Friendship Flower and Folk Festival (f4)

May 12, 2012
11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Rain or shine, join us on Saturday, May 12 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Baum Grove (intersection of Harriet, Fairmount and Roup) for this laid-back, family-friendly event! The event this year promises to be full of fun with folk music, fresh flowers, raffles, demonstrations and good times!

F4 is organized by Friendship residents and sponsored by the Friendship – The Neighborhood; you’ll find locally grown flowers, vegetables, herbs and perennials for sale – the proceeds of which support the maintenance of Baum Grove, Friendship’s own greenspace. Order online here or print and mail in the order form found here. In addition, there are yummy food tables, raffle ticket for adults and children items and the ever -popular book sale! These proceeds support efforts to enhance the quality of life for all Friendship residents.

At this year’s festival you’ll enjoy acoustic, folk, and jazz music from local performers at the amphitheater at Baum Grove. There will be live demonstrations on sustainable practices, gardening and fitness. Learn more about the Friendship community and get a chance to meet and mingle with your neighbors. Kids will enjoy several activities including a moonwalk, kid’s raffle, sidewalk chalk, street space for bikes and skates.

All flower pre-orders must be received by WEDNESDAY, MAY 2nd, 2012. Flowers can be picked up at the Festival on MAY 12th from 11am til 3pm (no earlybirds, please!) If you have questions, call 412-441-6147 x 4 or email f4@friendship-pgh.org.

See you there!

On Friday, October 1^tst, the Friendship Development Associates, Inc. (FDA) and community partners will host a unique ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the multi-million dollar Glass Lofts Project.

The Pittsburgh Glass Center will join Friendship Development Associates and community partners to properly initiate the Glass Lofts into the Penn Avenue Arts District. Instead of a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony, artists from the Pittsburgh Glass Center will gather molten glass from the 2,200 degree furnace and run across Penn Avenue to the Glass Lofts with the bubbling blob. One artist on one end and another on the opposite end will pull and stretch the hot glass (similar to pulling taffy) into a ribbon of glass.  A select group of community leaders will take special glass cutting tools called “nippers” and simultaneously cut the ribbon of glass.

Following the ceremony, guests are encouraged to enjoy a reception in the Glass Lofts courtyard and to tour the newly completed units.   Guests will have the opportunity to explore the entire building, including three units that have been outfitted by local Pittsburgh designers from LeMix, ARTica Gallery, and Mox Box Consulting.

On Sunday September 19th, join your Friendship neighbors for the 17th Annual Friendship House Tour – Tradition and Innovation.  The tour features an eclectic mix of homes ranging from grand Victorians to lofts and townhouses.  This year’s tour showcases the diverse housing that Friendship offers with everything from traditional character to sleek modern design.  Tour guests will enjoy FREE food samples from some of the best restaurants in the East End at cafes set up at each of the homes as well as FREE trolley transportation that circulates the tour route throughout the day.

Back by popular demand, this year’s tour will once again showcase the creativity of the artists, restaurants and businesses in the Penn Avenue Arts District.  Several of our artists have featured their artwork in the homes on tour as well as showcasing their work in their spaces along the Avenue.  Numerous businesses and restaurants will also be open for tour guests to explore.

Tickets for the Friendship House Tour are ON SALE NOW and can be purchased online at www.friendshiphousetour.org. The tour begins at The Glass Lofts, on the corner Penn Avenue and N. Fairmount Street. The self-guided tour takes 3 to 4 hours to complete on foot, and trolley tours will depart from The Glass Lofts. For more info visit www.friendshiphousetour.org or 412-441-6147 x 7. We hope you will join us once again this year!

The 17th Annual Friendship House Tour is soon approaching! On September 19, 2010, we will need volunteers to be docents, to monitor the trolleys that transport attendees and to collect tickets at the entrance. This is a great way to get out and help your community and have fun at the same time. Volunteers can choose one of two shifts: 10 am to 1:30 pm or 1:30 pm to 5 pm, saving time for volunteers to take advantage of free admission to the tour. Upon completion of the tour, there will be a celebratory party for all volunteers and homeowners. Please contact Sarah Di Leo at Friendship Development sarah@friendship-pgh.org at 412-441-6147, ext. 7 or Kathy Farrington, Chair of the House Tour Committee, kfarrington@comcast.net at 412-362-0862 if you want to join our great House Tour this year.

National Night Out is an annual holiday to raise awareness around issues of community building and crime prevention.  This year, National Night Out is on Tuesday August 3rd. Join your neighbors on their porches at 5302 Coral Street, 214 S. Pacific Avenue, 5431 Penn Avenue, 411 S. Graham Street and 5142 Friendship Avenue as well as a gathering at the Friendship Playpark, and the annual block party on the 200 block of Pacific. See you on the porch!

AcroYoga: Jedi Training & Flying Lessons

Saturday, July 17th, 2-5pm, $30 individual/$50 couple
Strip District location
2401 Smallman Street

With partner yoga poses, strength training exercises, dynamic counter-balances, and deep healing stretches, we will awaken our inner Jedi. Sitting, standing, balancing, strengthening, and lengthening (sometimes all at the same time!) and with the support and presence of each other, we’ll go deeper than could by ourselves. We’ll also learn simple and effective ways to fly together – like you did as a kid! We’ll explore the basics that anyone can do, even if your partner is bigger and heavier than yourself. By flying and hanging upside down, the spine naturally lengthens, allowing for uniquely healing “upside-down thai massage”.

Taught by Tyler Ryan Blank, a veteran AcroYoga Instructor. For more info, please visit www.acroyoga.org

This post was submitted by Leta Koontz.

Join Schoolhouse Yoga, Wednesday, August 4th, 5-6pm for yoga and drumming for kids.  The event costs $15 for children ages 5 and over at the Squirrel Hill location 2010 Murray Avenue.  Please join us for this special event that pairs yoga instructor Leah Giovengo with drumming teacher Bryan Fazio. The class will be a lively combination of yoga and drumming – including a yoga practice set to live music and a drumming lesson with relaxation and meditation techniques thrown in for good measure!  www.schoolhouseyoga.com.

This post was submitted by Leta Koontz.

What? Party/Carnival sponsored by Redeemer Community Church.

Where? The event will take place at Baum Grove Park.

When? It will take place from 3:00pm – 7:00pm on Sunday evening, July 18.

What is happening? There will be all kinds of stuff going on for the whole family. There will be several games to participate in (putt-putt, wet sponge toss, balloon dart toss, and much more.) Happy Harry the Clown will be there! He will be entertaining kids and adults with balloon animals, tricks, and a couple of shows throughout the evening.

What will we eat? There will be hot-dogs and lemonade for all who come!

Who should come? Everyone is invited. Most of the activities are geared for young children through elementary age children; but older kids and adults will have a great time.

It will be a fun evening for the community! For more information or questions, please visit our web-site at redeemerpgh.org.

This post was submitted by tajoyce.

Join us at a multi-family yard sale to benefit shelter animals on Saturday, July 17th, at Baum Grove! We will have all manner of treasures available for sale, as well as baked goods and some crafts. All proceeds will benefit shelter animals.

Sale will be from 10 am until 3 pm in the beautiful, shady Baum Grove on the corner of Roup Avenue, Fairmount Street and Harriet Street in Friendship.

This post was submitted by Shona Stewart.

Celebrate a New Beginning
Opening Celebration
August 28 / 10 am – 2 pm
Ribbon cutting at 10 am (Doors open by 11 am)

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – East Liberty
130 S. Whitfield Street, Pittsburgh 15206

“Celebrate a New Beginning” with the re-opening of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – East Liberty! Experience the newly renovated library for the first time, and celebrate more than a century of literacy and learning with storytime, entertainment, crafts and other family-friendly activities.

This post was submitted by thinness.