It's that time of year gardeners all over Pittsburgh look forward to- May Market! I must confess I impressed myself with this photo I took of the Peony bud with the ant!
May Market in Pittsburgh has been around for 72 years, and was traditionally held in Mellon Park.
This year it was moved to Phipps Conservatory and was only about one third in size and only 2 days long. Many of the familiar booths were not there.
This festival of small garden clubs from all over the Pittsburgh area with booths selling plants, funnel cakes, famous mushroom sandwiches, garden necessities and flea market items, has a large and loyal following.
So...When I read in the Post Gazette that " Phipps Executive director Richard V. Piacentini proposed the changes because of what he cited as the event's loss of focus and momentum" I was immediatly suspicious.
I decided to talk to the people in the garden clubs and I was told that Phipps had raised the price of having a booth in the festival so high that garden clubs could no longer afford to participate.
Seems pathetic to me that the Post Gazette didn't do as much investigative reporting as I did to find out what was really going on.
Phipps has been changing for years. I can't say I approve. In the 1960s the beautiful stone Victorian era entry was torn down and replaced with a plain modern box.
Recently that has been torn off and replaced with what looks like a food court at a shopping mall in a basement level dug out of the once grand lawn, which they now park cars on.
Seems Phipps mission is no longer horticulture as the enormous monstrosity they built in front of Phipps Conservatory doesn't even have any plants in it- only trinkets and food for sale.
In the vast wasteland of the addition, a garden club asked to display their Ikebana flower arrangements and were told they could not because of the pictures on the walls?! Huh? But what about the plants?!
Years ago when I had energy and time I volunteered to donate my commercial art to Phipps. I drew this for a newsletter.
And I noticed today some of my drawings made into metal signs are still there.
Everything changes over time. South Craig Street for example.
Once looked like this.
And this statue at the Carnegie Museum looked more beautiful in front of the waterfall before it was moved here.
The old coal burning smoke stack on the left is soon to be torn down this summer.
I hated the chunks of coal it dropped all over our house and car, but I loved the way it looks on the skyline. I will miss it.
The Syria Mosque concert hall is gone, and the noble sphinx statues moved out to the suburbs. I think the original old Shriner's who built it would be rolling over in their graves knowing the Shriner's of today sold out.
And yes, that is my guy who was one of the preservationists that protested it's demolition.
I came across this photo of Marshall and I, circa 1987 taken by my dear friend Francine Byrne. I forgot that we once looked so young...and I realized time changes everything, not just garden festivals. It's sort of bitter sweet being around long enough to be changed so much by time.
I have to say being in my 40's was a breeze, and very different than being in my 50's. The fifties are more like the transition into old age.
I think this quote from Pearl S. Buck may have some wisdom:
"Perhaps one has to be very old before one learns to be amused rather than shocked."
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