In Concert
PENN TWP — The fourth season of the Picnic in the Park series of free concerts at Succop Nature Park, 185 W. Airport Road, will be shorter than previous years.
But Chris Kubiak, director of education for the Audubon Society which owns the 50-acre park, said the concerts should prepare the community for even bigger future events at the park.
“One of the big things we are really excited about is we are going to begin construction on the barn beginning in August.”
“This is going to be our jump to a larger retinue of programs for the community,” he said.
The 1886-era barn on the property will be converted into an environmental learning center with classrooms, meeting rooms and other amenities.
“It's really a neat barn. We haven't put it to any use,” said Kubiak. “We're going to turn that into classrooms and nature programming and have a nature store there that will feature bird seed, bird houses and bird feeders, similar to what we have at Beechwood Farm (the society's headquarters and nature preserve in Allegheny County).”
One of the improvements to the barn will be the installation of a wind turbine system to provide clean energy to its future classrooms and nature store.
“The barn work will last about a year from beginning to end,” said Kubiak.
Playing in the two concerts scheduled this summer are the Sawyer Stepp Band and an Irish session band featuring Succop naturalist Ryan Stauffer.
Kubiak said people can bring their own picnic baskets and blankets and enjoy the music and natural surroundings.
“The picnics in the park we see as whetting the appetite for new programs that will start in 2018,” he said. “In the future, we can have movies in the park. A lot of the programs are free.”
Jim Bonner, executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, said, “Obviously as an organization we are strongly involved in engaging the public. We want more people to come to the park to enjoy the outdoors.
“They can come on their own. We offer specific programs like the walks that are more organized, but we want to give everyone a chance to get outside.”
The park is open from dawn to dusk seven days a week.
“We want the community to realize this is an asset for them. They can come for a picnic and walk the trails, walk the grounds,” said Kubiak.
“I see the picnics in the park as the opening salvo to new public and community programs that we are pushing here,” Kubiak said.
For instance, the Audubon Society would like to hear from local theater groups that might be interested in staging productions at the park.
In the meantime, Kubiak said the concerts will give people a view of what the park is like.
“Bring the whole family, listen to some really cool music at Succop Nature Park,” he said.
WHAT: Picnic in the Park free concerts.WHEN: Concerts begin at 6:30 p.m.July 20, Sawyer Stepp Band, blues/rock music.Aug. 17, Succop Irish Session Group, traditional Irish music featuring Succop naturalist Ryan Stauffer on the Irish pipes, while the Succop Irish Session Group plays traditional Irish music.WHERE: The Succop Nature Park pavilion.DETAILS: Admission is free. BYOB is permitted.
