Made In The Shade

Pittsburgh weather being what it is, most people around here want to soak up the sun as much as possible. Especially during the summertime. Still, even those of us whose favorite SPF number is zero need a place to escape the solar rays now and then. So, if you walked through Market Square in the past day or two, you probably noticed that it's looking a little "shady" these days — in a good way — thanks to a crop of colorful umbrellas popping up all over the place.

During the past weekend, a team of our very special volunteers filled a couple dozen plastic holders so we could "plant" umbrellas in them during the daylight hours. Along with a welcome shadow of cool comfort, the umbrellas brighten up every corner of the Square with more than a few splashes of color in the "shades" of baby blue, racy red and tangy tangerine.

Now just about any day the sun is out between today and possibly well into October, Brock Wilson — he's our very busy Squaretaker — will set up the umbrellas just for you. Of course, when it's raining outside, the umbrellas will stayed closed, which is actually kind of funny when you think about it. And if the winds kick up something fierce, Brock will make sure no one zips across the skyline like Mary Poppins. But aside from that, you'll have in made in the shade in the Square.