Category Archives: Community Resources

3 Events to Check Out Neighborhoods – Mt. Washington, Bellevue, Point Breeze

One of the best parts of Pittsburgh, as you probably already know (but since it is back to school season – I know we have some new to Pittsburgh readers – bare with us as we educate them on why Pittsburgh is amazing) – is the Neighborhoods.  The city of Pittsburgh has 88 neighborhoods – you can check out a map and a list here.  Outside of the city – there are even more neighborhoods and boroughs in Allegheny county.  Three of these neighborhoods have orgaized events this week to invite others to come to check out their neck of the woods.

These three events give you a chance to check out Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods – South, East and Northwest.

MT. WASHINGTON: A Taste of Mt. Washington

  • Thursday, September 29 5-9pm
  • $15 per ticket gets you specials and discounts at participating Mt. Washington businesses
  • a great way to check out Mt. Washington and to support the Mt. Washington CDC’s Main Streets Program
  • Facebook event link – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=204919659569779

BELLVUE: Artobert Fest

  • Saturday, October 1
  • 1-6pm Free block party on Lincoln Ave
  • 5-8pm “Art and Wine Walk” down Lincoln Avenue.  Ticket prices are $12 for a single ticket, or $20 per couple. Participating businesses will become individual art galleries as ticket holders enjoy live music, art exhibits, hors d’oeuvres, and complimentary wine tasting.
  • 8-10pm Artober Fest After Party at Bite Bistro
  • Facebook event link – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179562568778542

POINT BREEZE: Annual Bonfire

  • Saturday, October 1 4-10pm
  • Street Classical Academy, Corner of Reynolds and Lang
  • live music, hayrides in Homewood Cemetary, food vendors (including s’mores)

Register for the 4th Annual GLUE Conference!

First things first, we are not talking about rubber cement or Elmer’s glue – GLUE is about cities, neighborhoods and people. If you are a new reader or new to GLUE ..

GLUE is short for the Great Lakes Urban Exchange.  GLUE is an organization that was founded by a Pittsburgh native and a Detroit native to bring greater awareness to and to share ideas among 16 cities in the Great Lakes watershed areas.

I have had the opportunity to spend time with both of the founders of GLUE and in many ways GLUE is like IheartPGH for a larger geographical area.  But GLUE has done more than just blogging photos.  GLUE has built a community of people who are passionate about their cities across 16 cities.  I attended the 2nd GLUE conference in Milwaukee (the write up of my visit to Milwaukee is here) and I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I left Milwaukee full of ideas, stories and with new friends who are as excited about and advocating for their cities as we are about Pittsburgh.  One of the best things we can do is share stories and learn from other cities successes and occasional failures.

On Saturday, my journey from the Pacific to PGH included a stop in St. Louis.  I had the good fortune to stop by and check out the STL Style House.  STL Style is a pro-St. Louis t-shirt and gift shop run by Jeff and Randy Vines.  They are the St. Louis equivalent of IheartPGH and then some.  Jeff and Randy were out at Lou Fest when I stopped by the shop, but we learned all about their successful Save The Saucer campaign where the rallied other residents to save a local landmark.

2011 = GLUE + PGH

GLUE comes to you!  No planes, trains or hotel rooms needed. September 15-17, 2011 Pittsburgh will host the 4th Annual GLUE conference.  The theme for this years conference is Green-Lighting Neighborhoods.

They have put together an amazing 48 hours of presentations, work shops and tours of Pittsburgh places.

Conference Details

GLUE’s 4th Annual Conference: Green-Lighting Neighborhoods
Thursday September 15 – Saturday September 17 (Click here for complete conference agenda)

  • Thursday – Tour of Pittsburgh, Keynote Addresses, Dinner and Reception
  • Friday – Workshops and Site Visits
  • Saturday – Workshops and Site Visits

Locations – The Kinglsey Center and other locations around Pittsburgh

Registrations and Conference Fees

Online Registration is here.

The costs to attend the conference is $100, a discounted rate of $60 is available for students, non-profits, low-income individuals.

The registration fee includes sessions, site visits, and some meals.

A note about the conference fee – I know that $100 and $60 is a lot to ask.  One of the most valuable parts of my experience in Milwaukee was talking with other people over meals and on the tours.  I know the organizers have worked very hard to make sure to provide that same scenario for Pittsburgh. Your registration fee includes meals and transportation and I strongly believe that is a valuable part of the experience.

If you would like to attend but cannot afford the conference fee – please email iheartpgh-at-gmail.com – IheartPGH wants to make sure that those who want to attend, can do so and we will try to work something out.

Is GLUE for You – Who should attend the 2011 GLUE conference?

The conference is open to anyone who wants to attend.  You do not have to be a blogger or community development professional.  Attendees come from all difference backgrounds.

Are you interested in any of the following…

  • meeting other people who are working to reviatlize their neighborhoods and cities
  • sharing stories and ideas for better communities
  • learning about best practices across the GLUE cities
  • learning more about how community development works
  • green development
  • transportation – transit, bike lanes, parking issues
  • meeting other people who <3 their city and neighborhoods
  • learning about Larimar
  • learning about development in East Liberty
  • blogging
  • meeting young leaders from Pittsburgh and other cities
  • running for office

Then the GLUE conference is for you!

Get stuck on GLUE

There are lots of ways you can get involved with GLUE – as part of the conference and beyond.

For the conference: Register to attend the conference here, Spread the word (Facebook Event for the conference is here) or Sponsor the conference.

Beyond the conference: follow GLUE on Twitter and Facebook.

Conference Poster

from the Pacific to PGH

A good friend of IheartPGH is moving back to Pittsburgh! I am along for the ride. You can follow the trip on twitter @pghorbust and Tumblr pghorbust.tumblr.com.

Right now we are headed across New Mexico on our way to Elgin, Oklahoma to see another Pittsburgh friend.

Have a suggestion on where we should stop to eat? Want us to send you a post card? Leave a comment below or send an email to iheartpgh – at – gmail.com.

BikeFest + Batman = The Batcycle

Bike Pittsburgh is celebrating all things bicycle in Pittsburgh from August 12-21, 2011. 10 days, 1 big bad fundraiser, 70+ bicycle events for cyclists of ever level, a photo contest and fun in the sun – thats BikeFest in a nutshell.  We have our eye on many great BikeFest events – but there is an extra special one this Sunday – The Batcycle.

The Batcycle – Bicycle Ride

Sunday, August 14, 2011
6-8pm
Meet at Dippy The Dino in Oakland

The Batcycle from Batman (1966). Built by Dan ...

Image via Wikipedia

To celebrate the new Batman movie being filmed in Pittsburgh, we will go on a Batman themed ride. Dress up like Batman, Robin, or any other Batman character, although costumes are not required. Decorate your bicycle if you’d like. This is a no-drop ride at a relatively slow pace. We will swing by downtown filming locations, and get as close as we can to the road closures. This ride will end at Dippy. Bring your family and of course kids are more than welcome. Rain does not cancel, helmets are required, and our route length will be around 10 miles or less.

Click here for the entire BikeFest Calendar.


Fight Cancer with Cornhole

Cornhole

Image via Wikipedia

We haven’t heard of any cornhole tournaments in awhile.  While the sport certainly has become pretty popular here in Western PA – if you are new to the game.  Cornhole is kind of like horseshoes but played with bean bags instead of heavy metal objects – probably much safer than horseshoes.

Gilda’s Club is hosting a Cornhole Tournament on Saturday, August 20, 2011 – spend an afternoon tossing some bean bags, meeting some of the great people from Gilda’s Club and supporting a good cause.

Fight Cancer with Cornhole
Saturday, August 20, 2011 @ Noon
Gilda’s Club, 2816 Smallman St., Pittsburgh PA
Register Here – $25
Facebook Event – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104632082971337

Looking for a cornhole league?

It looks like there is still space in the PSL fall cornhole leauge – which meets Tuesday nights at the Double Wide Grill (Sept. 13- Nov. 8) – get the details here.