Aspinwall Neighbors' community event another 'big' hit

Joanna Studeny of Aspinwall couldn’t stop smiling as she watched her young daughter make new friends at the borough ball field.

Four-year-old June Mastrangelo never hesitated to splatter bubbles or dive into a pile of suds sprayed by Camp Guyasuta volunteers. It wasn’t for a merit badge or some cooperation citation.

She and dozens of other kids were just having some good clean fun Thursday, Aug. 8, at the annual Aspinwall Neighbors’ Big Night Out celebration at the Aspinwall Recreational Site along Field Avenue.

“She’s been talking about this since last year,” Studeny said. “I think it’s so cute. It’s exciting to me because they love it so much. It’s fun to see other people in the community and people who have businesses and have booths up.”

One of June’s new friends was Ellie Fitch, 6, of Aspinwall. She served as a model while June attempted to dress her in the latest bubble fashion.

Ellie’s father, Adam Fitch, said the event was a great opportunity for families to get in one more major fun activity before the school year starts.

“Everybody’s really nice and there’s cool stuff for the kids to do,” Fitch said. “Families come over here and enjoy it. It makes for a great time and a lot of fun for everyone. They get to run into their day care friends or their school friends that maybe they haven’t seen in a while because summer gets a little busy.

“They can reconnect with some of their friends and meet some new ones. My kids (also) like the bouncy house, so I let them jump around in there for a while. It’s pretty entertaining. We’ve been here a few years now.”

Admission was free.

In addition to bouncy houses, there were games, face painting, photo booths, informational booths from multiple organizations and a Neighborhood Lounge where adults sampled drinks from local distilleries and breweries.

Local first responders had their emergency vehicles out for families to explore. Aspinwall police handed out coloring books while firefighters gave away plastic hats.

Big Night Out is a summer tradition going back more than a decade.

Last year, about 1,500 people participated.

It takes a team of volunteers to help coordinate everything for the three-hour event.

Sarah Shaffer, president of Aspinwall Neighbors, said they usually start planning in January or early February.

“Things are going really well,” Shaffer said. “I think it’s a great turnout. Looks like people are having fun.”

DJ Coco Bee got things going shortly before the Pittsburgh band Paging Doctor Moon took the stage.

The layout remained largely the same as previous years.

The biggest change involved food. Several restaurants provided free samples last year, all of which were gone within the first hour or so.

This time, places such as Spice Affair and Cornerstone Restaurant & Bar brought a lot more.

Casa Del Sole donated more than 30 large pizzas as a fundraiser for Aspinwall Tee Ball. The youth athletic association sold the pizza as well as hot dogs, nachos and walking tacos at the concession stand.

Tyler Brown recently moved to Aspinwall and became Cornerstone’s sous chef in March. Big Night Out was his first major community event.

“Things at Cornerstone are great,” Brown said. “We got really good food and very fair prices. That’s a very big thing, especially with smaller communities. This is something that’s very nice to have going on, especially for the surrounding communities.”

Aspinwall Neighbors volunteers also made cotton candy and served free popcorn.

Sponsors included State Farm, Print Tech, UPMC St. Margaret hospital, The District Association and blink.

Trash talk

Aspinwall Neighbors also partnered with the borough and the Pennsylvania Resources Council to help make Big Night Out a zero-waste event.

It was the third year for the partnership geared toward reducing the amount of trash headed to landfills and increasing recycling and sustainability.

There were several stations throughout the ball fields that had separate bins for trash, plastics and other items.

Grant talk

Big Night Out also served as a de facto launch of a new Aspinwall Neighbors grant program.

The advocacy group partnered with RE/MAX Select Realty to offer $1,000 grants to residents for community projects.

Realtor Patti McCaffrey said she was able to present Shaffer’s grant idea to owner Ed Rae earlier this year, and he jumped at the chance to help.

“He loved the idea of community engagement and couldn’t wait to sign up and be part of it,” said McCaffrey, who had an informational booth.

“This is the best year ever,” McCaffrey said of the event.

“Everybody’s smiling and happy, and there’s something for everybody. Where else can you come as a family and get all this in one place? It brings all the neighbors and vendors together. It’s a great way to be even more ingrained in the community.”

People can apply for the grant online via aspinwallneighbors.org.