Harmonium Project volunteers planning for next year | News, Sports, Jobs

STEUBENVILLE — The volunteers of the Harmonium Project are back at work, making plans for 2022.

“We’re like bears in hibernation,” said Melissa Longua, a longtime volunteer. “The moment the weather starts to warm up, we’re out of the cave and planning for another season of plays, concerts and First Fridays.”

The Harmonium Project runs the First Fridays on Fourth Street, a monthly street festival, beginning in May, that has grown into one of the best-attended events in the Ohio Valley. The festival’s celebration of local food, drink, music and business has proved to be a hit, and the Harmonium volunteers are feeling the stress of success.

“Now that the Steubenville community has come to expect a great time on Fourth Street, we have a lot to live up to,” says Maura Barnes, the project’s treasurer. “That means raising funds, designing posters, getting street closures, liquor permits, insurance, vendors, musicians, performers, artists. We’ve been meeting every week to figure it all out.”

With several thousand people coming to each First Friday, and the inaugural May 6 event just around the corner, there is a lot to figure out. But it’s not all grunt work. The group of volunteers–who area mostly in their 20s and 30s–has been enjoying the brainstorming sessions in which they decide what to do at each event.

“It’s a mind-meld,” says Brodie Stutzman, a local father and trapper who is setting up his tent at the June First Friday to perform “strongman” stunts, synchronized to the soundtrack of Mel Gibson’s hit film, “The Patriot.” “We enjoy a dinner together, then we sit in a circle and offer our suggestions. At first, no suggestion is too big or too small. Last year, I proposed that we build a half-pipe and invite teenagers to take a break from their cell phones and try some Tony Hawk moves on their rollerblades.”

That idea was rejected for insurance reasons, but several others have been tentatively approved for this year’s festivals.

“I can’t tell you all of them,” said Marc Barnes, president of the Harmonium Project. “But I would say I’m very excited about the interactive “Arrest Al Capone” game. And the hidden speakeasy. And, of course, the live 1980s karaoke competition.”

The themes for each event have been announced on the group’s Facebook page. They are May, “Roaring Twenties;” June, “Ye Olde First Friday;” July, “Freedom Friday;” August, “Eighties Night;” September, “Storybook;” and October, “Fall Festival.”

“We’re trying to fix these themes, year-after-year,” said Joseph Palmer, a new volunteer. “That way they can more easily become city customs, and we can build up the materials we need to pull them off.”

Other changes to the First Fridays include the set up of a beer garden at each event, with benches, tables and lights, to give families a chance to sit down with their meals.

When asked what makes the First Fridays work, Barnes said it’s “the people who come downtown. When you can expect the same friends, food, beer and businesses to show up, then you’ve got a winning combination.”

“Our sponsors as well. We don’t make a dime on the First Fridays, and we’re all unpaid volunteers. So we rely entirely on the support of people with money to give to make it happen. We put out a call for sponsors recently, and already got responses from Tri-State Financial Services and Laney Tire. Steubenville’s a generous place.”

The First Fridays start at 6 p.m. on the first Friday of each month and are staged in the 100 blocks of South and North Fourth Street.

“Anyone interested in sponsoring, volunteering, performing, or selling at the First Fridays can e-mail us,” said Barnes, “[email protected]”