Pittsburgh Summer Event Opportunities

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For those just getting in to the open air markets for extra cash and experimentation of retailing products, or are fully fledged seasonal caravans of scaled product lines and banking wholesale accounts; between May and December you’re getting busy or booked.

Pittsburgh has seen a surge of outdoor markets expand and new venues come to life.

PGHretail has been blessed enough with the opportunity to assist in developing markets and connecting commerce players: consumers + makers.  Cedar Arts Market began as an assistance to the flea market that had been slowly picking back up through volunteer organization in the Allegheny Commons East Park.

Through CAM, we joined the Deutschtown Music Festival for their annual July show full of free music provided by 150+ bands, street vendors, beer gardens, and community engagement for the last two years in the same park.  Now in their fourth year, the festival organizers are calling all artists to join them this year.

http://deutschtownmusicfestival.org/vendor-booth-request/

Last August, CAM sponsored the Pittsburgh VegFest in their first-ever event in Allegheny Commons. With their loyal and eager audience, the all-vegan experience has expanded with twice as many vendors and is also in July for 2016. Vendor spaces are strictly for vegan friendly products and

https://pittsburghvegfest.org/vegfest-2016/

Having moved to organizing a new workshop series after the 2015 CAM outdoor market season closed, PGHretail helped to connect I Made It! Market to the Northside at the new Nova Place (Allegheny Center).  With their partnership, the annual IMI! for the Holidays was held for the first time on the Northside. The breadth of artists that Carrie Nardini, owner and organizer, works with is inspiring and central to how IMI! (and Neighborhood Flea) is able to expand and be part of almost every neighborhood in Pittsburgh.

New markets for IMI! this year are: Wholey’s on the weekends, Open Streets,  and Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank Feed More Festival.

http://imadeitmarket.com/events/

Specific to the Northside and not a regular selling opportunity; the Block Party Pgh hosts a once of month outdoor block party! The organizers are looking for hyper-local artists and crafters interested in holding a table with kids and/or adult art and/or craft projects.  These interactions can be viewed as practice talking about your art, using member participation to build your art, or providing a canvas for public art for the community.

http://blockpartypgh.com/

Interested artists can contact: ben@blockpartypgh.com

If you’ve made it through to this sentence, you may have ascertained that Cedar Arts Market has been placed on hold for 2016 as we make room to work on other projects and allow our partners to expand on the collective networks built to support communities, in common interest and on common ground.

Stay tuned for the next announcement!

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Take the Survey!

We want to know what you thought about the new California Markets that happened in Brighton Heights this summer.  We know many of you liked it so much we organized an additional event for October.

Your feedback is important and we’d like if you could take the survey and let us know your thoughts!

CLICK HERE to take the survey.

Thanks so much for supporting PGHretail’s efforts.

 

http://bit.ly/1cezvvH

PUPPETS ON PARADE!

Much thanks to our local artist, affectionately known as “The Puppet Lady”, Cheryl Capezzuti.  She is loaning us her unique and memorable puppets for our newest community event, the Dance & Drum Puppet Parade during the California Markets.  Check out Studio Capezzuti for more details about her work and the annual First Night in downtown Pittsburgh that she has been organizing.

If you’re interested in becoming a puppet on parade, meet at Studio Capezzuit behind 1509 Termon Ave. at 12:45PM to pick out your puppet.  Then at 2PM and 3PM, meet on California Ave. to exchange puppets and join the additional parades in the neighborhood!

Unsure what we mean? See us at 3269 California Ave. at the Brighton Heights Citizens Federation office to get some assistance!

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BBQ & BREW OFF CONTESTANTS

Get ready for some tantalizing tastes from Brighton Heights!

Here’s our list of locals who are ready to fire it up and pour it out for us during Tom Friday’s BBQ & BREW OFF:

BBQ
Steel City Chicken from Hampton’s International BBQ.
Seoul City Chicken from Stephen Sakalik
Berry Spicy Tofu from Stephanie Stauffer
BREW
Original Home Brew by Adam Hnatkovich
Kiwi and Blueberry Brew by Hendreyo’s Brewing
Various varities donated by Rivertowne Brewing

 

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF OUR CONTESTANTS! 

DJ KellyMom is BACK Tomorrow!

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JOIN THE FACEBOOK EVENT HERE

Find more info with DJ KellyMom tomorrow at the California Markets
while she handles babies and spins some sweet beats.

Become a vendor at these new kid dance & art lab parties happening in Brighton Heights
on the Last Saturday of the month by emailing her at kelly[at]kidcityrockers.com

Community Info Sessions for California Markets

Come to the information and Q/A sessions at the Java House on California Ave. for more details about event participation and volunteer opportunities.  Sessions will be held on,  Saturdays at 11am-1pm and Wednesdays at 6pm-8pm, two weeks leading up to an event.  See below for event info dates and RSVP through Eventbrite so we know who’s coming to hear about what.  All events are free to participate in so tell all your friends to get involved!

BBQ & BREW OFF:  Saturday, 6/29 and Wednesday, 7/10

DANCE & DRUM PARADE: Saturday, 7/27 and Wednesday, 7/31

FAMILY PAGEANT & FASHION SHOW: Saturday, 8/31 and Wednesday, 9/4

Eventbrite - California Markets: Community Event Information

Special Thanks to Elected Leaders

Thanks to State Senator Fontana for sharing our events in their newsletter here.

Super big thanks to our councilwoman and council president, Darlene Harris, for navigating all of the fun paperwork we completed for the city to put these events on.

We’re extremely grateful of the help our elected leaders can offer us during their day to support community activities, such as the California Markets, that make our neighborhoods and lives extra enjoyable.