News Around the Neighborhood

2018 Wine Tour and Tasting : A Toast to the Central Coast

Apr 7, 2018 | ,

The 2018 Tour and Tasting planning is well underway. I’m thrilled to share that we have all of the homes for this tour and it’s a wonderful collection:
  • Annettte Trunzo – 800 Beech Avenue
  • The Zoufaliks – 852 Beech Avenue
  • The Malakoffs – 913 Brighton Road
  • Cathy Serventi and Gene Wilson – 851 Beech Avenue
  • Doug Debelak and Deb Kelly – 840 N Lincoln Avenue
  • Emmanuel Episcopal Church – Corner of W North and Allegheny Avenues
Thank you all for opening your homes and gardens!

The theme this year is Ground to Glass from the Central Coast

I’m excited to share with you that several Central Coast wineries (Paso Robles) are contributing to this event for the walking tour. In addition to the wineries, the food pairings are being primarily selected from a cookbook of a premier Paso catering company, Cahoots Catering. Cahoots is donating cookbooks and product for raffle to the event. New this year is a Showcase event at Holmes Hall, featuring Eberle wines. Gary Eberle grew up in Coraopolis and attended Penn State. He fell in love with Paso and the Central Coast. His interest in chemistry led him to applying that knowledge to winemaking. Among so many accolades, Gary is considered the “Pioneer of Central Coast wines”. At the Showcase event, guests will enjoy four wines selected by Gary and expertly paired by Bob Marivelli. The Showcase event will be exclusively Eberle wines, with a sommelier and food pairings in the ballroom and gardens of Holmes Hall. Eberle, along with other Central Coast wineries, have been incredibly excited to be a part of the event. Tobin James and Still Waters are signed up to be a part of the event. We are still working on other wineries to join.

Your Help is Appreciated

With all of the excitement about the participation from the Central Coast, we still need of help locally. Volunteers are needed to help prepare the pairings (food for the tour), help the homeowners, and volunteer to support set up and tear down for the after party. John and Trish Burton have graciously volunteered their home to celebrate after the event. There are other areas you can help, just let me know what you’d like to do!

Event Dates, Times and Tickets

Here are the details:

Walking Tour – $75

  • June 22nd: 5:00 to 9:00 pm
  • June 23nrd: 1:00 to 5:00 pm / 5:00 to 9:00 pm

Showcase Event at Holmes Hall – $150

  • June 23rd: 7:00 to 9:30 pm
Please contact Doug Sprague if you’d like to lead a tour: doug.osrg@gmail.com. Contact me if you have interest in volunteering in any other way: carolgomrick@gmail.com. I’m really excited about the tour this year. Please consider getting involved and being a part of the event!

Support Allegheny Commons

Apr 7, 2018 | ,

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has submitted another grant request to the very competitive Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) state grant program requesting additional funding for the fountain, the North Avenue Promenade (repaving the pathways and lights) and stormwater management.

Last year, over 1,100 people submitted comments in support of our request for Allegheny Commons and we are back again looking for the same support! The public comment period is open until Sunday, April 8th. We are asking folks to sign on in support of our grant request. Please visit pittsburghparks.org/action-alert to sign on. It only takes a minute.

Neighborhood Clean-ups and Planting Begin

Apr 7, 2018 | ,

Our first clean-up will be on Saturday, April 28th. Meet at 9:00 am at the AWCC office at 806 Western Avenue to get coffee and supplies. Or, just attack an area that you think needs work (and most of our alleys definitely fit in this category!) Hope to see many of you there!

Babb, Inc. has again generously offered their time and energy to helping plant and mulch the AW parklet on May 23rd. We hope to be able to plant and mulch some of the tree wells along Western Avenue as well, so if you can volunteer some of your time that day, we’d welcome your help. Please contact Trish Burton or Diane Caruso (see here for info).

Help Our Parklet

Apr 7, 2018 | ,

DIVIDE AND DONATE: Our parklet at Brighton Road and Western Avenue is in need of more hostas (in particular, variegated varieties), in addition to some other perennials, so if you have any in your garden that need to be divided, we’ll take them off your hands! Our crew can help you to dig them up and transport to the parklet if needed.

DIVIDE AND TRANSPLANT: The “triangle garden” at Brighton Road and North Avenue is donating some of the tall grasses to our parklet. However, we need a few strong backs to accomplish this. It should only take about 30 minutes, and we can meet you whenever it’s convenient for you, so please contact either Trish Burton, (412) 523-9402 or tdburton3@gmail.com, or Diane Caruso, (724) 799-3952 or djc010961@gmail.com, if you can help.

Alleys, Axles & Ales

Apr 7, 2018 | ,

This year’s Alleys, Axles & Ales tour will be held on September 29th. Cecile Canales will chair this tour and Tom Barbush will co-chair. If you are interested in having your garage on tour or would like to volunteer, please email Cecile at ccanales13@icloud.com. An initial meeting is scheduled for May.

Fourth Annual Allegheny West Art Show

Apr 7, 2018 | ,

The 4th Annual Allegheny West Art Show is back! Showcasing work by artists living and/or working across the Northside, and their fellow artists. The opening will be Friday night, May 11th, starting at 6:30 pm. Enjoy food and beverage courtesy of AWCC while browsing a great and diverse collection of art on display, at HIP’s wonderful space! (HIP at the Flashlight Factory, 831 W North Avenue.) The show continues on Saturday, May 12th from noon to 5:00 pm.

Stephan Crump’s Rhombal, Part of a National Tour

Apr 6, 2018 |

City of Asylum (2018)

Stephan Crump’s
Rhombal

Sunday, April 22nd
7:00 pm

City of Asylum welcomes back Grammy-nominated bassist/composer Stephan Crump. He played here in 2017 with his group Rosetta and earlier with Vijay Iyer Trio. Rhombal will be playing a special jazz concert elegy composed for Stephan’s late brother.

Stephan Crump's Rhombal

“Crump’s compositions impart concise and easily expandable storylines, along with his associates who fluently operate through numerous jazz-based modalities.”
― All About Jazz

Stephan is known for the elegance and purposeful groove of his acoustic and electric bass playing, and for transforming his instrument into a speaking entity with magnetic pull. A longtime collaborator with adventurous jazz composers, he is a singular voice. His music can be heard in numerous films and on his twelve critically acclaimed albums as leader.

In addition to Stephan, Rhombal features veteran Ellery Eskelin on tenor saxophone, a brilliant young trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, and extraordinary drummer Kassa Overall.

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Take Action – and Support Allegheny Commons

Apr 2, 2018 |

Hello Allegheny Commons Stakeholders!

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has submitted another grant request to the VERY COMPETETIVE Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) state grant program requesting additional funding for the fountain, the North Avenue Promenade (repaving the pathways and lights) and storm water management.

Last year, over 1,100 people submitted comments in support of our request for Allegheny Commons and we are back again looking for the same support! The public comment period is open until Sunday, April 8th. We are asking folks to sign on in support of our grant request.

Please take 30 seconds to sign on and support this grant request here.

Please also share with your friends, neighbors, and contacts and ask them to support this as well! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for your time,

Erin Tobin
Community Outreach Coordinator

Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Time-Travelling Jazz that Fuses Past with Future

Apr 1, 2018 | ,

City of Asylum (2018)

Kevin Sun Trio

Sunday, April 15th
6:00 pm

Brooklyn-based saxophonist Kevin Sun comes to Alphabet City in celebration of his adventurous new album Trio, his debut as a bandleader.

Kevin’s style is as genre-bending as it is time-hopping. As The New York Times describes, his sound incorporates “the shoulder-hugging maneuvers of Mark Turner, the snaky melodicism of Chris Potter, the susurrating quiet of Chris Speed. But Mr. Sun reaches back farther. Sometimes you’ll hear a smoldering kernel of Albert Ayler; when he picks up the clarinet, the tonal gamesmanship of Jimmy Giuffre looms in.”

Trio Album Cover

“[Kevin Sun is] a player who sees the big picture and his evolving place within it…”
―The New York City Jazz Record

With Walter Stinson (bass) and Matt Honor (drums), Trio is an exploration of the differing epochs and trends in jazz history, merging the contemporary and the traditional in satisfying ways. These era-spanning compositions are as propulsive and swinging as they are intricate and challenging.

Together, this trio cultivates something wholly new from the seeds of the past.

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