Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 12
Big Brothers Big Sisters social media posts showcase kids needing mentors
For Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region, one could say the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. What that means, Executive Director Stephanie Babich Mihleder said, is that the group has a long list of kids it would love to serve — if only they had...
New Year’s resolutions can be about more than self-improvement
People tend to focus New Year’s resolutions on self-improvement and fulfillment. Maybe it’s time to rethink the resolution. In 2020, about 75% of adult Americans set a goal to better themselves in 2021. But Forbes reported there is research to show that, year after year — for a variety of...
Out & About: Greensburg senior center hosts holiday hi-jinks
There were holiday high jinks aplenty at the Dec. 21 Christmas party at McKenna Senior Center in Greensburg. It started with a rousing chorus of “Jingle Bells,” as center manager Carol Rudy and advisory council Vice President Lauretta Gordon decked Rudy’s husband, Glenn, and guest Bill Finfrock with boughs of...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Dec. 30-Jan. 1
Artsy interlude Weekend hours will be 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. today and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. The museum will be closed Sunday for New Year’s Day. Current exhibits include “Gatecrashers: The Rise of the Self-Taught Artist in America,” featuring...
Holiday Family Day draws dozens of visitors to Historic Hanna’s Town
Historic Hanna’s Town was a hive of activity Thursday, as dozens of people gathered for Holiday Family Day. “People are looking for something to do between Christmas and New Year’s, so as long as they want to come, we’re happy to be here,” said Lisa Hays, executive director of Westmoreland...
Pittsburgh’s First Night to kick off New Year with a bangVideo
New Year’s Eve will start with a bang in downtown Pittsburgh — and end the same way. Pyrotecnico Fireworks will bookend Highmark First Night Pittsburgh, with displays at 6 p.m. and midnight on Saturday. In the hours between, the free annual event will feature music, dance, theater, visual arts, comedy,...
Out & About: Westmoreland Symphony takes audience ‘Home for the Holidays’
It took a joint effort to conduct the Westmoreland Symphony’s annual “Home for the Holidays” concert, on Dec. 17 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. WSO Artistic Director Daniel Meyer was leading the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Highmark Holiday Pops concert that night, so he invited guest conductor Andres Franco to the...
Down time: What to do in the lull between Christmas and New Year’s Eve
’Twas the day after Christmas … You’re off work and the kids are home from school. You’ve visited all your friends and relatives. The kids already are tired of their gifts. Now, you’re just waiting for New Year’s Eve. What to do in the meantime, while school is closed and...
Out & About: Greensburg Art Center hosts members’ Christmas party
Greensburg Art Center President Jerry Scorpion took a moment to reflect on the past year, during the Dec. 11 members’ Christmas party at the Hempfield gallery and educational facility. It’s been a good one in terms of growth in both membership and class attendance. “The clay classes are going through...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Dec. 23-25
Most people probably have plans to gather with family and friends this weekend, but here are a few things to do if you want to get out and about. Final requests Before he heads back to the North Pole, Santa will take last-minute gift requests from 11 a.m. to 8...
It’s Christmas year-round at $1.9-million Laurel Highlands chaletVideo
It’s Christmas all year-round at a Donegal Township property that’s newly listed for just under $2 million. People who have seen it online or in person say “It looks just like a Hallmark movie,” according to listing agent Adam Cannon, a real estate adviser with Pittsburgh-based Piatt Sotheby’s International Realty....
Fort Ligonier Twelfth Night party will bid farewell to holiday season
Fort Ligonier will bid farewell to the holiday season with its sixth annual Twelfth Night Celebration. The revelry, planned for 7-9:30 p.m. Jan. 7 in the fort’s Center for History Education, will hark back to similar Colonial-era events. “The Twelfth Night celebration at Fort Ligonier is a fun event to...
Diamond Theatre of Ligonier showing locally filmed thriller, ‘The Pale Blue Eye’ Video
It’s unusual for a small-town theater that shows movies mainly on the weekends to screen a big-budget film on its premiere date. The Diamond Theatre of Ligonier has scored such a coup with “The Pale Blue Eye,” opening nationwide on Friday. A screening is set for 8 p.m. in the...
Out & About: Westmoreland Museum hosts holiday happy hour
“Let It Snow” was the theme for the Dec. 9 Art on Tap 2.0 happy hour at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. Well, the weatherman didn’t deliver on that one, but no matter — there was plenty of holiday and wintertime fun to be had anyway. On...
Out & About: CASA of Westmoreland gala honors volunteer of the year
Some people with a heart for helping children in difficult situations were recognized at the CASA of Westmoreland annual gala, held Dec. 3 at The Club at Blackthorne in Penn Township. The Court Appointed Special Advocates are specially trained community volunteers appointed by family court judges to provide support to...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Dec. 16-18
Christmas classics Westmoreland Performing Arts will stage these holiday shows on Friday in Science Hall Theater at Westmoreland County Community College, 145 Pavilion Lane, Hempfield: • “A Christmas Carol,” 6 p.m. WPA’s Home and Cyber School Theatre Troupe will present an adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ classic through a series...
Resonance Works’ ‘Amahl’ stars Victory Brinker in first full opera role
Victory Brinker of Unity has been singing opera arias since she was 6. Now 10, the “America’s Got Talent” veteran is taking on her first full opera role as the title character in “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” Brinker will sing the role on the first two nights of the...
Victory Brinker joins Latshaw Pops for holiday show at The Palace
“America’s Got Talent” veteran Victory Brinker will reunite with the Latshaw Pops Orchestra for “The Sounds of Christmas,” set for 3 p.m. Sunday at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. The precocious opera singer, now 10, made her first appearance in the orchestra’s annual holiday concert in 2021. “Our orchestra was...
Out & About: Pitt-Greensburg alumni make merry at holiday gathering
Ugly sweaters were the garment of choice at the Pitt-Greensburg Alumni Association’s Merry Mingle, held Dec. 2 in Millstein Library at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Alumna Kim McLeod poked fun at cross-state rival Penn State by wearing the tinsel-embellished likeness of former football coach Joe Paterno. Lee Garsteck...
Out & About: Westmoreland Society chooses new work for museum collection
The permanent collection of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is richer, following the 35th Annual Westmoreland Society Dinner on Dec. 2 in the Greensburg institution. As is their custom, members were presented with a choice of artworks to acquire. This year’s choice was between two pieces by Pakistani-American artist...
Out & About: Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary hosts annual Christmas auction
Linda Assard welcomed a steady stream of guests to her elegantly decorated Hempfield home on Dec. 1, for the Westmoreland Hospital Christmas Auction. Inside the door, they added to a basket overflowing with books destined for siblings of babies born in the Greensburg hospital’s Family Additions Maternity Center. Books for...
Behind the art: Paperweights have pride of place at SAMA-Ligonier Valley
Glass paperweights are often found among the kitschy collections in flea markets and thrift stores, but they’re also having a moment in the contemporary art world. “They’ve actually become quite the thing again,” said Kristin Miller, site coordinator at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley. “In the...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Dec. 9-11
Cookies galore The annual Christmas Cookie Tour is set for 5 to 8 p.m. today in downtown Irwin. Local businesses, churches and restaurants will be open to offer cookie samples, while supplies last. The family-friendly festivities will include horse and carriage rides, Christmas karaoke, kids’ cookie decorating and a visit...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 9-11Video
Pop culture, vinyl records, artisan gift wares and holiday music take the stage this weekend in the Pittsburgh area. Comics and more Doors open at 10 a.m. Friday for Steel City Con, Pittsburgh’s premier comic book and pop culture convention, at the Monroeville Convention Center, 209 Mall Blvd. The convention...
Speaker series highlights Westmoreland County’s ‘hidden treasures’
There are people who go about their work quietly, making positive differences in the community without getting much public recognition. The Westmoreland Diversity Coalition intends to shine a light on some of those people, and their diverse backgrounds, through its new Hidden Treasures Speaker Series. Maria LaVelle, CEO of Pheple...
