The Neighborhood
Building community is a priority for
both the residents and the businesses
in Larchmere – which is why the
District hosts events year-round, all
designed to engage the community,
foster camaraderie, and market
Larchmere to potential customers
beyond the East Side.
Shaker resident Katharyne Starinsky
was a founder of Larchmere’s PorchFest,
modeled after the PorchFest in Ithaca,
New York. The concept is simple: 30
bands on 30 porches.
“We wanted to find a way to promote
the assets of Larchmere – front porches,
community, walkability, transit-oriented
development, and local businesses,”
says Starinsky, economic development
specialist for the City of Shaker Heights.
(She’s involved in PorchFest as a private
citizen.) “We felt this was a great model
to use to get people out of their cars
and experience what urban life is like in
Larchmere.” The June festival recently
celebrated its sixth year.
The Larchmere Merchants
Association (LMA), a member-run organization
that also operates with the help
of the Shaker Square Area Development
Association, hosts several events,
including the Thanksgiving weekend
Holiday Stroll, two annual sidewalk sales,
and a plant sale. The LMA also holds
the Larchmere Festival, an all-day event
54 SHAKERONLINE.COM | FALL 2014