“The Best Lunch in the Whole World”

First of all, a mountain pie is not a mud pie, and please don’t confuse it with a cow pattie. A mountain pie is born by putting pie filling between two pieces of sliced bread in a cast iron mechanism and inserting directly into a fire. The result is unbelievably tasty!
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Family programs sponsored by Highmark

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is teaming up with Venture Outdoors to support this year’s Family and Community Programs. Now thanks to a grant from Highmark BCBS several upcoming Family Programs will be offered completely free! Highmark has also donated money towards each of the 3 Family Outdoor Festivals this summer.

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Paving the way to wellness

Venture Outdoors (VO) Family & Community Programs are slated to serve more individuals than ever this year thanks to new funding for programs and equipment from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Highmark has awarded VO with a $12,500 for this initiative, sponsoring events throughout the year, including four Family Outdoor Festivals and 13 community programs. Additional funds will provide equipment for urban programming including snowshoes and handheld GPS units, as well as 500 family passes to remove economic barriers to growing participation in outdoor recreation.

“Our ultimate goal is to leave no community without access to nature, said Sean Brady, Assistant Executive Director at Venture Outdoors. “An estimated 17% of Allegheny County residents are minorities. We asked, ‘how we can extend the health, wellness, and social benefits of our programs to all of those residents?’ The Family & Community Programs Initiative provides free and affordable, beginner-friendly outings that take place in diverse neighborhoods throughout Pittsburgh.”

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Fresh Tracks in Highland Park

Highland Park was nothing short of a winter-wonderland during our February 13th Family Snowshoeing Intro and Hike! The persistent sunshine highlighted little comfy flakes of snow that fell throughout the afternoon. Surprisingly, we found few other tracks left in the snow around the park.
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Meet Chris Corbran: now with business cards!

As Venture Outdoors’ best, (and first,) Trip Leader Specialist Coordinator, you can expect more than a ruggedly handsome face to hike, paddle, and fish alongside. Joking aside, you will see me on future Family and Community Programs leading groups of first timers and seasoned adventurers into the deep, dark woods of Pittsburgh’s City Parks.
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Snow and Hot Cocoa at Highland

So what’s better than going for a snowy ramble through Pittsburgh’s Highland Park? Getting to drink hot cocoa afterward of course! Thanks to everyone who came out on our Hot Cocoa Adventure this past Saturday. The day proved to be quite cold with fresh snow up to most of our shins and, for some of us, our knees!
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8th Annual MLK, Jr. Day at Schenley Park

Venture Outdoors and the Student Conservation Association will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King’s life by hosting the eighth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the Park Monday, January 18 at Schenley Park Ice Rink from 1 to 4 p.m. The celebration is one of the largest in the city and provides a platform for children of different backgrounds to learn about their commonalities by having fun together in the outdoors.

“We wanted to recognize Dr. King’s message of peace and equality which is as relevant today as it was during his life,” Sean Brady, Assistant Executive Director at Venture Outdoors said. “The commemoration is about enabling kids from different walks of life to get together and realize the things they have in common. It is much easier to make connections like this when you are having fun.”

Activities and entertainment are the foundation of the celebration. Outside, children and families will enjoy ice skating and sledding, while inside they will participate in children’s art projects and crafts taught by local artists. Food and beverages will be provided throughout the afternoon for everyone to enjoy. And thanks to the sponsorship of Dominion Foundation and Pittsburgh Citiparks, participants can take part in the festivities at no cost.

“More than 300 children participated in last year’s event,” Walt Burlack, Regional Director of the SCA said. “Every year we work with groups like the East End Cooperative Ministries, Gwen’s Girls and various local Girl Scout troops to involve children from all over the city.”

To reserve a space for your group or for an information packet with parental permission forms, please call 412.325.1851×21 or e-mail lcosta@thesca.org. All children under 18 must bring signed parental release forms to the event. Release forms can be found online at www.ventureoutdoors.org/MLKDay.aspx.

Family Snowshoeing Brings Low Temperatures and High Spirits

If you really like being outside on a freezing, blustery day, you sure missed a great chance during last Sunday’s Family Snowshoe Intro and Hike! Temperatures in the low teens joined forces with significant winds to make it feel a steady zero degrees. This didn’t stop our fearless participants from trekking around the snowy, frozen trails of Schenley Park though! Read more

Ebony Scott's Top 3 Programs…#1!

What was your favorite Family Program so far? We asked Ebony Scott, our Family and Programs Trip Leader, for her input and got three great answers. Here’s her top three trips!

My first Family and Community program was The Great Bug Hunt in Frick Park, which was really fun! I learned so much about the different types of bugs. We even ate them, which is something I would have never done on my own until I was educated on the bug’s life and how clean they are.

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Ebony Scott's Top 3 Programs… #2!

September 23rd’s Kennard Field Clean-up was very dear to my heart. I am the “clean-up lady with the bright orange jacket well known in my community,” a child said to me, smiling one day while I was getting on the bus. The kids are always asking me “When is the next community clean-up on Lincoln Avenue?”
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