More A&E category, Page 9

Several things portend well for Victory Brinker’s chances to win Season 16 of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” The 9-year-old opera singer from Unity was the final competitor in Tuesday’s live quarterfinal round, perhaps illustrating the “save the best for last” principle. There was plenty of build-up to her appearance, too....

Sometimes it takes a while to become an overnight success. Sounds like the opening line of a great country song — or the story behind one. Country singer/songwriter Gary Pratt of South Greensburg has been in the music business for decades, but, recently, he’s been gaining recognition far beyond Western...

Downtown Greensburg will resound with music of all kinds on Saturday, as more than 20 acts take to four stages during the daylong Greensburg Music Fest. Take it from musician Chris Fafalios, it will be “the best thing to do within hours of Greensburg.” Fafalios and his band, Another Cheetah,...

Export officials are making plans for the borough’s annual Ethnic Food & Music Festival, set for Aug. 21 throughout the downtown area. Washington Avenue will close late in the evening on Aug. 20 to allow vendors to stage booths and bring in equipment, and to construct the main performance stage...

Members of the Greensburg Hose Company No. 1 are hoping to show off their classic cars while raising money for the station. Scheduled for Aug. 15, it will be the first first car and bike cruise hosted by members of the McLaughlin Drive station. In addition to the show, the event...

Take a musical journey along the Lincoln Highway during “Rhythm of the Road,” a free outdoor concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lincoln Highway Experience in Unity. The nation’s first transcontinental road for automobiles, dedicated in 1913, helped spawn new business and cultural opportunities as travelers passed through...

This story has been updated. Last concert on the lawn Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s Live on the Lawn outdoor concert series concludes with music by Trio Phonon, beginning at 7 p.m. Friday in Hempfield Park. Musicians Tom Godfrey, flute; Will Teegarden, cello; and Frances Duffy, harp, will play Gershwin’s “Summertime,” Debussy’s...

Pittsburgh’s Cultural District will celebrate the return of live programming with a three-day “Lights On!” event from Sept. 9-11. The special celebration of the arts will be the official kick-off to RADical Days, an annual thank-you to the public with free admission, tours, performances and family activities offered by organizations...

One of Western Pennsylvania’s most popular fall festivals, Fort Ligonier Days, is set to return Oct. 8-10 after a hiatus last year because of the covid-19 pandemic, the festival’s chairman confirmed. “Absolutely, we’re moving forward. We’re excited about it,” said committee Chairman Jack McDowell. Usually held the second weekend in...

You Are Here gallery is celebrating its third anniversary with an exhibition opening Saturday. A public reception is scheduled for noon-6 p.m. in the art space at 406 Clay Ave., Jeannette. At 3 p.m., there will be a toast to the featured artists, along with a reading of original haiku...

We have reached the final weekend of July. Here are some suggestions for how to spend it in and around Pittsburgh. Open doors Doors Open Pittsburgh offers a self-guided tour of the Strip District from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Guests are invited to go behind the scenes inside...

Kecksburg canceled its annual UFO festival for the second consecutive year this spring, but Friday and Saturday the fire department will host an “Old Fashioned Days” celebration at the fire hall in Mt. Pleasant Township. Festival chair Ron Struble said the events will take place from 5 to 11 p.m....

Winners have been chosen from more than 250 submissions for City Theatre Company’s 2021 Young Playwrights Contest. The regional playwrighting contest for students in grades 7-12 is now in its 22nd year. The winners will have their plays professionally produced by City Theatre and published in the Young Playwrights Anthology....

Lawrenceville’s indie movie theater, Row House Cinema, will reopen Sept. 3 after an 18-month, pandemic-driven closure. “Our whole staff is basically relearning how to run a movie theater this summer, and we’ve got some fantastic programming lined up for the remainder of 2021,” owner Brian Mendelssohn said. Film club members...

Laughter is back. After more than a year, the Pittsburgh Improv in The Waterfront in Homestead has reopened, giving guests a reason to giggle and smile. “The year and a half that we were closed felt like forever,” said Paul Tebbets, Pittsburgh Improv general manager. “It is wonderful to be...

Musical interlude Westmoreland Winds will perform at 7 p.m. today at the amphitheater in Hempfield Park, as part of Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s Live on the Lawn outdoor summer concert series. The ensemble is comprised of musicians Tom Godfrey, flute; Renate Sakins, oboe; Ryan Leonard, clarinet; Austin Sposato, horn; and Steve...

Idlewild and Soak Zone is extending park operating hours on remaining Fridays and Saturdays in July while welcoming the return of live shows for kids and families. The family-oriented park in Ligonier Township announced Thursday it will remain open an extra hour, until 8 p.m., on Fridays and Saturdays for...

The Kennedy Center Honors will return in December with a class that includes Motown Records creator Berry Gordy, “Saturday Night Live” mastermind Lorne Michaels and actress-singer Bette Midler. Organizers expect to operate at full capacity, after last year’s ceremony was delayed for months and later conducted under covid-19 restrictions. This...

The work of Doris Lee, a painter known for her Depression-era murals and depictions of everyday life, will be on exhibit Sept. 26-Jan. 9 in The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. “Simple Pleasures: The Art of Doris Lee” will feature 77 of the artist’s most notable works, along...

City Theatre Company will reopen its doors in Pittsburgh’s South Side for a 47th season including six live and in-person productions featuring collaborations with local and national theater companies, community partners and first-time and returning artists. Three of the productions will be world premieres, including one that explores immigration in...

Everyone can be an artist July 24-25 in Somerset as the annual Chalk the Block festival returns for its fifth year. Art will cover the sidewalks of Uptown Somerset, courtesy of professional chalk artists, competitions for emerging and youth artists, a mini-mural from Laurel Arts and an open art-making space...

The land of “amore” is the inspiration for a July 20 concert in Hempfield Park. Alabaster Performing Arts will present Mary McCormack and Jessie Glover singing tunes made popular by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and others during an Italian American Concert at 7 p.m. in the park’s open-air Smail Amphitheatre....