Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 21
Pittsburgh Ballet plans ‘Open Air’ series, free Hartwood Acres performance
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s “Open Air: A Series in Celebration of the Performing Arts” returns for the second year with performances June 9-12, at a new location on the Allegheny Riverfront along 19th Street in Sharpsburg. The company also will host its annual “Ballet Under the Stars,” a free performance scheduled...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s TGIS concerts include new acts, old favoritesVideo
Josh Jams, a one-man jam band with an improvised set list driven by audience requests, will kick off the 18th season of TGIS (Thank Goodness It’s Summer), the popular outdoor summer concert series hosted by Westmoreland Cultural Trust. The free series opens at 6 p.m. Thursday on the lawn of...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: May 27-29
Community spirit Greensburg Community Days continues today and Saturday at Lynch Field with live music, vendors, food, carnival games, rides, Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department demonstrations, a car cruise and more fun. Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. today, with special features including the E.C. Cruisers Car Club car cruise at...
The Westmoreland’s ‘Alone Together’ explores living in difficult times
“Alone Together: Encounters in American Realism,” opening Sunday at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, brings together works of art separated by almost a century but connected through the shared experience of living and working in difficult times. “The show broadly responds to the social conditions surrounding the pandemic,” said...
Sweetwater Center for the Arts stands with Ukraine through new exhibition
Photographer Michael Haritan said he presents his work with the aim of educating those who see it. “I always had the approach that it was of value to generations to come from a historical perspective,” said the Peters Township resident and owner of Haritan Photography. That mission has special urgency...
Saint Vincent Summer Theatre returns with 2 audience-favorite shows
Saint Vincent Summer Theatre will return from a two-year pandemic intermission by presenting two familiar romps from past seasons. The theater’s 52nd season will feature the musical “Nunsense,” running June 14-19; and the popular farce “Lend Me a Tenor,” July 12-17. Performances will be staged in the Robert S. Carey...
Out & About: Greensburg Civic Theatre celebrates 70 years on stage
Greensburg Civic Theatre has accomplished something rare in the realm of community theater — it has survived and thrived through 70 seasons. To mark the anniversary, the troupe hosted the “GCT Goes Platinum” gala on Sunday evening at Greensburg Garden & Civic Center. About 100 guests gathered for a cocktail...
Out & About: Westmoreland Art Nationals return live after 2 years of virtual shows
The Westmoreland Art Nationals lives up to its name, with exhibiting artists hailing from as near as Greensburg and as far as Florida, Massachusetts and Alaska. The first of two annual juried exhibitions associated with the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival opened with a Saturday evening reception at Westmoreland County...
Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center stages all-female ‘Uproar’ opera
An opera based on the life of a Swiss woman who dressed as a man, converted to Islam and lived as an outcast in Algeria will be presented Saturday at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. “Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt,” featuring a...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: May 20-22
Here’s your sign Grammy Award-nominated comedian Bill Engvall brings his “Here’s Your Sign ‘It’s Finally Time’ Farewell Tour” to The Palace Theatre for shows at 6 and 9 p.m. Friday. The tour takes its name from Engvall’s 1996 platinum debut album, “Here’s Your Sign,” based on a routine in which...
Wolf & Whisk bakery opens in Greensburg’s Trendy Bunny shop
One of Kelsey Blahovec’s first cookie batches came out “in the form of edible concrete.” That’s what happens when you add a cup of baking soda instead of a teaspoon. It didn’t chase her out of the kitchen, though. She doubled down on her baking efforts and now is the...
Goat crew works to clear invasive plants at Historic Hanna’s Town
There’s a crew working hard to clear underbrush on a woodsy tract at Historic Hanna’s Town, but they’re not your typical 9-to-5ers. The team comprises 11 goats, and the supervisor is a miniature donkey. They’re on the scene, courtesy of Allegheny Goatscape and a Laurel Highlands Landscape Conservation Grant, to...
Ligonier Township property listed at $1.45 million was inspired by builder’s dream
Builder Joseph Minyon said the idea for the 12,000-square-foot, chateau-inspired home he built in Ligonier Township came to him in a dream. “I saw a bird in flight with wings outstretched — I’m not sure what kind of bird it was, but I’ll say it was an eagle,” he said....
The Westmoreland’s Director/CEO Anne Kraybill leaving for Kansas museum post
Anne Kraybill will step down as the Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art on July 22 to become director/chief executive officer of the Wichita (Kan.) Art Museum. “This is a bittersweet moment for me because the past four years at The Westmoreland have been some...
Baldwin High School senior Julia Murray overcomes vision, hearing impairments
Graduating in the top 10% of your class is hard enough under any circumstances, let alone with the added challenges of being deaf/blind. That hasn’t stopped Julia Murray of Whitehall, who is ranked 21 of 388 students in the graduating class at Baldwin High School. The 18-year-old is a member...
Eric Clapton schedules Pittsburgh show for same night as Elton JohnVideo
Guitar legend Eric Clapton will play PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Sept. 16, as part of a five-city, seven-date tour. Guitarist Jimmy Vaughn will join Clapton for the tour, which will feature a band including notable musicians Doyle Bramhall II, Paul Carrack, Nathan East, Sonny Emory and Chris Stainton,...
Out & About: Westmoreland Museum pairs food, drink with ‘Artful Evening’
Taking food or drink into a museum gallery is a major taboo. Imagine sticky fingerprints left on a priceless piece of art. Rules were broken Saturday during An Artful Evening at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. The event underscored that artwork comes in many forms — whether...
Out & About: Ex-Steeler Craig Wolfley helps Westmoreland Food Bank mark 40 years
Guests at the Westmoreland Food Bank 40th Anniversary Gala expected some good hockey talk from former Pittsburgh Penguin Phil Bourque. Instead they got football commentary complete with live replay from Pittsburgh Steelers color analyst and former offensive lineman Craig Wolfley. “You were expecting the Old Two-Niner, you got the fat...
Latrobe Art Center, Saint Vincent scholars invite community acts of kindness
When looking for ways to be kind, it’s always good to take inspiration from Mister Rogers. Latrobe Art Center is doing that for its second annual Week of Kindness, from Monday through May 23. The center is inviting people to spread intentional acts of kindness throughout the community during the...
EQT Children’s Theater Festival returns live to Pittsburgh
The EQT Children’s Theater Festival returns live and in-person Saturday and Sunday to Pittsburgh’s Cultural District for the first time since 2019, following online iterations of the event during the pandemic. Now in its 36th year, the festival fosters children’s imaginations through professional theater performances from around the world. This...
‘Pollinator Palooza’ passport offers tour of pollinator-friendly gardens
Westmoreland Pollinator Partners is offering a passport for a tour of pollinator-friendly gardens across Westmoreland County. Anyone visiting at least six of the 21 featured gardens will be eligible to receive a free native plant that appeals to local pollinator species. Passport folders for the Pollinator Palooza Tour will be...
Butterfly gardens offer haven for hard-working pollinators
Butterflies aren’t just beautiful — they’re out there working hard, pollinating as they flit from flower to flower. In fact, butterflies are the second-largest group of pollinators, after bees. Unfortunately, like many other pollinators, butterfly numbers are decreasing around the world because of factors including loss of native habitat, replacement...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: May 13-15
Art and music A weekend exhibition of artwork by 15 students from three area school districts will open at noon Friday at Green Beacon Gallery, 235 W. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg. A free, all-ages reception with virgin cocktails and light refreshments is set for 3-6 p.m. Saturday. The gallery’s weekend hours...
Animal Friends of Westmoreland has new name, but its mission is the same
The sign on the door has changed, but the mission remains the same. Animal Friends of Westmoreland, a Youngwood-based, no-kill animal adoption and sanctuary organization, is now called Heal Animal Rescue. The name change had been under discussion for several years for several reasons, according to executive director Kelli Brisbane....
Pittsburgh Ballet artistic director Susan Jaffe leaving for role in New York City
Fresh from debuting her new choreography for “Swan Lake,” Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre artistic director Susan Jaffe has announced that she is leaving the company. In December, Jaffe will take over as artistic director of New York City-based American Ballet Theatre. Jaffe, 59, has a long history with ABT, beginning as...

