McKeesport’s inaugural Mon Valley Arts Crawl to take place Saturday
A variety of musicians will perform at the event.
By THOMAS LETURGEY
For the MVI
Coming off a successful inaugural McKeesport Riverfront Festival at Gergely Park and a rejuvenated International Village at Renziehausen Park, city leaders are eagerly looking forward to Saturday’s firstof- its-kind Mon Valley Arts Crawl.
“It’s all part of our plan to reenergize downtown,” said Mayor Tom Maglicco.
McKeesport has ramped up its community involvement, and Maglicco and Troy Blackwell, the city’s special projects coordinator, said their goal is to ultimately have a tourist attraction once a month.
Set for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, the Mon Valley Arts Crawl will begin at Cox’s Corner Lot, People’s Building, and travel along various spots in the 300 block of Fifth Avenue.
It will be stacked with visual arts, musicians, poets and art demonstrations. Silk-screening, stainedglass exhibits and mural painting will all be featured. There will also be food vendors, musicians and other amenities.
The performance schedule is:• 1 p.m. — Healthy Village Learning Institute kids drum circle.
• 1:15 p.m. — Welcome by Mayor Tom Maglicco.
• 1:30 to 3 p.m. — Val Vasquez Jazz Quartet.
• 3:05 to 3:25 p.m. — Mike Vick (poet/spoken word).
• 3:30 to 4 p.m. — Val Vasquez Jazz Quartet.
• 4:05 to 4:35 p.m. — Blaire Crumbly (R&B singer).
• 4:45to 5:15 p.m. — Regina Gibson (opera singer).
• 5:20 to 6 p.m. — EnKourage (gospel rapper).
Stilt walker Jeff Smith, who used to perform in Orlando, Fla., will also attend.
Café Hibiscus will host a resource fair for nonprofit organizations, including an HIV-prevention station.
Artist demonstrations include AIR Artist Image Resource screen printing, Jerome Charles painting demo on wood, Michael Mangiafico Glass art demo, Jonesse Davis painting on canvas for Children’s Hospital, Armani Klette stained glass art, and Wendy Casperson, art with recycled material.
Gallery artists include Janet Watkins, Kari Baum, Norma Rowley, Thomas McFadden, Lou Romanchak, Nicole Given, Nevenka Kostley, Jennifer McCalla, Carmella Jones, Amina
Reaves, the McKeesport Heritage Center, Zachary Rutter, Collin Schwarz and Curtis Reaves, co-founder of SEE CLEAR and Mon Valley Arts.
Reaves, who started the nonprofit Mon Valley Arts division of SEE Clear three years ago with his wife Tracey, says he enjoys photographing “discarded” items that he “brings back to life” with revitalized “shapes, colors and contours.”
A long-time photojournalist in Los Angeles fashion, Reaves now has a “passion for manipulating photography and fine arts.”
He also touted Rutter’s skills as a painter, as well as McCalla and Rowley’s significant talents.
“This is a dream that we’ve had,” Tracey Reaves said.
They want to headquarter McKeesport’s budding arts community at 327 Shaw Ave., which is under renovation. She thanked John Starks, who owns a number of properties in McKeesport, for his generosity in helping these projects move forward.
The Reaves have plans for a home-based arts and technology hub, and a youth barista coffee house called Urban Java that they expect to open next year.
She said the mayor’s office and Allegheny County Chief Executive Sara Innamorato have been instrumental in the progress, adding, “We want to increase tourism and investment in McKeesport.”
McKeesport’s City Administrator Jennifer Vertullo championed Saturday’s expected food vendors, including Marva Jo’s, WUTA Catering, Zeus BBQ, Amala’s Sweets and Treats, Paradise Island, Cimmy’s Kitchen, and Quinn Brewing Company.
Admission is free, while prices for art, beverages and food vary.
