Music and food return to The Palace for Greensburg Restaurant Week
The courtyard of The Palace Theatre in Greensburg has been quiet this summer, with the move of the Thursday TGIS concerts to the grounds of the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center.
But live music — and food — will return during Greensburg Restaurant Week.
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust, which operates the theater, will host Love Local Courtyard Concerts for five nights beginning Tuesday.
Restaurant Week dining specials start Monday and continue through Aug. 30 at 20 restaurants.
Each concert will pair dinner prepared by a Restaurant Week participating eatery with two live musical acts.
“We’ve had so many events that had to be re-imagined,” said Adam Seifert, the Trust’s manager of corporate and community engagement. “We needed to do something we could manage on a smaller scale.”
The Trust worked with the Greensburg Community Development Corp., which organizes Restaurant Week, to plan the series.
“(GDCD executive director) Ashley Kertes helped us find restaurants willing to work with our needs,” Seifert said. “We were looking for a meal that was easy to serve and was a good representation of what they do best.”
Get something started
The Trust already had the connections for securing musical acts.
“We tried to pair musicians who have a history with the Trust with some new blood,” Seifert said, adding that pairings bring together different genres, so fans of one act also might hear something they wouldn’t have sought out otherwise.
Acts include “American Idol” veteran Aubrey Burchell and Louie Castle, both of whom Seifert said have big local fan bases, and Pittsburgh-based blues artist Miss Freddye.
“Miss Freddye has a huge fan base all over Western Pennsylvania,” Seifert said. “I don’t remember the last time she played in Westmoreland County, so that was a huge get.”
Burchell said her set will feature Janis Joplin, Dusty Springfield, modern pop, country and more.
The nightly schedule includes:
• Aug. 25: Music by The Bricks and David Distefano, dinner by Major Stokes
• Aug. 26: Music by Aubrey Burchell and Louie Castle & The Rooks, dinner by J.Corks
• Aug. 27: Music by Nick Barilla and Willow Hill, dinner by Caffe Barista
• Aug. 28: Music by Ryan Woods of Habatat and Derek Woods, dinner by Pit Take BBQ
• Aug. 29: Music by Pack and Miss Freddye, dinner by The Olde Spitfire Grille.
An added nightly feature will be interviews with the musicians with Jordan Hauser, an artist with the Trust’s Incubator for the Arts program, for his “Local 724” podcast.
“We wanted to bring as much value to the musicians as possible, to have their names come up again as these episodes are released,” Seifert said. “It’s a pretty dire year for musicians.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to finally be able to entertain and put some smiles on some faces during this time of suffering and unpredictability,” Burchell said.
Each dinner will seat 40 at small tables for two. Each restaurant will serve one pre-packaged entree. An individual dinner ticket is $30; cost for all five nights is $12o.
“Love Local is a great way for us to support our community’s small businesses — restaurants and local musicians — and to energize downtown Greensburg,” said Trust CEO April Kopas. “As we experienced with our outdoor TGIS concerts, live music brings the community together.”
“Like all businesses in town, we’re excited to see The Palace get something started again,” said Jim Bosco, owner of Major Stokes. “They’re the big economic driver in the community.”
More information and reservations are available at westmorelandculturaltrust.org.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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