Fire dancers among entertainers, artists participating in first Sizzling Summer Night in New Kensington

Saturday night promises to be a hot time in New Kensington.

Nearly 50 businesses and a baker’s dozen of entertainers — including fire dancers — are scheduled to participate in New Ken’s Sizzling Summer Night, a first-time event running from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fifth Avenue between Eighth and 11th streets.

It’s being organized by Shop Small New Ken, which is creating events in the downtown business district to help support and grow the city’s many unique small businesses, said Jamie Parker, owner of Sweet Alchemy, a vegan bake shop.

Parker said she and Michelle Thom, operations manager of Voodoo Brewing New Kensington Pub, came up with the idea.

“We’re striving to change the conversation about New Kensington while assisting local businesses to gain visibility,” Parker said. “We believe it’s important to create fun and thrilling events to encourage people to keep coming to the city or come for the first time.”

Thom said they wanted an event incorporating the arts and entertainment. In addition to fire dancers, there will be a stilt walker, a pop-locking dancer, live art demonstrations, a drum circle, face painting and a mime.

“We wanted to create an event that did not focus heavily on music, but brought something very different to our downtown,” she said. “We have many entertainers that you will not usually find at an event together.”

Joe Grau, 33, of Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes has been fire dancing — or fire spinning, which he says is the preferred term — for about eight years.

“When done right by trained professionals, fire spinning is a relatively safe activity,” he said. “A lot of it involves safety precautions.”

Grau said there is something fulfilling about taking the innate fear of fire, embracing it and using it in art.

“It’s magnetic,” he said. “A review I always get is it’s a very memorable, entrancing thing. Most people have not seen this unless they happen to wander into it.”

Donald Wilson, 58, is a barber in New Kensington. Some know him as Sodda Pop Kid, a nickname he got when he was 19. He has been pop locking, a style of dance he called a cousin of breakdancing and part of Michael Jackson’s routine, since he was 17.

Wilson will performing at 4:30 p.m. outside Voodoo.

“I’m kind of excited to do it. I haven’t actually performed in a while. I still practice all the time,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how old you get. If you take care of yourself and you practice, you can still be good at whatever you’re doing.”

Joel Gabelli of New Kensington calls his caricatures “realisticatures.” He charges $10 per face, discounted for three or more combined.

“I don’t agree with the traditional style of caricatures that seem to be portrayed,” he said. “Oversized heads and exaggerated features are fun and all. I aim for accuracy.”

Rather than having subjects sit while he draws, Gabelli said he takes pictures and works from those.

“It results in better drawings because the picture holds still,” he said.

Thom said many of the vendors, nonprofits and retailers have created activities that will keep kids and adults engaged during the evening.

“This is an event where everyone can experience something new that they may have never seen before,” she said.