Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 69
Westmoreland Museum plans benefit brunch for the food bank
A holiday brunch featuring a spiked hot chocolate bar is planned Dec. 15 at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. Presented in partnership with the Westmoreland County Food Bank, the event will provide information on the food bank’s mission to end hunger in the region. Following the meal,...
All aboard for a memory-making holiday train excursion
Children’s book author Chris Van Allsburg said “The Polar Express,” his classic holiday story, “began with the idea of a train standing alone in the woods. I asked myself, ‘What if a boy gets on that train? Where does he go?’ ” In the story, the boy boards the train...
Entertainment planner: Dec. 5-18
Thursday Dec. 5 Chatham Baroque, string music from the 16th and 17th centuries, St. Nicholas Church, Millvale. Also Dec. 6, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Upper St. Clair; Dec. 7, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, East Liberty; and Dec. 8, Chatham University, Shadyside. chathambaroque.org East Suburban Artists League Annual Show, Administration Building, Penn State...
Westmoreland Symphony schedules annual ‘Home for the Holidays’
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s annual “Home for the Holidays” concert of choral and instrumental holiday pops this year will include a world premiere of “For Behold from Henceforth,” by Pittsburgh-based composer Nancy Galbraith. Also featuring guest conductor Maria Sensi Sellner, the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at...
Maroon 5 coming to Burgettstown’s KeyBank Pavilion on 2020 tourVideo
Three-time Grammy Award-winning band Maroon 5 will play KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown on June 19 as part of its 2020 tour of North and South America. The tour will include the biggest U.S. shows of the band’s career, with the group playing iconic venues such as Wrigley Field in Chicago...
Oak Ridge Boys prepared to fill Palace Theatre with holiday cheerVideo
The audience will get a bargain when the Oak Ridge Boys return to Greensburg for their “Down Home Christmas” show. “It’s two shows for the price of one,” says bass singer Richard Sterban of the Dec. 6 date at The Palace Theatre. “At the start of the show, we do...
Cheap Trick plans winter show at Greensburg’s Palace TheatreVideo
Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick will play The Palace Theatre in Greensburg on Feb. 9. Promoter pre-sale begins at 10 a.m. Dec. 5 via eventbrite.com with the passcode “PALACE.” Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Dec. 6 at 724-836-8000 or thepalacetheatre.org. Tickets...
Bluesman Robert Cray schedules Palace Theatre concertVideo
Grammy Award-winning blues guitarist and singer Robert Cray will play The Palace Theatre in Greensburg on March 13. The original Robert Cray Band came together in 1974 in Eugene, Ore. Its debut release was “Who’s Been Talkin’” in 1980. Songs from the 1986 release of “Strong Persuader,” brought the band...
Chicago tour featuring Rick Springfield coming to PittsburghVideo
Legendary rock and roll horn band Chicago and pop icon Rick Springfield have announced a North American summer amphitheater tour that includes a July 25 date at KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Dec. 6 at livenation.com Chicago has been honored...
Out & About: Trees turn DAR headquarters into holiday wonderland
What exactly do you do with an ugly yellow, 8-foot artificial Christmas tree? Members of the Braddock Trail Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution weren’t sure after they bought it several years ago at a summer clearance sale at Brilhart Ace Hardware in Scottdale. “It really is an...
Out & About: Annual Christmas Market draws shoppers to Ligonier
Even when nothing special is going on, downtown Ligonier has the aspect of a quaint little movie set. Add holiday decorations, music wafting from the gazebo on the Diamond and shoppers strolling the streets, and it’s picture-perfect — as it was on Nov. 30 as crowds took advantage of free...
Out & About: Compass Inn Museum hosts holiday candlelight tours
Early American Christmas traditions varied from place to place and among various religious denominations. For some, it was a solemn observance of the birth of Christ. Others made it a time of celebration. Still others saw it as just another day. Many European immigrants carried their Old World holiday customs...
Greensburg Garden Center’s greens sale is a holiday traditionVideo
On the ground floor of the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, there’s a room stocked floor to ceiling with holiday decor items, from artificial trees and glittering bulbs to colorful ribbons and bows. From this work space, members of the Greensburg Garden Center craft one-of-a-kind items to sell at the...
Entertainment planner: Nov. 28-Dec. 11
Friday Nov. 29 Family Day, Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh North Side. 412-231-3169 or mattress.org Felipe Esparza, Pittsburgh Improv, Homestead. Through Dec. 1. 412-462-5233 or improv.com/pittsburgh Jim Donovan and Sun King Warriors, Club Cafe, Pittsburgh South Side. 866-468-3401 or ticketweb.com/clubcafe Ken Ludwig’s “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” national tour, The Palace Theatre,...
Saint Vincent community welcomes holidays with 3 performances
A trio of musical performances will herald the Christmas season at Saint Vincent College. All three will begin at 7 p.m. in Saint Vincent Basilica on the Unity campus. The schedule includes: • Sixth Annual Festival of Lessons and Carols, performed by the Saint Vincent Camerata, Dec. 5. The Camerata...
Rock all-stars bring Beatles ‘White Album’ tribute to Greensburg
Fifty years ago today, Jason Scheff was 7 years old. At that age, the former Chicago vocalist/bassist says, he wasn’t really aware of The Beatles. “Back then, I was listening to Dionne Warwick, because that’s what my mom was playing,” he says. But 50 years on, he’s not only a...
Out & About: Annual Wind Up/Wine Down benefits Norwin musicians
What’s a good way to spend a Saturday night? Some folks like to Wind Up/Wine Down. That’s the name of the signature fundraiser for the Norwin Play It Forward Fund, which helps fund private lessons and music camps for Norwin School District students in grades 4-12 who participate in instrumental...
Out & About: Redstone Highlands gala sets sail on the Love Boat
More than 200 “passengers” set sail on the Love Boat for this year’s Redstone Highlands Fling. The 17th annual gala with a nautical 1970s theme, held Nov. 23 at Stratigos Banquet Centre in North Huntingdon, raised funds for the benevolent care fund of the senior care organization with campuses in...
Out & About: Ligonier Y supporters look back at ‘how we got here’
Supporters of the Ligonier Valley YMCA took a look at “how we got here” at the Y’s third annual Legacy Dinner, held Nov. 22 at Laurel Mountain Ski Resort in Ligonier Township. The program included a short history of the Y, the year in review and testimonials on the organization’s...
Out & About: Greensburg store hosts WSO shopping spree benefit
Time is at a premium during this busy season. It’s good when you can kill two birds (or maybe three) with one stone, so to speak. Teri Bowes of Hempfield invited a group of friends to do just that on Nov. 18. She was the winner of a shopping party...
Travel tip: Prepare your vehicle for winter snow and cold
Like it or not, it’s time to prepare for winter driving. The folks at AAA East Central offer these tips to prep your vehicle for cold and snow: • Have your battery tested if it is more than three years old, to ensure it is strong enough to endure cold...
Southern Alleghenies Museum in Ligonier plans 3 art workshops
Both would-be and accomplished artists are invited to the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art Ligonier for three upcoming workshops. The first two take place before the holidays, offering participants the opportunity to create handcrafted items suitable for gift-giving. The third comes afterward, promising a fun and relaxing afternoon in the...
New ‘Night Before Christmas’ takes familiar story on fresh journey
The phrase “Twas the Night Before Christmas” is as much a part of the holiday lexicon as Santa’s “Ho ho ho!” From the Clement Moore poem (actually titled “A Visit From St. Nicholas”) to the oft-sung song to animated and live-action movies, it’s a refrain embedded into our Christmas psyches....
Entertainment planner: Nov. 21-Dec. 4
Thursday Nov. 21 Sam Morril, Pittsburgh Improv, Homestead. Through Nov. 24. 412-462-5233 or improv.com/pittsburgh Friday Nov. 22 Judi Figel and Dave Crisci, Lounge at LeMont, Mount Washington. 412-431-3100 or lemontpittsburgh.com “Disney’s Newsies,” Stage Right production, The Palace Theatre, Greensburg. Through Nov. 24. 724-836-8000 or thepalacetheatre.org Fall Dance Concert, works by...
Pitt-Greensburg Chorale to present holiday concerts at 3 sites
The Pitt-Greensburg Chorale will join with the Pittsburgh-based Kassia Ensemble for a series of holiday themed concerts to close the fall semester of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Joan Chambers Concert Series. The program, “First Noël: Music of Bach, Saint-Saëns, Handel,” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21...
