The Steel City is throwing a massive birthday blowout and you’re all invited.
Pittsburgh turns the big 2-5-0 next year and to commemorate the occasion city leaders are hosting a series of events throughout 2008 in hopes people from this country and those throughout the world will travel to the area to help celebrate. In the process city officials are hoping to change the way people perceive the city.
Tourism officials say their goal is to get visitors to realize that Pittsburgh is no longer “a smoky steel town but a city with a thriving cultural district, world-class universities and an impressive vista.” To achieve that goal event organizers have come up with the slogan: “Imagine what you can do here.” The new catch phrase helps highlight major innovations that have come out of the Pittsburgh region. For example, most people don’t know that the first Big Mac was made in the area, as was the first aluminum can pop-top.
In addition, dozens of other events will be held in conjunction with the 250th anniversary celebration. One of the biggest will be the completion of the Great Allegheny Passage, a 185-mile series of hiking and biking trails between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland. The passage is part of a larger series of trails running from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.
Mark your calendars for October—-that’s when an inaugural ride on the passage will be led by a contingent of black-and-gold bicycles (black and gold are the colors of the city’s three professional sports teams — Penguins, Steelers and Pirates.) The ride will end at Point State Park, where the 250 Festival of Lights will transform the city’s downtown area into works of art with high-tech lighting and sound effects.
Before the big bike ride the 36-acre Point State Park will undergo a $35 million renovation. The improvements will include spotlighting the park’s historical significance. It played a crucial role in the French and Indian War, when British, French and Indian forces battled for control of the land. It’s also where General John Forbes and George Washington named the land Pittsburgh, for Sir William Pitt, in 1758.
In addition, next summer, the city will host the final stage of a major cycling competition known as the Tour of Pennsylvania. It is being billed as the first Tour de France-style race in the U.S., and who knows, perhaps Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement to participate. The race begins in Philadelphia on June 24th and arrives in Pittsburgh five days later. The grand prize is $250,000.
And professional bicyclists aren’t the only ones getting in on the celebration. Some of the city’s major sports teams are getting birthday ready as well. Members of the Pittsburgh Penguins are wearing a circular black-and-gold patch that says “Pittsburgh 250” on their jerseys and the Pittsburgh Steelers are planning to commemorate the city’s milestone at their home games.
Are you planning to visit Pittsburgh in 2008?
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