Ladies and Gentlemen -

Here are some great Pittsburgh networking and community Events You’ll Dig for July 2009.  If you have an interesting networking or community event, then leave the info (and link) as a comment and I’ll get it up!

Events You’ll Dig – July 2009!

Unblurred – Friday, July 3, 5PM – 2AM

Various galleries in the Penn Avenue Arts District (4800-5500 Penn Avenue) will open their doors and showcase a variety of artwork and performances. Guests will experience new art and meet the most eclectic array of art makers, old and young, modern and classical, famous and amateur, emerging and veteran, all within walking distance of each other.

The evening brings people of all backgrounds together to socialize, mingle and enjoy the art and entertainment around them. Many of the district’s performance studios often involve their audience in the creative process. Both Attack Theatre and the Pittsburgh Glass Center engage their audiences into the creative processes of dance and glass making.

Participating art venues range from all mediums of art – glass, dance, sculpture, clothing, paintings, clay, spoken word and a vast array of music. There is a little taste of everything on Penn Avenue! Visit us during Unblurred and check it out!

Independence Day at Point State Park – Saturday, July 4, 1PM – 10PM

Point State Park… located at the tip of Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle … is the site of Pittsburgh’s daylong Independence Day Celebration. Musical Acts & Entertainment start in the afternoon, and end with a 21-Gun Salute followed by a really big Fireworks Display at 9:30 PM. 1000’s of People turn out, but you can also view the fireworks from a variety of ‘ less crowded ‘ locations nearby.

Fourth of July at Point State Park activities begin at 1 PM.

Yart Sale – Sunday, July 5, 9AM – 5PM

Join us in the PCA parking lot. Admission and parking are free for this lively, artistic spin on the traditional yard sale.  Featuring over 30 individual artists and several PF/PCA departments bringing affordable original works, prints, decorative arts, art books, art supplies, equipment for art making, and some collectibles.

Our department of School and Community Programs will be holding a bake sale, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting that department, and teaching artists specifically.  Ceramics-access Artist Members are producing ceramics to be donated to PCA, and sold to help pay for kiln repairs.

Sunday, July 5 – 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
6300 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh 15232 / 412-361-0873

Bach, Beethoven and Brunch – Sundays in July (5, 12, 19, 26), 10:30AM – 12PM

This longtime favorite series entertains music lovers on the lawn at Mellon Park. Satisfy your appetite for classical music by treating yourself to a special Sunday morning composed of Bach, Beethoven and Brunch. Join us for this delightful buffet of classical melodies. Don’t miss the “Best Brunch” competition during intermission – the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts will award prizes!

Wine Loft Tweetup – Friday, July 10, 5:30PM – 7PM

Think Like a Leader – Friday, July 10, 1PM – 4PM

CALLING ALL LEADERS: This Workshop is designed to transform you and the power of your influence.  Don’t miss this one-of-a-king opportunity for personal and business development!

Presented by Pittsburgh Professional Women

Kayak Pittsburgh Tweetup – Saturday, July 11, 10AM – 1PM

Women’s Small Business Week – Monday, July 13 – Thursday, July 16

The event includes the following: Marketing A Small Business, how to market a small business on a minimal budget; Health & Wellness for Better Business, how to protect a business owner’s most important asset, their health; Financial Strategies During a Recession, financial strategies that will keep the recession from having an impact on one’s business; Career and Business Opportunities, information on what businesswomen will need to make an informed decision on a career change or income supplement.

The Women’s Small Business Association is proud to announce Women’s Small Business Week, from July 13 through July 16, 2009. This five-day event will offer participants the opportunity to attend seminars led by industry experts, showcase their businesses by participating in exhibit booths, network with other professionals, and interview with business owners offering new opportunities. Seminars and exhibit booths will focus on topics important to today’s business women and will provide information for personal and professional growth.

Business for Breakfast – Wednesday, July 15, 8AM – 9:30AM

Featuring: Chuck Herring, Chuck Herring Speaks, Unlimited Topic: TEAMWORK: The Ant Way! Teams that have the best communication skills are always more effective, more productive and have more fun. Major problems occur when “teammates” don’t understand where the other person is coming from.

Chuck Herring, professional speaker and author, will show you and your organization how to speak the hidden languages of your “teammates” (coworkers, prospects, customers, spouses, etc.) so that you are all on the same page during these tough economic times.

First Step to Small Business Success – Wednesday, July 15, 1PM – 3PM

This is an informal workshop offered approximately every four weeks at locations throughout Westmoreland and Fayette Counties.  It covers various topics such as personal issues of being an entrepreneur, financing a business, the business planning process, marketing, mechanics of starting a business, regulations governing a business, and other resources that may be of assistance.  SBDC consultants present this program and are available to answer any questions about initiating a successful business.

BizMix at the LeMont – Thursday, July 16, 5:30PM – 7:30PM

Join the Pittsburgh Business Times and our partners to mix, mingle and network with Pittsburgh business professionals at our first in a series of BizMix evening networking events. This is also a great opportunity to meet and visit with Business Times editors, reporters and staff in an informal setting.

With the economy challenged, now is the time to reach out and expand your base of professional contacts. Bring your business cards and get ready to make new acquaintances. Most of this open-house style event will be informal networking.

Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District – Friday, July 17, 5:30PM – 9PM

Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh – Friday, July 17, 9PM – 12AM

Everything you need to mix up a spectacular night takes place high above the city streets in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District.Join us for Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh 2009, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Partners Board. This third annual summer rooftop party will celebrate 25 years of the Trust and feature:

Fabulous food, delectable desserts and creative cocktails from the Cultural District’s best restaurants

Cosmic readings that will amaze and intrigue

A sensorial journey created by Bricolage that will amuse and inspire

Dancing until midnight under the downtown lights with DJ Edgar UM

A celebration of theater, music, art, dance and The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s 25th Anniversary.

Pittsburgh’s Amazing Bowling Race – Saturday, July 18, 9AM – 3PM

Besides raising your adrenaline, your participation in PABR will help raise money and awareness for the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh in support of their mission to end intimate partner abuse in the lives of local women and children. Additionally, proceeds from PABR will help the Three Rivers Eastern Area Tournament (TREAT) continue its work with other Pittsburgh-area charities and community non-profit organizations.

ModCloth Fashion Show – Saturday, July 18, 11AM – 2PM

Local fashionista, “Pittsburgh’s 50 Finest” honoree Gretchen Harnick partners with ultrahip ModCloth to resurrect the fashion salon. A fashion salon is a place for women to visit a particular designer’s showroom, preview each season’s collection, and place personal orders. The fashion salon is not a place for sexy models strutting to liquid-dance music down a darkened runway, but rather an intimate gathering perfectly staged at The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

The 1950’s Finest Fashion Salon, a play on the title “50 Finest”, is the first time local e-tailer ModCloth will be showing its clothing in a local fashion show. This successful business venture sells strictly online, and the owners are proud to partner with Gretchen for this charity fashion salon benefitting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. ModCloth will be donating 10% of online sales from their website, July 24^th, toward the cystic fibrosis foundation as well. Entering CURE10 at the checkout will register you as a supporter of the cause.

Pittsburgh’s Small Press Festival – Saturday, July 18 – Sunday, July 19, 12PM – 6PM

SPF is Pittsburgh’s Small Press Festival featuring presses, organizations, and publications from the tri-state region. It is sponsored by Open Thread (www.openthread.org) and is supported in part by a Seed Award from The Sprout Fund.

The festival will be held throughout July and will feature readings, release parties, panel discussions, and other gatherings. The central facet of SPF, however, will be a weekend expo of publications held on July 18th and 19th at the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery on CMU campus.

Tailoring Your Pitches to the Changing Media Landscape in Pittsburgh – Wednesday, July 22, 8:30AM – 10:30AM

A panel of Pittsburgh media will be discussing the changing media landscape and how we as PR professionals can tailor our pitches for print, TV, Web and Web 2.0. A few of the questions they will be addressing is – How do traditional broadcast media get their news leads lately? Do they handle stories differently on the Web than they do print or TV? Is there a parallel between traditional media Web sites and Web magazines? Are there stories more appropriate for Web than for print or TV? Has the way we should be pitching stories changed or is it that now there are additional ways to pitch stories?

AMA’s Summer Networking Mixer – Thursday, July 23, 5:30PM – 7:30PM

Mattress Factory – Gestures – Friday, July 24, 7:30PM – 9:30PM

Walk With Me Pittsburgh – Saturday, July 25, 8AM – 12PM

Join us for a morning of fun and excitement as we walk to put hope within reach for children and adults with disabilities and other special needs!

7th Annual Multiple Sclerosis Golf Outing – Friday, July 31, 10AM – 5PM

Gather your friends, family and coworkers, and join us for a fun day of golf to support The 7th Annual MS Golf Outing with proceeds going to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society!

THE EVENT WILL BE HELD AT THE BLACKHAWK GOLF COURSE IN CHIPPEWA, PA ON FRIDAY, July 31st, 2009.