Lifestyles category, Page 16
Bishop David Zubik visits St. James Church in Sewickley
Sewickley teen Kallie McCune was a little nervous volunteering at her church’s fish fry. The Friday Lenten feast has been a tradition at Divine Redeemer Parish’s St. James Church for many years. For Kallie, 13, this was her first year — and the last fish fry in March was a...
At a little known Rolls-Royce museum in Pennsylvania farm country, volunteers dote over iconic cars
MECHANICSBURG — Mike Fowler had been faintly aware that a museum of Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles existed near his boyhood home in the suburbs of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but the car enthusiast didn’t expect the experience he got when he started volunteering there. Fowler had oil on his hands within a...
Universal chooses a site near London to build its 1st European theme park
LONDON — Universal has chosen the homeland of Harry Potter to build its first theme park and resort in Europe, the entertainment company and U.K. officials announced Wednesday. The studio and theme park operator that has drawn millions to its Potter-themed wizarding worlds and other attractions said it would begin...
That water bottle you’re carrying says a lot more than ‘hydration’
If you like to stay hydrated no matter where you go, chances are you’ve got a reusable water bottle or two. Or 10. (The collectors know who they are.) Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, fashion trendsetter, hiker, commuter or just an eco-conscious consumer, there’s a bottle out there for you....
Indiana Township-based wedding officiant logs more than 500 nuptials
Michelle Trumble of Indiana Township is a marrying machine. “I’m a hopeless romantic,” Trumble said of her wedding officiant occupation of 16 years. When Trumble faced difficulties booking a suitable wedding officiant for her second wedding, she recognized the need for a professional and versatile wedding officiant in the Pittsburgh...
Western Pennsylvanians prepare to capture April showers in rain barrels
As spring and gardening season begin, some Western Pennsylvanians are setting up a tool to harness the results of April showers: rain barrels. Generally placed below a downspout with a small spigot at the bottom, the barrels collect rainwater, keeping it from becoming runoff and storing it for practical use...
Jazzercise instructors blend fitness and fun in Sewickley
This isn’t your grandmother’s Jazzercise. That’s the message from Jazzercise instructor/owner Tamara Kemmler. “Jazzercise has been around for 55 years,” Kemmler said. “It’s the original dance fitness workout, and Jazzercise has evolved over the years.” The biggest Jazzercise myth Kemmler aims to bust is that classes consist of ladies prancing...
Floral fashion blooms at Phipps Conservatory’s La Fleur soiree
Models wore designs showcasing real flowers and plants — daisies, carnations, roses, moss, bamboo and more — as they posed and mingled at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland on Thursday. They were there as part of the inaugural La Fleur: Music x Art x Culture x Botanicals Soirée....
Kennywood’s Steel Curtain to reopen this season
Kennywood Park will open for its 127th season on a truly Pittsburgh kind of day — April 12, also known as 412-day, a nod to the city’s area code. The Steel Curtain roller coaster is also scheduled to reopen at some point this season. “Our most up-to-date and official statement...
32-acre Franco Harris Memorial Park to be created in Glen Osborne
Legendary Steelers running back Franco Harris, one of Sewickley’s own, sported the number 32. The athlete is known for arguably the most iconic play in the National Football League — the Immaculate Reception — when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Oakland Raiders on a touchdown play that is still talked...
Pittsburgh pizzaiolos bring home titles from International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas
The staff at Caliente Pizza and Draft House are serious about their pizza. But not so serious that one of them can’t work up an entertaining routine blending acrobatics and pizza-dough stretching. It might sound like a way to pass the time during a slow business night, but in fact,...
Cooking with kids teaches healthy eating, life skills and more
To raise adventurous, self-sufficient and health-conscious eaters, get kids in the kitchen. It may sound too simple, but those are just a few of the benefits when kids learn to cook. Cooking builds life skills, promotes healthy eating, boosts confidence and strengthens family bonds — all while making mealtime fun....
Brentwood, Murrysville residents represent Pa. Women Work on national TVVideo
Say you receive an email from someone claiming to be a producer for an Emmy Award-winning TV program. Your thoughts may be along the same lines as the folks at Pennsylvania Women Work. “Our first reaction was thinking this was spam,” Kristin Ioannou, the nonprofit’s executive director, said about an...
April Fools’ Day jokes permeate social media on popular accounts
With April Fools’ Day comes an onslaught of sometimes hilarious and sometimes pointless jokes online, and this year is no different. Pennsylvania’s own posted some jokes. The City of Pittsburgh Republican Committee shouted out Democrat Mayor Ed Gainey and mayoral challenger Corey O’Connor. “With over a decade each in public...
April Fools’ Day is celebrated with pranks and hoaxes worldwide
From France to Iceland to the United States, April Fools’ Day will be celebrated on Tuesday with practical jokes and elaborate hoaxes, so make sure to triple check viral posts and don’t leave your back open to any stray sticky notes. The jokesters’ custom has been around for hundreds of...
Poetry in motion: National ballroom dancing competition makes Pittsburgh swingVideo
If there’s a more enjoyable form of exercise than ballroom dancing, Joseph Britt hasn’t discovered it yet. “It’s just one of the most fun ways to be active,” he said. Britt, 20, and his dance partner, Sabina Sokol, 19, are students at Georgia Tech University and were among more than...
Utah becomes first state to ban LGBTQ+ pride flags in government buildings and schools
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah became the first state to prohibit flying LGBTQ+ pride flags at schools and all government buildings after the Republican governor announced he was allowing a ban on unsanctioned flag displays to become law without his signature. Gov. Spencer Cox, who made the announcement late Thursday...
Founders of Black-owned brands adapt their hopes and business plans for a post-DEI era
NEW YORK — The co-founders of a company that makes lip products for darker skin tones no longer hope to get their line into Target. A brother and sister who make jigsaw puzzles celebrating Black subjects wonder if they need to offer “neutral” images like landscapes to keep growing. Pound...
A new Chili’s near Scranton will be a throwback to ‘The Office,’ ‘awesome blossom’ and all
It has been nearly two decades since the workplace mockumentary “The Office” first set an episode inside a Chili’s, where Michael Scott handed out Dundie awards to his ever-tolerant employees, including trophies for the whitest sneakers and for stinking up the bathroom. Over nine seasons, “The Office” regularly name-dropped real...
A vintage Isaly’s shop to open in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Skyscrapers — tall, pointed ice cream cones — chipped ham and nostalgia come to mind when Pittsburghers hear the name Isaly’s. Jim Conroy, who has co-owned Isaly’s LLC since 2015 with his wife, Leslee, said he hopes people who remember the iconic brand will enjoy it when he opens a...
Western Pennsylvania couples incorporating their love of sports into weddings
Andrea Soltis and her husband, Tony Soltis, chose a different kind of diamond for their wedding — they were married June 8, 2013, on the dugout inside of PNC Park. “We are both from Pittsburgh and we love going to Pirates games and one of our first dates was a...
FDA crackdown on poppers prompts rush on popular gay party drug
LOS ANGELES — There’s a rush on Rush. Stores up and down Santa Monica Boulevard have seen a run on the iconic red and yellow vials this week, as the Food and Drug Administration cracks down on poppers, a product that has long existed in legal limbo. The active ingredient...
Here’s how some human rights and LGBTQ+ groups prepared for major foreign aid cuts under Trump
In early 2024, Matthew Hart took a hard look at the upcoming elections around the world and worried that the outcomes did not look promising. “What we knew was that the winds were not in our favor. The winds were not in our sail, and we saw all around the...
Sullivan’s Steakhouse closes in Downtown Pittsburgh
Sullivan’s Steakhouse, on the first floor of the U.S. Steel Tower in Downtown Pittsburgh, closed this week — less than four years after it opened. No reason was given for the closure. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we’ve made the difficult decision to permanently close our beloved Pittsburgh restaurant,” the restaurant...
Dolly Parton, ‘doing better,’ reappears to open Dollywood where her late husband had 1 rule
As the Grand Ole Opry marked 100 years Wednesday night, Reba McEntire said what many people may have been thinking: The party wasn’t the same without Dolly Parton throwing down. “It’s been a great night of celebration, but of course, it’s just not the same without you,” McEntire said to...
