Mary Pickels stories, Page 15
Climb aboard these 4 favorites in honor of National Carousel DayVideo
The carousel, also known as a merry-go-round, is often the first ride children experience at an amusement park. Giggling from atop a (usually) horse, they may or may not go up and down, but they surely will go round and round, typically accompanied by calliope or band organ music. National...
Regional restaurants lauded with Wine Spectator awards
Numerous Southwestern Pennsylvania restaurants are on Wine Spectator’s 2019 Restaurant Awards list, highlighting restaurants around the world offering the best wine selections. Among those earning a place on the list are The Carlton, Eleven, Lidia’s, LeMont and Altius, all in Pittsburgh; Helen’s at Seven Springs Mountain Resort; and Bistecca Steakhouse...
Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau hosts ‘rustic retreat’
Just a few months after its May 19 “Journey of Self: A Wellness Tour of the Laurel Highlands,” the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau is planning a new farm-to-table tour. “Rustic Retreat: A Farm-to-Table Tour” in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands will be a full-day group tour on Aug. 24. “Following on the...
Songs, songbirds highlights of Ligonier Country MarketVideo
Pittsburgh-based acoustic guitarist Daryl Shawn will perform at the Ligonier Country Market from 8 a.m.-noon July 13. Shawn is a Boston Berklee College of Music alumnus who has performed all across North America. He is known for creating the sound of a full band and putting a unique spin on...
Laurel Harmony Chorus seeks additions to its sweet soundVideo
Outside the Trinity United Church of Christ on Greensburg’s Main Street, the sweet sounds of singing fill the evening air. It’s not choir practice, but rather chorus practice — as in the Laurel Harmony Chorus, Greensburg’s chapter of the Sweet Adelines International. The all-female, four-part harmony, barbershop-style group practices each...
Flight 93 National Memorial exhibit recalls first decade
As the 18th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the Flight 93 National Memorial will open a special exhibit, “Memories from the Memorial — Looking Back 2001-2011.” The exhibit looks back over the first 10 years of the park’s evolution, from a chain-link fence filled with tributes to the 2011 dedication of...
Jeannette’s You Are Here hosts singer, acoustic guitarist Kelly Zullo
Ohio native Kelly Zullo, described as a one-person band, will bring her acoustic show to You Are Here: A Place for Art in Jeannette. Zullo, who won the Columbus Songwriter Association competition’s “best songwriter” category, fuses funk, jazz and Americana, and will perform from 7-9 p.m. July 18 at the...
Kecksburg, investigator inspire Helltown’s ‘Aliens’ beer
Helltown Taproom will ponder the unexplained with local paranormal investigator Stan Gordon and hold an early release party for its new beer with a two-night event this month at its 5578 Old William Penn Highway, Export, location. The event is billed as “Kecksburg and Beyond: Two Nights of Paranormal Pa....
East Huntingdon sites partner for ‘historic fun’ weekend
Neighboring historical sites West Overton Museums and Fort Allen Antique Farm Equipment Association are partnering for a weekend of historic fun. The organizations plan to offer historic activities, music, demonstrations, crafts and food July 20-21. West Overton Museums will host its popular summer DIY History, inviting visitors to touch, smell...
Friendship Hill salutes firefighters who saved property
Forty years ago a series of fires, later determined to be arson, damaged Friendship Hill National Historic Site in Point Marion. On July 14, the National Park Service will hold a free, public event to welcome back and honor firefighters who saved an important part of Fayette County’s history. The...
Fort Ligonier, Idlewild, Rizzo’s star in Westmoreland County board game
From Historic Hanna’s Town to Bridgeport Dam, Seton Hill University to the Original Pie Shoppe, regional landmarks pop up all over the new Westmoreland County-Opoly board game. Created by Late for the Sky Production Co. in May and available only at Walmart, the game sells for $19.98. Late for the...
Author of paranormal, horror stories to discuss new book in Greensburg
Ronald Murphy Jr., who has penned books on the paranormal and strange creatures, will discuss and sign his new book, “On Faeries,” at Craftique Collections, 770 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg. The 1-3:30 p.m. July 13 event is free and open to the public. A regional author, Murphy will address fairies,...
Reception will mark Hempfield painter’s first solo exhibition
Surrealistic painter Stephanie Oplinger will hold her first solo exhibition, “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” at the Greensburg Art and Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road. An opening reception will take place 6-8 p.m. July 11, featuring live music by Andrew P. DeBroeck and models showing Oplinger’s wearable art sculptures. The...
Regional Trail Corporation plans poker run fundraiser
The Westmoreland Yough Trail Chapter of the Regional Trail Corporation will hold its annual poker run on Labor Day, Sept. 2. The walking/biking non-competitive event starts in West Newton at the Arthur H. King Access Area of the Great Allegheny Passage. Registration begins at 8 a.m., event starts at 8:30...
Bloom Brew taps ‘Forged on the Yough Brew Festival’
Bloom Brew, at 100 Riverside Drive, West Newton, will host “Forged on the Yough Brew Festival” for what it calls a showcase of Westmoreland County talent. Downtown West Newton is event sponsor. The event from 1 to 4 p.m. July 28 will feature 10 “liquid artists,” outdoor recreation vendors Joe’s...
Wildlife Works needs more helping hands
It’s the busy baby season at Wildlife Works, Inc. in Youngwood. The nonprofit has lots of critters to care for and many hungry mouths to feed. What it’s short on is volunteers, says Monica Leuthold, office manager. College students from the local area often help out during the summer, while...
Ligonier Country Market features rock painting, music
Rock music and rock painting are part of Saturday’s features at Ligonier Country Market. The local acoustic band Super Moon will perform a blend of rock and bluegrass, market planners say. The trio’s material spans Neil Young to Bill Monroe, and ranges from jazzy instrumentals to bluegrass three-part harmony. Instrumentation...
Around Western Pa., plenty of places for dogs, owners to dine togetherVideo
On a recent warm, summer afternoon, John and Rose Marie Burchett enjoyed a leisurely lunch in Ligonier with their Yorkshire terriers, Teddy, 8, and Bunny, 5. The Waterford couple — and their dogs — are regulars at Paws on Main, a “pet boutique” where the front porch doubles as a...
Get out and be part of the North American Butterfly Count
What started with an employee’s dream now marks PPG’s Monroeville Business and Technology Center’s annual participation in the North American Butterfly Association Butterfly Count. Registration for the 10 a.m.-noon July 13 event will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the 440 College Park Drive facility. The all-age event is open to...
PICT Classic Theatre previews upcoming season
PICT Classic Theatre’s 2019-20 season will begin in November and include three productions: a ghost story play written by Stephen Mallatratt; an adaptation of a Shakespeare classic; and an Irish play by Hugh Leonard. The performances will be staged at WQED’s Fred Rogers Studio, 4802 Fifth Ave., Oakland. “This season,...
Soul-food restaurant to open in West Mifflin Walmart
Soul food restaurant Cornbread, described as fast-casual farm-to-table, will open the first of three area sites in the Walmart at 2351 Century Drive, West Mifflin. Doors at the leased space will open at 11 a.m. July 5, with locations at the Walmarts in Frazer and Hempfield set to open before...
Laurel Harmony holds barbershop music open house
In celebration of Barbershop Music Appreciation Day, the Laurel Harmony chapter of Sweet Adelines will hold an open house to share its singing style with the public. The Greensburg-based group’s members will demonstrate their a cappella four-part harmony of barbershop-style singing from 7:30-9 p.m. July 11 at Trinity United Church...
Classic, contemporary highlight free philharmonic concert
Music from Schubert to John Williams will be included in the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra Academy of Music’s free summer philharmonic concert. The program will be performed at 8 p.m. July 16 in Seton Hill University’s Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave., Greensburg. Music director Morrie Brand conducts the concert that...
Book club meeting, discussion set at Historic Hanna’s Town
The Westmoreland Historical Society’s history book club will hold an open discussion in the newly opened Westmoreland History Education Center at Historic Hanna’s Town. The noon-2 p.m. July 16 program in the Education Room at 809 Forbes Trail Road, Hempfield, will focus on “Washington’s General.” According to education coordinator Pam...
Farm-to-table harvest dinner set in Ligonier
Loyalhanna Watershed Association and Ligonier Country Market are partnering in a harvest dinner at the Watershed’s Nimick Family Education Center, 6 Old Lincoln Highway West, Ligonier. The 6-8:30 p.m. Aug. 10 event is an annual summer feast served family style, planners state. A farm-to-table community dining experience, the meal will...
