The Pittsburgh Banjo Club

THE PITTSBURGH BANJO CLUB

contact: Frank Rossi
Pittsburgh Banjo Club
412-364-4739
pittsburghbanjoclub@earthlink.net

The Pittsburgh Banjo Club is a non-profit organization made up of men and women from all walks of life, with a common goal - the encouragement and preservation of the banjo, America’s Native Instrument. Founded on December 15, 1988, by Frank Rossi, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club is dedicated to keeping the music of the Golden Age of the Banjo alive (1920-1930). Frank Rossi was inducted into the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame on May 24, 2001, at the Banjo Hall of Fame in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

He was also chosen as a 2009 Jefferson Awards winner for his work with the Pittsburgh Banjo Club. The Jefferson Awards program is part of a national volunteer recognition program founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft Jr., and Sam Beard.

The Pittsburgh Banjo Club includes banjos, trumpets, tubas, and bass. Dressed in bright, colorful uniforms, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club makes a striking appearance while playing the happiest music in the world, putting a smile on your face, a tap in your toe and a song in your heart! The happiest sound in the world is a banjo and the Pittsburgh Banjo Club provides miles of smiles!

The Pittsburgh Banjo Club program consists of sing-alongs, vocals, banjo solos, music from the ’20s and ’30s, polkas and Dixieland. The Pittsburgh Banjo Club is available for banquets, parties, grand openings, concerts, conventions, fund raisers, political rallies, reunions and any other gathering where the happy sound of the banjo is needed. As a non-profit group, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club donates the monies raised through its performances to local charities.

During the past 20 years, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club has performed at the Cultural District Street Fair, Pittsburgh; Ambridge Nationality Days; Butler County Community College Summer Concerts; Star Lake Amphitheater; Pepsi Roadhouse; Brodhead Cultural Center, Monaca, PA; Carnegie Science Center; Carnegie Music Hall; Children's Museum of Pittsburgh; Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council; Hazlett Theater; Heinz Hall; Civic Arena; Three Rivers Arts Festival; PPG Place; DiCesare & Engler Riverfest; Three Rivers Stadium; Major League Baseball's All Star Game FanFests; PNC Park Opening Day; Three Rivers Regatta; First Night Pittsburgh; Olin Fine Arts Center at Washington & Jefferson College; Casino Theatre, Vandergrift, PA, Groundhog Festival, Punxsutawney, PA, Kennywood Park, and the Gateway Clipper Fleet Sunday Family Cruises.

Nationally, the PBC has performed at the Chautauqua Institute, Lake Chautauqua, NY; Festival for the Arts. Erie, PA; Fretted Instrument Guild of America Conventions in New Orleans, Nashua, NH., Ft. Mitchell, KY., and Raleigh, NC. In addition, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club performs for hospitals, nursing homes, senior centers and various other groups in and around the Pittsburgh area.

The club has donated over $55,000 to local Pittsburgh area charities.

PITTSBURGH BANJO CLUB

PUBLIC PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Performances are open to the public. Some performances require an admission charge. This listing is subject to change without notice. Please contact the organizers for more details and to verify dates and times.

May 16

Ambridge Nationality Days
Ambridge, PA
Big Ethnic Food Festival
2:30 P.M. FREE All-Day Entertainment
(724) 266-3040
www.ambridgenationalitydays.com

June 28

Butler County Community College
BC3 Succop Theater
6:30 P.M. FREE (724) 287-8711
www.bc3.edu/theater/events.asp

July 4

Ellwood City Arts, Crafts & Food Festival
Ewing Park, Ellwood City
Big Arts, Crafts and Food Festival with Hundreds of Booths
1:30 P.M. FREE All-Day Entertainment
(724) 758-3115
www.Ellwood-City-Festival.net

July 5

Kennywood Park
3 P.M. FREE Concert
Kennywood Park has an Admission Fee.
(412) 461-0500
www.kennywood.com

July 11

Etna Borough Summer Concert
Etna Borough Summer Concert
Etna Borough Park
8 P.M. FREE
(412) 781-0569
www.etnaborough.org

July 16

Brodhead Cultural Center
Penn State Monaca Campus
Old Brodhead Road, Monaca
7:30 P.M. FREE (724) 773-3618
www.br.psu.edu/Information/10938.htm

July 31

Cranberry Township Lunchtime Concert
Municipal Center Gazebo
2525 Rochester Road
Cranberry Twp., PA
12 P.M. FREE (724) 776-4806
www.cranberrytownship.org

Aug 8

New Castle Playhouse
7:00 P.M. Advance Ticket Sale Only.
Tickets $10.00 (724) 654-3437
Free Hotdogs & Pop After the Show Outside ‹ With More Music.
http://www.newcastleplayhouse.org

Aug 16

Bethel Park Community Center
Tower Concerts
Bethel Park, PA
2:30 P.M. FREE
(412) 833-6110

Sept. 12

Oakdale Summer Concert
Oakdale Borough Parking Lot
Oakdale, PA
6 P.M. FREE (724) 693-9740
www.oakdaleborough.com

Sept. 13

Saxonburg Arts Festival
Saxonburg, PA
3 P.M. FREE (724) 352-2454
Big Arts/Crafts/Food Festival with
Entertainment all day.
http://butlerwebs.com/saxonburg/activities.htm

Nov. 7

Banjo Night at the West View VFW
Rt. 19, West View, PA
7-10 PM. Doors open 6 PM
Tickets $10.00. Buffet Dinner,
Beer included. Cash Bar.
For tickets and table reservations
Call: (412) 931-9954

The Pittsburgh Banjo Club appears every Wednesday 8-11 p.m., Elks Lodge #339, 400 Cedar Avenue. Pittsburgh PA (North Side). Open to the Public. FREE. Open rehearsal and sing-along. No cover charge. Hot Food, Snacks and Beverages available. For more information and/or reservations, call 412-321-1834

The Pittsburgh Banjo Club's weekly rehearsal is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Pittsburgh Banjo Club recordings, "Live at James Street Vol. I" and "Live at James Street, Vol. II" CD, $15.00 ea. Two for $20.00. Mail orders, please add $2.00 for postage and handling. Checks payable to: Pittsburgh Banjo Club, P. O. Box 101025, Pittsburgh, PA 15237.

Rehearsal Location

Wednesdays 8 -11pm

Elks Lodge #339 400 Cedar Avenue Pittsburgh PA 15212 412-321-1834

Open To The Public

The Elks Lodge is located on the corner of Cedar & Pressley Streets. Sunoco Gas Station and Giant Eagle Super Market on that corner also.

Map This Location

Directions:

From I-279 Northbound: Exit East Ohio Street. Left on East Ohio Street to Cedar Avenue. Left On Cedar Avenue to Elks Lodge on left side at corner of Cedar & Pressley.

From I-279 Southbound: Exit East Street, right on North Street to Cedar Avenue. Left on Cedar to Elks Lodge on Left.

Details:

The Elks, although a private club, is open to the public for our rehearsals. It has a big bar, big room, air conditioning , lighting and sound. Located on the first floor of the building, there are only a few steps leading up to the front door.

THE PITTSBURGH BANJO CLUB
P. O. BOX 101025
PITTSBURGH, PA 15237

http://www.thepittsburghbanjoclub.com

pittsburghbanjoclub@earthlink.net