News Around the Neighborhood
Road Closures & Marathon Cheer-a-thon Party this Sunday May 1st, at 6:00 am at 944 Western Ave
Important: Maps & Road Closures
[ebor_button style=”sea” url=”http://www.thepittsburghmarathon.com/Files/Admin/2016%20Updated%20Maps/2016-Getting-Around-Town-Map—Pittsburgh-Marathon.pdf”] Race Routes [/ebor_button] [ebor_button style=”sea” url=”http://www.thepittsburghmarathon.com/Files/Admin/2016-DSGPM-Sector-Road-Closures.pdf”] “Detailed” Road Closures* [/ebor_button]
* Not that detailed. It only lists Western Ave, but since the race goes up to Ridge along Brighton and then down Galveston to Western more than Western will be closed. We’re trying to track down exactly where and when they’re going to block traffic, but for sure if you park on…- the 800 block of N Lincoln, Western & Maolis (might be able to take Rope down to Beech to get out)
- Galveston between Ridge and at least Dounton
- Brighton between Ridge and Beech
- anywhere on Ridge
- Brighton from Western to Ridge
- Ridge from Brighton to Galveston
- Galveston from Ridge to Western
- Western from Galveston to Allegheny (and beyond)
Northside Block Party
The Block Party
Spring Hill-Northside
Sunday, May 1 from 4-7 PM
Free and Open to the Public!
Next Sunday, Spring Hill hosts the first of five Northside events: The Block Party.
Come to the Rockledge St. lot between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm and check out the mobile stage featuring hip hop dance group The Get Down Gang and other local bands. The Franktuary and Cool Beans food trucks will be serving up eats, and there are plenty of other activities planned.
- Neighborhood stories collected onsite by The Saturday Light Brigade
- Hands-on activities with Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse and Little House Big Art
- Screen Printing with AIR and local artist David Poole
- Activities with Mattress Factory – Museum of Contemporary Art
- Historic photos courtesy of Allegheny City Historic Gallery
Bring your neighbors and your friends. These events are a project of One Northside, sponsored by The Buhl Foundation, Flyspace Productions, The Sprout Fund, and the various participating organizations.
For more info about future events, check out www.BlockPartyPGH.com.
[ebor_button style=”carrot” url=”http://www.blockpartypgh.com”] More Information [/ebor_button]
Volunteers Needed for 50th Anniversary Activities
The Membership Committee is looking for volunteers for the summer season’s Neighborhood Picnics and Allegheny West’s 50th Anniversary activities. While the traditional picnics are relatively simple to plan people are still needed to help set up and tear down. This years Labor’s Day picnic will be special with guest speakers, children’s events and other 50th Anniversary activities. Apart from the usual events, we need volunteers to help coordinate the 50th Anniversary activities which may include:
- Alleys, Axles and Ale
- Progressive Dinner
- 50th Anniversary AWCC Gallery Mixer
- and a Black and White Gala, and Art show
Without volunteers to help with these additional activities we’ll likely not have them, so if you have an interest and the time, please come to Scott & Hilary Mosser’s house at 927 Beech Avenue this Thursday, April 21st around 7:00 pm.
Reds, Whites & Brews – Benefitting the Allegheny YMCA
Join City of Asylum for a Reading with Raza Rumi
Delhi by Heart: Impressions of a Pakistani Traveler
In Delhi by Heart: Impressions of a Pakistani Traveler, Raza explores the idea of home from a very complex set of experiences: “Why does the capital of another country feel like home? How is it that a man from Pakistan can cross the border into ‘hostile’ territory and yet not feel ‘foreign’?”
Raza Rumi fled his native Pakistan weeks after an attempt on his life that killed his driver in March 2014. A leading public voice in Pakistan’s fight against extremism and human rights violations, he is the newest writer in residence of Ithaca City of Asylum.
During this evening Raza will read from Delhi by Heart: Impressions of a Pakistani Traveler and from his new manuscript memoir; he will also speak about violent extremism in Pakistan.
Join us for an evening with Raza Rumi
Thursday, May 5th
330 Sampsonia Way
7:00 pm: Reception
7:30 pm: Presentation and Questions
8:30 pm Dessert and Informal Discussion
[ebor_button style=”alizarin” url=”https://cityofasylumpittsburgh.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0F3100000L0OIEEA3″] Make Free Reservations [/ebor_button]
Raza Rumi is a visiting international scholar in residence in the honors program of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Ithaca College. He is also affiliated with the New America Foundation and the United States Institute of Peace.
Following his work as an analyst for the Pakistani government and the Asia Development Bank, he joined Pakistan’s liberal weekly The Friday Times as a writer and editor in 2008 and has been a broadcast commentator and talk show host. He also served on the United Nations mission in Kosovo in 2000, is a former director and senior fellow at the Jinnah Institute public-policy think tank, and was a director at Justice Network, a coalition of NGOs. As a freelance policy professional he has advised international development organizations, governments, and NGOs.
CSA Tickets for Northsiders: The Silent Spring Project
Part of the New Hazlett CSA Performance Series
Thursday, April 14 | 8PM
The Community Supported Art performance series continues on Thursday, April 14 at 8PM with Trillium Ensemble’s The Silent Spring Project. As Northside community members, we’d like to offer you a special discount to this new show.
The Silent Spring Project is an immersive musical experience, surrounding the audience with sound, light, music, and storytelling. Inspired by Pittsburgh native Rachel Carson, The Silent Spring Project explores our ideas of environmentalism, sustainability, and humanity’s role in the natural world. Trillium Ensemble works with composer Mark Stanley Fromm to craft this unique musical soundscape.
Special $15 Tickets for Northsiders
Coupon Code: NorthsideCSA
Use this coupon code at check out to apply the discount.
[ebor_button style=”pumpkin” url=”https://www.showclix.com/event/SilentSpring”] Get Tickets Now [/ebor_button]
Letter from the President – April 2016
I love the season of flowering trees, even if it means I can’t breathe for the duration – darn allergies – but totally worth it!
So I was involved in a long and complicated email discussion about neighborhood development priorities and strategies (don’t feel sorry too for me, as far as hobbies go it’s actually cheaper than my current coloring book habit), which, as is generally par for the course, didn’t actually yield a particular decision (we need a vote for that anyway). What it did do was really help to clarify what I think the Civic Council’s primary agenda should be for any given real estate matter. If you said “More Parking” this is probably your first time reading the President’s message. If you chose “Historic Preservation” then you’ve probably been chatting trapped with me at the appetizer table next to the chocolate covered Pringles someone keeps bringing to neighborhood get togethers. (If “Paperwork” was the first thing you thought of, I’ve apparently cornered you after having a couple of cocktails at one of the previously mentioned get togethers.) And, yes, I will proudly admit that Historic Preservation is very definitely one of my personal motivations for being involved with the Civic Council, or heck, even why I live in the neighborhood in the first place. However, my personal motivations are not the same thing as what I think the Civic Council’s agenda should be. I realized that for any given issue the Civic Council’s main agenda should be a transparent and accountable process for deciding what “our” agenda should be. “Transparent” in the sense that it’s clear when and how we arrived at a particular position that we take whether it’s about zoning or, (sigh) parking. “Accountable” in that the Board is responsible for documenting the decisions of the membership and making sure they are actually carried out. As neighbors, our primary responsibility then becomes to clearly and passionately stand up for our own points of view while, at the same time, at least making a good faith effort to understand the impacts those points of view have on other folks in the neighborhood. Transparent and accountable processes are completely dependent on the folks involved in those processes being willing and able to clearly state their own needs and preferences even if there’s a possibility that they might be unpopular.
And have I got just the opportunity for you to be able to passionately yet respectfully communicate your point of view. As part of the Buhl One Northside Grant that AWCC received, Jim Pashek has been meeting with City and County offices to address some of the issues identified in our original community meetings. He will be returning on April 12th at 6:30 pm to report back and get our feedback and our next steps. Please join us at 6:30 pm at Calvary, before the Membership Meeting to continue the discussions we started this winter.
As the weather turns nicer get ready for all the great outdoor events. Tour tickets are on sale! Carrie will be hosting a Tour meeting on Monday April 11th for anyone wanting to be involved. Scott will be setting up a giant Membership Committee meeting, to discuss picnics and art shows and 50th anniversary celebrations (oh my!). Neighborhood cleanups start soon, too. I’m looking forward to hearing your well-reasoned and enthusiastic points of view of what main courses we should be serving at the 4th of July picnics (or even about parking). Happy Spring everyone!
Catherine Serventi
President, AWCC
Local Business Spotlight: Physique Rx’d
By Karen Beer
Trainer and Pilates Teacher,
Lynsey Arch
Visitors to the studio receive personal attention. She wants to give fitness a personal feel, and to give our neighborhood a welcoming, community fitness experience: not what you get at a large, corporate gym. Lynsey offers group Pilates sessions, personal Pilates sessions, and basic dynamic personal training in the studio, as well as in-home personal training. A dancer since childhood, Lynsey suffered a debilitating back injury that kept her off her toes for a while in college, where she was pursuing a BA in Dance and Human Movement. She credits the practice of Pilates – defined by her as strength and stretch – for curing her injury. “Pilates saved my spine and pelvic alignment, and it prevented many injuries that come with dancing,” says Lynsey. Pilates helps strengthen and bring balance to both the body and the mind.
Clients agree Physique Rx’d offers a unique, individualized Pilates experience. Lynsey understands that her clients are coming in at all different fitness levels, and she doesn’t want them to feel the trepidation that often accompanies a new fitness experience. She offers undivided attention whether students are in group or individual sessions. “Everyone is on their own personal fitness level,” says Lynsey. “Anyone can perform the movement. My goal is to have no intimidation for anyone who walks through my door! I want you to feel like it’s your own personal class, even in a roomful of other students.”
Physique Rx’d’s website offers information on the classes and services offered. The studio also features different events, including a Pilates Day on April 1, sponsored by Lucy Active Wear and Dick’s Sporting Goods, and led by celebrity trainer Kit Rich. A Pilates for Hotties fundraiser class is being held on April 9 at 11:00 a.m., to raise funds for Lending Hearts, a charity that supports youth suffering from cancer and their families. Check out the studio’s website and the AWCC e-Newsletter to learn more about Lynsey’s events. But don’t wait for a special event – that new, more fit and energetic you can be found right around the corner! “It’s music to my ears when my students feel better and have more energy, confidence, and power in their everyday lives,” says Lynsey. “I feel it’s that time of day to give back to our bodies and take care of them.”
Physique Rx’d: 835 Western Ave
www.physiquerxd.com
physique.rxd@gmail.com
(724) 467-0524
Planning Time for Our Summer Fundraiser – California Dreaming!
Daffodils and tulips are up and the trees are blooming – Spring is finally here! As we see the signs of a new season in the neighborhood, it’s planning time for our Summer 2016 fundraiser, A Tour & Tasting in the Homes and Gardens of Old Allegheny. This year, the tours will take place on Friday evening, June 3rd, and Saturday evening, June 4th. It’s a house and garden tour, a wine tasting and a great evening of entertainment.
This year, our tour will be highlighting California, featuring both red and white wines, hors d’oeuvres and desserts paired to complement the wines in six homes and gardens in our neighborhood.
We need many volunteers to:
- Be tour guides
- Help homeowners (serve, pour, clean up)
- Help tour weekend
- Be on the committee (yes, wine will be tasted at each meeting!)
If you would like to help with this year’s tour, please contact us at tours@alleghenywest.org or call Carrie Doyle at (412) 337-6020 or email: cadpgh@gmail.com. Our first meeting will be held on April 11th @ 7:30 pm at Carrie’s (950 Beech Ave, #1). Join the fun! Tickets can soon be purchased online.
News Round Up
Allegheny West is officially on Instagram – Follow us @AlleghenyWest_pgh. Share (or continue to share) your pictures of our beautiful neighborhood by tagging them #AlleghenyWest or more directly with us by tagging us, putting @AlleghenyWest_pgh in the comments of your pictures on Instagram.
House History Project – Remember to share any House History information as soon as possible. The archival team at Pitt has agreed to scan and archive our histories. Documents, photos and other materials can be sent electronically or left at 806 Western Avenue. More information is available at: www.alleghenywest.org.
Office Hours – Beginning in May, the AWCC office at 806 Western Avenue will be open for office hours. Feel free to drop off materials – or just come by with questions or just to say hello. Hours: Mondays from 11:00 am-2:00 pm, Tuesdays from 9:00 am-12:00 pm, Thursdays from 9:00 am-12:00 pm and Fridays from 11:00 am-2:00 pm.
Allegheny West Gazette Editor – Please submit all entries by the first of each month to Karen Haller Beer at gazette@alleghenywest.org.