Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 84
Out & About: Feeding the Spirit gala draws more than 300 guests
Welcoming guests to the annual Feeding the Spirit fundraiser, founder and board president Deborah Thackrah said when the group served its first free community meal in 2011, “People didn’t know that we would be around in a year, but here we are in our eighth year.” The event was held...
Out & About: Supporters get sneak peek at Lamp Theatre diner
Supporters of Irwin’s Lamp Theatre have dubbed it “the little theater that could.” The historic theater opened in 1937 as a movie house. After closing in 2005, it changed hands several times until the borough of Irwin bought it in 2013. With lots of volunteer help, it reopened as a...
Out & About: More kudos for retiring Pitt-Greensburg president
Friends and colleagues of Sharon Smith, retiring president of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, won’t just let her slip away quietly. Accolades and appreciation were bestowed during a surprise celebration April 16, and a celebratory open house followed May 7. Traveling from the university’s main Oakland campus for the...
Travel tip: Edinboro festival highlights Appalachian roots
The Edinboro Art and Music Festival is an annual showcase of Appalachian-roots art, music and culture. Scheduled for May 16-19 at venues throughout the Erie County borough, the festival includes live music, stringed instrument workshops, health and well-being workshops, professional and student art shows, food and beverage vendors, art market...
1 baby or more, mom of triplets says ‘you’ll get through it’
“You will get through it.” It’s a phrase new mothers often hear (and sometimes don’t quite believe). But if taking care of one newborn is a lot, imagine having two or three — or more. When Lisa Blahovec of Youngwood found out that she and her husband, Alan, were expecting...
Non-famous twins deserve some extra love on Mother’s Day
Moms of twins have double the pleasure, double the fun, on Mother’s Day. Imagine if those twins are famous, to boot. That’s double the bragging rights and, no doubt, double the pricey Mother’s Day gifts. We’ve all heard of celebri-twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, who started in television at...
Directors with local ties to show original films in Pittsburgh
Three filmmakers with ties to Pittsburgh will show their work as part of a special series at the Regent Square Theater, 1035 S. Braddock Ave. The Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media, formerly Pittsburgh Filmmakers, will host films by directors Harry Greenberger, Scott Balcerek and Lori Felker, beginning on May...
Doug Oster to offer gardening tips at Kittanning plant sale
Noted home and garden editor Doug Oster will share favorite home gardening tips during Armstrong County Penn State Master Gardeners’ annual plant sale on May 18. The sale is set for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Belmont Complex, 415 Butler Road, Kittanning. The talk by Oster, manager and editor for...
Westmoreland Symphony closes season with movie music program
Think of prolific composer John Williams’ blockbuster movie scores and you probably think of “Star Wars,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Jurrasic Park.” Maybe even “Harry Potter.” Williams also wrote the oh-so-cool jazz score for “Catch Me If You Can,” Steven Spielberg’s 2002 flick starring Leonardo DeCaprio as a...
Entertainment planner: May 9-22
Friday May 10 “Andre,” Throughline Theatre Company production, Aftershock Theatre, Lawrenceville. Through May 18. throughlinetheatre.org Art on Tap 2.0 — Salsa Night, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg. 724-837-1500 or thewestmoreland.org Brooke Annibale, Club Cafe, Pittsburgh. 866-468-3401 or ticketweb.com/clubcafe Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, works by Beethoven and Mahler, Heinz Hall,...
Wiz Khalifa joins cast of Fox animated comedy ‘Duncanville’
Rapper Wiz Khalifa is going from the weed farm to the schoolhouse. The Pittsburgh-area native has joined the cast of “Duncanville,” an animated primetime comedy set to debut on Fox in the 2019-20 season. Khalifa will voice Mr. Mitch, “the cool teacher/guidance counselor, occasional gym coach and nurse” at the...
Thoughtful Thursdays Film Festival at UPG to address social issuesVideo
“Movies With a Message” is the theme of the upcoming Thoughtful Thursdays Film Festival hosted by the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition. Screenings will begin at 6 p.m. in the Campana Chapel at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, 150 Finoli Drive, Hempfield. A discussion on a pertinent social issue will follow...
Billy Porter slays Met Gala red carpet as gold-winged ‘Sun God’
Why walk the red carpet when you can be carried in on a litter by six buff, shirtless hunks in shiny gold trousers? Always pushing the boundaries of gender and genre, actor Billy Porter thus made his entrance at the 2019 Met Gala in an ancient Egypt-inspired “Sun God” ensemble:...
Art therapy helps people explore and resolve many issues
Larry Beaver of Jeannette is known in area art circles as the creator of beautiful pastels. His work is showing in “Trance,” a solo retrospective exhibition running through June 9 at You Are Here Gallery in Jeannette. He’s also been featured in shows in the Latrobe and Greensburg art centers,...
Art therapy professionals receive master’s level training
“Art therapy is a master’s level training program used in mental health counseling and social work,” says Dana Elmendorf, program director of the Seton Hill University Graduate Art Therapy Program. Art making is a technique used by some mental health professionals in working with their clients, but art therapy is...
Blink-182, Lil Wayne will play KeyBank Pavilion on summer tourVideo
It’s not just “Gossip” — it will definitely be “The Rock Show” when multi-platinum artists Blink-182 and Lil Wayne hit the road together for the first time this summer on a co-headlining tour across North America. The tour includes a July 6 date at KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown. Blink-182 and...
Out & About: Rustic mountain retreat hosts Derby Day for Charity
Derby Day for Charity started promptly at 3 p.m. May 4 at Oak Lodge near Stahlstown. With almost four hours to kill before the main event, live streaming of the Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs, there was plenty of time for cigar smoking, mint julep drinking and betting on a...
Out & About: Celebrity dancers wow at Animal Friends eventVideo
Chris Granata and his dancing partner-instructor Kaelyn Gresko took double honors for their swing routine at the 2019 Dancing With the Celebrities competition to benefit Animal Friends of Westmoreland. Burning up the stage at Greensburg’s Palace Theatre on May 3, the high top-clad duo danced away with the first-place people’s...
Out & About: Old friends gather for Jeannette gallery reception
It was like old home week in Jeannette’s You Are Here Gallery during the May 4 opening reception for “Trances,” a solo retrospective exhibition by local artist Larry Beaver. Mike Zvara of Jeannette said he and the artist were in the same Boy Scout troop back in the early 1960s....
Out & About: Laurel Faith in Action hosts neighborhood picnic
Laurel Faith in Action celebrated community connections during a Neighborhood Block Party on May 3 in the Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College in Unity. More than 160 attendees were treated to a bountiful spread of picnic foods, including hot dogs, hamburgers, potato and pasta salads, fruit and dessert....
Out & About: Mental Health America hosts Innovations Awards night
Mental Health America of Southwestern PA hosted its 17th annual Innovations Awards dinner and program May 2 in the Ramada Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center. The awards recognize community members and organizations that help make a difference in the lives of people experiencing mental health and substance use issues. Honorees...
Travel tip: Website invites hikers to share trail information
Tired of taking the same old hike along the same old trail? Maybe it’s time to check out myhikes.org. The website is billed as an independent platform on which hikers and backpackers can share information on their favorite trails by importing GPX files from apps and tracking devices. MyHikes currently...
4 lads from Liverpool pay tribute as the Mersey BeatlesVideo
Four lads from Liverpool, England, get together to play music. They spend a decade as the resident band at the world-famous Cavern Club in their hometown. It sounds like the beginning of a familiar story — only this Fab Four is not The Beatles, it’s the Mersey Beatles. Billed as...
Free tickets available for Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra’s season finale
Free tickets are available for the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra’s season finale concert on May 5 in Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh. Doors will open one hour prior to the 7:30 p.m. performance. Conducted by PYSO music director Earl Lee, the program will feature: • Keiko Abe’s “Prism Rhapsody,” with soloist...
Entertainment planner: May 2-15
Thursday May 2 “Blank,” 12 Peers Theater production, Richard E. Rauh Studio Theatre, University of Pittsburgh, Oakland. Through May 19. 412-626-6784 or 12peerstheater.org “An Evening of One Acts,” California University of Pennsylvania, California. Through May 4. 724-938-5943 or calu.edu Friday May 3 “Fahrenheit 451,” Heritage Players production, Seton Center, Brookline....
