Shady Side Academy's Untucked fest to benefit Beverly's Birthdays
The name says it all: Untucked is a casual, family-friendly festival where people can literally and metaphorically untuck their shirts, let their hair down and have a great time in support of a good cause.
Student volunteers from Shady Side Academy Senior School plan and run the annual festival, which takes place May 21 on the school's campus in Fox Chapel. The event features a family carnival, local food trucks and live music throughout the day.
The carnival runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Attractions include inflatable play structures, a dunk tank, a rock wall, airbrush tattoos, a caricature artist, magician Dan Proulx, reptile exhibitor Tom Kelly and more. Local food trucks will be on hand from Bella Christie, Franktuary, Mac & Gold, Sticklers and The Onion Maiden.
Musical entertainment begins at 3 p.m. and includes the McMahon Band, Vertical 48 and Matt Ferree, followed by headliner Cheat Codes at 7. Los Angeles-based Cheat Codes plays a variety of styles —from pop to house music.
Each year, the Untucked student committee members choose a charity to benefit from the festival's proceeds. This year, they chose Beverly's Birthdays, a local organization that provides birthday celebrations for children who may not otherwise have one because of poverty or other family circumstances. Twenty-three students volunteered with the organization while planning the festival.
Lindsay Kovach, Shady Side Academy assistant director of communications and Untucked co-adviser, is impressed with the work the students did for both the festival and the charity.
“They had amazing ideas and vision and worked hard to see them through,” she says. “The students not only planned every detail of the event, but they also volunteered at Beverly's Birthdays throughout the academic year — giving their time, energy and commitment to give back to our community.”
Shady Side Academy senior Sache Coury volunteered with Untucked last year and is chairwoman of the marketing committee this year.
“Just by showing up to Untucked, people are supporting Beverly's Birthdays, because all proceeds go to this fantastic charity,” she says. “Not everyone has time to be as involved with service work as they'd like to be, so having this event truly allows people to do good within their community.”
Megs Yunn, Beverly's Birthdays executive director, founded the organization four years ago. “We were inspired by a young girl named Beverly who had never had a birthday party or even her own slice of birthday cake,” Yunn says.
The charity has since created more than 10,000 birthday celebrations for needy children in Allegheny and surrounding counties.
Untucked student volunteers made baked goods, put together treat bags, hosted a movie night and helped with a birthday party to support the charity.
“I'm very humbled when children and youth reach out to our organization and want to support it,” Yunn says. “It's kids helping other kids.”
For details about Beverly's Birthdays, visit beverlysbirthdays.org.
Cynthia Helzel is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.
