just not enough venues to showcase them. What better opportunity than to just throw a free little one-day music event and invite the community to come and see what we have in our own backyard.”

The “little” event was never really very little. In 2011, its first year, 60 bands played on the porches and front lawns of 26 neighborhood homes. The original ringleaders were Witsil, architect and Napa councilwoman Juliana Inman and Louisa Hufstader, who at the time was the editor of Napa Valley Patch.