Lifestyles category, Page 22
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...
Christ the Divine Teacher Academy’s fish fry brings the community together
Principal Mark Grgurich knows it takes a lot of community support to make fish fry events at Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy in Aspinwall a success. Everyone does their part, from parent volunteers on the fryers and transporting hot trays, teachers moving desserts and students taking orders. “We’re creating...
The Ireland Funds’ Pittsburgh Gala honors Chip Ganassi, Evan Frazier
The attire was fittingly green-tie for The Ireland Funds’ Pittsburgh Gala on Monday. Chip Ganassi of Chip Ganassi Racing and Evan S. Frazier, founder of The Advanced Leadership Institute, an initiative that promotes Black executive leadership in the Pittsburgh region, were honored at the 34th annual event, held on St....
Sewickley Yarns instills a creative vibe for the knit and crochet community
From the boldest reds, oranges and yellows to vibrant shades of greens, pinks and purples and some pastels and neutrals, too, the shelves at Sewickley Yarns are filled. For those who knit or crochet, pretty much whatever they can envision, the Beaver Street shop has the supplies they’ll need to...
O’Hara-based Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas hosted its first Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser
Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting families navigating the difficult journey of pregnancy loss, hosted its first Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser on Feb. 28 at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh on the North Shore. Proceeds from the event helped to raise funds to provide services, education and emotional support to families...
PNC Park unveils new menu items for this baseball season
Aramark, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ food partner for the past 52 years, has several new menu offerings for this year’s baseball season. Additions include the fried almond torte, Polish cannonball and a chipped ham empanada. The torte is funnel cake batter dipped, fried and topped with raspberry sauce, icing and burnt...
