Hazelwood Homepage — August 2002 Edition

Community Celebration: Music, Art, Recognition and More
Dina Vargo and Lisa Kunst Vavro

It's taken over six years and hundreds of volunteer hours, but Friday, July 19th, the ribbon was cut on Hazelwood Initiative's Community Sitting Garden and Performing Arts Stage at Second and Johnston Avenues. Over 150 community members, politicians, community partners and youth came together for the official ribbon cutting, as well as the unveiling of a PublicArtPittsburgh project by artist Bob Qualters and the Kick-Off of the Summer Concert Series.

Lisa Kunst Vavro, chair of Hazelwood Initiative, Inc., the neighborhood advocacy group that spearheaded the Sitting Garden effort and sponsors the Summer Concert Series, says that countless volunteer hours have gone into transforming this central corner of the community from an abandoned auto body/gas station.

With celebration and appreciation, several individuals addressed the community and recognized the hard work and dedication of various volunteers and the collective efforts of the Hazelwood Initiative.

The evening started with a welcome to the diverse crowd from Kunst Vavro followed by comments and commendations from Executive Secretary Tom Cox, on behalf of Mayor Tom Murphy. Guy Costa, Director of the Department of Public Works, thanked the workers in his department for their attention and work at this site over several years. Their work included moving and installing the gazebo, building concrete sidewalks, placing benches and trash receptacles, creating mounds for the community garden, in addition to constructing the new community building designed by John A. Gresock, Jr., AIA, as a donation to the community.

Dave Farley, Grants & Development Officer for Operation Weed & Seed, recognized the community effort involved in the development of the garden and pointed to the garden as proof of collaboration and good works sponsored by Weed & Seed. Councilman OıConnor then stepped up to present Kunst Vavro with a bouquet of flowers on behalf of the members of the Hazelwood Initiative, thanking her for her personal dedication to the community and the Sitting Garden. A landscape architect, she designed the site and garden (this yearıs garden, if you havenıt seen it, is a red, white, and blue design, featuring white stars in a blue field).

"Hazelwood Initiative has shown incredible creativity and tenacity in getting this project done. It is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when a community comes together and gets involved," said Councilman OıConnor. "This is just the first of many enhancements coming to Hazelwood. I am very excited about all of the improvements we will continue to see here in the near future."

Artist Bob Qualters took a moment to explain the inspiration and design of two parts of the PublicArtPittsburgh project. The piece located at the Second and Johnston Sitting Garden honors the steelworkers by utilizing badge numbers of some of those who worked there and history of Hazelwood. The other artwork, on temporary display for the ribbon cutting, will be displayed at the Keystone Church, located on the corner of Hazelwood Avenue and Sylvan Street. Young artists created this piece by depicting their hopes for the future. The third piece will be installed at the Plaza Sophia this fall.

The evening really got moving after the ribbon cutting when the Boilermaker Jazz Band started playing. The diverse audience of children, seniors, families, and young people of a variety of backgrounds started dancing and enjoying the entertainment. This is the fourth year Hazelwood Initiative has sponsored the concert series. In previous years, the concerts were held in the rear of the Hazelwood Carnegie Library that is not as visible as the Sitting Garden.

"Because weıre in such a highly visible place, we really expect the popularity of the concerts to take off," said Kunst Vavro.

Join us and your friends and neighbors for the rest of the concerts at the Sitting Garden. On August 16th Reggae music will be featured with Ras Prophet. September 6th, the music of Mon Gumbo will fill the air with Cajun Zydeco. For the last concert of this season on September 20th The Famous Biscelgia Brothers will play Rhythm and Blues.

As Mayor Murphy previously said "To have so many important events and projects coming to fruition here shows the commitment and pride community members have in their neighborhood. Things are beginning to happen here."