A Fair In The Park Tops Five Weekend Things To Do Around Peters

PETERS TOWNSHIP, PA - It’s been a harbinger of autumn for nearly half a century. The 48th annual A Fair in the Park, the contemporary fine art and fine craft festival in Mellon Park on the Squirrel Hill-Point Breeze border, highlights Patch’s list of cool weekend things to do around town.

Upwards to 20,000 people are expected at the three-day affair in which more than 100 artisans from Pittsburgh and across the country peddle their work and offer demonstrations of their respective mediums, which include clay, fiber, wood, jewelry, glass, metal, mixed media, and two-dimensional art.

There also will be musical performances by artists such as Ronni Weiss, Daryl Shawn, Fire & Ice and the Olga Watson Band. And since no Pittsburgh outdoor event would be complete without food trucks, expect to see the Mac and Gold, Pitaland, SouthSide BBQ, PGH Crepes and others on hand.

A Fair in the Park hours are 1-7 p.m. Sept. 8, 10 a.m-7 p.m. Sept. 9 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 10. Admission is free.

Other weekend highlights:

• Pittsburgh Irish Festival, Sept. 8, 4-11 p.m.; Sept. 9, 11 a.m.- 11 p.m, Sept. 10, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Riverplex (between Sandcastle and the Waterfront).

We have dueling festivals this weekend. Besides A Fair in the Park, we also have the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, Pennsylvania’s largest annual celebration of Celtic music, dance, lore and food. There a variety of new attractions this year, including an inflatable pop-up pub and presentations on Ireland’s economics, history, politics and more. This year’s festival is expected to attract as many as 25,000 people.
Pittsburgh Irish Festival tickets start at $10.

• Traxxas Monster Truck Destruction Tour, Sept. 8-9, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, Imperial.

Who doesn’t get a kick out seeing massive trucks crush small cars? We sure do. See these incredible oversized 10,000-pound vehicles compete in racing, wheelie contests and then amaze with freestyle action. Expect a noisy even filled with plenty of ill-smelling fumes. You know, kind of like a fraternity party.
Traxxas Monster Truck Destruction Tour tickets start at $10.

• Xfest, Sept. 9, 3 p.m., Stage AE, North Shore.

With the Steelers opening the NFL season on the road in Cleveland on Sunday, this 105.9 WXDX-FM alternative rock festival probably will be the loudest even occurring on the North Shore this weekend. The headliner act is Bastille, the British band best known for the hit single “Pompei,” a few years back. Also appearing are a bunch of acts we’ve never heard of (though admittedly we dwell in a cultural wasteland): Highly Suspect, J. Roddy Walston & the Business, K. Flay and Sundara Karma.
Xfest tickets are $44.

• The Great Hollywood Movie Poster Auction, Sept. 8, 6:30 p.m. (preview and fundraising event), Sept. 9, 10 a.m. (auction), Hollywood Theater, Dormont

Movie geeks and lovers of great graphic art can look forward to a gala two-day event, as the Hollywood Theater as more than 125 vintage movie posters from the 1940s to the present will be auctioned off. A pre-auction event on Friday will include a first look at the collection, as well as a showing of the documentary, “24×36: A Movie About Movie Posters.” The auction occurs Saturday.

The Great Hollywood Movie Poster Auction is free. Tickets to the preview event are $10.

Photo: BeckyKay 76 via Creative Commons.