Mary Pickels stories, Page 4
Greensburg native Melessie Clark joins Urchin chorus in ‘Little Shop or Horrors’Video
Greensburg native Melessie Clark recalls seeing a Stage Right production of “Little Shop of Horrors” as a child and finding it so exciting. “It was a show I always wanted to do,” she says. Clark, 26, now living in Pittsburgh, is part of the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of the...
Rare New Geneva musket returns to National Park Service
The Friendship Hill Association and the National Park Service will display the return of an artifact to Fayette County during a Feb. 1 program at Friendship Hill National Historic Site in Point Marion. During a brief program, beginning at 11 a.m. in the Gallatin mansion, a Deed of Gift signing...
Disturbed launches 20th anniversary ‘The Sickness’ tourVideo
Disturbed will begin its extensive North American 31-date “The Sickness” 20th anniversary tour, with guests Staind and Bad Wolves, on July 15 in Maryland Heights, Mo. The tour makes a stop on Aug. 13 at S&T Bank Music Park in Burgettstown. The two-time Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum band is celebrating the...
‘Women’s Work’ exhibition opening at You Are Here gallery
Jeannette art gallery You Are Here will host its first exhibit of the new year, “Women’s Work.” Juried by Maureen Vissat Kochanek, professor of art history at Seton Hill University, the exhibit runs Feb. 1-29. An opening reception, free and open to the public, will be held 4-6 p.m. Feb....
Historic Hanna’s Town hosts Valentine’s Day exhibit
The Westmoreland Historical Society will celebrate the season of love with a pop-up exhibit and day of activities called “Won’t You Be My Valentine?” The event will be held 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Westmoreland History Education Center at Historic Hanna’s Town, 809 Forbes Trail Road, Hempfield. The...
Comfort food favorite lasagna is trending for the new yearVideo
Lasagna is a hot food trend this year. According to the Wall Street Journal, New Yorkers are salivating at the thought of digging into the rich pasta dish. And celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, in an effort to make a healthier version of the Italian entree, is pushing an eggplant version....
Online shoppers embrace subscription servicesVideo
Whether it’s a preference for online browsing, time constraints or anticipating a package’s arrival, many people embrace a “personally curated,” often subscription-based shopping service. “It’s like getting a little present in the mail every month,” Linda Brasile says of her regular Stitch Fix deliveries. Stitch Fix is a clothing styling...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Jan. 24-26Video
Desk jockeys are in the home stretch now, and the weekend looms. It’s a busy one, indoors and out, from antiques to music, culture to sculpture, to food. Enjoy. All that glitters Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce will host its 29th annual Ligonier Ice Fest Jan. 25-26, with ice sculptures...
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters to open ‘Not a Drill’ tour in PittsburghVideo
Roger Waters is set to kick off his North American “This Is Not a Drill” tour in Pittsburgh. The show is scheduled for July 8 in PPG Paints Arena. “It’ll be a new show. It will be no-holds-barred,” Waters told Rolling Stone in September. “My work is to think, ‘Well,...
Food harness makes Super Bowl snacking simple, with tongue in cheek
Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching. And whether you are cheering on Feb. 2 for the San Francisco 49ers or the Kansas City Chiefs, you and your party guests know the game highlight is the halftime — or all the time — grub being served. Calorie counting goes out the...
Oakland Restaurant Week offers special mid-day meal deals
Oakland Restaurant Week returns, with six days of $6 lunches at numerous eateries in the busy Pittsburgh neighborhood. This year’s dates are Jan. 27 to Feb. 1, and 20 eateries are participating this year, according to the Oakland Business Improvement District. Participants can enjoy a meal without making a huge...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to host winter gallery crawl
Since 2004, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has been producing quarterly gallery crawls through the city’s cultural district. The winter edition is set for 5:30-10 p.m. Jan. 24, with free exhibits, entertainment and activities for all ages. About 30,000 visitors annually are drawn to what the Trust calls an immersive artistic...
Hall & Oates plan S&T Bank Music Park stopVideo
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame duo Daryl Hall and John Oates are headed out on a 32-date North American tour with a July 28 stop at S&T Bank Music Park in Burgettstown. Opening acts include Squeeze and KT Tunstall, according to producer Live Nation. 2020 Tour Announced With @Squeezeofficial...
Greensburg Restaurant Week returns with new prix fixe menus
Following the success of August’s inaugural Greensburg Restaurant Week, organizer Think Greensburg presents the first winter version. There are 17 participating restaurants for the event Jan. 27 through Feb. 2, says Ashley Kertes, executive director of Think Greensburg. Many are returnees from the summer event. All will offer a week...
First Ligonier Valley Restaurant Tour kicks off Ice Fest
The Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce is kicking off the first Ligonier Valley Restaurant Tour as part of the annual Ligonier Ice Fest. The “tour” will take place from Jan. 25 through April 30, says Ruthie Stewart, events and marketing coordinator for the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce. The tour...
Ligonier next community to receive its pair of ‘Wings’
Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s “Wings Across Westmoreland” initiative will grant another community its wings. Ligonier’s piece of art will be revealed at 11 a.m. Jan. 25 at its new home, Town Hall on the Diamond, as part of the 29th annual Ligonier Ice Fest. The wings will highlight distinct features of...
Spoonwood Brewing, Bethel Bakery create 3rd pastry-ale offering
Spoonwood Brewing Co. and Bethel Bakery are joining forces for the third time in their “have your cake and drink it, too,” campaign. In May, they introduced Retort Chocolate Raspberry Cake Stout, a combination of Spoonwood’s traditional stout with the bakery’s chocolate cake and raspberry purée. In October, the Pittsburgh...
Find out if that brooch is worth a bundle at appraisal day in Hempfield
If you have a piece of jewelry or furniture and you’re wondering if it’s just old, or may hold some value, bring it to the Westmoreland Historical Society’s “Antiques Appraisal Day” and find out. Historic Hanna’s Town will hold the appraisal event from 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 25 at...
National Park Service begins lake bed restoration in Cambria County
Following up on plans announced in December, the National Park Service states that the first phase of a lake bed restoration project at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial will begin this week. The project at St. Michael in Cambria County will begin with manual clearing to remove as many trees...
Allegheny Health Network expanding healthy food center
Since opening in 2018 at West Penn Hospital, the region’s first Healthy Food Center has provided nearly 40,000 meals to patients and their families who lack access to nutritious food items, according to Highmark Health. Allegheny Health Network will expand the effort’s reach, with the recent opening of a second...
National Popcorn Day celebrates crunchy goodnessVideo
Jan. 19 is National Popcorn Day. The Popcorn Board has numerous recipes to help make your Super Bowl viewing, movie night, awards show snacking easy and flavorful. And though traditional butter and salt is hardly passé, the popcornboard.org website has numerous other sweet and savory suggestions. Here’s one. Caramel Pecan...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Jan. 17-19Video
Depending on your holiday/travel plans, this week may have been the first full work week since sometime last year. It’s not easy getting back into that full-time production mode. Luckily, the weekend looms for most of us. Get out and hear some music, get some culture, maybe even dare your...
Birthday buddies: Teacher, student celebrate 75-year friendshipVideo
As a young child, Garnet Overly recalls, she always looked forward to school. “Schooling was something I always enjoyed. I enjoyed going to school and I enjoyed my teachers I had in the lower grades. Right now don’t ask me their names,” says Overly, 94, of Donegal Township. “I remember...
Somerset’s Fire & Ice Festival celebrates silver anniversary
A silver anniversary calls for a special celebration and Somerset Inc. is planning one for this year’s Fire & Ice Festival. Regina Coughenour, the host organization’s executive director, says the Jan. 17-19 event will include a “captivating” fireworks show (6:30 p.m. Friday), Somerset’s first ice slide and silver decor around...
Jason Momoa film sends helicopters over Pittsburgh skyline
No need to look skyward in Pittsburgh any time soon, in hopes of making a Jason Momoa sighting. Helicopters that residents and motorists may have spotted flying or hovering over the city on Sunday night were part of the local filming for the actor’s new Netflix film, “Sweet Girl,” said...

