photo by Haley Wisniewski
Visitors at the Pittsburgh Zoo watch two tigers playing on Nov 9. as part of RADical Days, which organized 20 free events to the public.
photo by Haley Wisniewski
Kris Tranter and his daughters Maggie and Meredith admire the giraffe at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Nov. 9 This closed out this year’s RADical Days, which organized 20 free events to the public.
The last week of September kicked off RADical Days 2014 with a free tour of PNC Park.
The events continued on throughout all of October, including free museum tours and concerts for the public.
Last Sunday, a free trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium finished off the year for the RADical Days.
After its 13th year, the Regional Assets District (RAD) has pulled off one of its most successful RADical Days, consisting of 20 days of free events for the public that involved more than 50,000 people.
“It originally started as a way to say ‘thank you’ to the public for their support through the sales tax, for them to be provided an opportunity for people who might not have otherwise been able to attend, and to give people a chance to try something new,” Julie Goetz, the Communications Manager for RAD, said.
Beginning in 2001, the Allegheny Regional Assets District created the RADical Days to give back to the people from the one percent county sales tax which funds the area’s regional attractions such as the Allegheny County Library Association and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. From what started out as a weekend of free admission to only the Pittsburgh Zoo, Phipps Conservatory, the National Aviary, and the Carnegie museums, the idea grew and reached out to all of the organizations funded by RAD.
This year, these art and culture organizations held events all around the Pittsburgh area that spanned up to three weeks for the public to attend for free, giving students the opportunity to try something different that was close to campus. Though attendance is usually weather-dependent, the people of Allegheny County have managed to raise the number attended at some events and stay in the same number range with the rest of the events compared to last year’s showing.
As the Pittsburgh Pirates were heading to the playoffs for the second year in a row, PNC Park opened its doors for people to tour “the most beautiful ballpark in the world,” as guide Joe Espey described it on Sept. 26. Taking a certain number of people at a time, the line stretched all the way down Federal Street of eager Pirate fans waiting to see the magic up close, and it was only 10 a.m.
Following, the rest of September’s and nearly all of October’s calendars were flooded with RADical Day events around all parts of Pittsburgh. In Oakland, Phipps Conservatory, the Frick Fine Arts Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art & History welcomed guests to observe the art and artifacts displayed.
North Shore events included admission to the Andy Warhol Museum, the Carnegie Science Center, the National Aviary, a tour of Heinz Field and more. Some days offered more than one event to give participants an option of what to do.
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium free day had to be pushed back to due to roadwork, but that did not stop hundreds of people attending. On a surprisingly warm and sunny November day, children to adults went about the zoo to see the animals and fish from around the world. The zoo also featured musical acts by the Pittsburgh Mini-CLO and the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra.
“I think it’s great especially for people who maybe cannot afford it,” Sherri Thiele of Bethel Park, who attended the zoo and science center RADical Days this year, said.
The RADical Days has brought the people of Pittsburgh together to events along with proving how great “free” really is.
