Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 59
Westmoreland-based nonprofits bide time through fundraiser cancellations
Both the Westmoreland Cultural Trust and Old Joe Club Charities were able to hold their largest annual fundraisers before the coronavirus prompted a statewide lockdown. The Trust’s Party at the Palace and Old Joe’s Men’s Night Out both took place in February, about a month before event cancellations began to...
Westmoreland Museum offers free face coverings, pen pal program
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has developed two new outreach programs, one to supply face coverings to community members and another to to keep in touch with senior citizens during the covid-19 quarantine. Several staff members applied their sewing talents to the Free Face Coverings Project, creating masksfor people...
Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival canceled
The Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival, scheduled for July 2-5 in Twin Lakes Park, has been canceled. “It was a difficult decision for the board to make, and we waited as long as we possible could,” said Executive Director Diane Shrader. “But public safety has to come first, and there...
Greensburg Garden Center selling a variety of perennials
Greensburg Garden Center is selling a variety of perennials that originally were intended for sale at the annual May Mart, canceled this year due to the covid-19 quarantine. Plants ordered by Friday will be available for pickup from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. May 12 and 13 in the garden at the...
From pancakes to prime rib, Mother’s Day takeout options abound
The good news is that, even though you can’t take Mom out to eat on Sunday, you still can treat her to a special Mother’s Day meal. The better news is that you don’t have to cook it yourself. Restaurants around the area are offering a variety of takeout brunch...
The Westmoreland’s virtual exhibit celebrates ‘Spring in Pennsylvania’
Even though it’s spring in Pennsylvania, cool weather and the coronavirus quarantine have kept people indoors and away from all the delights of the season. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is bringing nature inside for all to enjoy via “Spring in Pennsylvania,” a virtual exhibition available for viewing on...
Mountain Playhouse cancels its upcoming productions
Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown, Somerset County, has canceled its upcoming summer and fall productions. “Unfortunately, it has become clear to the staff and board of directors that due to the ongoing concerns regarding (covid-19), the Mountain Playhouse cannot produce our 2020 season as planned,” said Patricia Carnevali, executive director and...
Ligonier Country Market will open with new safety rules in place
The Ligonier Country Market will open May 23 for its 45th season — with some adjustments mandated by the covid-19 pandemic. The market is held 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays, rain or shine, at the Loyalhanna Watershed Association Farm, off West Main Street and Route 30 in Ligonier Township. Organizers also are...
Ligonier theater owner creates video spoof of quarantine woesVideo
What to do while the theater you own is shuttered during the covid-19 quarantine? Leigh Ann McCulty, owner of Ligonier’s Diamond Theatre, decided to make her own movie. The result, “Quarantime,” is available now for viewing on YouTube. As the name suggests, the 30-minute film takes a light-hearted look at...
Tenor Andrea Bocelli schedules holiday season Pittsburgh dateVideo
Renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will return to the United States for a series of holiday season concerts, including a Dec. 5 date at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Billed as “a prayer of hope,” the concerts will include Bocelli’s first career performance in St. Louis, Mo., and his annual...
On this May the 4th, ‘Star Wars’ creator has message of a new hopeVideo
If there’s one enduring theme of the “Star Wars” movies, it’s to never give up hope. Today is May the 4th, and Lucasfilm has released a short video for the annual homage to the phrase, “May the force be with you” — but tailored to the particular circumstances of May...
Support group, fundraiser updates in Westmoreland County
Support groups Sage’s Army Inc. is hosting these online support groups via Zoom: • Coffee Break, 4-6 p.m. every first Friday of the month, beginning May 1: For women who have family members or friends struggling with addiction. Meeting ID is 946 202 392. Log on at zoom.us/j/946202392. • Grief...
Poets create works for jewelry exhibit at The Frick Pittsburgh
Local poets will read works inspired by The Frick Pittsburgh’s “Maker & Muse” exhibition during an online session at 7 p.m. April 30. “Ekphrasis: Poetry Meets Art (Meets the Web)” will feature Jamie Agnello, Valerie Bacharach, Veronica Corpuz, Jim Daniels, Karen Howard and Ellen Smith reading new pieces commissioned in...
Book, Zoom sessions take a new look at Henry Clay Frick
Coal and coke magnate Henry Clay Frick is the topic of two upcoming Zoom discussions hosted by the Fayette County Cultural Trust and author Cassandra Vivian. The discussions are planned for 11 a.m. April 28 and 4 p.m. April 30. Mt. Pleasant resident Vivian is the author of a new...
Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival still on — at least for now
While so many summer events have been canceled, the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival is still on for July 2-5 in Twin Lakes Park — at least for now. “We’re moving ahead, at least until we hear from the governor on May 8th on what’s allowed for large gatherings,” said...
Latrobe student spearheads TikTok video cancer fundraiser
Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority chapter at Washington & Jefferson College hosts an annual softball tournament to benefit the Glock Foundation, which raises funds for breast cancer research, clinical trials, patient care and education. It’s a cause that’s close to the hearts of sorority members, since the foundation was created by...
Tailor your virtual socializing to fit your family and friendsVideo
The covid-19 pandemic has forced people everywhere to learn ways to be social while maintaining social distance. From Slack chats to Zoom meetings to Facebook Live cooking clubs, there’s a way for just about everyone to find respite from the day-to-day boredom and isolation of quarantine. Game nights, happy hours,...
Mask fogging your glasses? 10 tips for keeping lenses clear
People who wear glasses put up with numerous indignities. They can be uncomfortable, they’re easy to lose or break, they get in the way when you’re trying to kiss your boo. And they fog up at the most inconvenient times — especially now when we have to wear face masks...
Westmoreland County residents can share stories for pandemic archive
What’s your covid-19 story? Westmoreland County residents are invited to share their pandemic experiences for a digital archive being created by the Saint Vincent College History Department and the Westmoreland Historical Society. “The public is encouraged to submit personal stories about family life, work, school and relationships, along with videos,...
Pittsburgh Ballet announces upcoming season, promotes 3 dancers
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s 2020-21 season will incorporate performances that were not staged during the current season due to pandemic-related closures. The rescheduled programs include the mixed-repertory production, “Here + Now,” and “Balanchine + Tchaikovsky,” with the PBT Orchestra, featuring choreography by George Balanchine set to the music of Tchaikovsky. The...
Gemini Children’s Theater offers online ‘Wonderland’ video, activitiesVideo
Children can go through the looking glass with Gemini Children’s Theater for an online “Alice in Wonderland” adventure. The McKees Rocks-based theater has posted a video and series of activities based on Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s story. Suggested for children ages 3 and up, the video fearturing members of the...
Westmoreland Museum staffer’s dog becomes Instagram art critic
When do you know that a work of art is “heckin’ goob”? When a canine critic says it is, that’s when. Following in the pioneering paw prints of Doge, the shiba inu whose fractured syntax was immortalized in about a million memes, dogs have taken to social media to offer...
Greensburg-based Feeding the Spirit offers free Saturday meal distribution
For nine years, Feeding the Spirit has offered a free Thursday dinner to those in need at Otterbein United Methodist Church in Greensburg. With the church closed during the coronavirus-related shutdown, the organization needed to come up with a “Plan B,” said Deborah Thackrah, founder of the local nonprofit that...
Pittsburgh CLO cancels entire summer season of musicals
Pittsburgh CLO canceled all of its summer season of musicals. The decision was made as a result of uncertainties and risks related to the covid-19 pandemic, according to Executive Producer and CEO Van Kaplan. The season was set to open June 2 with national tours of “The SpongeBob Musical” and...
Pittsburgh Irish Festival extends online concert series
The Pittsburgh Irish Festival has extended its Live Stream Irish Music Series through May. The series, offered in partnership with the Irish Design Center, has hosted more than 25 online shows featuring local musicians like Mike Flaherty and Donnie Irish, regional musicians like Poor Man’s Gambit and RUNA, national acts...
