Summer Sounds, Greensburg's Concert in the Park

Friday evening, the whole family took our blankets and cooler to the Summer Sounds concert at the Robertshaw Amphitheater at St. Clair Park.  I'm going to share what fun we had there, but first I have a tangent about my Greensburg Directions.

I started mentioning the things that used to be at current sites to poke a little fun at us Greensburgers' bad habit of giving people - even out-of-towners - directions based upon land marks that aren't there any more.  (My dad was once given directions that included making a turn "where the barn that burned down 10 years ago was.")  But digging into these details keeps piquing my curiosity.  So even though Greensburg's original school house has been gone far too long for anyone to tell you to "take Arch Avenue past where the school house used to be," here are some interesting facts about St. Clair Park - facts that further demonstrate what a cool town we live in.

• The park is named for Arthur St. Clair, one of the first presidents of our country.  "What?!" you say.  See image above.  Also, learn how he was quite the important figure in early American history in this Post-Gazette article, published earlier this year.
• It was originally St. Clair Cemetery.  St. Clair's remains remain (as well as a few others), but the rest of the cemetery was moved ages ago.
• The site was home to Greensburg's first school, originally erected as a one-room, log building in the 1780s.   In 1833, it was replaced by a brick edifice where it held classes until 1857 when the new railroad made the location too noisy.
• In 1911, Mrs. Lloyd B. Huff, prominent wife of a banker, had her gardener cut the grass at the site to give kids a central play area.  This started the chain of events that eventually lead to the creation of the Greensburg Recreation Board in 1949. 
• It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The playground holds a special place in my heart because we would walk there from our house on Center Avenue (and my grandparents' on Arch) when I was a small child.  I love, love, love that St. Clair Park has been a place for play and entertainment for over 100 years.

And, of course, St. Clair Park is now home to Robertshaw Amphitheater (completed in 2000, although the city originally planned to build it way back in the 1950s), the venue for the city's summer concert series.  Which is what I set out to describe.  Anyone still with me?

Well, this part is easy.  Whether your Friday plans include hanging out with friends, fun for the whole family, or a date night, the concert in the park fits the bill. Yes, it's really that one-size-fits-all. 

Despite arriving very close to the 7:00 start, we were able to find a parking place a short walk up the hill from the entrance on Maple Avenue.  It was also no problem to find the four of us a good spot to sit on the lawn.  And the atmosphere is awesome!  Friendly and fun - like everyone there knows everyone there.  (We did also run into several people we actually know.) 

After opening act Zachary Hudson, Civil Twilight, a band from South Africa, took the stage.  Civil Twilight is described on the Summer Sounds® website as "Coldplay meets U2 meets Moody Blues."  I don't want to dwell too much on the band, since the point of this post is about how cool it is that the City of Greensburg has been offering these concerts for FREE on Fridays through the last ten summers, so I'll suffice it to say that Summer Sounds organizers are bringing in interesting and talented bands for these events.  So if you were thinking free concert = lousy act, think again.

Although the concerts are free, Summer Sounds has volunteers at a table collecting donations to help keep the series going.  Another way the concerts in the park make for a cheap, fun evening is that you're able to bring your own picnic basket or cooler.  If you want to travel light, you can grab refreshments at the concession stand.  The volunteers at the stand seemed quite busy throughout the evening, despite the fact that most people brought their own food and beverage - including alcoholic beverages even though, strictly speaking, they're not permitted in the park.

We left before the concert was over to get our girls into bed on time (more or less!), so I wasn't there to see 1) how much of a challenge the departing crowd was in terms of walking out and driving home or 2) the state of the park at the end of the event.  I'd like to hear from someone about how much clean up is required, as it really appeared that people were being good stewards of the park's environment and cleaning up after themselves.

Anyway, if you (like me!) haven't taken the chance over the last 10 summers to visit St. Clair park a summer Friday at 7:00 for a free concert, you should.  Even if you live outside Greensburg itself, it's worth the short trip in to experience one of these events.

I think we visited every dog at the park that night!

Sources of information:

• Learn about the history of Summer Sounds® here and here.
• www.inwestmoreland.com
• www.summersounds.com
• Van Atta, Robert B. (1999).  A Bicentennial History of the City of Greensburg.  Chas. M. Henry Printing Company, Greensburg.