Laurels & lances: Nostalgia, rules & Pirates

Laurel: To a taste of the past. If picking up a pound of chipped chopped ham at the grocery store deli doesn’t quite scratch the itch of those childhood trips to your favorite deli combined with an ice cream parlor, something is promising to fill that need.

Jim Conroy, co-owner of Isaly’s LLC, is opening a vintage version of the beloved brand on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.

“This is a long time coming,” he said. “We wanted to find the right spot. The Strip District is great because it is the No. 1 tourist attraction in the city, and there is so much foot traffic as well a growing area of residential.”

When we have lost so many old-school foods and restaurants over the years, the idea of bringing back something as quintessentially yinzer as Isaly’s is just delicious.

Lance: To rules for others. Ligonier Country Market officials believe in following the rules when it comes to their vendors. At least two previous participants say they have been cut out of this year’s weekly Saturday events due to their businesses growing too large.

But does Ligonier Country Market have to follow rules itself?

The market takes place on a section of Loyalhanna Watershed Association property along Springer Road, north of Route 30. It is set to operate from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays from May 17 through Sept. 27, according to the permit application and the event website.

The problem is a 2008 conditional-use permit states the event’s run is not supposed to start prior to Memorial Day.

The board did not comment on the discrepancy when asked, but Ligonier Township officials say, if the market opens May 17, “it would be a zoning ordinance violation.”

Maybe if the market wants vendors to stick to the rules, the board should make it clear whether or not it intends to do the same.

Laurel: To eternal hope. With the start of baseball season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have that rosy glow about them that always comes in the first blush of spring.

It’s a season of new beginnings. Anything is possible. This is when we still believe in the potential of a winning year and a postseason appearance. This is when pennant dreams are not dashed by the math of what’s happened so far. This is when decades of history don’t matter.

And this is the team’s opportunity to earn that faith. Go Bucs.