Inaugural Pine Brook Arts Festival Saturday, April 30
This Saturday, April 30 from 12-4 p.m., United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA (UNC) and Lackawanna County Department of Arts & Culture will present the 1st Pine Brook Arts Festival in the neighborhood, taking place at John Adams Elementary School playground on Saturday, April 30 from 12-4 p.m. The festival will feature local artists and organizations providing family-friendly art projects along with art and cultural experience.
This event is part of UNC’s Pine Brook Neighborhood Revitalization Plan. Art activities include canvas painting projects, jewelry and button making, balloon animal sculptures, music, and dance performances. Organizations are providing photo booths, jumbo table games, a sensory tent, and more. Food vendors include Antonio’s Pizza, El Buen Amigo, Northern Light Espresso Bar, and more. The University of Scranton is sponsoring a kid’s painting project and free ice cream for children (while supplies last). Other participating businesses and community partners include Scranton Preparatory School, Scranton Fringe, Center for Independent Living, Lettieri Auction, Black Scranton Project, Electric City Axe Throwing, On and On, Johnson College and many more!
Pine Brook Project Manager, Holly Yorkonis says, “This event was a joy to put together for the neighborhood, the support from local artists and businesses has been astonishing! Being able to bring diverse art to the neighborhood, giving local residents access to art and education will make a collective positive impact on the community as a whole!”
In addition to serving as an event sponsor, 25 University of Scranton students from Dr. Chandra Nealon’s OT 231 Neuroanatomy of Function course developed art projects to share with the children and community members of Pine Brook. Using concepts learned in their course, future OT practitioners developed meaningful activities including homemade stress balls (connecting tactile stimulation to reticular formation for calming), sensory bags (tactile & visual stimulation including object identification), homemade memory matching game (connecting construction motor skills with the visual & limbic systems), and homemade beaded bracelets including "finding" beads in rice (connecting tactile stimulation with stereognosis while incorporating fractionated movement of hands/fingers).
The University will also host a pop-up oral history collection booth as a part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project. Started in the fall of 2021, this project is an effort led by The University of Scranton with multiple community-partners and supported by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to explore Scranton’s history, culture, and role in the nation at large. This project aims to tell the story of our nation through the lens of Scranton, PA by amplifying the voices, experiences, and ideas of the people of Scranton, both those that live here today and those that have important connections to our city. Through the collection of Scranton stories at various community events, the project team hopes to capture the myriad stories of love, hope, challenges, traditions, frustrations, and community that interconnect to form the fabric of the Scranton.
Admission for the Pine Brook Arts Festival is free and open to the public with free parking available in the Junior Lot at Scranton Preparatory School on Ash Street.
Members of the University and greater Scranton area communities are invited for a fun-filled day of art, theater, and education at John Adams School playground at 927 Capouse Ave, Scranton PA 18509.
Interested volunteers can contact Holly at hyorkonis@uncnepa.org.
For more information, please contact Holly Yorkonis by email at hyorkonis@uncnepa.org or call (272) 228-1366
