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Free and Affordable Pittsburgh for 4/27: Earth, Art and Fire!

By Rachel Booth

Now that our crazy April weather is slowly getting back to some semblance of normal, it's time to get out there and enjoy all the free fun in store this weekend! On this week's Free & Affordable Pittsburgh segment on Pittsburgh Today Live, we're talking about more Earth Day fun, one of Pittsburgh's coolest art events, and a fire festival to warm you up! All fun, and of course, all free. Learn a bit more about each of the things mentioned on this week's show!

Free & Affordable Art All Night1
Photo Credit: Tiffany Wilhelm

Art All Night
Willow Street Development

4001 Willow Street (at the corner of Willow and 40th Street)
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
(412) 235-1950
www.artallnight.org

Dates: Saturday, April 28 - Sunday, April 29
Hours: 4 p.m. on Saturday - 2 p.m. on Sunday
Price: Free to Attend

Art All Night has grown to become one of Pittsburgh's most popular art events over the last 15 years. There are no fees, no jury, and no censorship. It's truly free to attend art exhibit. Last year, the event hosted 1,240 artists, 36 performances and over 12,000 attendees! All artists may submit one piece of artwork (only one - no exception) regardless of skill level. Whether you're a budding artist, a professional, or want to show off your kid's coolest piece of work, your art has a place here. In addition to perusing super-cool art, you can enjoy bands, dance troupes, theater performances and more! Based on last years' success, they're expanding kids activities this year including activities hosted by Pittsburgh's Center for Creative Reuse and the Pittsburgh Glass Center. It's hard to belive the entire event is run by volunteers! If you'd like to participate, on site registration is on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., and pick-up is on Sunday from 2:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Free & Affordable Pyrotopia
Photo Credit: Thinkstock.com

Pyrotopia: Annual Festival of Fire Arts
Historic Pump House at the Waterfront

880 E. Waterfront Drive
Munhall, PA 15120
general@pyrotopia.net
pyrotopia.net

Date: Saturday, April 28, 2012
Hours: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. for children's programming, 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. for main event
Price: Free to Attend

Contrary to what you may believe, this inaugural event is the East Coast's first-ever festival dedicated entirely to fire arts. The festival is meant to entertain, enchant and introduce attendees to the use of fire, electricity and light as artistic media. There will be events and exhibits for all ages. Daytime programming will be family friendly, where kids can make their own LED lanterns and black light bubble prints, learn how fireworks get their color and more. Adults can check out some "hot" installations as well, like Flaming Simon - a fire driven version of the electric game "Simon", fiery Flamenco dancing, fire spinners and dancers, a magavolt Tesla coil, glass blowing, pewter casting and much more!

Free & Affordable Mt Lebanon Earth Day
Photo Credit: Melissa Cicozi

Mt. Lebanon Earth Day Celebration
Mt. Lebanon Park Next to the Recreation Center and below the high school stadium
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
(412) 343-3400
www.earthdaymtlebanon.org

Date: Saturday, April 28, 2012
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Price: Free to Attend

Did you happen to miss the Pittsburgh Earth Day festivities this past weekend? Fret not! Mt. Lebanon is holding their free Earth Day celebration this weekend. There will be loads of nonprofits on hand to discuss recycling, re-using, repurposing, urban farming and more, plus you'll also get to enjoy live local music, close to a dozen artists and food vendors. There will be a special top-secret surprise you won't want to miss at 12:15 p.m.! The kids can enjoy face painting and balloon making from noon until 2 p.m. and a bird walk starting right after. You can also bring your small electronics for recycling, old sneakers for Re-Use-A-Shoe, old tape dispensers, reusable grocery bags, used gift cards and more. Oh, and bring a white t-shirt if you want to take part in the iron oxide tye-dying!

CBS Local Offer
Free & Affordable Monster Truck
Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Motor Speedway

CBS Local offers has great deals everyday, anywhere from 50-90% off the retail value. This week's offer is 54% off a Monster Truck & Monster Meal Entertainment Package for the June 9 event at Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway - Allegheny County's only auto racing complex with 5 divisions of race car action each Saturday night. You pay $35 for two reserved seats, a $3 credit toward any souvenir at the Speedway Gift Shop, free parking (you're allowed to tailgate!) and two meals with a main dish, a side dish and a drink. June 9 is Bad Habit Monster Truck Night, featuring Wacky Wheels Figure 8, stock car racing, quad exhibition and a world-record jump holder. This deal is usually $75.50. You can buy unlimited vouchers. You'll find all the details on CBS Local Offers.

What We're Talking About In Best Of
12/1 Nightlife & Music Margaritas
Photo Credit: Thinkstock.com

This just happens to be one of my favorite events in Pittsburgh! In Arts & Culture, you'll find Preview: Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District. Galleries, theaters, schools and other venues come alive on Penn and Liberty Avenues in Downtown Pittsburgh. This particular crawl features Dutch Festival events in addition to regular gallery openings. Maps can be picked up at participating locations, which are notated by red "STOP" signs outside along the sidewalks. Most gallery crawl events are free & open to the public, so it's an affordable find as well!

With Cinco de Mayo approaching next week, it's never too early to start thinking about margaritas. And that's just what we have in this week Food & Drink, the Best Margaritas In Pittsburgh. From fancy to funky, and unique to chic, you're sure to find your perfect fit on this list. There's even the Best Bang For your Buck Margarita. It's affordable on its own, but get it at happy hour and you won't believe the price!

Rachel Booth & Heather Walsh are the bargainistas behind LivingPittsburgh.com, Pittsburgh's go-to bargain website for free, affordable & discounted events, activities, products & services. Visit Living Pittsburgh for even more great 'Burgh bargains! You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter!
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