First NIght, Pittsburgh 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 18, 2009


Contact: Lauren Bracey, 412-471-3591 / bracey@pgharts.org

Photos and the full program schedule are available at firstnightpgh.org



FIRST NIGHT® PITTSBURGH CELEBRATES 15TH ANNIVERSARY

First Night® 2010 culminates The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's

year-long 25th anniversary celebration with more than 100 events,

including headliner Average White Band (AWB)



Thursday, December 31, 2009, 6 pm - Midnight

In the heart of the Cultural District



PITTSBURGH ... Celebrate New Year's Eve in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District with The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's First Night® Pittsburgh 2010. This family-friendly community event is presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, with generous support from lead sponsor Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. The city will revel in a joyous celebration of the arts: dance, music, theater, comedy, magic, visual art and film, plus hands-on activities for children and adults.



"First Night brings our community together by offering an incredibly diverse selection of programming," said Deborah Rice, Executive Vice President, Health Services for Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. "First Night serves the Pittsburgh region by presenting a creative, affordable, and healthy New Year's Eve celebration that makes the most of our city's wealth of artistic talent. Highmark is proud to mark its fourth year as the lead sponsor of First Night."



First Night® Pittsburgh festivities begin at 6 pm with the Dollar Bank Children's Fireworks Display and performances by Wizdom Band and Maddi Georgi on the Dollar Bank Stage, followed by the Target First Night® Parade at 8 pm. This year, the evening concludes with a live performance by Average White Band (AWB) and the First Night® tradition, The Countdown to Midnight and Future of Pittsburgh Grand Finale atop Penn Avenue Place. The Highmark Stage, where all the First Night® revelry concludes, is located on Penn Avenue next to Fifth Avenue Place.



Among the 125 events and activities held in 50 venues throughout the Cultural District, other special First Night® Pittsburgh attractions include the First National Bank Family Tent; Equitable Gas Marquee Performances including Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and River City Brass Band at the Byham Theater and Johnny Angel and the Halos at the Benedum Center; Miami's Pied Piper of Percussion at the new August Wilson Center for African American Culture; and four floors of hands-on activities, dance lessons, music and more at The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's new Arts Education Center, located at 805-807 Liberty Avenue. For a complete listing of events, please visit www.firstnightpgh.org or call (412) 456-6666.



First Night® 2010 also marks the closing of a year-long celebration of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's 25th anniversary. Founded in 1984, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has led the way for the creation and ongoing development of Pittsburgh's award-winning Cultural District. Utilizing the arts as a means for transforming a formerly blighted downtown, the Cultural Trust today welcomes over a million visitors annually to thousands of performances, gallery exhibitions and community events.



In addition to First Night® Pittsburgh, the Trust presents the PNC Broadway Across America - Pittsburgh series; the Pittsburgh Dance Council; the Pittsburgh International Children's Theater and Festival; and Three Rivers Arts Festival among other events. Additionally, the Trust owns and operates Theater Square and the Cabaret at Theater Square; the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts; Byham, O'Reilly, and Harris Theaters; Wood Street Galleries; SPACE, a visual arts gallery at 812 Liberty Avenue; 707 and 709 Penn Galleries; and 937 Liberty, a multipurpose performance and exhibit space, among other downtown arts facilities.



FIRST NIGHT® BUTTONS

To join the celebration, simply purchase an all-access First Night® Pittsburgh 2010 Button. A First Night® button costs only $8; children age 5 and under are admitted for free. First Night® buttons are available at participating Giant Eagle stores, at the Box Office at Theater Square, online at www.firstnightpgh.org, and by calling 412-456-6666.



Due to their overwhelming popularity and limited seating in Cultural District theaters, a free General Admission Seating Voucher is necessary to see the performances of Johnny Angel and the Halos, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, River City Brass Band, The Amish Monkeys, Hustlebot, the Pied Piper of Percussion and Magician David Lawrence's Magic Show. Vouchers are available at The Box Office at Theater Square. Simply show your First Night® button to obtain up one seating voucher per production. The Box Office at Theater Square is located at 655 Penn Avenue between the O'Reilly Theater and Katz Plaza.



There will be general admission waiting lines for performances at the Benedum Center, Byham Theater, CAPA High School and August Wilson Center. Patrons will be seated on a space-available and first-come, first-served basis once voucher holders have been accommodated. Box Office hours are Monday-Saturday, 9 am to 9 pm and Sunday, noon to 6 pm.



VOLUNTEERS

First Night needs volunteers for numerous jobs--from button checkers to activity helpers to parade assistants. Families, co-workers, school groups and individuals of all ages are needed to help us ring in 2010 in a fun, alcohol-free, family-friendly way. To volunteer with First Night®, sign up at www.firstnightpgh.org.



SPONSORS & MEDIA PARTNERS

First Night® Pittsburgh 2010 Sponsors as of release date include: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield as the lead sponsor, Dollar Bank, Equitable Gas, First National Bank, Giant Eagle, PNC and Target.



First Night® Pittsburgh 2010 Community Supporters include County of Allegheny, The Buhl Foundation, Eden Hall Foundation, The Grable Foundation, and Richard King Mellon Foundation.



First Night® Pittsburgh 2010 Media Partners include Trib Total Media, KDKA TV, BOB 96.9 FM, Q 92.9 FM, STAR 100.7, WDUQ 90.5 FM, 91.3fm WYEP and Y108.



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Programs for Those Involved with Technology

PRESS ANNOUNCEMNT

For Immediate Release September 29, 2009
Contact: Joe Podolinski Phone: 724.437.7913


The Fayette-Washington Keystone Innovation Zone is announcing a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) event intended for interested businesses, faculty members, and administrators from California University of Pennsylvania, Penn State Fayette and Washington & Jefferson College

The event is a collaborative effort by California University of PA, Penn State Fayette and Washington & Jefferson College and the FWKIZ. The SBIR/STTR event will be held at the Kara Alumni House, on the campus of California University of Pennsylvania, California, PA on Wednesday, November 3, 2009. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. with the event running from 4:00 – 6:00 p. m. Greg Rice from the University of Pittsburgh’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will deliver the presentation.
Every year, the SBIR & STTR programs have $2.5 billion dollars available. Joe Podolinski coordinator of the FWKIZ states “ this is a tremendous opportunity for interested businesses and faculty from CUP, PSF and W&J to learn the requirements of these programs to determine if they have solutions and technologies that will be applicable.
Attendees will not only learn the basics of SBIR/STTR, they will also learn pre-qualification issues, steps for applying, proposal writing tips that make your innovation stand out and strategies to make their technology appealing to fund providers, and participating federal agencies”.
Businesses and faculty interested in attending this event should contact Joe Podolinski at 724.437.7913 or email him at joep@faypenn.org.

Stomp Returns to Pittsburgh

STOMP
THE SMASH HIT RETURNS TO
PITTSBURGH, SEPTEMBER 15 – 20, 2009
WITH NEW SURPRISES

STOMP, the international sensation, is making its triumphant return to Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center, September 15 – 20, 2009. The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, with some sections of the show now updated and restructured and the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans.

“After creating new routines for STOMP OUT LOUD in Vegas, [co-creator] Luke Cresswell and I decided it was time to rework elements of our main production, STOMP,” said co-creator Steve McNicholas. “STOMP has evolved a great deal ever since its first incarnation at the Edinburgh Festival. Every reworking has involved losing some pieces and gaining new ones, but has always stayed true to the original premise of the show: to create rhythmic music with instantly recognizable objects, and do it with an eccentric sense of character and humor.”

The changes that can now be seen in the tour of STOMP are the biggest since the late 1990’s. A new piece “Paint Cans” evolved out of the “Boxes” routine in the Las Vegas show and “Donuts” is a piece that implements huge tractor tire inner tubes, worn around the waist on a bungee cord. For many years, the creators had looked for a STOMP equivalent of the Latin percussion instrument the guiro, a gourd-shaped open-ended instrument with ridges along the side that are rubbed by a wooden stick to create its sound. The climactic trashcan sequence “Bins” has been restructured to include a guiro-like new found instrument: strip-lighting recycling containers.

From its beginnings as a street performance in the UK, STOMP has grown into an international sensation over the past fourteen years, having performed in over 350 cities in 36 countries worldwide. STOMP continues its phenomenal run with the ongoing sell-out Off-Broadway production at New York's Orpheum Theatre, a North American tour, and two productions overseas - a London company and a European tour.

STOMP, an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards and sell-out engagements, is the winner of an Olivier Award for Best Choreography (London's Tony Award), a New YorkObie Award, a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience, and a Special Citation from Best Plays. The young performers “make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound,” says co-creator/director Luke Cresswell. Stiff-bristle brooms become a sweeping orchestra; Zippo lighters flip open and closed to create a fiery fugue; wooden poles thump and clack in a rhythmic explosion. STOMP uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – trashcans, tea chests, plastic bags, plungers, boots, and hubcaps – to fill the stage with compelling and infectious rhythms.

Critics and audiences have raved: “STOMP is as crisp and exuberant as if it had opened yesterday,” says The New York Times. The San Francisco Chronicle declares “STOMP has a beat that just won’t quit!” The Los Angeles Times exclaims: “Electrifying! Triumphs in the infinite variety of the human experience.” “A phenomenal show! Bashing, crashing, smashing, swishing, banging and kicking – a joyous invention!” says the Chicago Tribune.
STOMP is directed and created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas.

The smash hit returns to Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center from September 15 to 20, 2009. Performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30PM, Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 5:00PM and 9:00PM, and Sunday at 3:00PM and 7:00PM. Tickets range from $21.00 - $49.00, and are available by calling 412-456-6666, visiting the Box Office at Theater Square [665 Penn Avenue] or online at pgharts.org.
www.stomponline.com

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Franklin Park Man to Swim Alcatraz for Charity

For Immediate Release, July 29, 2009

Pittsburgh, PA (Contact: Andre Weisbrod 412-491-1963)
Franklin Park, PA resident Andre Weisbrod has chosen an unusual way to celebrate surviving 60 years on the planet and raise some money for charity at the same time. On August 15th he will join 800 swimmers from around the world who will take a free trip by ferry to Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. The catch? They have to swim back to San Francisco!

The annual 1.5 mile "Sharkfest Swim" event requires swimmers to brave current and sometimes choppy water that can be around 58 degrees. Weisbrod has two goals. First he wants to finish in the top three of his age group. Second he has dedicated his swim to support a favorite charity. Donors have pledged an amount based on his finishing the race and many will double their donations if he finishes in the top three of his age group. So far he has pledges of over $3,700 and he is hoping to raise $5,000 or more.

Weisbrod, who is President and CEO of STAAR Financial Advisors and founder of the STAAR Funds is not a stranger to this cold water swim, having completed the course in just over 35 minutes and finishing third in his age group four years ago. He is a long-time masters swimmer and has been training at the Baierl YMCA and North Park pools.

Whiskey Rebellion Walk

June 18, 2009

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rob Windhorst
412-221-0348

rwindhorst19@comcast.net

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QUICK FACTS:

Event: A Unique Walking Lecture: The Whiskey Rebellion

Date: Saturday, July 18, 2009

Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Place: Woodville Plantation, 1375 Washington Pike, Bridgeville, PA 15017

Cost: Free

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WOODVILLE PLANTATION HOSTS SPECIAL EVENT
A UNIQUE WALKING LECTURE: THE WHISKEY REBELLION
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BRIDGEVILLE, PA (June 18, 2009) – On Saturday, July 18, 2009, the public is invited to join the soldiers of Wayne’s Fourth Sub-Legion as they return to Bower Hill for the first time since 1794. This special event will verbally and visually recreate the momentous events that occurred during the Whiskey Rebellion on Bower Hill in July of 1794. The walk will be lead by re-enactors portraying the soldiers sent from Fort Fayette (Pittsburgh) to defend Bower Hill and the Neville family from local insurgents. These uniformed historians will discuss the dramatic events that culminated in the burning of one of the largest and well-furnished homes in Western Pennsylvania at the time.

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Lasting approximately 1 mile, the walk will begin at 11 am at the Bower Hill state historical marker located on the peak of Bower Hill, near the parking lot between Our Lady of Grace Church and Kane Regional Nursing Center on Kane Blvd. The walk will continue along the Scott Conservancy trail adjacent to the Jewish Community Center, follow the Neville trail to the Whiskey Point trailhead and conclude at Old St. Luke’s Church. Topics covered include the Bower Hill plantation, Neville family, soldiers of Wayne’s Legion, whiskey rebels and the Whiskey Rebellion itself. The walk is free of charge, but donations can be made to the Scott Conservancy.

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Following the walk, participants are invited join the soldiers of Wayne’s Legion at Woodville Plantation to experience camp life as it was lived by the U.S. Army in 1794. The camp will be open to the public on Saturday, July 18, from 1 pm to 5 pm, and on Sunday, July 19, from noon to 5 pm. Special admission price for the encampment and house tour is $3.00.

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Woodville Plantation, the home of John and Presley Neville, is Western Pennsylvania’s link to the late 18th century. Built in 1775, this living history museum interprets life during the period of 1780-1820, the Era of the New Republic. Guided tours of the house are available every Sunday from 1 to 4 pm.

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Just 7 miles and 15 minutes south of Pittsburgh, Woodville is conveniently located 1/4 mile north of Interstate I-79 Exit 55 (Kirwin Heights Exit) on Route 50, near the intersection of Thoms Run Road. For further directions or for more information, please visit Woodville’s website at http://www.woodvilleplantation.org or call 412-221-0348