BOLD VENTURES June 2026
Western Pennsylvania Blind Outdoor Leisure Development
This BOLD Ventures is sponsored by Nancy Leverett who wanted to show off her plant identification stakes, a gift she received from BOLD after completing four years as BOLD President. Thanks Nancy, for your sponsorship and all of your hard work for BOLD!
A Picture of Nancy's native plant garden showing the braille and print plant identifying stakes arranged across the front of the garden. Nancy is in the forefront wearing her BOLD t-shirt and blue jeans.
JUNE CALENDAR
Monday, June 1, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Board Meeting in-person at Western PA School for Blind Children, 250 N. Bellefield Avenue, Oakland. Any non-board Members who want to attend must call Carol at 484-318-9145 by Saturday, May 30.
Thursday, June 4, from noon to 1:30, Ice skating at the Mount Lebanon Ice Center, 900 Cedar Blvd., Pittsburgh, 15228. Cost is $7. Note, this is the last ice skating event for this season. Ice skating will return in the fall. Accommodations can be made for all experience levels. We need sighted ice skaters to be guides on and off the ice. Sign-up with Tammi by 8 pm Sunday, May 31, and let her know if you need a ride. Contact her by leaving a voicemail or text at 412-951-6528 or email at tswiantek@comcast.net.
Saturday, June 6, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm, Tandem Biking on the Panhandle Trail. No cost for bikes or lunch. The parking lot for the access point is across from the intersection of Main Street and Station Street, Sturgeon. The landmark is Hunner's Pizza, 811 Station St Sturgeon, PA 15082. The Panhandle Trail is a very quiet ride, mostly level with some very gentle slopes. Total riding time will be about two hours. Riding starts and ends near Hunner's Pizza, so we'll enjoy pizza for lunch. We need some sighted bikers to captain the tandem bikes and provide rides to and from the trailhead. Scotto will be there early to give tips and instructions of being a tandem captain and pair up captains and stokers. We will provide tandem bikes. However, if you know of a tandem we can use, please let us know about it. If you are a willing captain with questions, contact Scotto at scottog@yahoo.com. Everyone should make their reservation by 9 pm Monday, June 1. Sighted captains contact Scotto at scottog@yahoo.com; visually impaired stokers contact Jeff at 412-487-9469 or emailing him at going4walk@duck.com.
Mondays, June 8 and 22, from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm, Mall Walking at the Monroeville Mall. Cost is free. Lunch is on your own at the food court. (yes it is true, mall walking has moved from Tuesdays to Mondays.) Sighted guides and visually impaired walkers sign up by noon the Monday prior to the walk by calling Peggy at 412-683-6070 or text/call her at 412-977-2351. So, to sign up for walking on June 8, contact Peggy by noon Monday, June 1. And for walking on June 22, contact Peggy by noon June 15. Be sure to sign up so that if there is any change or cancellation for mall walking, you will get the information.
Wednesdays, June 10 and 24, from 7 to 9:30 pm, SE Wisconsin BOLD virtual bingo, for all the sign-up information, leave a voicemail or text Tammi at 412-951-6528 or email at tswiantek@comcast.net. Have fun!
Sunday, June 14, noon to 5 pm, A Ray Jablonowski Famous Summer Picnic, Highland Park, Lake Point Shelter. No Cost. There will be food, games, a walk, and lots of fun! To sign up call Linda at 412-681-9686 by 8 pm Wednesday, June 10.
Sunday, June 28 2 to 4 pm, Honey Tasting Event, CoNectar Flora to Table, 411 Grant Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15209. Cost $10. (The space is fully accessible.) Did you know a honey bee's sense of smell is about 100 times more sensitive than a human's so that they can detect flower odors and then they can gather nectar to make honey? BOLD is going to CoNectar Flora to Table for a Nature Sensory Class to explore the fascinating world of honey bees. We'll experience floral scents, hear the humming of a happy hive, and taste honey made by bees around the summer solstice. To finish, we'll enjoy a sweet treat to celebrate the harvest. This class is part of CoNectar Flora to Table's Nectar Protector Program class series which teaches the importance of pollinators to the health of the environment. Class is limited to 16 participants, and there will be a waiting list. To sign up call or text Carol at 484-318-9145 by Wednesday, June 24 at 8 pm.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday, July 11, Water Fun on North Park Lake. Choose between paddle boarding, kayaking, or canoeing. More details to come in the July BOLD Ventures.
More Tandem Dates:
- Sunday, July 19
- Saturday, August 15
- Sunday, September 13
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
Anyone interested in getting information about the availability of tickets for the Pittsburgh Symphony or chamber music concerts, please call Tony at 412-310-2508 or email tony.diana.rock@gmail.com.
BOLD BITS
My BOLD Take by Debby Hill
When I thought about going birding on May 9 at Frick Park, I imagined a beautiful sunny day with pleasant temperatures so that I could wear my BOLD t-shirt. Well, what we had instead was a cloudy, often rainy morning, and I did wear my BOLD t-shirt, but I wore it over a sweatshirt and under a jacket to be sure I would be warm. But despite the weather, it was a great experience. The staff and volunteers from Frick Park were incredibly knowledgeable about birds, the path we walked in the park to listen to birds was paved and quite comfortable to stroll, and there were plenty of the creatures to hear and see. We are going to be invited back sometime this summer for another birding day, so if you missed this one, you will have another opportunity to listen to and learn all about the birds.
Congratulations to Penny Fleckenstein's son Isaac who completed a half marathon on May 3 and his wife, Talia, who finished the full marathon the same day. Impressive! That's a lot of running!
Happy Belated May Birthday to Jim Wagner!
Happy June Birthday to: Natasha Brown, Lisa Busch, Linda Davis, Veronique Schreurs, Peggy Walsh, and anyone else celebrating a June birthday!
Be a BOLD Ventures Sponsor:
As you probably know, BOLD prides itself on the fact that our monthly newsletter, BOLD Ventures, is made available to our members in the format of their choice—email, braille, print, and large print. But doing this involves various costs. You could help defray some of the cost by being a BOLD Ventures sponsor for a month. Your willingness to help is much appreciated. We have two levels of sponsorship. For $75 you can have your name, and a short greeting and a color picture of your choice in BOLD Ventures. You can either supply the picture or request one. If you donate $50, you can have your name and a short greeting of your choice in our newsletter. For more information and to set up your sponsorship, contact Debby at 412-742-4288 or dm-hill@comcast.net.
NEWSLETTER RECORDING:
Thanks to the fine work of Marty Mathews, anyone can hear a recording of this newsletter by calling 401-252-0029 Access Code: 265365#.
CONTACT us
WPA BOLD
PO Box 10307
Pittsburgh, PA 15234
Email: boldwpa@gmail.com
Website: www.wpabold.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wpabold
Editors: Debby Hill & friends