On Saturday, September 12 from 3-7PM, Leslie Park swimming pool at 4700 Butler St. in Lawrenceville will thrum with activity-and not a drop of water.  The site will host Accordion Pool Party, an ethnic music and dance festival and quirky spectacle of culture and community pride.  The one-day event is a also a catalyst for a more lasting civic endeavor, Pool Planning Workshops to involve residents in shaping the future of the Leslie Park Pool site.

Accordion Pool Party involves about 20 seasoned Pittsburgh accordionists and 30 costumed folk dancers performing in the empty pool a mix of genres including Cajun, tango, polka, French, Israeli and Balkan music. Special guest Guinea West African Drum and Dance Ensemble will open the program.  The event will be emceed by Michael “Zombo” Devine.

The event will also feature refreshments courtesy of the Estelle S. Campbell Boys and Girls Club (neighbors to Leslie Park Pool), and light fare by Lawrenceville’s eclectic cafés and restaurants.  Several eateries will also host busking accordionists on the day of the event. There is a $5 suggested donation for the event.  Visit  http://www.accordionpoolparty.org/ for more information.

First, I want to start by linking to this post on BikePGH – R.I.P. William Thomas, kid’s bike mechanic extraordinaire – this is a really nice post about a really nice Pittsburgher who donated his time to fixing bikes for kids.

Just Vote to Help a Greenburg Family win a $10,000 Family Room Makeover

I have posted about this on twitter but I wanted to give one last link for this one. Today, July 31 is the last day to vote for Megan B. at the Nestle Family Dream Room Makeover Contest. One great family from Greensburg has made it to the final round!! So take a moment to visit and vote for Megan B. Greensburg PA.

Kiva Fellowship: From Pittsburgh to the Phillipines (with a few stops in between)

One of the blogs that I have recently stumbled across from an email exchange about the upcoming Netroot Nation is The Causemopolitain – which is a great blog about Sloane’s Kiva fellowship in the Phillipines. Yes, that Kiva, the micro lending site that Oprah has talked about where you can support small businesses from around the globe. Sloane is originally from Pittsburgh – and we actually went to grade school together way back when.  If you have any interest in social entrepreneurship and the Kiva process – you should definitely check out The Causemopolitain.

You can help with Sloane’s Kiva Fellowship by making a contribution

Mexico Mission Trip

I have been following the blog With love from Pittsburgh for awhile now – with a name like that how could I not follow along.   Laura wrote a nice post last week about her boyfriends mission trip to Mexico – I was about to head back and make a donation but it looks like he has successfully completed his fundraising for the trip.  Laura – please leave a comment if there are other things people can do to help!

The Pinball facility is only open to the public for tournaments and is located at 501 Keystone Dr., Carnegie, PA 15106. The Tournament runs all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday – August 15-17,2008. Click here for a detailed schedule.

According to the PAPA website there will be food vendors and there is wifi – perfect for bloggers wishing to cover the event. The tournament is free for spectators.

• Click here to watch the WQED OnQ segment about the tournament and facility.
• Check out Coinball.com for a website dedicated to pinball machines in the Pittsburgh area.

Here is some video from the 2006 Tournament:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some Pinball Related Articles:

• Eight Most Innovative Pinballs of All Time [Pinball]
• Gameloft brings pinball to iPod
• Tilt: documentary about the valiant effort to save pinball by merging it with video games
• Photos: Pinball wizard offers look at machines’ innards
• A Look Inside the Last Pinball Factory in the World [Gaming]

Well sports fans, the Immaculate Reception is in the final 4 for ESPN’s Greatest Sports Highlight. Currently, The Immaculate Reception is up against Miracle on Ice. The winner will be announced on Tue 2/26 – so click here to vote today! Your vote can send this important Pittsburgh Sports Highlight to the final round.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I have provided a link to the wikipedia page about the Immaculate Reception if you are not familiar with the term. Click the link or just ask the nearest Pittsburgher – chance are they can explain it to you. Even if you are familiar with the play, I recommend looking at the Wikipedia article – it provides some fascinating information about the entire play, complete with scientific research.

Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos (friends of the poor) Society Greek Food Festival
Tue. October 2-Thurs. October 4
Lunch 11:30am-2pm, Dinner 4:30-8pm

Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church
123 Gilkeson Road
Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228
Click here for more info.

10:30am-5pm(with a lunch break)

The Dance Conservatory of Pittsburgh(3827 Willow Avenue Pittsburgh PA 15234)

Vegetarian bellydancer, Deniz, will teach a full day workshop! In this workshop you will learn how to dance on top of glasses!! You will also learn floor work, veil tricks, and more! It’s too good to pass up!

Sign up soon! There will also be a show the night before at Altar Bar featuring 2 vegan bellydancers: Amethyst and Aviva. Other dancers include Astarte, Dharma, Christa, and Tavi.

To see clips of Deniz, sign up for the workshop, etc please click the link below:

http://healingartsbyamethyst.com/pittsburgh-bellydance-event.html

If you happen to be in Scotland this month, stop by the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  Pittsburgh’s very own Barebones Productions is participating in this years festival with the play Cherry Smoke.  Barebones Productions will be in Edinburgh through August 28th.

Barebones Productions:
BarebonesProductions.com
MySpace.com/baresboneproductions

Join Union Project On March 23rd 7-10pm, to highlight Pittsburgh’s connection with the Latin American cultures and its historical roots in glass arts and production, this happy hour will feature both a live mariachi band and
hand crafted glasswork. In participation with Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass! 2007 and in partnership with Global Beats and Pittsburgh’s Latin American Cultural Union,

and in honor of Mexico’s heroic Benito Juarez, Miguel Latino Moods, Pittsburgh’s signature mariachi band will fill
Union Project’s Great Hall with energetic music. Attendees enjoy hand-blended margaritas and networking throughout the evening for $5. Local handmade margarita glasses will be on display and available for purchase.

Pittsburgh is hosting the first ever Craft Congress this month. That means that all of the amazing people that organize craft fairs all over the US (like Handmade Arcade) are coming here to Pittsburgh to talk craft, and see that Pittsburgh is crafter heaven (DO NOT miss the Salvation Army Fabric Fair).
There is a big party that is open to the public, if you craft, like to buy crafts or like crafty people then you should attend.

Craft Congress reception
Saturday, March 31, 2007
7 – 9 p.m.
Artists Image Resource, 518 Foreland St. (Pittsburgh‘ s Northside)
Free
RSVP: craftcongress@ yahoo.com

Friday, November 10
40 Under 40, 6:00 p.m., Piatt Place, Dahntahn

Tastefully attired, says I

The annual listing of the city’s young movers and shakers was published a little while ago, and while we don’t like tooting our own horn (Hey! If I could do that I’d never leave the house!) we do have reason to be proud. (And don’t give me that crap about “Pride goeth before the Fall”, ’cause it’s been fall for like, weeks now. Hell, we’re coming up on Winter already.)

You see, iheartpgh.com’s own Lindsay Patross got selected as one of these young people with vision, and rightfully so. She works hard at promoting Pittsburgh and it’s surrounding environs, and she does a pretty good job of it, with the notable exception of letting me write stuff around here, but every hero has their tragic flaw, and in the grand scheme of things, that’s not so bad. Plus, she’s putting together a nice little second income source from the swear jar since I’ve been hanging around the luxuriously-appointed home office perched high atop the Gulf Building downtown.

The 40 Under 40 people (PUMP, WQED, and Pittsburgh Magazine) always throw a bash to celebrate, and this year it’s downtown at Piatt Place, where, for a small fee, you can hobnob with the elite. Like, for instance, Host Chris Heinz, or as he is often referred to by the young Progressive women in town, “McDreamy 57.” (No, I’m not sure what the 57 stands for. Maybe it’s his AOL screen name or something.) But your admission gets you complimentary food and drink, entertainment, prizes, and admission to the exclusive after-party at Trilogy, where all the truly big deals will go down. Quite frankly, the price of admission might be justified by seeing honorees Mayor John “Intimidatingly Tall” Fetterman of Braddock chatting with Maria “Beautiful, Petite and Way Smarter Than You” Simbra, KDKA’s brilliant medical reporter.

I offered to be Lindsay’s escort for the evening and haven’t heard back, which isn’t really surprising because there aren’t many people more Hoi and Polloi than I. This is a meeting of the Hoity and Toity, and while I greatly enjoy hobnobbing with the elite, they often look at me with that confused dog sort of thing, tilting the head slightly sideways while dropping the eyebrows, and then promptly calling security over to find out exactly how I got in.

The English Beat, 8:00 p.m., Rex Theater, Sahsside
Rudy, a message to you – go see this show.

English Beat was in town this summer playing one of the festivals. Some friends of mine made the show and said it was tremendous. If you missed it, you get a do-over as the Beat brings the ska back to town for an indoor show at the Rex, along with Specials guitarist Lynval Golding. Because of this, they’re incorporating Specials tunes into the set, so that’s reason enough to go right there. Hopefully, there won’t be too much fighting on the dance floor.
Saturday, November 11
Meet The Scientist, 1:00 p.m., Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Oakland
“What about the mollusks?” comes the cry from the rooftops. “We need to know about the life of mollusks!” they say, haunting me in my dreams, these demanding knowledge-seekers. “What mollusk is this?” they ask when they atop me in the street when I’m on my way to a happy hour. And do I deliver? Indeed, I do.

This week’s winner of the prestigious “Git Aht Award For Most Esoteric Event Ever” is this “Meet The Scientist” gig up at the Carnegie. See, they run these things every second Saturday, and this month is “Life In The Leaf Litter” starring Dr. Timothy A. Pearce, Curator, Section of Mollusks. How’s that for a job title?

Ok, look, there are people who care about this sort of thing, right? From the release: “Do you have a mystery mollusk specimen that you’ve been wondering about? Bring it to the Museum, and Dr. Pearce will help to shed some light on your critter!”

You got that? You can take your mollusk up there and have them identify it! Exclamation points!

Now stop bothering me with all this mollusk talk until the next Guinness Oyster Fest down at Mullaney’s.

Podcamp Pittsburgh, All Day. Pittsburgh Filmmakers
This is like Woodstock for geeks. Join many important people as they discuss how to blog, how to podcast, and “new media monetization” which I think means something like “How can I make money in my pajamas or sitting in a coffee shop?”

A lot of people (upwards of 200) will be at this thing, including a whole host of people from the Pittsburgh flickr photographers group, a bunch of local bloggers, Justin K (no, I’m not even gonna try to spell it) from the Something To Be Desired crew, and many, many others. It’s a real loose kind of affair, so show up, see what interests you, and go from there. It’s free.

Lindsay covered this much better the other day.

Sunday, November 12
World Champion Piper!, 7:30 p.m., Kresge Hall, CMU
This isn’t just a performance of the pipes, it’s a performance by the WORLD CHAMPION piper. Lemme say it another way – there isn’t a finer piper in the world, and it’s been proven by competition. I remember because I put up a dime on it and I lost because I took Angus MacTeagle plus the points, and he was soundly thrashed by Alasdair Gillies, your WORLD CHAMPION piper, who also happens to be Director of Bagpipe Music at CMU. He recently resigned his post as Pipe Major of the Army Training Regiment at Glencorse Barracks in Edinburgh to take the gig here, so it must be special. I mean, would you ever resign something that had Pipe Major in the title? I wouldn’t.

Hey, bonus points if you can get him to play “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” on the bagpipes.

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Got an event planned? Would you like a whole flock of yinzers with disposable income to show up? Let Git Aht know by sending the electronic mail to gitaht@gmail.com.