Rock, Reggae & Relief Festival on Forbes Ave. Downtown; Art Festival on Walnut Street in Shadyside (Sat., 8/24/19)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0fYKguHFcQ

1) Here’s a chance to hear rock and reggae while supporting a great cause. The Rock, Reggae, & Relief Festival is a two-day event, the proceeds of which benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance through the Piatt Family Foundation. Headlining Saturday is Gavin DeGraw, who jetted to superstardom with his 2003 debut, Chariot. His song “I Don’t Want to Be” served as the theme for the CW’s teen drama “One Tree Hill.” 2016’s Something Worth Saving is his latest album. Headlining Sunday is Michael Franti & Spearhead. The band is like a musical blender using the ingredients of hip-hop, rock, funk, jazz, reggae, and folk to create a tasty smoothie for the ears. The group’s latest is 2019’s Stay Human, Vol. II. In addition to being a very talented songwriter and musician, Franti is a dedicated humanitarian and environmentalist. Ras Prophet, Roots of Creation, The Expendables, Ghost Hounds open Saturday. Flow Band, Roots of Creation, and Magic! open Sunday. 4 p.m. Forbes Avenue at Market Square, Downtown. (RH, CM)

Michael Franti spreading love and positive energy one tune at a time at the 2016 Three Rivers Arts Festival. (photo: Rick Handler)

August is a great month for strolling the tree-lined streets of Shadyside and enjoying the fine arts and crafts during the Art Festival on Walnut Street. (Photo: Rick Handler)

2) “Hip”—as in “Get hip,” rather than “Get a hip replacement”—is one of the oldest American slang terms still in wide use, and Shadyside’s Walnut Street is perhaps the longest-running hip district in Pittsburgh. Incredibly, it gets even hipper during the Art Festival on Walnut Street in late August. The Festival is popular, in part, because there’s so much art. The Walnut biz district is closed to motor vehicles and packed with booths where artists and craft people display paintings, prints, ceramics, handmade jewelry, and so forth ad infinitum. In addition: Exotic food vendors descend. Established restaurants, coffee shops, and night spots operate in peak mode. And, music being the food of love and other good things, musicians play on. Official hours for the art and craft booths are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Aug. 24 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 25, but you can bet that on Saturday the 24th, merrymaking will continue into the night. Walnut St. between S. Aiken and Ivy Streets with further activities adjacent, Shadyside. (MV)

3) The Savannah Sipping Society is about four middle-aged women who meet during a happy hour in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. There’s Randa, the workaholic. Dot, the widow. Marlafaye, the Texan who has also lost her husband … to a twenty-three-year-old dental hygienist. And finally Jinx, the life-coach who is ironically most in need of one herself. The play, a comedy, takes place over six months as the women continue to meet for drinks and attempt to get their lives in order. This is a chance to witness the wit and sheer talent of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten. They have written additional plays collectively (Dearly Beloved, The Dixie Swim Club) and countless other works for film, stage, and TV individually. 7:30 p.m. Continues through August 25. The Apple Hill Playhouse, 275 Manor Rd., Delmont. (CM)

4) There’s a big community celebration in Brookline today as the neigborhood’s Moore Park celebrates its 80th anniversary. Highlights of the free event include an antique car cruise, free pool admission, food and drink vendors, live music and comedy, the Citiparks Roving Art Cart, and more. For additional information visit the event page. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 1801 Pioneer Ave.

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