I heart PGH

Category: Annual Events

  • Help A Pittsburgh Non-profit Save Xmas!

    Help A Pittsburgh Non-profit Save Xmas!

    Let me start this post by giving credit to the Pittsburgh bloggers AND blog readers.  Remember back in September – I wrote a post about how the Light of Life men’s shelter was in desperate need of underwear – Pittsburghers stepped up to the plate and not only donated tons of new underwear, but we also raised $1385 for Light of Life to purchase even more clean underwear.

    With the holiday season upon us – I’m hoping you will read this and consider lending your support to another Pittsburgh organization that is working very hard to bring some holiday cheer.

    Community Human Services (CHS) is a non-profit, located in Oakland – that offers several different programs that serves some of our fellow Pittsburghers who need some extra help.  Many of their programs work with Pittsburghers who are homeless or struggle with mental illness.  You can learn more about CHS and their programs on their website – http://www.chscorp.org/

    For the past few years – CHS has organized a holiday gift card drive – gift cards and donations are collected for CHS to be able to offer some holiday gifts, trips to restaurants and some fun to the Pittsburghers they serve.  We have been happy to help support this gift card drive in the past and this year we really need your help.  I was talking with the folks at CHS and they are behind in meeting their $5000 goal.

    There are a number of you can help CHS reach their goal… keep scrolling down for how you can win some prizes too!

    1. Attend the CHS Holiday Gift Project Event on Thursday, November 29, 2012, 6-10pm at Hough’s in Greenfield

    This is going to be a fun event.  Last year we gathered on Mt. Washington for an evening of cookie eating and gift card gathering for CHS.  The host committee is working extra hard to make sure this year is even better – I hope you will join me and the rest of the host committee (and this is an all star crew of folks that work on great cool projects for Pittsburgh) to eat cookies and support CHS.

    Event Details:

    CHS Holiday Gift Project Party
    Thursday, November 29, 2012
    6-10p,
    Hough’s, 563 Greenfield Ave, Greenfield
    Admission: Bring a gift card to donate or make a donation in any amount (you can donate online before the event here), cash bar.
    RSVP: Click here to RSVP Not required but helpful – let us know you’ll attend by filling out this quick form here (it will save you some handwriting at the door)
    Facebook Event Link – please invite your friends – http://www.facebook.com/events/295774077189954/

    2. Donate to the CHS Holiday Gift Project 

    Did you say you have plans on Thursday and you can’t make the event?  Not a problem!  You can still help support the CHS Holiday Gift Project and help us reach our goal – we’ve set up a one of those nifty crowdrise pages for the cause – http://www.crowdrise.com/chs2012/

    3. Help Spread the Word – Donate, Tweet & Share to Win

    While I hope you will come to Hough’s on Thursday and make a donation on the Crowdrise page – I also hope you will help us spread the word about the CHS Holiday gift programs AND your favorite Pittsburgh holiday charities.  I know there are tons of great organizations that Pittsburghers support – please share a link to your favorite project in the comments below or on Twitter with the #pghsavesxmas

    I have pulled together some raffle prizes to giveaway for helping to spread the word and set up a Rafflecopter page for keeping track of this – lots of ways to enter!

    Raffle Prizes include: Pgh Love t-shirt, $25 Gift Certificate to East End Book Exchange

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • Polish Hill Arts Festival – July 8, 2012

    Polish Hill Arts Festival – July 8, 2012

    If we were giving out awards for most beloved neighborhood in Pittsburgh – it might be Polish Hill.  This weekend – you can see why this neighborhood is so awesome, and the residents love it so much at the Polish Hill Arts Festival.

    Blogski, the blog of the Polish Hill Civic Association has the complete run down of events, food and music here.

    We’re loving this amazing poster for the festival by artist Andy Scott.

     

    Thanks to Diana Nelson Jones for the reminder about this awesome event, she writes about all of the Pittsburgh neighborhoods at City Walkabout.

     

  • Dancin’, they’re dancin’ in the street – Jam on Walnut 2012

    Dancin’, they’re dancin’ in the street – Jam on Walnut 2012

    Last Friday night I stopped by the WYEP Summer Music Fest – holy smokes – what a crowd – Pittsburgh loves an outdoor concert. Schenley Park looked amazing and the entire lawn was covered with people.  It was a perfect Pittsburgh summer night.

    Thinking about the WYEP summer Music Fest and all of the other awesome outdoor concerts… I just can get the song Dancing in the Street out of my head today…

    Callin’ out, around the burgh
    Are you ready for a brand new beat?
    Summer’s here, and the time is right
    For dancin’ (and drinking) in the street

    They’re dancin’ to Denora (They’ll be dancin’)
    And to Bill Deasy (Dancin’ in the streets)
    Up in the Steel City (Dancing in the streets)

    I’ll stop there with the Pittsburgh version of the song.

    One of the most visited posts of the blog each summer is the post about Jam on Walnut – so we hope you are excited for the 2012 Jam on Walnut line up.

    What is Jam on Walnut? For those of you new to Pittsburgh or to Jam on Walnut  – Each month in the summer they shut down Walnut Street in Shadyside to traffic, set up a stage and bring in a beer truck.  Your $2 contribution for a wristband benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Western PA and means your can drink beer in the streets.  The event is from 7-11pm.

    If you haven’t yet seen Donora’s latest video for their song “And Then The Girls” – you can check it out below – its a pretty awesome tune and the video offers a nice view of your local roller rink.

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAey4GxHonA[/youtube]

  • 2012 Feast of St. Anthony Festival is Sunday

    2012 Feast of St. Anthony Festival is Sunday

    Once again I am out of town for the festivities (I am visiting a Pittsburgh friend in Lawton, Oklahoma) – but a dear friend (who is Pittsburghs biggest non-Italian supporter of Italian events) kindly reminded me that Sunday is the annual Feast of St. Anthony Festival.  It promises to be an amazing time with even more amazing food.

    The festival takes place at 21st and Smallman Streets. Here is the line up for Sunday

    The Festival runs from Noon – 8 PM.

    • 1:30 – Italian Mass by his Excellency Bishop Emeritus Anthony G. Bosco
    • ~2:30 PM – Procession with the Statue of St. Anthony (immediately following Mass)
    • 3 PM – Performance by La Banda Rossa
    • 4 PM – Performance by The Jimmy Z. Trio
    • 5:30 PM – The Homemade Wine Competition
    • 6 PM – Performance by Mirella the Musician
    • Food, Beer, Music, and Fun all Day
    2012 Feast of St. Anthony Festival
    Sunday, June 10, 2012
    Noon-8pm
    One Big Italian Raffle
    Raffle Tickets are $5 and we are only selling 1000 tickets.
    • First prize is a dinner for 10 at the private dining room of Merante’s in Bloomfield.  They will cook a feast for you and your guests, wine and limoncello will be included, as well as live music, a gift for each attendee and dessert.  It will be a night to remember.
    • Second prize is a gift basket with a whole prosciutto, an espresso maker, and all kinds of Italian pastas, cheeses, and other foods.
    The winners will be based on the June 11th PA Lottery number (3 digit).  The afternoon number is for 2ndprize, the evening number is for 1st prize.
  • Alternative Fuel: East End Brewing 2012 Keg Ride

    Alternative Fuel: East End Brewing 2012 Keg Ride

    [note] Say hello to Iva!  She comes to IheartPGH with photo skills and a super camera!  We’re excited for more of her posts that will have way better photos than the ones from my sad little Blackberry camera.  Check out her awesome photos from the East End Brewing Keg ride last weekend [/note]

    Cyclists love getting together and riding in absurdly large groups.  I believe we’re entertained by the idea of being a spectacle — children shout “Wow! Bicycles!”, people stand on stoops taking video with flip cameras, traffic patterns react to the bikes and not the other way around.  And, in my experience, cyclists LOVE beer.  Why else would Pittsburgh have a bicycle bar on the South Side and maybe the most popular cycling jersey in town is the Big Hop jersey.

    East End Brewing has it’s finger on that pulse.  The 8th annual Pedal Pale keg ride sold out 600 registrations — after adding an extra hundred registration slots four days before ride.  Proceeds from registration fees went to ABOARD’s autism connection and BikePGH.   Someone even donated $250 to pull a keg!

    Part of the magic of the Pedal keg ride is that the destination is kept a secret, right up until the kegs pull over.  Beginning at the brewery’s new location on Frankstown Avenue   The procession mostly meandered through the beautiful neighborhood of Highland Park, making a full loop around the reservoir.  Then, 600 cyclists descended upon Station Street Hot Dogs, tapped some tasty kegs and destroyed hot dogs like it was our job.

     

     

    Check out more photos at BikePGH’s public Flickr group!