Free concert series begins Thursday
PENN TWP — With a new name come new events at Succop Nature Park, 185 W. Airport Road, which is inaugurating a series of “Picnic in the Park” free concerts beginning Thursday.
One of the bands, Ploughshare Poets, features Ryan Stauffer, the Succop naturalist.
“I was the backup. We had another band in mind,” said Stauffer of his group's addition to the series.
Of the October concert, Chris Kubiak, development associate for the Audubon Society which owns the 50-acre park, said, “We are kind of testing things out here. We are going to have a bonfire.”
“We are going to have them play at the pavilion where we host a lot of weddings down by the back pond,” said Kubiak.
“People can bring a blanket and sit out and enjoy snacks right along the edge of the pavilion facing the pond,” Kubiak continued. “It's going to be old-fashioned. There won't be a stage.”
“We've had weddings that had 250 guests so we can accommodate a lot of people,” said Kubiak.
“It's free. We invite the public in Bulter to come picnic and enjoy yourselves on the beautiful grounds at Succop. Since we are now a park, we want people to enjoy it as a park,” said Kubiak.
“They can bring their own picnic dinner and blankets. We're providing the picnic space and the music,” said Kubiak, as well as the new bathrooms in the event-support building that opened in May.
One of those making the music will be Stauffer, who more often runs tours on the property than provides entertainment.
“I've played in front of lots of people for 20 years,” he said, adding that those venues include the Bottlebrush Gallery in Harmony, events at McConnells Mill and at private parties.
“I play the bagpipes, the bouzouki, an eight-stringed mandolin and the bodhran, an Irish drum, and sing,” he said.
“Vade King plays guitar, sings and drums,” Stauffer said. “His girlfriend, Andi Poiarkoff, handles the sound, but she's like a third member. She's magic. She has a master's degree in sound engineering.”
“This is free. It's an invitation to get to know us. There's no ulterior motive,” he said.
Kubiak said the “Picnic in the Park” concerts are just “one of the many improvements that are on the schedule.” Referring to the renaming, Kubiak said “conservancy” sounded like an organization while “park” is a better connection to the public.
“We'd get a lot of calls from people asking 'Can I come out there?' 'Can I take pictures there?' said Stauffer. “We are open from dawn to dusk seven days a week, year round. We don't have a gate that we could close, even if we wanted to.”
Picnic in the Park concerts are from 5 to 8 p.m. at Succop Nature Park’s pavilion. Music starts at 6 p.m. outside if weather permits.The schedule:ThursdayAllegheny Drifters bluegrass bandSept. 17Ploughshare Poets Irish and Celtic musicOct. 16Good Brother Earl rock band
