T hese sounds and smells could be coming from any number of neighborhood festivals in cities like Detroit, Chicago, or New York. But if you open your eyes, you’ll see we’re much closer to home. We’re talking about Porch Fest in Carriage Town, and since the event’s founding in 2019, it’s become a symbol of the perseverance embodied by so many Flint residents.
Take Ryan Tackabury, ‘11, for example. A graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint, who studied English and public administration, Tackabury was involved in the original plans for Porch Fest, which began as a casual conversation between friends.
“I remember when we were first talking about it, when it first started. And I think originally the event was going to be much smaller, just for the neighborhood itself,” he said. “I remember people really took the idea and ran with it. Today, it’s one of the coolest things you can do in Flint, I think, in the summer.”
In a city known to outsiders for its struggles, Carriage Town works against that narrative by telling a different story — one of local pride, architectural preservation, and shared momentum. That story is being written by UM-Flint alumni like Tackabury, Derek Dohrman, ‘11, and John-Paul DeMers, ‘15, who have put in the work to make the historic neighborhood a little nicer than they found it.
Dohrman, who earned a degree in computer information systems while working full time, credits his academic career at UM-Flint with opening his eyes to the potential of the city.
“It was during my time in school when I discovered downtown Flint,” he said. “I just liked the location, how close it was to downtown and everything. And then I just liked the historical aspects. So many of the buildings in the area are beautiful, architecturally speaking.”
Eventually, that curiosity turned into commitment. Dohrman now lives in and is restoring the Nash House — once home to early GM executive Charles Nash — and helps lead Porch Fest, which has grown from a pandemic-era gathering to a major regional celebration.
“In the last couple of years, it’s really grown in popularity,” he said. “I think [in 2024] we had nearly 4,000 people come through.”
DeMers has also played a key role in the festival’s success, offering up his own front porch as a stage for local bands like Big Donut and Leroy.
“It’s just a heck of a time,” he said. “Just a bunch of local artists and musicians and just, you know, all the weird creative people in Flint that we love — they all come out, and we shut down the main crossroads of Carriage Town.”
DeMers has worked at a number of famed Flint establishments, such as Soggy Bottom Bar and Flint City Hard Cider. But during the pandemic, he made the difficult decision to transition from hospitality to construction work. He has since helped rehab a number of historic Carriage Town homes, including the aforementioned Nash House.
“Just a few years ago, it seemed like half the houses were condemned or abandoned or squat houses or whatever,” he said. “Now each one is either lived in, has a plan for remodeling, or has been torn down to make way for what’s next.”
DeMers’s time at UM-Flint laid the groundwork for his deeper connection to the city. “I met some amazing people, students, and professors alike,” he said. “The people here are just different than anywhere else. Everyone seems to find a way to get along and fit in somewhere.”
For Tackabury, it was a similarly unexpected journey.
“The whole time I attended UM-Flint, I had no idea where I was going to end up,” he said. “And now I live right over there in Carriage Town. It never occurred to me at the time, but now I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
Today, Tackabury and his wife are active in the neighborhood, hosting the kids’ area at Porch Fest and supporting others in their projects. “We have bubbles and toys and other stuff set up. So when people come out, they know their kids will have something fun to do,” he said.
Tackabury also praises the way neighbors step up without stepping on each other. “There are a lot of people in Carriage Town who lead by example,” he said. “I feel like everyone here is just all about the community, the neighborhood. And they’re very happy to step aside and be like, you know what, tell me what you need and I’ll be there to do it.”
And what do these proud UM-Flint alumni want the outside world to know about Carriage Town and Porch Fest?
“You just gotta go,” DeMers said. “You just have to see it to believe it. It’s a feeling, you know. You can feel the history in the neighborhood. You can feel the important things that have happened there.”
Dohrman agrees. “The thing that attracted me to Flint was it was more of that city vibe, where I can walk to work, or walk to get groceries, or go to restaurants,” he said. “That’s what I’d like to see built upon in the future — new infill growth, but keep it dense and walkable.”
Back on his porch, Tackabury puts it even more simply: “Visiting Carriage Town and seeing Porch Fest is just such a wholly positive experience. I think it really could change the way people think about Flint.”
Interested in experiencing the 7th Annual Carriage Town Porch Fest for yourself? Visit the Carriage Town Historic Neighborhood Association for more information.
Jeff Jones is the communications & marketing manager for the College of Innovation & Technology. He can be reached at jjeffre@umich.edu.
