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CONTINUING A CULTURE
OF ART IN PENN HILLS
WITH THE 2016 PENN
HILLS ARTS AND MUSIC
FESTIVAL
In 1979, the Penn Art Association
(founded in 1961) needed a summer show to
augment the other seasonal shows, keeping
the show in Penn Hills, and wanted it to be
available to all artists who wished to enter.
The Exhibition Chair, Henry Fiore, along
with other PAA members, planned and ran
the festival. It was a success, a fact that has
kept the show going – under one name or
another – and it will return once again this
coming summer.
In 1988, the festival was taken over by the
Penn Hills Arts Council when a grant was
obtained from the Pennsylvania Council
on the Arts, with comparable funds from
Penn Hills Council – both of whom have
generously contributed ever since. The
PHAC now annually applies for, receives
and administers these grants. The festival
eventually found its way to the Penn Hills
Library, where it has been held for seven
years. The PAA and the PHAC are
instrumental in promoting artists of all ages
and skill levels toward artmaking, helping
those to find their voice, and giving the ability
to explore the process.
The PAA inspires this heritage by
remaining active. Membership is open to all
adults, and if you are an artist, the PAA is a
wonderful place to dip a toe in the artistic
waters of Penn Hills. The PHAC organizes
and directs the festival, bringing together
elements and participants from everywhere
and forming a cohesive show.
As the PHAC is planning this upcoming
show, we are reminded to appreciate the
creativity it takes to make art, the sense of
6 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Penn Hills
accomplishment when it’s finished, and
the opportunity to display it to anyone and
everyone. Come and see the 2016 Penn Hills
Arts and Music Festival.
WHERE: Penn Hills Library, 1037 Stotler
Road, Penn Hills
WHEN: Friday, July 22, from 3 to 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 23, from 1 to 8:30 p.m.
WHAT: The Penn Hills Arts and Music
Festival – exhibits, craft tables, music and
refreshments.
AWARDS CEREMONY: July 23 at 1 p.m.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY,
COUNTY PARKS
FOUNDATION LAUNCH
IN-PARK SURVEYS
The Allegheny County Parks Department
announced that the Allegheny County Parks
Foundation will begin surveying park users
in all nine county parks. The summer-long
survey is intended to share information on
how visitors spend time in the parks, which
will help the county and the Parks Foundation
optimize programming and determine where
improvements are most needed.
“The Parks Department is committed
to improving our nine beautiful parks and
enhancing the experience of park users,”
said Allegheny County Parks Director Andy
Baechle. “We’re excited to partner with the
Allegheny County Parks Foundation to gain a
better understanding about the ways visitors
use our parks, as well as the improvements
they’d like to see.”
Interviewers will be in the parks beginning
Memorial Day weekend through August,
from morning to evening, to talk with park
visitors. The individuals will each carry letters
of authorization, wear name tags and will
also carry clipboards. They will be located
in parking lots, playgrounds, ball courts,
trailheads, pools and various other sites
where the broadest reach of visitors can be
captured. The survey takes about 10 minutes
to complete and contains questions about
activity preferences, the length of time spent
in the parks, frequency of visits, methods
of communicating park programming and
perceptions of parks.
“This information will help the Allegheny
County Parks Foundation determine which
major improvement projects to target for
funding and grants,” said Caren Glotfelty,
Executive Director of the Allegheny County
Parks Foundation. “It will also give us an indepth analysis of who is using the parks – a
factor funders need to know to achieve the
greatest value from their support.”. ■