Interested in starting or growing a small business? Stop by the South Side Market House on Wednesday September 6 from 4:30pm to 7pm!
Author: cara.jette
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StepTrek 2017
In its 17th year, the Pittsburgh StepTrek will begin Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017 at 11AM at South Side Park (Josephine & 21st Streets) on the South Side. The event has lasted this long due to the backing of individuals with a curiosity as to what lies at the top or bottom of the numerous public stairs in the neighborhood.
The routes will take a tour of the hillsides and spectacular views that distinguish Pittsburgh. The family-friendly event combines photography, historic narrative and a sense of a neighborhood dependent upon steps. The Trek itself is self-guided. Each pre-registered trekker receives a map and a course narrative. The course narrative points out the landmarks and gives a history of the stairs and buildings, counts the steps and also provides instruction as to the route. Arrows along the course provide direction as well.
StepTrek is what the trekker makes it. Participants may choose to use this noncompetitive event as a test of fitness or a leisurely stroll. The benefits of a stirring walk through the Slopes have earned this event the heart-healthy rating of the American Heart Association. Special pricing makes the walk an attractive way to experience the city on an autumn afternoon.
Proceeds from the StepTrek benefit the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA), an all volunteer organization committed to improving this unique neighborhood and providing a unified voice for slopes residents. Primary areas of focus are public safety, neighborhood development and beautification.
This event also helps to benefit The Brashear Association’s Food Pantry. Please remember to bring a canned food item to help stock the Brashear Association Food Pantry. Top items needed include: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Spaghetti Sauce, Tuna, Cereal, Baby Food
Interested in volunteering for StepTrek? Volunteers get a free t-shirt and can participate in the event before or after their shift. Sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c44a4ac2da6fa7-steptrek1
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Pittsburgh City Steps Plan Kick-Off Meeting
Kick-off Meeting
July 27, 2017 from 6-8pm
William Pitt Ballroom
959 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Pittsburgh’s public stair network is comprised of more than 700 staircases which vary in size, age, construction material and condition. Join us at our citywide kick-off meeting to learn about the project and provide your input on how these treasured assets should be repaired and maintained!
Steps Survey
You can also provide input on our project webpage by following the link to the Wikimap Survey and answering a few questions about any set of steps in the city:
UPDATED WEBSITE: http://wikimapping.com/wikimap/Pittsburgh-Citywide-Steps-Assessment/l-1130836_40.42115793049957_-79.96315240859985_16
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South 21st Street Complete Green Street Project
Come and learn about the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s plans to transform South 21st Street with trees, grasses, bioswales and pedestrian improvements. They will present concept designs and seek feedback from you, your friends and neighbors to help inform the final design. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration is not required. For more information, please email 21street@paconserve.org.
When: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Brew House – 711 21st Street, Pittsburgh, 15203
Who: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning and Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority -
Welcome New Board Members
Congratulations and welcome to the newest members of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association Board of Directors:
- Elizabeth Heidenreich
- Blake McLaren
- Donna Tarkett
Thank you to our departing members: Sarah Alessio Shea, Laura Officer, and Pavel Yakovlev.
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Oakley Street Mosaic Steps
Through a crowdfunding campaign conducted primarily through social media, we raised more than $6,500, allowing us to hire an artist to design and lead the project. Dozens of community members tiled the 77 step risers in 2016.
Click here to see more details about the project: http://www.southsideslopes.org/oakley-street-mosaic-steps-public-art-project/
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STEPPIN STANZAS ARTISTS PERFORM POETRY AT 16TH ANNUAL STEPTREK
This year StepTrek is partnering with Steppin Stanzas, a new performance arts project created to promote the use of Pittsburgh’s public steps and celebrate the city’s rich heritage, its diversity, and distinctive geography.
Steppin Stanzas co-founders and lead artists Paola Corso, a poet and literary activist, and Andrew Edwards, a poet and performance artist/translator will launch their project by creating original work inspired by city steps and performed along a StepTrek route this year.
“Along with its three rivers, Pittsburgh’s hills and the stairs that traverse them are one of the most unique, recognizable, and defining characteristics of our city, “says Corso. “Steppin Stanzas brings art to a new venue that few other cities could offer.”
“We intend to use art and spoken word performances to draw attention to city steps and challenge the audience to see them in a new way,” Edwards added.
Steppin Stanzas artists will perform poetry with music and movement at the registration area and during water breaks.
“The South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association will provide the water. Steppin Stanzas will provide the words to help refuel trekkers as they finish the last leg of the two courses. They will already have climbed more than a thousand steps. We’ll cheer them on as they catch their breath and carry on,” Corso said.
Corso is the author of six books of fiction and poetry set in her native Pittsburgh, most recently The Laundress Catches Her Breath, winner of the Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing from the Working Class Studies Association, and Edwards, who studied Spanish and creative writing at Ohio Wesleyan University with a focus in modern poetics, is the author of The Kobe Reality Series, a book of poetry based on his experience living in Japan.
Corso and Edwards will collaborate with guest artists Aaron LeFebvre, an acoustic finger-style guitarist combining traditional and folk with modern sounds, and movement artist Daniel Dongilli for their Steppin Stanzas launch, which was awarded a Sprout Fund grant.
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Pittsburgh StepTrek 2016
In its 16th year, the Pittsburgh StepTrek will begin Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 at 11AM at South Side Park (Josephine & 21st Streets) on the South Side. The event has lasted this long due to the backing of individuals with a curiosity as to what lies at the top or bottom of the numerous public stairs in the neighborhood.
This year’s event will highlight:
- Mosaic Steps Public Art Project on Oakley Street Steps
- Newly signed Church Route
- Trail through South Side Park connecting to Sterling Street
- Knoxville Incline Greenway
- Performances by Steppin Stanzas
The routes will take a tour of the hillsides and spectacular views that distinguish Pittsburgh. The family-friendly event combines photography, historic narrative and a sense of a neighborhood dependent upon steps. Each pre-registered trekker receives a map and a course narrative.
StepTrek is what the trekker makes it. Participants may choose to use this noncompetitive event as a test of fitness or a leisurely stroll. The benefits of a stirring walk through the Slopes have earned this event the heart-healthy rating of the American Heart Association. Special pricing makes the walk an attractive way to experience the city on an autumn afternoon.
The Trek itself is self-guided. The course narrative points out the landmarks and gives a history of the stairs and buildings, counts the steps and also provides instruction as to the route. Arrows along the course provide direction as well.
Proceeds from the StepTrek benefit the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA), an all volunteer organization committed to improving this unique neighborhood and providing a unified voice for slopes residents. Primary areas of focus are public safety, neighborhood development and beautification.
This event also helps to benefit The Brashear Association’s Food Pantry. Please remember to bring a canned food item to help stock the Brashear Association Food Pantry. Top items needed include: Peanut Butter & Jelly Spaghetti Sauce Tuna Cereal Baby Food
#StepTrek
Tickets are $13 and available here: https://www.showclix.com/event/StepTrek
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WALKATOP – An Urban Hiking Adventure
The Thomas Brown Alton Foundation is pleased to announce their 2nd WALKATOP event. The event, a hike through Mount Washington’s Emerald View Park, will be held on Sunday, September 11, 2016. Last year’s inaugural WALKATOP was a tremendous success and they look forward to continuing our focus on promoting mental health and suicide prevention.
WALKATOP
An Urban Hiking Adventure- When is it?
Sunday, September 11, 2016 | 8AM – Noon - Location:
Emerald View Park, Mount Washington, Pittsburgh, PA - Proceeds benefit
The Thomas Brown Alton Foundation (A Birmingham Foundation Fund)
Dedicated to suicide prevention by helping those in need
toward improved mental health. - Tickets:
Advance tickets available online through showclix.com.
Advance (8/25 through 9/10): $20
Day-of (at check-in): $25 - Registration / Check-In
Check-in site in parking lot on Grandview Avenue opposite the Duquesne Incline and Coal Hill Saloon. - More information can be found at WALKATOP.com
- When is it?
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Interested in Joining the SSSNA Board?
The South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA) is looking for a few good men or women.
The Slopes Association will have open positions for three or four new Board of Directors members in the coming election. Board members are seeking to “pass the torch” on to new residents of the Slopes who are engaged in their neighborhood and who will help their community to stay clean, green, safe and neighborly.
The SSSNA is a 501 3c organization and the board members are volunteers. Residents of the Slopes who have attended at least two Slopes’ meetings from Oct 2015 to July 2016 are eligible.
Those who are interested are asked to contact the SSSNA Board President Brian Oswald at brian.oswald@southsideslopes.org
