Pittsburgh 250 Festival of Lights

The Pittsburgh 250 Festival of Lights kicks off tonight at 8:30 with building facades downtown transformed into works of art by international designers and a free concert from 6 to 9 in Katz Plaza by Etta Cox and her band. Then every night through November 20th, the lights will be on from dusk to midnight.

On Wednesday, October 15th, the celebration extends to Oakland and Pitt's Cathedral of Learning, with several days of free performances by Squonk Opera in Schenley Plaza.
Festival director Marguerite Jarrett Marks says the investment pays off for the city and the region as visitors frequent shops, theaters and shows.

Festival details are at www.pittsburghcelebrates.org.

Tech Council Goes for a Ride

The Pittsburgh Technology Council is taking advantage of the Pittsburgh 250 Legacy Ride to promote the livability of the region to outsiders and to promote the depth of the technology Pittsburgh sector to the world. The Council has sent Jonathan Kersting on the Washington to Pittsburgh ride as a way to highlight one of the amenities of the region that might help to attract new companies and young workers. At the same time he is carting a slew of products from local tech companies in an effort to show their usability in the real world. Kersting is blogging about his trip. While on the trail he is also meeting with members of the media to show off the products and talk about the region’s tech sector. The ride ends Saturday in Point State Park.

Pittsburgh's 250 Celebration Far from Over

Pittsburgh's 250th Anniversary celebration will continue through autumn. With events marking the Anniversary such as the Legacy Trail Tour, a bike ride which follows the 335-mile trail that links D.C. to Pittsburgh, the "made in Pittsburgh" food festival on the lawn of Point State Park, and the 250 flotilla, the largest boat parade the city has ever seen, the party indeed rolls on. The celebration will conclude with what George Zambelli, Jr., owner of fireworks display experts Zambelli Internationale, calls "the greatest theatrical pyrotechnical display the city has ever seen" on October 4th. As parts of the 250 celebration, Pittsburgh has already held the final stage of the Tour of Pennsylvania, the Parade of Champions, and the re-opening of Point State Park.

Art Projects Mark Pittsburgh's 250th

A 20-foot-tall creature composed of bridge parts will be among the signature art projects in Pittsburgh's 250th birthday celebration. The steel and fiberglass sculpture is named "ARCH." It will have parts resembling all Pittsburgh bridges that span the three rivers. ARCH will go up at the corner of Fort Duquesne Boulevard and 7th Street in late August and remain there for six months.

ARCH is one of four art projects that are getting a total of $1 million from the Heinz Endowments. Another project is a work commissioned for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Mendelssohn Choir called "The Good Life," which is based around the theme of Pittsburgh's immigrant history and the many voices and languages associated with it. The work will be performed in October.

Also receiving funding are a program that matches artist mentors with Pittsburgh teenagers, and a printmaking project based around the theme of what would happen if established scientific fact turned out to be wrong. Tom Sokolowski, Director of the Andy Warhol Museum and the leader of the 250th Anniversary Arts Project, says he came up with the idea as he looked at significant events from 250 years ago. Among them was the discovery that Halley's Comet kept a regular schedule. He says he began to wonder what would happen today if Halley's Comet suddenly came on a different year... or water boiled at a different temperature... or if an hour suddenly only had 30 minutes.

The Point reopens

250 pairs of scissors were handed out this morning to help cut the ribbon on the partially renovated point state park. The old fortification has been buried, a new lawn planted, paths refurbished and decorative lights and benches installed. All of the work has been done on the city side of the park. It is the first phase of a 32 million dollar renovation. The next phase includes the addition of 7,000 trees, shrubs and plants to a “woodlands area”, improvements to the walkways along the river, a new café and the instillation of public art. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell says the investment in the 36-acre park is this generation’s gift to the future to mark the city’s 250th anniversary. A public fund raising effort to refurbish the fountain at the point is to be launched soon.

253 Immigrants Take Oath of Allegiance

In a ceremony commemorating Pittsburgh's 250th Anniversary, 253 immigrants from 63 different countries were sworn in as U.S. citizens today at the Soldier's and Sailor's Memorial in Oakland. The ceremony was an official Federal Court Proceeding with Honorable Judge Donetta Ambrose presiding and administering the Oath of Allegiance. Lisa Tragni, an Italian immigrant who now lives in Pittsburgh, says she is excited to become a citizen to have her right to vote in the upcoming election. Many of the immigrants became citizens for their spouses or other family members who already had citizenship within the states. The general feeling among the immigrants was that of happiness and relief at completing the long naturalization process.

Sports Heroes Part of Pittsburgh 250

Yesterday’s sports heroes will star in the Federated Investors Parade of Champions on June 20th, 21st and 22nd as part of Pittsburgh’s 250 Celebration. Tickets, which go on sale Monday, April 7th through Ticketmaster, will include admission to and benefit the John Heinz History Center and Sports Museum. Smallman Street will shut down to make way for tents and outdoor activities. Athletes will sign autographs and championship trophies will be on display.

More than 30 athletes have accepted invitations, and the list grows daily. The oldest so far is from the 1930s Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro League.