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"It's just a small-town, quaint way to get everyone together," Nancy Pratt said.
Resident Sally Germer got the idea for porch parties from a magazine and held the first one at her home last spring. Almost every month since, neighbors have gathered on a different porch or patio one or two Thursday evenings for drinks, food and conversation. One of the best parts, Germer said, is that since it's all outside, people don't have to worry about cleaning up their houses, just their yards.
"It's a really great way to get to know your neighbors, and we're constantly trying to get people we don't know to come because that's the idea," she said.
Deanne Fitzner, who splits her time between Port Royal and Sylvania, Ga., was one of those newer neighbors. Her neighbor hosted a porch party several months ago and invited her so she could meet people. Some of the people she met have become close friends, who have traveled to her home in Georgia.
The porch parties are just another reason Fitzner is glad she and her husband bought a house in Port Royal.
"I just like this because of the pace, and everything is so quaint and you can walk to everything in town," she said. "The best restaurant in town is right behind my house."
Fitzner rode to the Abrams' home at Madrid and 9th streets last Thursday evening on a golf cart lit with Christmas lights, a common sight in Port Royal during the holidays. Porch parties are BYOB, so she brought wine. Hosts provide something to eat, from something light like popcorn or appetizers to the hot dogs and s'mores at the Abrams.
"It's a great way to meet the neighbors because you drive by and wave, but you don't usually get to stop and talk to them," Jane Abrams said.
Follow reporter Erin Moody at twitter.com/EyeOnPortRoyal.
