Bethel Park Arts & Music Festival a crowd pleaser
Event exceeds expectations
Andy Amrhein is well known in Bethel Park because he has a hand in virtually everything happening throughout the municipality.
The owner of Evey True Value Hardware and Rental Store on Library Road, he’s involved in Bethel Park’s Fantastic Four Charities, including the community and education foundations, historical society and public library.
Yet nothing pleased him more than co-chairing the Bethel Park Arts and Music Festival for the third year in a row with Christine McIntosh.
Amrhein beamed as he gazed over the Park Avenue Streetscape, which has become a destination spot on the final Saturday in July in Bethel Park for visitors from as near as Mt. Lebanon and as far away as New York.
“I love my golf outing and Bethel Bounty and I like all the library events we do but how many times can I throw a party and have 5,000 of my closest friends show up?” Amrhein asked. “I’m having more fun today than any event I do.”
Amrhein as well as the public works department, the municipality and school district outdid themselves as the festival more than doubled its size and scope from previous years.
Some 115 artists participated, up from 80 vendors last year. They showcased their photography, wood work, glass fixtures, jewelry and mixed media pieces. More than 12 musical acts performed and a dozen food trucks participated from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Wonderful,” said Andy Amrhein when asked how the festival was going. “The event exceeded even my expectations.”
Amrhein admitted he always has very big goals that are “never realistic” but he was thrilled with the turnout as he watched the school buses transporting people from satellite parking lots, including the high school, to the event.
“All the buses are filled,” he exclaimed. “We have more artists than we’ve ever had.
“I just like walking around and having people tell me they’re happy. If they’re happy, then I’m happy because we like to do this for the community.”
Camille Opferman and Rachel Bridge, both of Bethel Park, were pleased with the event.
Opferman attended the first year because of a friend’s father. He was dying from cancer and before his life’s journey ended he was able to present his art at the festival. She missed the event last year because she didn’t know when it was.
When they came across a social media post promoting the festival, Opferman and Bridge decided to attend. They were not disappointed.
“They have really good artists,” Opferman said. “In comparison to others I have been to, this is one of the best.”
Bridge echoed that sentiment.
“I think this place is great,” she said. “I’ve spent a lot of money here, but I’m happy with all my purchases.”
John Sigg of Bethel Park was content with the musical acts and the use of the Schoolhouse Arts & History Center for the live performances. He remembers sitting outside in the sweltering heat last year listening to several bands. Although he was pleased the musical acts were moved indoors this year, he missed the variety of genres.
“I like being inside, because it was too hot last year, but I also prefer the bands as opposed to the single acts. I wanted to hear band music but I didn’t know how they would be doing that in this place,” Sigg said.
The festival featured more than a dozen musicians and ensembles. Scheduled at the Schoolhouse Arts and History Center were: Acoustic Brew 412; CAMA-Cello & Violin; Harry L. Funk; Mike Ferrari Music; The Joe and Jackie Show; and Andrew Bicsey.
The community center featured: Jessica Lee & Friends Jazz Duo; Jahn Sarkis Duo; Rick Purcell Duo; Hugo Cruz and Caminos LLC; and Antoinette Managas and Sean Baker.
Sigg listened to the acts performing at the schoolhouse.
“These were good. I mean, I just sat here and listened to someone play a flute or a clarinet and there was an accordion player,” he enthused. “I never thought I’d sit through that, but I did because that was really good.”
Sigg also added that the acoustics were really “great” as well. The musicians agreed.
“The acoustics inside the old schoolhouse are fantastic,” said Funk. “I don’t know about myself, but the musicians that I heard, it really reverberated throughout the hall. It was a real pleasure to play there.”
Funk also noted the renovations done to the structure the past 10 years as well as the strides the festival has made in its three years.
“(The schoolhouse) has been fixed up beautifully and this is a really fantastic event,” he said. ”
The festival provided a small-time vibe for Cosmin Sandru and Grazia Curatolo. They lived in New York City before moving to Bethel Park in 2018.
After seeing a post on Instagram and reading a flyer at Reginald’s Coffee Shop on South Park Road, they decided to attend the event with their infant daughter, Nicoletta Sandru.
“A nice little weekend getaway,” said Curatolo of the outing. “Take the baby out in the stroller and see the artists in the community. They’re selling really nice things. Beautiful,” she exclaimed.
Cosmin enjoyed the serenity of the event. “It’s a lot quieter,” he said. “This is very nice. It’s also nice to support local artists.”
Paige Landay of Mt. Lebanon did double duty during the festival.
As an art teacher at Bethel Park High School, she helped with the art club’s fundraising efforts. For a $5 cash donation, chalk artists could pick their colors and create a square on the pavement.
“I love this event. It is wonderful,” Landay enthused.
Landay also supported a former student when she purchased artwork from Atiya Foulke’s craft booth inside the community center. “I’m happy to be a part of it, and not only that, I’m getting to walk around, see all the artwork of previous students and of artists in the community. It’s nice there is such support for this from the community.”
For Foulke, who attends Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, it was her first art show. To ease her nerves and to assist with the sales from her woodcut prints, Foulke enlisted the help of her sister, Ailsa, who is a rising senior at Bethel Park High School.
“I’m having a lot of fun,” Foulke said. “I’ve had so much fun getting to know people and talking about art. It was great to be with people with shared interests.”
While the event was free to attend for the general public, the artists benefited most from the exposure. According to Amrhein, there was no cost for them to participate. “And everything they make is theirs,” he said. “This is something we’ve always wanted to do for the artists.
“Some of their items are amazing,” he continued. “So many artists here are showing some really beautiful things.”
Kristen Denne, who is the municipal manager, agreed with Amrhein. She said not only was this year the “best one” in the festival’s three-year history, it appealed to all tastes and preferences.
“It’s been a great day,” she said. “We’ve had lots of visitors from here and neighboring communities. There’s art and music for everyone to enjoy of every style and every genre. Lots of good food to go around,” she added.
“We hope that everybody got a chance to come down here and enjoy what we have here to offer.”