I think this might be your last chance to check out the set of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood! I have seen some pieces of the set before but it would be pretty cool to see the whole thing at the WQED studio.
Two friends in their 20s, after working together on a political campaign in Manhattan, decide to leave in favor of their hometowns: Pittsburgh and Detroit.
If you're expecting a punch line, you're a step behind. Sarah Szurpicki and Abby Wilson -- the founders the Great Lakes Urban Exchange, or GLUE -- can make you believe the Rust Belt is the place to be, not the place to leave.
A loose network of people in Pittsburgh, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Toledo, Ohio, and Buffalo, N.Y., GLUE started two years ago after Ms. Szurpicki, a Detroit native, and Ms. Wilson, a Pittsburgher, left New York to take their enthusiasm for urban living to their own hometowns.
In the spring, they launched the first GLUE campaign -- a series of "I Will Stay If ..." parties that kicked off in Detroit in June. The second party, reframed with the theme "Why Pittsburgh?" is from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Shadow Lounge, 5972 Baum Blvd., East Liberty.
One need not be affiliated with GLUE or of a certain age to participate.
Carrie Hagan, a graduate student in history and policy at Carnegie Mellon University, met Ms. Wilson through the League of Young Voters and joined the party committee "and the next thing I know I am throwing the party," said Ms. Hagan. "I couldn't stand the idea of not being part of something like this."
She said East Liberty was chosen because of its convergence of economic development and minority population.
"We want a comprehensive conversation," she said. "A lot of people are feeling pride in being here right now, but for a lot of people, Pittsburgh has not been the most livable city, and we want feedback from them. We want to know what has made people stay, but we realize quality of life varies."
Ms. Szurpicki said GLUE is an experiment in driving urban policy from the roots up. Every party results in photographs of participants holding signs that tell what it is about their city that would make them stick with it. The photos will be data for GLUE to play a part in reviving and setting urban policy.
The majority of GLUE's adherents are under 50, work in government and public policy, for nonprofits and environmental groups, as social-justice advocates, urban planners and community organizers.
Ms. Szurpicki, who helped found a charter school in Harlem during her years in New York, left because, she said, "I was coming to the age when I wanted to pick a place to live [to raise a family] and I felt like I hadn't given Detroit, my hometown, its fair shake. I wanted to be into place-making, which you can't do in New York."
With foundation support and funraising, she has turned her leadership of GLUE into a sort-of full-time job, she said.
She and Ms. Wilson "talked on the phone a lot" after relocating, "about things similar in our cities -- the population decline and concentrations of poverty. These places were trying hard to retain people like us, but their marketing campaigns weren't always truthful and they missed an opportunity to connect with people like us.
"Abby and I decided that the people I was meeting in Detroit should meet the people she was meeting in Pittsburgh."
The first GLUE conference was this spring in Milwaukee, where the "I Will Stay If ???" campaign was born.
The Detroit party was "a qualified success," said Ms. Szurpicki. "We had around 100 people and collected over 80 good photos" of participants holding a white board with the phrase "I Will Stay If ..." completed.
"The photos show that people want better regional cooperation, public transit, bike lanes, curbside recycling, things like that. And what has come out of this is people saying 'I am staying to be a part of something,' 'I am staying because I want to help build that curbside recycling program.'
"This is about place-building."
Ms. Hagan, 29, a self-described "military brat," spent most of her growing-up years in California. She came to Pittsburgh six years ago.
"It became clear to me early on that in Pittsburgh there was a huge upswell of pride and a movement to make it more livable, not from the top but young people making it what they want it to be.
"I fell in love with this city the moment I crossed the bridge and have not looked back since," she said. "I've been a lot of places and this is the kind of place I want to live.
"We are passionate about what's happening in our cities," she said of GLUE adherents. "We want to build a constituency to advocate for urban policy, which has been long neglected. We have a long way to go. We are educating ourselves on how to be an organization that can do that."
She said there are no ground rules for the "Why Pittsburgh?" party, "but we hope people steer clear of obvious answers like 'I will stay if I get a job,' because a job is what you need to stay anywhere."
Diana Nelson Jones can be reached a djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626. Read her City Walkabout blog at post-gazette.com/localnews.First published on September 14, 2009 at 12:00 am
The time has come once again to celebrate the life and music of the late Johnny Cash. This year's 4th annual Johnny Cash day will be held at the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks #339 in the Northside from 6pm - 1am on September 12, 2009.
A $5 cover includes music, chili and cornbread, $.25 draft beer, whisky specials, door prizes, raffles, and good times to boot.
Live musical tribute by the Beagle Brothers and special guests. Proceeds benefit the Elks' home care fund. For more information, e-mail johnnycashday@gmail.com.
It is Shadyside Arts Festival Time - this event has gone through some changes over the past few years - I think it is now called the Arts Festival on Walnut St. Walnut Street in Shadyside will be closed to traffic and the street will be filled with artists from around the country. Saturday 10 - 9, Sunday 10-5. More info at Artsfestival.com
Well I am glad to see that this is showing when they are usually showing horror movies because I still think that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of the scariest movies ever - the poor kids just want to eat some candy and then they vanish.
But if you love this movie then you can head to The Oaks Theater in Oakmont - Friday at 10pm or Saturday at Midnight. They will be showing the original 1971 print.
The 48 Hour Film Project is happening in Pittsburgh and 80 other cities this summer. Teams of filmmakers get together and have just 48 hours to make a short film. You can still register to participate. The project kick off is on August 7 and screenings will be the following week. Check out the 48 Hour Film Project website to see some of the previous films from Pittsburgh.
