Media Kit

Arbor Day Celebration 2026

Friends of Mellon Park is hosting the sixth anniversary of the Mellon Park Arbor Day Celebration, which commemorates the founding of Pittsburgh’s first public arboretum. Each year, we hold a family-friendly festival and bring the local community together to enjoy our very special City park. If you are a member of the media, please use these media kit resources to publicize the event. If you have any special requirements or would like to participate in the event, please reach out to us at info@friendsofmellonpark.org.

Mellon Park Arbor Day
Press Release

Celebrate the 6th Anniversary of the Mellon Park Arboretum
on Saturday, April 25 - Rain or Shine!

On Saturday, April 25, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., please join Friends of Mellon Park and dozens of community organizations on the south side of Mellon Park – with Rick Sebak from WQED as emcee – for an outdoor family celebration where all are welcome.

The oval at the top of the hill near the corner of Beechwood and Fifth Avenues will be buzzing with activity. Activities will include:

Quack A Doodle Doo Petting Zoo – Small animals in a pen. Safe for young children.
Playnotes – Musical activities designed just for kids.
Kids’ Fun Run – Fleet Feet Pittsburgh, will present a fun, untimed run for kids.
Tree Adoption – Tree Pittsburgh will give away saplings for you and your yard. (First come, first served!)
American Kestrel – North America’s smallest falcon is presented by the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania with the support of the Point Breeze Organization.
Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire – Climb on a firetruck and meet the firefighters.
Guided Tree Walks – Brian Wolyniak from the Penn State Extension Urban Forestry Team will give guided tree walks in Mellon Park, Pittsburgh’s first public arboretum.

Allderdice High School Dragon Marching Band – A fan favorite under the direction of Brian Lee.
Food and Drink – There will be a food truck, a coffee booth, and a donut stand.
Art and Nature Activities for Kids – Local civic organizations, environmental groups, and schools will have tables with art and nature activities for kids and information on the organizations for adults.
James Snow, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, will be honored with a proclamation from the Pittsburgh City Council for his years of dedication to Mellon Park. A tree will be planted in his honor.

Please contact Friends of Mellon Park at info@friendsofmellonpark.org for more information.

About Friends of Mellon Park

Friends of Mellon Park is an all-volunteer organization whose mission is to advocate for Mellon Park and its users on both sides of Fifth Avenue.

Friends of Mellon Park has:

collaborated with City Forestry to create the Mellon Park Arboretum, the first public arboretum in the City of Pittsburgh;
worked closely with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the City of Pittsburgh, and community organizations to develop the Mellon Park Action Plan;
raised money to care for trees in the park;
brought together an active group of gardening volunteers to work in the horticultural beds throughout Mellon Park;
worked closely with Preservation Pittsburgh to protect the park by securing a City Historic Designation and placement on the National Register of Historic Places;
funded a study of the Terraced Garden in the park to improve and stabilize that beautiful historic structure and continues to work with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, local foundations, and the City of Pittsburgh to get the work done and provide the Terraced Garden with an endowment;
convened a community working group to help the City reopen the Marshall Building in Mellon Park, formerly the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, for cultural use;
collaborated with Phipps Conservatory and the community on the redesign of the Garden Center in Mellon Park;
consulted with City Planning and the community on the maintenance of the Mellon Park Tennis Center and the trees surrounding it.