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Ahhh.. the 80’s! Even though for some of us its difficult to hear them referred to as “the oldies,” we readily admit how much we still enjoy the music and marvel at the changes in technology.
What became popular in the 1980s? Personal computers, CD’s, Walkmans, VCRs, camcorders, cable television, answering machines, cordless telephones, fax machines, and the first approved cell phone.
It was the era of MTV, Blockbuster movies, Reaganomics and the crumbling of the Berlin Wall. A decade of music that had a strong British influence and was enjoying chart toppers that were easy to sing and dance to. Can you remember the words to these hits: Billy Joel’s “It’s still Rock and Roll to Me,” Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who loves me),” Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach,” Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” and Prince’s “When Doves Cry”?
Clint Eastwood, Eddie Murphy, Burt Reynolds, Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Michael J Fox, Paul Hogan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Douglas, Jane Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, Dudley Moore, Tom Hanks and Robert Redford had the corner on the entertainment industry. DNA fingerprinting changed the world of investigation, while Microsoft introduced Windows.
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Disposable cameras were all the rage, and Nintendo Gameboy was a big hit, especially for Super Mario Land and Tetris fans. We all tried to master the Rubik’s Cube, Skateboarding, a BMX bike, and enjoyed a good game of Trivial Pursuit. Spandex, leg warmers, jelly shoes, shoulder pads, parachute pants, and mullets and big hair were common styles. Hair bands like Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Quiet Riot, Van Halen, Twisted Sister, KISS, Great White, and Whitesnake rocked the 80s!
Every decade has its own music, styles, and inventions, but really, there’s nothing like the 80s!
Bring a chair, a jacket, and linger on the river awhile. Enjoy the fires, maybe a few surprises, and these fine musicians! Bring on the 80s!
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WaterFire will begin its evening events on the river about 6:30 pm when NICK OF TIMe Jazz Duo will delight the audiences as they perform from the boat. An instrumental Jazz Duo, Nick Lakatos on Marimba and Tim Schneider on guitar cover a range of jazz standards. Tonight they’ll play selections associated with the 1980’s, by Joseph Kosma and Johnny Mercer, Larry Carlton, Chuck Mangione, Henry Mancini and Spyro Gyra.
Immediately after the ceremonial lighting of the WaterFire Orb, the region’s beloved Steve Vuich will be performing on the river and will be back a few times throughout the evening. Steve aka “HoneyBoy” is a veteran musician of the Tri-State Area. HoneyBoy describes himself as the following: Born in “58”, Currently “61”, Started playing music in “73”, its now “19” so that’s “46” years. That’s a lot of math for a guy who usually only has to count to “4”…. 1 -2- 3- 4! He is no stranger to Rock ‘n Roll, Blues, Soul, Country, Folk, Reggae, Funk and Jazz. HoneyBoy hosts open Mic nites every Tuesday at Quaker Steak and Lube in Sharon, and every Thursday night at Vintage Estate Wine and Beer in Ohio. You can find him playing solo, duo, or with his band, The Mighty Mighty River Saints, nearly 365 days a year.
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Shop for Handmade Holiday Gifts at our Artisan Marketplace at WaterFire!
WaterFire Sharon prides itself on striving to bring professional vendors and high-quality works of art to our marketplace. Our talented artisans are natural creatives who make amazing handmade fine art. Whether its a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry, pottery, woodworking, glass or fiber art, painting, photography, or mixed media piece – we have it all, in all price ranges – we know you will find the perfect item while walking the streets of beautiful downtown Sharon during WaterFire.
This Saturday you’ll find more than fifty artisan tents full of beautiful and unique items. Talk to the artists to learn more about their processes, watch their live demonstrations and support our artists by selecting a handmade original piece to add to your home or give as a gift.
Look for Tina & Tom Bowersox, Meadville. This is the couple behind Bowerhouse Creations. Shop from their variety of handmade, one-of-a-kind wire art, many with natural stones. They purchase their unique stones, sourced from various places, and create gorgeous pieces, sure to draw many compliments.
A Foodie You Say? Have We Got the Goodies for You!
Make sure you visit the food court at WaterFire this Saturday. You’ll be sure you’re in the right direction as you pick up the aromas of ribs on the bbq, or is that lamb from the gyros we smell? There will surely be a sweet smell of cinnamon rolls and funnel cakes. You can cool off with a milkshake! So much savory, so much sweet – you can’t go wrong with a visit to the food court. Dozens of vendors are setting up just to take care of you so don’t miss out on stopping by! And be sure to check out Totally Nutz and Happy Hour Kettle Korn on the west end of the venue. Just a few of the delicious food options: pulled pork, mac & cheese, hot sausage, philly cheese steak, pizza and calzones. St. George Serbian Orthodox Church will be serving Serbian cevap meals along with other delicious goodies. New to this event, be sure check out the Possum Shack! They offer vegetarian options…there’s really something for everyone! Have lunch, dinner or take a snack to take home from the WaterFire food court!
Children’s Activities 3-7pm
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Have we got some fun planned for the kiddos! The Children’s Fun Zone is located on West State St near Reyers Shoe Store. You will easily spot it by the bouncy house that will be waiting for you! There will be plenty of activities, including making bird feeders from ice cream cones donated by Joy Cone, making crafts, water games, giant Legos to build with, music games, and so much more. Vegetable car racing returns by popular demand! Special thanks to Hermitage Agway, Elliott Lengel, and Lengel Brothers Farm and Market for making this fun activity possible!!! Sharon Robotics Team will be onsite to demonstrate what they’re doing with the robots they built! Sharon Regional Medical Center will be in the Children’s Fun Zone too, to teach us safety, and first aid tips – we all need to know that and what a great way to learn it, when it’s just for kids! They want us to be safe and know what to do in emergencies- Thank you Sharon Regional! So much fun for the entire family!!
History Walk
Join the Sharon Historical Society for our Downtown Sharon History Walks during WaterFire Sharon. We will learn the history of the upper East Hill, a premier residential section at the turn-of-the-century once lined with beautiful homes and mansions of the great industrialists of our city. This is an area that has not been covered before! Featuring stops like the historic Frank H. Buhl Mansion, the J. M. Willson Mansion, First Presbyterian Church, Daffin’s Candies, the Oakland Avenue Viaduct, Sharon Regional Medical Center and many more! Walks will be at Noon, 2:00pm and 4:00pm on September 21st during WaterFire Sharon. These are FREE and OPEN TO ALL!! Donations are appreciated!!
We will start at Daffin’s Candies flagship store at 496 East State Street, Sharon, PA 16146.
Henry Ekker Autograph Collection
Enjoy sports? Admire athletes and their accomplishments? Then you won’t want to miss this one of a kind collection. Inside the Community Library of the Shenango Valley during WaterFire, you’ll find a large, autographed, and unique sports memorabilia collection on display from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no charge to visit this collection that you’ll find on the library’s first floor. Also, located at the Community Library is The Literary Garden. Members of Random Acts of Artists (RAA) installed this garden to help bring awareness to the importance of literature and the arts in our community. Each of the over 40 posts are painted to represent a book or piece of literature theme of the artist’s choice. Be sure to visit this inspirational garden.
Tag Up!
Take selfies and be sure to check in on social media while you enjoy your day and evening at WaterFire Sharon. A check-in on social helps our downtown merchants with visibility and draws more attention to their key presence in the growing vibrancy along the river! Share what you see and enjoy your day in beautiful downtown Sharon. Use our hashtags when you share your fun photos and selfies on social! Hashtag so we can see all the memories you make at ! And we might collect a few of our favorites to share on our social profiles!
Art Hotspots Downtown!
click image to open and download printable pdf
(2-pages, front & back)
As you stroll through downtown Sharon this 2018 WaterFire Sharon season, be sure to look for the many art spaces that are growing along the river! Here are some art points of interest to seek out.
The vibrant mural on the Community Action building, was the first large scale mural work in Sharon by Leslie Michaels and friends. There is also a fun Sharon, Pa. mural near the Laskey’s building on N. Water Ave, facing State Street. And of course, admire beautiful downtown Sharon’s newest large scale art addition to downtown Sharon! Located W. State St. Reyer’s building- Mural by Joel Bergner, students from HOPE C.A.T and local artists contributors.
Look to the corner of S. Water Ave & State St.- “It’s a Wonderful World” Sculpture art of trumpet player- George Junior Republic and Sharon HS students.
The “Can Opener,” or “Angel” the oldest sculpture art installation in Sharon at S. Water Ave & Connelly Blvd. It is made on Cor-ten Steel that when it rusts forms a protective coating. Same steel that was used on the Oakland Viaduct. It weighs 10 ton and actually is in need of some repair. The artist intended the structure to rust into a bed of slag. The slag has since been removed for flowers. It is located in George Warren Memorial Park/Garden on Water Ave.
The “Random Acts of Artists” have been essential to creating new art spaces downtown:
River Gardens Park- “Garden Gallery” colorful art installation – RAA artists
River Gardens Park- “Willow Way” living willow archway- Carol Novosel & RAA artists
River Garden Park – 5 wood cravings created by chainsaw artist Michael Long.
Flower Garden Gallery – 40 paintings created by RAA artists located on W. Connelly St.
Community Library of the Shenango Valley- “Literary Garden” colorful art installation with literary theme- RAA artists
Located the alley across from Vine St., is the home “Random Interface” 26 large portraits line the alley- RAA artists
Corner of S. Water Ave & State St.- “Indian Drum” Improvised mixed media drum assemblage- Stella Shine & RAA artists
Corner of S. Water Ave & State St.- “Dueling Piano’s” Improvised mixed media and wind chime assemblage- Terry Polonsky & RAA artists
Seen enough? Ready to get involved?
Have you seen enough to make you want to join in? We welcome new volunteers! Come alone, in a group, whatever works for you! Whether you want to help in the preparation and planning, help set up vendors, work at the information center, tend to the braziers during the evening, or a variety of other areas to lend a hand, WaterFire Sharon would be happy to have you join in. Our volunteers are known to say things like “I met so many new people and made so many new friends” and “It’s fun to be a part of something so big!” and of course “I’m always proud to see so many people come to our area and witness what we have going on here.” Maybe you’ll feel just that same way after experiencing WaterFire as a volunteer. Sign up for the next WaterFire event at the Souvenir and Information center located at the corner of West State Street and S. Water Avenue – in front of the food court. Ask questions and see what you may enjoy the most! If you can’t visit the booth, call our volunteer coordinator at (724) 301-1868 and Janet will be happy to fill you in on all the opportunities available to be a part of WaterFire.
Keep the fires burning!
Want to see WaterFire continue? We do, too! Please consider supporting this great event financially. Every dollar counts to make each lighting one that is safe, enjoyable, and a great mark on our entire area. A boost to tourism and business, WaterFire is also part of the celebration of the arts in the region. As part of the Community Foundation, your contribution is tax deductible. To make a donation, you can visit the Souvenir station during the event. Please help us keep the fires burning! Any donation to WaterFire Sharon is appreciated! We simply cannot do it without our generous sponsors. Won’t you consider a sponsorship, big or small today? All financial contributions to WaterFire Sharon are 100% tax deductible.
To make a tax deductible contribution: WaterFire Sharon, 7 West State Street, Suite 301, Sharon PA 16146 | (724) 981-5882 x111 | info@waterfiresharonpa.org
