On Friday night Sept. 4, the Seton Hill University (SHU) Student-body Activities Council (SAC) collaborated with the city of Greensburg to bring a free concert to St. Clair Park.
By Stephanie Isaaco
Staff Writer
On Friday night Sept. 4, the Seton Hill University (SHU) Student-body Activities Council (SAC) collaborated with the city of Greensburg to bring a free concert to St. Clair Park.
The festivities of the evening included a performance by the Chris Higbee Project, s’mores on an open fire, and other snacks compliments of Darren and food services, all under the stars.
Greensburg has been offering free concerts in St. Clair Park for the last ten years. They are held free of charge every Friday night in June, July, and August from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., when the parking in the city is also free. SummerSounds has been named “the best outdoor music series in Western PA,” for its wide variety of music and its family friendly atmosphere.
St. Clair Park, located at 135 North Maple Avenue, is within walking distance of campus and is the perfect venue for outdoor concerts. The facility includes a stage with bleacher seating for a large audience, space on the lawn for chairs and blankets, a walking trail, playground and restrooms.
The Chris Higbee Project show was the last in the SummerSounds concert series of 2009. SAC was given the privilege of hosting the event.
Katie Fritsch, a junior and the President of the Seton Hill Government Association, said, “Now that our SHU community is branching out further into the Greensburg community. This was definitely a positive way to continue to grow a friendly connection.”
With the opening of the Performing Arts Center downtown, the people of Greensburg are going to be seeing a lot more SHU students out and about.
There were approximately 1,900 people in attendance including approximately 75 SHU students.
“It would have been nice to see more SHU students take part in the event,” said Katie Fritsch.
Julia Whidden, a junior who attended the concert, said, “I was surprised by the huge turnout.” The concert series is very well attended all summer long by residents of the city and surrounding areas. It is easy for students to feel isolated living on top of the hill, so it is nice for the students to see the community that they are a part of come together in one place.
The SummerSounds concert series features all types of music including jazz, rock, folk, bluegrass, new age, and country. The Chris Higbee Project is a country group led by the founder of the former local band, the Povertyneck Hillbillies. The group was well received by the audience.
Whidden said, “Chris was a very good performer and his music was great!” Similarly, Fritsch praised the group when she said, “The performance was great and energy in the air was exciting.”
With continued support of the community and more hard work by the SAC, SHU would love to see this kind of collaboration again. Students love free events, and the fact that it also provides cultural awareness and community outreach is just another perk.