Newsletter July 2025

Fall in Love with Mellon Park!

Come join the fun at the second annual Fall in Love with Mellon Park, made possible by Citiparks.

There will be a lot happening for kids on both sides of Fifth Avenue – basketball and tennis at the courts on the north side and soccer and games in the oval on the south side. You’ll find family-friendly activity booths with a wide variety of crafts and games, all free and fun for everyone.

The Allderdice High School Marching Band will be there, stepping off from the Walled Garden at 12:00 PM. And the Squirrel Hillbillies, a folk, country, and blues duo from the East End, will perform at 1:00 PM. Friends of Mellon Park will be at the north side pavilion, so please stop by and decorate a pumpkin! We’d love to meet you.

One of the goals of the Mellon Park Action Plan, developed by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, is to find a way to connect the two sides of Mellon Park that are separated by Fifth Avenue. Citiparks is building on that plan and has made it a priority to unify the park.

Tree Tags

Pittsburgh's first public arboretum just got an update! City Forestry has installed 50 permanent tree tags on the Mellon Park arboretum trees. These tags give visitors a quick overview of the trees and some interesting facts about them.

Each tag is attached with special nails and springs to allow the trees to grow without damage. The trunk of a tree grows wider every year, while new growth at the top of the tree increases its height. The springs are placed between the tag and the tree so that as the trunk grows, the springs will compress and the tree will not grow over the tag. Without springs behind a tag, the signs would eventually be "swallowed up" by the tree.

Many thanks to the Fox Chapel Garden Club, whose generous donation covered the cost of the tags, and the City of Pittsburgh Forestry Department for their ongoing support of the Mellon Park arboretum.

Mellon Park Festivals

Mellon Park is always a great place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. It’s also a great place to connect with your neighbors and all of Pittsburgh, especially at one of the many festivals that fill the park with sights, sounds, and lots of good food! Fall in Love with Mellon Park will be the latest event in the park, but in 2025 we also saw:

  • Bach, Beethoven, and Brunch, a music series that invites visitors to pack a picnic brunch and enjoy live music on summer Sunday mornings.

  • Juneteenth made MellonPark the heart of its celebration this year with music, food, and activities for the whole family.

  • The Arbor Day Celebration included a bird of prey, a petting zoo, art and nature activities for children, scavenger hunts, games, free trees, and McGruff the Crime Dog.

  • Pittsburgh’s annual Chinese Cultural Festival promotes awareness of Chinese arts and culture through food, music, and dance.

  • A Fair in the Park featured more than 100 fine artists and craftspeople from the Pittsburgh region and across the country.

  • PUMP Kickball for a Cause raised thousands of dollars for local charities as teams played in a round robin tournament.

  • A free tree walk was hosted by Penn State Extension Urban Forester Brian Wolyniak and Friends of Mellon Park.

Keep an eye out for what’s coming next. You’ll often see banners hanging in the park announcing the next big event. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook (@FriendsofMellonPark) to stay connected with Mellon Park.

Fiberarts Guild Of Pittsburgh

Mellon Park was sporting some beautiful decorations this summer, thanks to the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh (fiberartspgh.org). Members wove dozens of colorful hoops that were placed along the park’s fences on Fifth Avenue and at the spray park. These radial fiber forms were crocheted, knitted, woven, embroidered, or made with mixed-media techniques, then mounted on circular bases, like hula hoops or irrigation tubing. Thank you to all the artists who made our world a more colorful place.

Have You Noticed?

Have you ever walked past an unusual historical monument on the north side of the park? It marks the site of a giant oak tree that once stood alongside the road built by British Brigadier General Forbes’ troops on their way to the French Fort Duquesne (now Fort Pitt). You can learn more about this unique part of Mellon Park history from this Post Gazette article (paywall).

Become a Friend of Mellon Park

Friends of Mellon Park is a 100% volunteer-run organization. We are able to help care for the park because of your support. You can become a Friend of Mellon Park.

Please join us and donate today.