Aspinwall's first-ever Big Night Out to promote community

Big plans are in the works for Aspinwall’s inaugural Big Night Out.

Scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 11, the event is pegged as a community celebration and a chance to meet and mingle with many local organizations.

It is expected to draw more than 1,300 people to the borough baseball fields.

“We look forward to bringing together old friends, welcoming new neighbors and showcasing the amazing businesses that make Aspinwall such a great place to live, work and visit,” said Sarah Shaffer, president of advocacy group Aspinwall Neighbors.

For many years, the group hosted a similar event called National Night Out. With a cover charge of $5 and up, the event served as a fundraiser for local police and emergency services.

A big change with this year’s model is free admission.

“We want to ensure there are no barriers to community participation,” Shaffer said.

Money will be raised through sponsorships and on-site fundraisers, namely a 50/50 raffle and a donation box. Proceeds will benefit Aspinwall Neighbors and its upcoming projects that include a mural, a “good neighbor” grant fund and a community cookbook.

Organizers are eager to host the get-together after it was shuttered two years during the pandemic. Already, more than 35 businesses have committed to sponsorships, and there are nearly 20 booths that will be represented by local groups, including Aspinwall Garden, BikePGH, Camp Guyasuta, FC Pride and Three Rivers Rowing Club.

Megan Fogt, youth services department head at Cooper-Siegel Community Library, said her booth will offer participants the chance to recycle old CDs into suncatchers.

“We love how events like Big Night Out provide us with opportunities to celebrate our community and meet members of our community both old and new,” Fogt said.

Other groups represented will include the Aspinwall Chess Club with on-site games for all skill levels. The League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh will offer voter registration, and the Pittsburgh Glass Center will present a glassblowing demonstration.

The list continues to grow each day.

Shaffer contracted with Pittsburgh Resource Council for the gathering to be a Zero Waste Event, with sponsors and participants encouraged to use recyclable and compostable materials.

“Continuing this theme, our photo booth backdrop will be made from upcycled and found items, as well as items purchased from Creative Reuse Pittsburgh,” Shaffer said.

Jeff Alexander from Pittsburgh Resource Council said a Zero Waste Event aims to reduce waste holistically. That includes purchasing, using and disposing of resources before, during and after the event.

“It aims to minimize the production of discards, direct the discards we have to reuse, recycling or composting, and manage what we have left as responsibly as possible,” Alexander said.

In 2019, the “Neighborhood Lounge” was introduced as a section of the baseball fields reserved for guests 21 and older. That section returns this year with free samples from several local distilleries and breweries.

For the younger crowd, there will be a Star Wars-themed inflatable obstacle course, an inflatable battle ax game, spray tattoos, balloon twisters, cotton candy, popcorn and live music.

Shaffer said that last year, many local businesses still were recovering from having lost profits and staffing shortages during the pandemic.

“We couldn’t ask them to cover the cost to put on an event, but we missed gathering as a community,” she said. “That forced us to re-imagine how we funded our organization, which is entirely volunteer run. We decided to ask for annual community partners and turned to long-time supporters of National Night Out.”

Their support allowed organizers to offer discounted booths for small businesses.

“We didn’t want the cost to participate to keep any business from connecting with their community,” Shaffer said.

“Our primary goal of Aspinwall’s Big Night Out is not fundraising, but community building.”