JoAnne Klimovich Harrop stories, Page 72
How to avoid giving bad holiday giftsVideo
We’ve all been there – heading to the store to return a gift the day after Christmas, because it was the wrong size, the wrong color, or the just plain wrong present. Nobody wants to be the person who gives the bad holiday gift. But how is it truly avoidable?...
2nd Alta Via to open in McCandless; new Big Burrito eatery coming to Lawrenceville
Big Burrito Restaurant Group continues to expand. The company announced Tuesday it planned to opened a second Alta Via restaurant in McCandless and had another eatery in the works for Lawrenceville. The first Alta Via, an Italian restaurant, opened in April in O’Hara. The second location will be at 5300...
Tarentum’s Cycle Diner to serve food again in January
The Cycle Diner in Tarentum soon will be up and running again. It will be renamed Clark’s Cycle Diner and open sometime in early January, according to John Clark, owner of Clark’s Diner in Lower Burrell, who will lease the space and manage the Tarentum restaurant. “I want to keep...
Wellness-focused EVEN Hotel opens in former Kaufmann’s in Downtown Pittsburgh
The EVEN Hotel doesn’t believe in odd-numbered rooms, hence the name. Located in the historic former Kaufmann’s department store in Downtown Pittsburgh, the brand from InterContinental Hotels Group opened in late October. The grand opening was Dec. 4. It is one of 12 such hotels, and the chain expects to...
Ring in 2020 at the Quality Inn ballroom in New Kensington
Welcome 2020 in style. The grand ballroom inside the Quality Inn in New Kensington will be dressed up for a festive New Year’s Eve celebration. The event has returned after several years’ hiatus thanks to Brenda and Daniel Leo of Leechburg, owners of the food and beverage and banquet facilities...
Brackenridge’s Vibo’s Bakery hopes to make some dough at pop-up market
Dino “Vibo” Lopreiato will wake at 4 a.m. Saturday and start baking bread. His 86-year-old father, Giuseppe, will have been in the kitchen for an hour or longer already, kneading dough and preheating the ovens. They will be prepping for the day ahead. The elder Lopreiato will bake items to...
Artist teams with Pandora, Pittsburgh Improv for interactive muralVideo
This is no joke: There is an interactive mural at the Pittsburgh Improv comedy club in the Waterfront, Homestead. Artist Brian Holderman, of the West End, painted the piece that adorns the side of the building. He’s drawn a female comedian, audience members laughing, cocktails, a piano and a marquis....
Kennywood’s ‘Holiday Lights’ recognized in USA Today poll
Kennywood’s Holiday Lights are shining a little brighter today. The West Mifflin amusement park was chosen again as one of the country’s “Best Theme Park Holiday Events.” It finished 10th out of 20 nominees selected for the 10Best.com online vote conducted over the past month in a nationwide poll conducted...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 13-15
We’re halfway through December. Go out and do something fun this weekend in Pittsburgh in between that holiday shopping frenzy. We’ve got a few choices. Holiday tunes Daniel Meyer will conduct the Mendelssohn Choir and Pittsburgh Symphony Pops in nine performances over two weekends. “Highmark Holiday Pops” starts Friday and...
Potential owners surface for shuttered Regent Square Theater
While the Regent Square Theater sits quiet, there is interest in the movie screen illuminating again. The Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media closed the South Braddock Avenue movie theater on Nov. 25 for financial reasons. The PCAM continues to explore options for the theater, spokeswoman Hannah Arnold said in...
Pittsburgh’s East End Brewing celebrates 15 years of beerVideo
East End Brewing Company in Larimer turns 15 on Thursday and its owner is celebrating by honoring local craft brewers this week. “When I first started this business I didn’t think I would last 15 hours or 15 days let alone 15 years,” founder and owner Scott Smith said. “It...
Harlem Globetrotter signs love for students at Western Pennsylvania School for the DeafVideo
Harlem Globetrotter Chris “Animal” Hyche sat on the bleachers inside the gymnasium surrounded by students he didn’t know. But he felt comfortable telling them something personal. Lifting his right hand, he told them: “I love you.” The children from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Edgewood raised their...
Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins open combination store in BloomfieldVideo
Coffee, doughnuts and ice cream? All in one place? The new Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins store opened Monday on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield. Customers lined up at 5 a.m. to grab a free coffee mug and continued to walk in throughout the day to pick up drinks, sandwiches and sweet treats....
Henry of ‘Superpower Dogs 3D’ documentary visits Carnegie Science CenterVideo
Ian Bunbury was suspended 4,000 feet in the air via a harness with his dog Henry for four hours while shooting a movie scene at Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort in British Columbia, Canada. Bunbury looked at his dog as the pair traveled in various positions up and down the hill....
Tarentum’s Central Presbyterian Church to host a ‘Russian Holiday’ performance
Experience the sounds of Russia in Tarentum on Sunday. The Academy Chamber Ensemble will present “Russian Holiday” at Central Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m. The program will feature one of Joseph Haydn’s “Russian” String Quartets, Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet #1 and some holiday music. This is the sixth season for this...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 6-8
It’s the weekend. And there’s plenty to do whether you like penguins, shopping for handmade items or meeting celebrities like Neve Campbell and Tony Danza. Parade time The Penguins on Parade at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium in Highland Park is Saturday and Sunday, as long as the temperature...
Singer Smokey Robinson to visit Lumaze Pittsburgh holiday light festival
Legendary Motown singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson will be in the spotlight on Sunday. He will visit with fans from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Lumaze Pittsburgh, the indoor holiday lights festival at the 31st Street Studios in the city’s Strip District. Tickets for the Lumaze event with Robinson are $99.95. Meet...
Squirrel Hill gallery showcases dementia and Alzheimer’s patients’ artwork
Art can be a way for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients to remember. The patient generally remembers a favorite color when choosing from a palette, said Liz Powell, art education coordinator for the Jewish Association on Aging. If they liked blue before they will most likely choose blue again, she said....
Penn State New Kensington Art Gallery showcases work by East Suburban Artists League
All of this amazing art is in one place. It’s the East Suburban Artists League’s annual holiday season art show running through Dec. 27 in the Penn State New Kensington Art Gallery. Visitors can meet the artists from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 6. Tina Booth, art gallery coordinator, says the variety...
Canonsburg’s ‘Old Fashioned Christmas’ gets boost from Hallmark ChannelVideo
The streets are adorned with holiday lights. The windows are decorated with red-and-white candy canes and pink-and-green gum drops. The trees are trimmed with sparkling ornaments and silver garland. It’s reminiscent of a scene out of a vintage Hallmark movie. So it’s fitting that Canonsburg’s Old Fashioned Christmas has all...
Highmark First Night Pittsburgh invites people to share their vision for the futureVideo
A traveling public art installation known as the Dream Wall Project is a new addition to this year’s Highmark First Night Pittsburgh events on New Year’s Eve. The project, which promotes the idea of inclusion, is the work of artist and photographer Anna Schuliger, a Marshall native who lives in...
Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre hosts annual holiday extravaganza
Get in the holiday spirit at “Hometown Christmas 2019: Counting Down to Christmas.” This 24th annual event will feature songs that exude happy feelings this time of the year. There are three performances at the Casino Theatre in Vandergrift. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6-7 and 2 p.m. Dec....
Larrimor’s in Pittsburgh celebrates 80 years making the city fashionableVideo
Larrimor’s has been dressing Pittsburghers for eight decades. The high-end designer men’s and women’s clothing and accessories Downtown boutique continues to survive the challenges of brick-and-mortar retail stores because one thing hasn’t changed in 80 years. “It has always been about customer service,” said Lisa Slesinger, whose grandfather Harry Slesinger...
Vintage cameras see new light as lamps at Rosie’s Workshop in Ross Park MallVideo
Vintage cameras are seeing new light inside Rosie’s Workshop at Ross Park Mall. Owners Jen and Blair Koss find old cameras and turn them into functional pieces of art that can light up a room with the flip of a switch. The couple buys cameras and other materials and manufactures...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 29-Dec. 1
You probably ate too much turkey, stuffing, potatoes and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Get moving and work off all calories. The weekend is the perfect time in Pittsburgh. Here are some options. Holiday parade The 39th annual WPXI Holiday Parade presented by Neighborhood Ford Store is Saturday in Downtown. It...

