Weekend Outlook – Fireworks, Biking the GAP, Rock Climbing and Pedal Paddle Peduto

It’s a 3-day weekend for the staff at Venture Outdoors, so sign up early for our Fourth of July festivities. Our featured trip is our Fourth of July Paddle, where you can enjoy a front row seat of the Fireworks. We have also planned a few hikes and a rock climbing excursion in the Laurel Highlands. Kids and families will enjoy our Glow Stick hike of Riverview Park. On Sunday, Bill Peduto is joining us for a unique bike tour of Downtown Pittsburgh. Finally, check out the Great Allegheny Passage as we ride from Rockwood to Confluence. Enter ROCKWOOD at Checkout for $5 off this activity.
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City fishing: Lots of action for anglers who know where to go

By John Hayes
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sunday, June 28, 2009

When some of world’s top bass pros hit Pittsburgh’s rivers next month in the world’s richest fishing tournament, the Forrest Wood Cup, they’ll be eyeing the water from the decks of bass boats and casting in to shore.

But from under the bridges and on the post-industrial banks of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, many Pittsburgh anglers see the rivers from another perspective. Steep dirt banks, overhanging trees, old cement walls, partially submerged barges and the crumbling debris of another era can create obstacles for anglers approaching the water on foot, but it’s ideal bank structure for many fish species.

Harry Blackwell, 62, of Wexford has been fishing Pittsburgh’s rivers since David L. Lawrence’s city renaissance was still a distant dream.

“Back in those days, you were subject to catching anything but you got a lot of carp and catfish,” he said. “If you caught a bass or walleye you were doing well.”
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Nonprofit group makes it easy to get outside

By Lyndsay Miron
The Sepectrum (Point Park University)
June 25, 2009

Most people know that Pittsburgh has three rivers – the Allegheny, Monongahela and the Ohio – but many people do not know how to take advantage of the city’s famous waterways.

One local nonprofit organization, Venture Outdoors, tries to help people do just that by showcasing the city’s rivers and other parts of its natural beauty through increasing activity in outdoor recreational activity.

According to the mission statement on its Web site, ventureoutdoors.org, the organization “seeks to transform the Pittsburgh region into a place where the outdoors is an integral part of our culture, our identity and our lifestyle.”

To raise awareness for the organization and get more people outdoors, Venture Outdoors prints 90,000 copies of its publications each year and distributes them throughout the area, said Assistant Executive Director Sean Brady.
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Pittsburgh Becomes Increasingly Bike Friendly

By Bob Karlovits
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Pittsburgh is becoming a bicycle town.

It is a city where trolley tracks and Belgian brick-lined streets are nightmares of the past.

Now, it is a city with about 22 miles of bike trails and 14 miles of marked bike lanes with plans for more, says city bicycling-pedestrian coordinator Stephen Patchan.

It is a city with a pub and a coffee shop heavily into the bike culture.

Good magazine, a health and activity publication from Los Angeles, lists Pittsburgh as one of its seven top cities with a burgeoning bike scene.

“We are on the map,” says Brad Quartuccio, co-publisher of the Bloomfield-based magazine Urban Velo.

“Bicycling is growing by leaps and bounds,” says Tom Baxter, executive director of Friends of the Riverfront, a development and recreation group.

Business has increased 20 percent to 30 percent at the three shops of Pittsburgh Pro Bikes, says Todd Schoeni, who owns the chain with Craig Cozza.

Golden Triangle Bike Rental added another site only a little more than 3 miles away from its original.
“It seems like we have something special going on here,” its owner, Tom Demagall, says of the interest in riding. Read more

Produce Pedal Photos

Participants on the Venture Outdoors Produce Pedal enjoyed the lush scenery and smooth trail of the Great Allegheny Passage as they rode the 28 mile round trip from Boston to West Newton last Saturday. After arriving in West Newton they enjoyed lunch at local eateries before pedaling back to Boston.
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Venture Outdoors in Allegheny Commons all summer long!

Local nonprofit kicks off new programs and summer events in the North Side

(Pittsburgh, PA) – Kayak Pittsburgh has become a must-do for the Pittsburgh community’s summer recreation list, and now the excitement is growing with one more location at Lake Elizabeth in Allegheny Commons. Open seven days a week, this unique, beginner-friendly destination is the perfect place to put a paddle in the water for the first time…or make it a regular part of your family’s summer routine. Offering scenic views of the downtown skyline from elegantly designed shallow lake, it’s ideal for families and beginners, either after work or on weekends.

“This year we are putting special emphasis on growing the diversity of the outdoors community to include even more people from urban neighborhoods through our new Kayak Pittsburgh location in Allegheny Commons and our Family and Community Programs initiative,” said Sean Brady, Assistant Executive Director of Venture Outdoors and North Side resident.
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Bicycle Film Festival

The Bicycle Film Festival is coming to town Thursday, July 2 through Saturday, July 4! Film topics cover all kinds of bikes and biking including Tall Bike Jousting, Track Bikes, BMX, Alleycats, Critical Mass, Bike Polo, Cycling and Recumbents. All film screenings will be at The Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky Street. Tickets are available online at bicyclefilmfestival.com.
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Family Festival Photos

Saturday, June 20 was the first of our 3 Family Outdoor Festivals this summer. The playground at Frick Park was a great setting for this unique event featuring geocaching, climbing and several exhibitors. Around 200 people enjoyed the festival highlights such as an owl from the National Aviary, face painting and bike bowling.
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GAP Biking Discount

Get $5 off the Produce Pedal on the Great Allegheny Passage this weekend! Sign up online and use the promotional code LETTUCE09 to receive the discount on this great afternoon getaway. Registration ends Friday, June 19 at 5:00 PM. Sign Up Now

Trip Description: Were not going to start in Massachusetts, but we are starting in Boston! Join us for a 28 mile round-trip ride from little Boston to West Newton and back as we travel along the Great Allegheny Passage.
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Featured Cultural Attraction: Kayak Pittsburgh

Pop City Media
Wednesday, June 17

Kayak Pittsburgh is officially open, so head to the city’s rivers and lakes for an unforgettable outdoor urban adventure. For flat water fans, paddle across tranquil North Park lake. For kayakers craving a river excursion, start your journey on the North Shore at Kayak Pgh’s HQ under the Clemente Bridge. Observe the city’s skyline from the water, paddle upstream to Washington’s Landing and spot Great Blue Herons in the back channel. What better way to ring in spring, soak up the ‘burgh’s natural beauty or take up a new hobby? Also makes a fab first date or a touching Father’s Day gift!

Under the 6th Street Bridge, on the river trail
412-969-9090 | www.kayakpittsburgh.org

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