Members of the Glitterbox Theater's collective: (from left) Tree, Anna, Bailey, Amos, Lex, and Chris at their outdoor showcase during June’s Homestead Live Fridays event. | |
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Good Times
In the legendary words of Ferris Buller, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Playing hooky may not have the same sense of illicit fun as it once did, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't make time to explore your city!
If you're wondering how to get started, embrace your curiosity! Go on a walkabout during this month's Homestead Live Fridays on July 28. Before you head out, read about how Homestead's participating arts venues are fostering community through creativity as they revitalize historic spaces and check the schedule of events.
Another way to explore—shift your perspective! The annual Sunset Photo Safari at the Carrie Blast Furnaces is a good opportunity to see—and photograph—things in a different light. As a photographic muse, Carrie is generous with her textures, layers, and reflection of light. You can also let tomorrow morning's Photo Safari cultivate a sense of wonder.
Perhaps our favorite way to explore—take a tour! If you haven't had the opportunity to join an Industrial Tour of the Carrie Furnaces, it is an essential Steel City experience. Tours highlight the site’s iron-making technology, its workers, and their culture. And if you have, we welcome you to visit again. Each tour guide brings something unique to their interpretation of the landmark.
And since there's always more to explore at Carrie, you can also take an Arts & Grounds Tour for a different point of view.
If you're ready to take your explorations a bit further, make this the month you visit the W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop in Rices Landing, Greene County. Tours are available most Sundays.
We also have a few recommendations for things to do in the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, so be sure to scroll down for that, and follow this link for more resources.
Enjoy your weekend!
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FEATURED STORY
Homestead Live Fridays—Creating Community through Creativity
| Homestead has always been a culturally vibrant place. Today's featured story looks at three organizations who are creating community via their artistic practices in revitalized historic spaces. Get to know the Glitterbox Theater, Eberle Studios and Gallery, and KSD & The Radio Room. | |
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FEATURED EVENT
Homestead Live Fridays—Schedule of Events
Friday, July 28, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m., Homestead's Eighth Avenue Business District
| Located in multiple venues throughout Homestead’s Eighth Avenue business district—and at street-side pop-ups along the way, Live Fridays features local performers, art exhibitions, and activities each evening from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. Grab a drink or bite to eat and check out some of the region’s best local live music. See what's happening in July! | |
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PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION
Sunset Photo Safari
Sunday, July 30, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., Carrie Blast Furnaces
| Join Rivers of Steel at dusk for a unique photo safari that explores the Carrie Blast Furnaces during twilight. Witness the beauty and subtlety of the site as only seen through half light and capture your own piece of the drama to take home. This safari is recommended for those with prior experience shooting low-light subject matter, but it is open to novice and experienced photographers alike. | |
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PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION
Photo Safari
July 16, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Carrie Blast Furnaces
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The interplay of light and seasonality at the Carrie Furnaces offers endless perspectives of this industrial muse. Take inspiration from the wide vistas or the delicate details at this National Historic Landmark site. Choose your own adventure on this photo safari! | |
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FEATURED TOUR
Industrial Tour of the Carrie Blast Furnaces
Wednesdays – Sundays, through September
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A remnant of the legendary U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works, the Carrie Blast Furnaces are a vestige of Pittsburgh’s 20th-century domination of the steel industry.
During this two-hour guided tour, you’ll hear stories about the site’s technology (including why it is nationally significant) as well as get to know the culture of its workers. You’ll also learn a bit about the iron-making process, from the movement of the raw materials to the tapping of the furnaces that produced fiery molten iron.
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SPECIALITY TOUR
Arts & Grounds Tour
Sunday, July 16, 11:00 a.m., Carrie Blast Furnaces
| Enjoy a special artist-led tour of the Mini Greens 2 installation in the Iron Garden when you take an Arts & Grounds Tour this summer. Hear from the artist and then experience the landmark through the lens of arts! This tour takes visitors behind the scenes to share the context of artworks onsite and to discover the stories that seeded their evolution! | |
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HERITAGE TOUR
Guided Machine Shop Tour
W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop, Rices Landing, Greene County
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Step back in time to the early 1900s and discover the artistry of handcrafted manufacturing!
Built in 1900, the shop produced parts for steamboats, coal mines, railroads, and supported local small businesses. When it closed in 1965, the building was locked and all of its tools and equipment were left in place—perfectly preserving its line shaft driven, 25-machine network for future generations. Visitors tour the blacksmith shop, pattern shop, hardware store, and foundry—and marvel as the machines are switched on during a live demonstration of this turn-of-the-last century technology!
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NEWS
Seeking Vendors for the 2023 Maker Marketplace
| Rivers of Steel is seeking vendors for our Maker Marketplace at the Festival of Combustion. Applications accepted through August 25. | |
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THINGS TO DO IN THE RIVERS OF STEEL NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
The Ruins Tour 2023—Building Relationships
Virtual Program, Sunday, July 16 1:00 p.m.
| If you've been following The Ruins Project stories by Rachel Sager in this newsletter, you'll know that her last topic explored building relationships. Now, for her annual Mosaic Arts Online / Virtual Ruins tour, she is expanding on that theme! If you are unable to visit her space in Fayette County, then don't miss this annual, online event. Use the link below to watch the tour live on YouTube on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. | |
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THINGS TO DO IN THE RIVERS OF STEEL NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
The Trial of David Bradford—A One-Act Play
Washington County Courthouse, July 21 and 22, 2023
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What if David Bradford had actually been tried in a court of law for his role in the whiskey rebellion? Join the Bradford House to find out how that scenario may have gone down with this one-act play directed by Bill Cameron.
This special event benefits the Bradford House Historical Association and the Washington County Bar Foundation.
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Help preserve our region’s industrial and cultural heritage! Your tax-deductible contribution will help ensure that Rivers of Steel can continue to offer vital, engaging, community-based arts, education, and heritage programs for the residents of southwestern Pennsylvania and beyond.
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