THREE THOUSAND ATTEND THE BRIDGEFEST, ROCK THE BLUES AWAY
By Steve Zumbrun
Bridgefest was everything it was advertised and more with a crowd estimated at 3,000 for the entire evening and as many as 1,500 at the party at any given time.
Vehicle traffic shut down Friday, October 16th at 10:00 pm. I was actually driving home at 9:55 PM and was worried my wife and I would be the first victims to suffer the detour. Luckily we made it through and were one of the last vehicles to traverse the span.
With the arrival of the City Showmobile bright and early at 8:30 AM on Saturday October 17th, set up for the event began. The party kicked off at 4:00 PM with NOMaD, aka North of the Mason-Dixon setting the tone for a fun event.
It was a family fun event, with face-painting, a bounce house, balloon artist and Pittsburgh dessert staple “Smiley Cookies” from Eat N’ Park. Some described it as a “Greenfield Reunion” with many Greenfield expatriates returning to celebrate the bridge, neighborhood and the cold, yet crisp and beautiful fall evening.
The blast of the Bridge isn’t until December, but the residents of Greenfield had a blast. Tara P. of Greenfield said that “it was a wonderfully executed, fun-filled send-off to the Greenfield Bridge. Impressive turn-out, complete with great entertainment and great food. Kudos to the event planners!!!”
Other activities included, attendees-favorite “Bowling on the Bridge”, artist Todd Pinkham painting a 3D perspective of a hole in the bridge, Big Wheel Drag Racing, and perusing the I Made it Market and Greenfield Businesses tents.
After NOMad, the band Milly was up next, followed by event closer Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers. Also, musical performances by Timbeleza kept the attendees dancing and grooving late into the night. The new and improved Greenfield Disco Trunk made its debut in style by ushering in the Raffle drawing. Congrats to Sally S. of Greenfield who won the Bridgefest Implosion Raffle
It was a great event and highlighted the fun and spirit of Greenfield. During remarks to the crowd, Mayor Peduto commented on the creativity of the neighborhood in turning a negative, losing the bridge, to a positive, throwing a party to celebrate the neighborhood. Other notable guests attending and supporting the event included, Senator Costa, Councilman O’Connor, State Rep Frankel, and County Executive Fitzgerald.
We would like to thank WYEP, PNC, PUMP, Mosites, HDR, Michael Baker International, Hazelwood Initiative, Inc., the Urban Redevelopment Authority and all our other sponsors and supporters. A big thank you to our 30+ volunteers, the entire planning committee, and Patrick Hassestt and Mitch Margaria, party co-planners.
The New Bridge is set to open in mid-2017. Does this mean . . . Bridgefest II?
(Bridgefest slideshow by Patrick Hassett)
p.s. Here are just a few of the media reports from the Bridge Party Press Conference on July 9, 2015: