Announcing Park 'til Dark! |
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Park 'til Dark
Saturday, May 14 | 7am – 8:30pm
South Park
Celebrate one of your favorite parks with lots of FREE, fun activities for the whole family, hosted by the Allegheny County Parks Foundation. Our newest event - Park 'til Dark - treats park fans to activities they love and might introduce them to something they've never tried before. Cricket anyone?
Early morning yoga by the waters of the South Park Cascades, a Ranger-guided hike to historical features in South Park, meet the Millers at the Oliver Miller Homestead, a bike ride on a popular trail and more!
Sign-ups for these FREE activities that celebrate the wonders of nature, our abundant wide open spaces and the joy of recreation are coming soon. We'll keep you posted!
Sponsor an activity in this inaugural year of Park 'til Dark! Many opportunities are available to suit your organization. Email Barbara Brewton, Institutional Giving and Project Manager, or call her at 412.606.9692 for details on how your group can gain visibility by partnering with us.
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Pour at the Park
Saturday, May 14 l 5:30 to 8:30 pm
South Park
Our family-friendly Pour at the Park follows our new Park 'til Dark activities. Expect the same fine beer and spirits tastings from local brewers and distillers, along with an assortment of generous food samples from regional restaurants. Live music too!
New this year: Kids' Zone with Coach Dave!
Ticket sales for Pour at the Park begin soon. Proceeds from Pour at the Park go towards projects in all nine Allegheny County Parks.
Sponsorship opportunities are available and can be tailored to suit your company. Email Barbara Brewton, Institutional Giving and Project Manager, or call her at 412.606.9692 for details on how your organization can gain visibility by partnering with us.
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Women reigned supreme at a tree planting in White Oak Park last fall.
Women have long championed the natural world, beginning with Mother Nature!
During this special month, we remember the contributions of women who improved and conserved the ecology in our region.
Rachel Carson of Springdale wrote the ground-breaking book, Silent Spring, in 1962, revealing the disastrous impact of pesticides on the ecology. The public outcry led to numerous changes, including a ban on the pesticide DDT and the establishment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Forty years later, Carson's work was named one of the 25 greatest science books of all time by the editors of Discover magazine. A popular trail in her honor runs 46 miles from Harrison Hills Park to North Park.
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Celebrating Women at Suffragist Grove |
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Mary Flinn Lawrence, who built the Hartwood Acres Mansion with her husband, has long been regarded for her work winning women the right to vote. But she was also an avid conservationist. She became the second woman appointed to the State Forest Commission and the only member from Western PA. She proposed a unique reforestation plan for Allegheny County. Though there was no land suitable for establishing a state forest, Mrs. Lawrence saw opportunities in our hills, along our roads and in barren fields to establish groves of trees across our county. With her support, Pittsburgh became the first city in the state to plan a municipal forest.
Mrs. Lawrence's impact on the ecology of Hartwood Acres Park is still enjoyed today. She planted 96,000 pine tree seedlings that are now combating soil erosion and protecting wildlife habitats. That effort made her the second largest individual forest planter in the state in 1927.
Inspired by Mrs. Lawrence, the Suffragist Grove was founded in Hartwood Acres on August 18, 2020, the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The inspiration to plant this stand of trees rose from the early days of the movement. Activists who had been jailed were encouraged to plant trees as part of their healing process. This grove was inaugurated with one ceremonial Tulip Poplar tree. The site is located in the vicinity of the parking lot just beyond the mansion’s Great Lawn.
Remember someone who has impacted the environment or the lives of women with a contribution to this new project. Donations of $250 or more will be recognized on signage at the Suffragist Grove.
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The Paul Riis Meadow at South Park
Native meadows are thriving habitats that need little maintenance except for a once-a-year mowing. For all the 10 meadows in the Allegheny County Parks, March is when they get their “trim.”
Meadows are beneficial to the ecology of the parks – and our region – because they host a wide variety of birds, insects and small mammal species. They use the diverse native wildflowers and grasses for food and shelter throughout the year. The deep root system of meadows also help to manage storm water runoff and help to limit the erosion of soil by anchoring the earth in place. If you’ve ever visited one of the meadows in the Allegheny County Parks, you can add another benefit they provide: they’re beautiful, all year-round.
But since meadows have a natural inclination to grow beyond their boundaries, they need an annual mowing. Without this cutting, the meadow would take on the character of a forest. Mowing can also help to keep invasive species at bay.
Sara Madden, a landscape architect and project manager with the Allegheny County Parks Department, said March is the sweet spot for mowing because the food and shelter the meadow provides in the winter are no longer needed once the weather warms up. And April is too late to mow because ground-nesting birds such as the Eastern Meadow Lark and turkeys have already started building nests.
The Parks Foundation has partnered with Allegheny County on adding these beneficial meadows to the parks. The Peaceable Kingdom Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation has funded these and other plantings in all nine parks.
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Outdoor Afro hits the Boyce Park slopes |
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Youth and adults from Outdoor Afro Pittsburgh took to the slopes at Boyce Park this week for ski lessons and practice runs, most trying this popular winter sport for the first time. The Black Ski Initiative was promoted by an Outdoor Afro network in Colorado and local leader and teacher Kimberly Refosco of Penn Hills took up the challenge. She organized two recent events at Boyce, with the Allegheny County Parks Foundation attending to welcome the community.
Expert instructors at Boyce Park showed the 20-some participants the basics of proper use of equipment and techniques during their one-hour lesson. They learned how to stop by forming their skis in the classic “pizza” triangle and how to make turns to avoid hitting trees and other skiers on their runs, along with safe practices. They enjoyed several hours on the slopes before heading home, tired but feeling accomplished.
Outdoor Afro encourages Black connections and leadership in nature. Refosco is among the more than 100 leaders in 56 cities around the country, connecting thousands of people to nature experiences. She brought a large group to Boyce Park last year to learn show shoeing. She developed a deep love of the outdoors on childhood fishing trips with her father and designs creative ways to share this with a wide community. She schedules frequent hikes, kayak trips, swims and more throughout the entire region, all four seasons.
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Funding for Sculpture Garden at Hartwood Acres Park |
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With an anticipated spring opening of the Sculpture Garden at Hartwood Acres, the Parks Foundation was delighted with the announcement that the Richard King Mellon Foundation has awarded a grant to fund the development and implementation of community programs at the Sculpture Garden after it opens. The grant will also go towards construction costs at the Hartwood Acres site.
This project is also made possible in part by the RADical ImPAct Grant program, which was launched in celebration of the Allegheny Regional Asset District’s 25th anniversary with the intention of funding bold, forward-looking, creative projects that will have a radical impact on the region.
Funding has also been provided by other foundations, corporations and individuals.
Opportunities are available for individuals to contribute to this important cultural attraction. Email Caitlin Harpster, Individual Giving Manager, or call her at 724.327.7627 to learn more.
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Park 'til Dark/
Pour at the Park
South Park
The Fairgrounds
Saturday, May 14
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Twilight Picnic
for the Parks
Presented by
UPMC Health Plan
The Meadow at Hartwood Acres
Saturday, August 20
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Park 'til Dark/
Pour at the Park
North Park
Saturday, October 15
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Sponsorship opportunities are available for each event. Email Barbara Brewton, Institutional Giving and Project Manager, or call her at 412.606.9692 for details on how your organization can gain visibility by partnering with us.
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Every Amazon purchase earns the Parks Foundation cash! |
Please select the Allegheny County Parks Foundation on Amazon Smile for all your purchases. It's easy. Just select us for every purchase. Every donation helps your parks!
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Boyce Park | Deer Lakes Park | Harrison Hills Park | Hartwood Acres Park
North Park | Round Hill Park | Settlers Cabin Park | South Park | White Oak Park
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Allegheny County Parks Foundation | 675 Old Frankstown Road | Pittsburgh, PA 15239
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