News Around the Neighborhood
Free Tickets for Northsiders: No More! Project
Presented by Uniqu’ Performing Arts November 21st | 7:30 pm
Say “No more!” to violence, peer pressure, abuse and suicide. This culturally relevant and timely production boldly faces issues plaguing our youth. The N.M.P. tours nationally and has received many testimonials from young people who desire to change their lives for the better, as well as from parents thanking the Project for allowing them to see things that their children go through from their children’s perspectives, in a creative yet truthful light.You’re Invited
Thanks to the generous support of the Buhl Foundation, Northside residents and workers are invited to attend this performance for free. A limited number of tickets are available online, so reserve your seat today. [ebor_button style=”pumpkin” url=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-no-more-project-tickets-19336696580″] November 21 at 7:30 pm [/ebor_button]Free Tickets for Northsiders: Remainder | Northside
Presented by Attack Theatre
November 13th and 14th
A world premiere contemporary dance performance inspired by a year of conversation and collaboration with Northside youth that uncovered treasure chests and concrete footsteps, and rebelled against the rules.
The performance will feature live music by Attack Theatre’s music director Dave Eggar and New York-based musician and producer Chuck Palmer. This project is made possible in part by the Henry C. Frick Educational Fund of The Buhl Foundation and The McKinney Charitable Foundation of the PNC Charitable Trust.
You’re Invited
Thanks to the generous support of the Buhl Foundation, Northside residents and workers are invited to attend this performance for free. A limited number of tickets are available online, so reserve your seat today.
[ebor_button style=”midnight” url=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/remainder-northside-tickets-19302982741″] November 13 at 8:00 pm [/ebor_button] [ebor_button style=”midnight” url=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/remainder-northside-sat-nov-14-2pm-tickets-19302993774″] November 14 at 2:00 pm [/ebor_button] [ebor_button style=”midnight” url=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/remainder-northside-sat-nov-14-8pm-tickets-19303030885″] November 14 at 8:00 pm [/ebor_button]
Letter from the President – November 2015
I usually try and avoid general COME TO THE MEMBERSHIP meeting nagging, although it has become my standard response for folks that don’t like a position that the Civic Council has taken on a given issue. But I’m going to make an exception for this month, because:
- We’re electing new officers and it’s really, really important to have a quorum. If nothing else this is a chance to talk to the new Committee Chairs about all the great things you want to start doing and think the neighborhood should be supporting. Notice I didn’t suggest inundating the new folks with “feedback about what you think needs to be changed”. I don’t speak for everyone obviously. But speaking from personal experience, when I was a new Board member, that things which I felt I was most successful at were projects that people already wanted to work on that I could help get off the ground. Once folks get settled in, maybe they’ll be in a position to start hearing about how other folks think they should be spending their time. Maybe…but for right now I am hoping folks limit suggestions to things that you yourself are interested in working on right now (or soon). And just to be clear, I’m not saying that folks should stop giving us “heads up” about problems that need to be addressed, but please (please!) don’t scare the new board members away with an overwhelming number of suggestions for things that aren’t time sensitive before they even start.
- And if that weren’t enough, I finally managed to connect with the Permits, Building and Licensing Office for the City. They are sending their Government and Public Relation Liaison, Julie Reiland, to our meeting. They have some cool new technology that makes filing permits easier that she’s going to talk about. As well as generally covering information about the filing, reporting and enforcement process for building permits in the City.
So sorry to be a nag! Hope to see you there.
Catherine Serventi,
President, AWCC
AWCC Membership Meeting Agenda – November 10, 2015
971 Beech Avenue
Tuesday, November 10th at 7:30 pm
- Julianne Reiland, Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections
- New Neighbors
- Minutes
- Treasurer’s Report
- Elections!
- House and Planning Updates
- 911 Galveston
- W North Lighting
- LOL
- Traffic throughout on W North
- AWDC Updates
- 928 – 930 Western
- Upcoming Membership Events
- No November Mixer
- Allegheny Cemetery Tour recap
- Property: 806 Repairs
- Neighborhood Clean-up: recap for the year
- Grant Updates
- Council CDFG: Trash Can Update
- Buhl One Northside Community Update
- Committee Q&A
- Housing & Planning
- Ways & Means
- Membership
- Property
- Friends of Allegheny West
- Communications
- NSLC
- Allegheny Commons
The 2016 AWCC Executive Committee
As proposed by the nominating committee (elected November 2014 immediately following the Board election):
President – Cathy Serventi
Membership – Scott Mosser
Vice President – Timothy Zinn
Housing & Planning – Gloria Rayman
Secretary – Dan Adam
Communications – Sarah Beck Sweeney
Treasurer – Bob Griewahn
Property – Ann Gilligan
Ways & Means – Carrie Doyle
Sgt. at Arms – John DeSantis
Friend of Allegheny West / Public Space – Michael Shealey
We will vote for our 2016 Executive Committee at the November membership meeting. If you haven’t paid your dues for 2015 already (or do not have a lifetime membership) you will not be eligible to vote per the AWCC By-Laws. We will have a list of all current members at the November meeting in case you’re not sure!
Nominations will be accepted from the floor prior to voting.
Above & Beyond
Super thanks to the 35 people (!) (including lots of guys!) that showed up to what is affectionately called the Lick-in-Stick (I still miss Mike Coleman) for the House Tour mailer. We stuck labels on 7700+ labels in under an hour and half. Maybe a new record? (No idea where the licking part of that came from…we had snacks? Maybe? Anyway…)
Also, Halloween was a rousing and quite adorable success (I think the tiny Batman count reached around 10). Thanks to Kevin and his helpers who did a great job managing the traffic and keeping everyone informed.
Thank you to Mary Callison who organized a wonderful outing to the Allegheny Cemetery for neighbors.
Thank You
Submitted by Fran Barbush
As November is a time for giving thanks, I would like to thank the members of the AWCC board who prepare information to be shared in the Gazette; Trish Burton, Zach Kautter, Gloria Raymam, Carlton Stout, and Tim Zinn for delivering the Gazettes each month; Elizabeth Barbush who prepares the layout with very short notice; and Clyde Sutton from FL Haus for his speedy printing. I extend my sincere thanks for all those who help to make the newsletter possible from month to month.
The 2015 Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House Tour – Our 34th Year
Everything you need to know about this year’s Christmas Tour!
The 2015 tour will be on Friday, December 11th, 5:00-8:00 pm, and Saturday, December 12th, 10:00 am-8:00 pm. Tours will be $30 until December 1; $35 after. Train museum tickets will be $12 until December 1st, and then $15.
Ticket Sales
Tickets are selling briskly. We expect another sellout, bringing about 1700 visitors to our neighborhood. To purchase tickets or for more details, check our website.
Homes on Tour
We have many new homes on tour—thank you, homeowners!
946 W North Avenue – Greg Coll and Doris Short
927 Beech Avenue – Hilary and Scott Mosser
810 Galveston Avenue – Geff Young
840 N Lincoln Avenue – Deb Kelly and Doug Debelak
719 Brighton Road – Holmes Hall – John DeSantis
…and our sixth house, which hasn’t yet been finalized, but will also be new to the Tour!
The Holiday Gift Shop
The Shop will again be in the lower level of Calvary Church, so guests can shop before as well as after the Tour. Arrangements have been made so that purchases can be held for guests who shop before their tour. For more information about the Shop, contact Martin Fuess at glasscatcher38@aol.com.
Train Museum
The popular Toy Train Museum will, once again, be open at Homes Hall. Visitors can visit before their tour or after they finish the tour of Holmes Hall. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. DVDs of the train exhibit will also be for sale ($15). We also have a few of the fine train books available for purchase ($100).
Street Decorating
We will be decorating the streets on Saturday, December 5th, starting at 9:00 am. Volunteers will be bunching greens to create the lamppost swags in the Serventi/Wilson garage on Dounton Way. This is an easy, fun way to get in the holiday spirit—and we can finish this job quickly with about 20 volunteers.
Clean-up
Also on Saturday, December 5th, join your neighbors and pick up litter and leaves around the neighborhood (and in front of your house!). If each of us fills just one bag, our streets will be clean!
Volunteer Party
All volunteers are invited to our Holiday Party. This year, Carol Gomrick and Brett Kempf at 940 W North Avenue will host on Saturday, December 12th, beginning at 9:00 pm. This will be a “seventh” house for volunteers to get to see, and it’s a gem! To help with party, please contact Carrie Doyle at (412) 337-6020.
Post-Gazette Story
Look for a feature on one of the new tour homes on Sunday, December 6th.
We Need Your Help!
There are many opportunities to volunteer. During the tour, be a greeter at Calvary, a tour guide, a house sitter for a homeowner on tour, a conductor at the train museum or be ready to help tour houses with salting and shoveling should we get snow that weekend. Or, help with the volunteer party or set up the luminaria. If each of us helps in just one way, then our neighbors don’t have to do all the work to make this, our biggest fundraiser (that pays for all of our fun events, as well as preservation activities), successful. AND, you get to attend the party!
Contact Trish Burton (jmburton@earthlink.net) for information about any of this…and she’ll get you to the coordinator of that activity.
World Tour Musical Concert
The Renaissance City Winds return to Allegheny West for their annual Holiday Concert on Saturday November 28th at 8:00 pm at Holmes Hall, 719 Brighton Road.
Grab your Passport for this musical tour of works from several different countries, each with their own distinctive musical accent. Music on the program will include composers from Austria, Czechoslovakia, France, Latvia, and Venezuela. Of particular note will be performance of Josef Foerster’s Quintet in D Major, and of Humoresque by Alexander Zemlinsky. Composer Efrain Amaya, whose work has been warmly received in previous Holmes Hall concerts, will be represented by his composiition Four Miniatures.
Following the concert will be a meet-the-artist wine reception, and a tour of the world’s finest collection of pre-WWII American toy trains.
Concert Tickets can be purchased online at rcwinds.org or by calling 412-681-7111. Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students.
The Renaissance City Winds is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. Since its founding, it has become one of Pennsylvania’s foremost chamber ensembles, dedicated to performing and recording the finest music for wind instruments. RCW has released CDs on the Elan and Centaur labels, been broadcast on television and radio, and has toured widely including appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and the prestigious Blossom Music Festival. It has commissioned many works from contemporary composers, and performed older treasures researched from the Library of Congress, the Harmonists, and the Moravian Collection. National Awards include those of Chamber Music America, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Aaron Copeland Fund for Music.
Renaissance City Winds very much anticipates its annual Holmes Hall concerts in Allegheny West, noting the perfect blending of great chamber music performed as it was intended: in the visual and acoustic splendor of a grand 19th century ballroom.
Lunch and Learn – Potluck Style
Submitted by Mary Collins
Frick Art and Historical Center will be visiting the Allegheny YMCA on Friday, November 13th at 11:00 am. The program presented will be A Well Appointed Table: Dining at the Turn of the Century, program lasts 45 minutes to an hour and includes a slide presentation and touchable historic artifacts from the period.
A Well Appointed Table: Dining at the Turn of the Century It has been said that dining is the privilege of civilization. A person’s standing in turn-of-the century society could be measured by the way they took their meals. This presentation takes a look at the ritual act of eating across cultures while paying special focus to America’s Gilded Age – a time when dining reached a pinnacle of refinement. Please bring a Thanksgiving style dish to share with the group, along with the YMCA providing the turkey.
When: Friday Nov. 13th
Time: 11:00 – 12:00 (meal begins after lecture)
Fee: $5/person to cover the presentation
Please register.