As previously mentioned, last weekend, Polish Hill was all about the festivals. The Free4All Music Festival, which ran for two days, was the newest. The festival was produced by Project 53, the nonprofit musician’s resource center on Melwood, with a grant from the Sprout Fund.
During Free4All there were performances at West Penn, the Falcon venue, and the big tent at the arts festival. There were also music workshops at Project 53, on topics such as xylophone, do-it-yourself musical instruments, and the accordian. Dozens of musicians participated, mostly from Pittsburgh, but some from as far away as Minnesota and North Carolina.
Both of the above photos were taken at the performance by the Runaway Circus, from Asheville, North Carolina. The Runaway Circus is a vaudeville-style act that includes slapstick, music, dancing, magic tricks, juggling, acrobatics, and more. The performance, which attracted an appreciative audience and lots of kids, took place in the Red Theater at the Falcon Venue, in the former Emma Kauffman Clinic and Falcons Club on Brereton Street.