Out & About: TGIS summer concerts return to The Palace Theatre

Shirley McMarlin
Sunday, July 2, 2023 12:01 a.m. | Sunday, July 2, 2023 12:01 a.m.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review

From left: Suzy Long, Marian Spino, Theresa Krunszyinsky and Patricia Stevens, all of Greensburg, at the summer’s first TGIS concert on June 22 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review

Shiva Skydriver, the alt-rock duo of Kelsey James and Ed Skero, play the summer’s first TGIS concert on June 22 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review

Westmoreland Cultural Trust marketing and events coordinator Zach Gilkey and director of marketing and development Kyli Stoner at the summer’s first TGIS concert on June 22 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review

Westmoreland Cultural Trust board member Ray Follador (left), volunteer Jeanie Bock and board member Kevin Bock at the summer’s first TGIS concert on June 22 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review

Westmoreland Cultural Trust volunteers Lisa and Frank Mensch of Greensburg at the summer’s first TGIS concert on June 22 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review

Sean Sullivan, executive vice president and general manager at Live Casino Pittsburgh, with Teresa Baughman, director of operations and programming at The Palace Theatre, during the summer’s first TGIS concert on June 22 in the theater’s courtyard.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review

Westmoreland Cultural Trust volunteer coordinator Tanya Criscione (center) with volunteers Tom McDonnell and Bill Lash at the summer’s first TGIS concert on June 22 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review

Susan Rectenwald and Gabriel Yackanich, both of Ligonier, at the summer’s first TGIS concert on June 22 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg.

Michael Rodgers of Unity with his daughter, Ahleigha Rodgers of Pittsburgh’s South Side, at the summer’s first TGIS concert on June 22 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg.

Westmoreland Cultural Trust hosts its signature Party at The Palace every winter at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg — but that doesn’t mean there’s not a party going on at other times of the year.

A festive atmosphere prevailed as the TGIS series of free summer concerts returned to the theater courtyard on June 22, after three years of socially distanced events at the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center.

Guests filled tables and chairs, enjoying a beverage or a meal from nearby food trucks before listening to music by Shiva Skydriver, the guitar-and-vocals duo of Kelsey James and Ed Skero.

The event served as a literal birthday party for Marian Spino, who was accompanied by Suzy Long, Theresa Krunszyinsky and Patricia Stevens, longtime friends and neighbors from Greensburg’s Hilltop neighborhood.

It was “date night with dear old dad” for Ahleigha Rodgers, who traveled from Pittsburgh’s South Side to spend time with her father, Michael Rodgers of Unity.

Rain sent the party into the adjacent Megan’s Suite when the musicians took their mid-evening break. While some guests left, others filed in from the nearby Greensburg Night Market on South Pennsylvania Avenue.

Attendees numbered 213, which — according to Teresa Baughman, the theater’s director of operations and programming — was “a great start to the TGIS ‘23 series.”

Standing for “Thank Goodness It’s Summer,” the series continues Thursdays through Aug. 17, with registration and music and food truck lineup available at westmorelandculturaltrust.org.

Seen: Kyli Stoner, Zach Gilkey, Ray Follador, Kevin and Jeanie Bock, Sean Sullivan, Tanya Criscione, Tom McDonnell, Bill Lash, Abby Sistek and Ethan Penich, Melissa Raichel, Frank and Lisa Mensch, Alex Signorini and Pam Heller Signorini, Barbara Ferrier, Susan Rectenwald and Gabriel Yackanich, Jim and Betty Minerva, John and Toni Nelson, Bob Ross, Ray and Diane Hartland and Mark and De Randall.