The FedEx Ground Fan Zone outside of Consol Energy Center unveiled a new “big screen”  last week for the Penguin’s 2013 Stanley Cup playoff run. Since 2008, “Mario’s TV” (officially dubbed the Trib Total Media “Big Screen”) has been a great chance for fans who don’t have the opportunity to experience playoff hockey to come together, get rowdy, and support the Pens. It’s become a playoffs staple, and a great Pittsburgh tradition the past 5 years.

And now there’s even more to be excited about as the new screen is 11′ wider 6′ taller than before and boosts a high-resolution LED screen (now it’s 27′ by 15′). So if you’ve gone in the past and had trouble seeing, it shouldn’t be an issue anymore. I went last week for the Pens game 5 close-out victory over the Ottawa Senators and sat in the back row and had no issues seeing the screen.

#TribBigScreen is now #TribBiggERscreen! We’ve made it 11′ wider, 6′ taller, with awesome high-res: pens.pe/16QHS0E Try it out tmw!

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 23, 2013

The FedEx Ground Fan Zone is located on the corner of Centre Ave. and Mario Lemieux Place, where Mellon arena once stood (single tear).   It opens up 4 hours before game time for home games and 2 hours prior for road games. Tomorrow’s game starts at 8 p.m. and is at home, so for those who are uninterested in math the Fan Zone will be open at 4 p.m. There will be live performances, great promotions/giveaways, and general fanfare/merriment.

No grills, glass, or alcoholic beverages. Safety First!

Game 1 against the Bruins is tomorrow, Let’s Go Pens!

As an added bonus we were all given free towels. Props to my brother for the excellently timed Vine and shot of the Gulf Tower goal light.

Treading Art has been putting together an amazing list of weekend events around Pittsburgh.  Each week we will highlight one of those events here on IheartPGH and link you back over to Treading Art’s weekly events post.

This weeks Treader’s Choice event:

Opening Reception: Sweet Mortality

Saturday, June 1st

Self-taught mixed media sculptor Scott Hove, behind “Cakeland” in Oakland, CA, comes to Pittsburgh with his frosted-cakelike assault-weaponry creations.

The Gallery 4 @ 206 S Highland Ave – Shadyside

7-11pm // FREE

This is quite the story of three local organizations supporting, networking, and helping each other out. It starts with Awesome Pittsburgh, a chapter of the Awesome Foundation which helps grant people, groups, or organizations catch-free money to help them put their brilliant ideas into action. Every month a new winner is announced. Awesome Pittsburgh wants “to hear your best ideas for making the Pittsburgh region stand out in the global economy, for connecting our communities, for celebrating art or technology, for making the community a better place to live, work, and play, or for simply surprising and delighting your fellow Pittsburghers.”

Applications for, well, awesome ideas can be completed online. The deadline for each application is the 1st of every month.

Did we mention that we give away $1000 every month to people w/ awesome ideas? Make June your month. Apply by 6/1 at awesomepgh.com/how-to-apply/

— Awesome Pittsburgh (@AwesomePittsbgh) May 29, 2013

More information about Awesome Pittsburgh can be found on their website, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

Through Awesome Pittsburgh, Michelle Thom launched “60 Seconds of Pure Freedom,” which gives people the chance to sky dive and experience what Michelle calls “the epitome of freedom” who may not have had the opportunity otherwise. “60 Seconds of Pure Freedom” looks for deserving candidates of the community to be nominated and given the award of a tandem skydive.

Submit your nominations for the 60 Seconds of Pure Freedom Award at pure.freedom@rocketmail.com (the deadline for June is May 31).

Now Haitian Families First enters the picture. Haitian Families First is a non-profit aimed at fighting poverty by keeping Haitian families together through the provision of “holistic support to all members of the family, in ways that lead them toward sustainability”. The company was started by two Pittsburgh-native sisters, Jamie and Ali McMutrie.

As a fundraising effort for HFF, Jamie and Ali launched an Indiegogo campaign to help continue to raise money for families in Haiti. Ali has a tremendous fear of heights, but she planned to “conquer her fear for GOOD” while raising money and awareness for HFF and their cause and happened to perform the “Dive to Thrive” jump through 60 Seconds of Pure Freedom.

How awesome (pun INTENDED) that all of these local organizations came together and helped one another out for great, positive causes.

[as a side note, the Dive to Thrive video on Indiegogo was done by our friend Noah Purdy from Rustbelt Almanac]