Category Archives: Outdoors

Weekend Music Events: Where You Should Be and When

So there are a ton of exciting things happening music and concert-wise this weekend through the Three Rivers Arts Festival starting Friday, June 7th as well as the start of the “Weather Permitting” concert series this Sunday, June 9th. Here’s a chronological list of all the bands coming by day and time of performance as well as what stage they will be performing on.

Three Rivers Arts Festival: 

Because there are multiple stages, you may find this map to be helpful.

Friday June 7th: 

12:00pm-1:00pm Indie pop rock band Jd Eicher and the Goodnights will be playing on the Dollar Bank Stage

Acousticafe, “Pittsburgh’s Best new singer/songwriters”, will be performing on the Second Stage at Gateway Center from 5:00pm-7:00pm

Jazz band Poogie Bell will be playing from 5:30pm-9:00pm in Katz Plaza

And the River City Brass Band will play at Point Stage Park  from 5:00pm-6:00 pm

6:15pm- 6:55pm Happy, dance music from Donora also on the Dollar Bank Stage

7:30pm-9:00pm The Headliner for Friday night is California-native, indie folk rock band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

English: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros ...

English: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros performing at Lollapalooza Chile Español: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros tocando en Lollapalooza Chile (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Known for the popular singles “Home”,  “Janglin”, and “40 Day Dream” from their debut album Up from Below, as well as songs from last year’s follow-up album Here,  Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros will cap off the evening on the Dollar Bank Stage. The band will also be releasing a self-titled third album set to release on July 23rd. As a side note lead singer Alex Ebert is also the lead singer of Ima Robot, the group responsible for the awesome theme song of the popular USA network series Suits. 

All fan-hood aside, I digress from the rest of the weekend music happenings.

Saturday June 8th: 

Arts Greenhouse Collective, a local hip hop education program, will school you with original beats and rhymes while performing from 12:00pm-12:30pm as well as 2:00pm-2:30pm on the Family Stage at Giant Eagle Creativity Zone.

Soundwaves Steel Band will be performing from 12:30pm-1:00pm as well as 1:30pm-2:00pm also on the Family Stage at Giant Eagle Creativity Zone

The Unknown String Band, “folk-grass pickin’ partners” from Pittsburgh will be on the Second Stage at Gateway Center from 1:00pm-2:00pm

The Shelf Life String Band, a bluegrass string quintet, will be performing from 3:00pm-4:00pm and from 5:00pm-5:45pm on the Second Stage at Gateway Center

YMCA Lighthouse Music Crew & Step Team, which features youth hip-hop and step routine, will perform on the  Family Stage at Giant Eagle Creativity Zone from 3:00pm-4:00pm

The Arts Festival will feature a ton of other great bluegrass bands on Saturday. Starting with the Allegheny Drifters from 2:00pm-3:00pm on the Dollar Bank Stage.

Great American Taxi will be bringing bluegrass infused rock Americana to the Dollar Bank Stage from 6:00 pm-7:15pm

Saturday night will cap off with bluegrass and American music legend Ralph Stanley, who will also be performing on the Dollar Bank Stage from 7:30pm-9:00pm

Sunday June 9th:

Acousticafe will play a second show from 1:00pm-5:00pm on the Second Stage at Gateway Center

AcoustiKids (a branch off of Acousticafe) will perform a show for children on the Family Stage at Giant Eagle Creativity Zone from 2:00pm-4:00pm

WYEP Re(imagiNATION) Showcase will be, well, showcasing some of Pittsburgh’s emerging teen musicians from 4:00pm-6:00pm on the Family Stage at Giant Eagle Creativity Zone

Big With Seed, an 8-piece “groove-laden rock” band, will perform from 1:00pm-2:30pm on the Dollar Bank Stage

Sleep Experiments will be bringing “ambient dream pop” to the Dollar Bank Stage from 3:00pm-4:00pm

The Deceptions will perform a rock, folk, Americana fusion from 4:30pm-5:30pm  on the Dollar Bank Stage

Grand Piano, a 6-piece local rock band, will perform on the Dollar Bank Stage from 6:00pm-7:00pm

And the first weekend of Arts Fest Music will cap off with Cello Fury featuring Joy Ike and Scott Blasey of the Clarks, this one-night only collaboration will perform from 7:30pm-9:00pm on the Dollar Bank Stage

WEATHER PERMITTING CONCERT SERIES BEGINNING JUNE 9TH:Weather Permitting Concert Series June 9th Poster

Starting June 9th Shadyside Nursery will be hosting a concert series in collaboration with Fukuda and Pandemic titled “Weather Permitting PGH.” Together they’re bringing a great mix of music, relaxation, food, drink, and summer fun every Sunday evening from 5:00 pm-9:00 pm. The concert series is called Weather Permitting and it boasts a “chilled out, relaxed, bring a blanket and some wine, nurse the hangover, bring the kids” environment.

The weekly outdoor concert will take place every Sunday through the rest of summer and is looking to bring in a diverse audience through, for lack of a better word, a diverse collection of musical groups, food vendors/trucks and children’s activities.

Admission is $10, which includes a complimentary beverage with proof of ID. Kids get in free, again this weekly event is family friendly. Shadyside Nursery is located on 510 Maryland Avenue (at the corner of Ellsworth Ave.) This looks like a great event if you’re looking to experience something a little different each week.

This Sunday’s Performers Include:

Lungs Face Feet, a local 8 piece brass, accordion, percussion band. They’re great fun as evidenced here:

Check out them out on Facebook.

Sunday will also feature Taluna, a Mediterranean folk/”Spacefolk” band from Italy.

Listen to more Taluna on their website.

Phew, that’s a lot to digest (and that’s not another strange band name, don’t worry). See you out there this weekend, I’ll be cutting it up at a few of these shows. Check back each week for more weekend music updates.

Urban Hike Heads to Garfield

Locator map with the Garfield neighborhood in ...

Locator map with the Garfield neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania highlighted. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of our favorite Pittsburgh activites (and its totally free) kicks off the 2013 season this Saturday with a hike around the neighborhood of Garfield. The Facebook event page for the hike is available here.

Calling all urban hikers …
Are you ready for the first hike of the year? Join us this Saturday, April 27th as Urban Hike heads to Garfield! It’ll be a short, sweet, and steep hike — around three miles in total.
We’ll begin at Artisan Tattoo / Gallery at 5001 Penn Avenue at noon. From there we’ll walk up and down the hills of Garfield, and take in some lesser-known vantage points. Following the hike, we encourage you to join us for a buffet at People’s Indian Restaurant. We expect the hike to take around two hours, followed by an hour lunch or so.
As always, folks of all ages are welcome. There will be some step climbing and unpaved trail walking, so pushing a stroller for younger kids could get a bit difficult in spots. If you have any other questions, post a note on our facebook page, or drop us a line at info@urbanhike.com.
We look forward to seeing you this Saturday — rain or shine!
– The Urban Hike crew

Intro to Kayaking – Indoors at the YMCA

One of the hobbies that I have picked up here in Pittsburgh in the past few years in kayaking.   Thanks to Kayak Pittsburgh it is super easy to rent a kayak and paddle around the city.  And it is one of the best ways to see the city.  I am pretty sure I took this photo from a kayak on the river (not sure how it ended up on wikipedia).

This is the view from my kayak on the river. T...

This is the view from my kayak on the river. These are easy no tip kayaks. No exorience necessary. Just head on down to kayak pittsburgh www.kayakpittsburgh.org located just under the Roberto Clement bridge, for less than $ 20 you can be on the river too. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I tell people about kayaking their reaction is usually something like – “you are crazy” or “I am afraid of getting stuck under one of those things in that river.”

These are not hard-core whitewater kayaks.  Kayak Pittsburgh rents sea kayaks (often called sit-on-top kayaks).  These are kayaks that you just sit in, and they are very stable, so hard to tip over, and on the rare chance if you tip over, you would just fall out of the boat (but you are wearing a life jacket – and you will just float).

If this sounds at all interesting to you – but you aren’t sure about giving it a try on the river – Venture Outdoors is offering an Intro to Kayaking class at the YMCA this spring.

Intro to Kayaking
This course gives you a chance to try kayaking in the safety and security of an indoor swimming pool. You will learn kayaking basics, along with some simple paddle strokes and self-rescue techniques. Expect to get wet! Boats, paddles and PFDs are provided. Minimum age 12.

Location: Thelma Lovette YMCA, Hill District
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Cost: $33.00 non-member / $25.00 member

This Week In Pittsburgh (Jan 28 – Feb 3)

After a week off, here’s your list of things to do this week. My calendar is a little thin at the moment, but feel free to post a comment and I’ll update the post!

 

Shift Change
Wednesday 6p, Free
Big Idea Bookstore, Bloomfield

This 2012 documentary film tells the little known stories of employee-owned businesses that compete successfully in today’s economy while providing secure, dignified jobs in democratic workplaces. After the movie, there will be informal discussion about the movie and cooperative owned businesses.
More information: (412) 687-4323

 

Pitts-burrrrgh Drowned Hog Swim
Saturday 11a, Charity Event
South Side Trail

Join the Pitts-burrrrrgh Drowned Hogs at the 18th Street Boat Ramp for a dip in the river to celebrate Groundhog Day — when, according to folklore, a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil determines whether we will enjoy an early spring. Begun in 2006, the Pitts-burrrrrgh Drowned Hogs is an informal group of adventurous people who plunge into the chilly Monongahela River on Groundhog Day. Challenge co-workers and other teams to see who can raise the most money or wear the goofiest outfits. Proceeds benefit Circle C, a private, nonprofit agency serving troubled and disadvantaged youth throughout the greater Pittsburgh area since 1967.
More information: (412) 937-1605 ext 227

Some content provided by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Map & Compass Orienteering in Frick Park – Dec. 1

Some of the most popular posts here on this blog have been about scavenger hunts – so we wanted to share this event from the Western PA Orienteering Club.

This Saturday, December 1, 2012 the Western PA Orienterring Club is headed to Frick Park for their last event of 2012.

Here are the details for the event from the Meet-up page:

For the first time, Frick Park has been mapped into a standardized Orienteering (the sport) format, using map symbols and conventions that are specific to that activity. The Western Pennsylvania Orienteering Club will host a meet on Saturday December 1, registration and starts can be anytime between 10 AM and 1 PM, and everybody must be finished by 2:30 PM (time when the courses officially close).

Orienteering is a outdoor recreational activity in which participants find checkpoints in the woods using solely a topographic map and a compass (no GPS, like in geocaching…). It can be either competitive (runners) or non-competitive (walkers). It is rain or shine. It is all ages (7 year olds and 90 year olds all welcome). It is all skills (beginners, intermediate, advanced). It is inexpensive ($5 for the map – group or family doing event together with just one map only pay $5 for the entire group. If a group has five people and sharing one map, it comes to $1/person).

The meet HQ will be setup in the small shelter at the bottom of the Ravine Trail, also known as “Lower Frick”. There is a parking lot for vehicles, reachable from Hutchinson Avenue when coming from S. Braddock Ave.

There is no mass-start. The starts are staggered two minutes apart so that participants don’t follow each other. Orienteering is a land navigational challenge, in which one selects the best and optimal route to from point A to point B, considering obstacles, climb, terrain, visual references.

This question comes pretty often, so here is the answer: “can I bring my dog?”… “yes you can, as long as it complies with city ordinances, such as being on a leash”

Beginner instruction is available on site by volunteers.

There will be four courses available:

  • The beginner course (White) will have a bird’s eye distance of about 2.5 km. All checkpoints are located along a trail or very accessible terrain.
  • The advanced beginner course (Yellow) will have a bird’s eye distance of 3.5 km. Checkpoints are visible from trail and there may be off-trail short travel to reach them.
  • The intermediate course (Orange)will have a bird’s eye distance of about 5 km, and will involve some bushwacking and off-trail navigation.
  • The advanced course (Red) will have a bird’s eye distance of about 7.5 km, and have checkpoints located in hard-to-find locations, and given the hills of Frick park, involve also considerable climb and require some athleticism.

Orienteering is a sport that is currently practiced in Scandinavian and Eastern European countries. In the US, it has a small but passionate following. Here in Western Pennsylvania, it has a small group of volunteers of all backgrounds, from normal outdoor lovers, hikers, adventure racers, scouts, geocachers. The club is a 501(c)3 organization (non-profit).