Lifestyles category, Page 73
Inside the pickleball boom: Here’s what you should know about the fast-growing sport
Pickleball courts are popping up all over the area. They’re the ones populated by people of all ages who have fallen under the spell of a sport played on a small court, 44 feet long by 20 feet wide, with paddles — not rackets — and a plastic ball with...
Dog-friendly dining spots gaining in popularity
There’s a special menu offered at The Olde Spitfire Grille geared toward four-legged customers. From “bark bowls” to “sweet puptato chips,” the South Greensburg eatery has gone out of its way to cater to customers and their pets. It’s been a growing trend in Western Pennsylvania. Pet-friendly restaurants have been...
Start harvesting your garden veggies now, and keep it going
One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make is not starting to harvest their vegetable gardens early enough. You don’t have to wait until the announcement of an impending frost before reaping what you have sown. Vegetable gardens should be harvested over a long period of time starting as early as...
Can job-hopping help retirement savings?
Millennials have been coined the “job-hopping generation,” and I’ve contributed to that stereotype. I started my career at 22 and have job-hopped almost every year since. For many of those years, I was young and restless, and there was another part of me looking for more fulfilling work and pay...
French riverboat tour was worth the pandemic wait
“We’ve been waiting for you” was the common theme among our cabin crew, bartenders, waiters, tour guides and the Tapestry II River Boat captain. It had been two years of waiting for the riverboats to take to the water since the boats were shut down for the pandemic. The staff...
Free JamBrewzle music festival set at Latrobe brewery
Playing at various festivals over the years, musician Derek Woods of Hempfield had a vision for creating one of his own. “I always wanted to start a festival that had a semi-circus theme to it,” said the front man for the Derek Woods Band. The dream became a reality when...
Good beer, great value: 10 cheap beers you’ll actually enjoy drinking, including 1 that’s cheaper than gas
Inflation won’t quit. The price of gas has reached the stratosphere. The stock market is taking a beating. And I won’t even start on crypto. Boy, could we use a beer. But we don’t need just any beer in these fraught economic times. What we need more than ever is...
How to budget realistically for home repairs
If you’re a homeowner and haven’t faced a big repair bill yet, just wait. Even in the best-maintained homes, stuff will wear out or break. Budgeting for these inevitable bills isn’t always easy. One commonly cited rule of thumb — to save 1% to 4% of your home’s value each...
Study: Millennials didn’t stray far from where they grew up
Growing up in mid-sized Virginia Beach, Andrew Waldholtz wanted to live in a big city so he moved to the District of Columbia for college. After four years in the comparatively expensive city, he realized he wanted a place to live that was more affordable. Waldholtz, 35, eventually found a...
Out & About: SAMA Ligonier Valley celebrates 25 years with birthday bash
The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art marked an important milestone on Saturday evening with a 25th Anniversary Birthday Bash. Among attendees was Connie Pilz of Ligonier Township, a member of the steering committee that worked to establish the facility a quarter-century ago. Pilz recalled how a group of local residents,...
In your debt: 3 times debt can be a helpful tool
In some corners of the personal finance advice world, getting into debt is just about the worst thing you can do. And yes, some forms of debt — particularly those that charge high interest rates — can keep you locked in a cycle of owing money for years. Still, there...
Greensburg Garden Center member pens song for annual butterfly release
Greensburg Garden Center’s annual butterfly releases will be extra special this year, with a song written especially for the event. Member J.D. Peterson of Greensburg will perform her composition, “The Life Cycle of the Butterfly,” as part of a brief, fun educational program she will present during releases at 11...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: July 22-24
Funky Friday The funky soul sounds of Joslyn & The Sweet Compression will fill Greensburg’s St. Clair Park on Friday, as the weekly SummerSounds concert gets underway at 7 p.m. Powerhouse vocalist Joslyn Hampton and her brass-heavy band play original music influenced by generations of groove music. Band member Marty...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: July 22-24
It’s the weekend and it’s going to be a hot one with temperatures near or in the 90s. Here are some ways to spend it. Deutschtown Music Festival Three days of music at 40 venues on the North Side — including near PNC Park — begins Friday and goes through...
Thursday food truck and music nights continue in Jeannette
The summer slate of Concerts and Food Truck Thursdays will continue July 21 in downtown Jeannette with an array of food vendors, a beer garden and music by Twisted Fate. Now in its fourth year, the event takes place every other week through Sept. 1, rain or shine. From 6...
From the college dorm trenches: What to bring, leave at home
NEW YORK — For the uninitiated, outfitting a college dorm room can be a dizzying experience. Doing it at a time of high inflation can make it even more daunting. The first step: Meticulously go over what the school allows and provides. If you want a microwave and minifridge, are...
Up in the Bavarian Alps, rugged trails with German cheer
SCHÖNAU AM KÖNIGSSEE, Germany — At 23 minutes before midnight, at 5,600 feet above sea level, the lashing rain and furious winds outside the darkened bunkroom prompted two questions to turn over in my head: Will the roof of this hut be ripped off in the dead of night? Will...
Bethel Park’s Vintage Radio Players take listeners back in time
When you listen to them talk, you can just picture it. Just like in the good old days. Members of the Vintage Radio Players re-enact scenes from the time there were no televisions. People gathered around and listened to shows rather than watch them. To picture it, think of those...
Try peanut butter cookie bars, vegan style
During the Original Pittsburgh Vegan Expo and Festival, representatives of Monroeville Public Library were present to support the event and distribute the recipe for a vegan dessert. So if you enjoy baking, you may want to give a plant-based version of peanut butter cookie bars a try: Ingredients½ cup plus...
Skittles ‘unfit for human consumption,’ California lawsuit claims
Skittles, the colorful, fruit-flavored candy, are coming under fire after a lawsuit filed in Northern California says people are tasting more than the rainbow. Although most people can identify Skittles flavors like lemon, strawberry and orange, few can probably name titanium dioxide, a coloring additive that helps give the candies...
Bethel Park market includes particularly healthy option
With apologies to Popeye, the road to eating healthfully isn’t as smooth as simply gulping some soggy greens. “No one is asking anyone to just drop everything and start eating spinach,” Asanté Bierria said. “That’s not realistic, and that’s not how it should go. You’re putting too much pressure on...
Famous Ribs restaurant opens in Collier
The promise of good food knows no boundaries, including state lines. “I have actually made the trek out to Weirton to partake in some Dee Jay’s wings, and they did not disappoint,” Devlin Robinson said. “They were definitely worth the drive.” The state Senator from Bridgeville made the acknowledgment prior...
Out & About: Compass Inn Museum hosts Midsummer Night’s Ball
Guests at the inaugural Midsummer Night’s Ball at Compass Inn Museum learned colonial dance steps, along with associated etiquette. The event was held Saturday evening on the grounds of the historical complex in Laughlintown. “If a lady refuses to dance with one gentleman, she has essentially refused to dance with...
How to cook with garden and windowsill herbs this summer
I am a terrible gardener. I hate weeding, and within weeks of planting anything, the tomato, pepper and other plants start to become overrun with unwanted greenery, and it’s just not a pretty sight. The few plants that do seem to persevere despite my sloppy gardening efforts are the herbs,...
Out & About: Excela Health Hospice celebrates ‘Christmas in July’
A festive holiday season was in the air with more than 200 people gathering for the Excela Health Hospice “Christmas in July” on Thursday7 evening at Rizzo’s Banquet Hall in Crabtree. Amid snowmen and brightly decorated trees, guests partook of hors d’oeuvres looking more like a Christmas feast than light...
