JoAnne Klimovich Harrop stories, Page 6
Betsy Ann Chocolates helping to create candy props for ‘Hershey’ film
For the past month, Betsy Ann Chocolates has been creating products to be used as props from Hershey chocolate. The well-known West View-based candy company was invited to use Hershey products to fashion chocolate bars that represent what they would have looked like in the late 1800s and early 1900s...
New board reimagines Sewickley Valley Chamber of Commerce
The Sewickley Valley Chamber of Commerce is in a new era. The chamber is looking to broaden and strengthen its network by reinventing itself as a hub for business growth and community success, according to its new board of directors. “Local businesses now have a powerful new advocate with the...
Fundraising concert in Bell Acres will benefit Hair Peace Charities
Music is healing for Bonny Diver, and that’s what inspired an upcoming evening of performances by female singers to support other cancer survivors and raise money for Hair Peace Charities, which she founded. The organization helps women and girls in Western Pennsylvania with financial help to buy a wig needed...
Open for business: Restaurants, bars, shops ready for U.S. Open spectators, golfers
Located in Plum, Somma Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar and Zen Restaurant and Sushi Bar are just a chip shot away from Oakmont Country Club. The establishments are two of many gearing up to welcome an onslaught of golf fans during the upcoming U.S. Open from June 9 to 15...
Fashion forward: Sewickley Academy graduate continues senior project for Dress for Success
When Kendall Sykes was a junior in high school looking for her first job, Elizabeth Sykes took her daughter to Bellwether in Sewickley. The Beaver Street shop features the latest styles from casual to evening wear, jewelry, shoes and home goods. “Over the past three years working at Bellwether, I’ve...
Women’s sports bar Title 9 opens in Pittsburgh’s East End
Friday was officially game day at the Title 9 sports bar. After a few months of pop-up events, the women’s sports bar in East Liberty is open. “Our pop-ups were packed,” said owner Sherree Goldstein. “We wanted to get a feel for how this would be received and we also...
Porcupine Needlepoint Shop in Sewickley a long-standing business
Nancy Schurman will keep you in stitches — she will make you laugh and also teach you how to do some of the finest needlepoint. Owner of one of Sewickley’s oldest businesses, The Porcupine Needlepoint Shop, she guides customers on how to select a hand-painted needlepoint canvas and use tapestry...
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium welcomes new lion
The lionesses at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium have a male companion. Hondo, an 8-year-old male African lion from the Idaho Falls Zoo, arrived at the zoo in Highland Park to join lionesses Abana and Scarlett. He and the lionesses will alternate being on view in their outdoor habitat. Typically,...
Inaugural Jim Roddey Leadership Awards honor 2 people who Roddey selected himself
Ethan E. Nicholas kept his promise. He learned that from someone who knew about doing what you say you’re going to do — Jim Roddey, the first Allegheny County executive and civic leader. In latter years of Roddey’s life, Nicholas told him that he wanted to create a leadership award...
Liberty Avenue project seeks to perk up key Downtown Pittsburgh corridor
Liberty Avenue needs a new identity. That was the message of the 13th annual Downtown Neighbors Alliance awards dinner Monday at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh. To develop that new identity, DNA is launching the Liberty Avenue Project, working with the city and state to improve a key Downtown corridor. “The...
Allegheny County Police Department mounted horse Henry retires
Police horse Henry attended the G20 Summit, two Super Bowls and two Stanley Cup parades, numerous protests, election gatherings, many Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day parades and appearances at Kennywood Park, which was his favorite spot, according to Allegheny County Police Sgt. Jason Donaldson. The 23-year-old, 1,800-pound chestnut-colored Belgian quarter horse...
Sewickley resident determined to have military banners ready for Memorial Day
John Dunn carries an 80-pound ladder throughout the streets of Sewickley to install military banners of veterans. “They deserve the recognition,” said Dunn, 63. “I don’t want people to forget what they’ve done.” Dunn has made it his mission to replace worn or damaged banners and install additional banners. His...
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Tim Welty bought his daughter Annie Welty her first hat — a sailor style. A former teacher and principal in the Hempfield School District, Welty had wanted his daughter to go into education. But he knew her love was in acting and fine arts, inspired by her mother, Patricia Perrone....
Mt. Washington townhouse on the market for $1.2M
Perched high on Mt. Washington with a front-row seat to Pittsburgh’s skyline, the townhouse at 304 Bigbee St. delivers sweeping views and soaring ceilings, just steps from Grandview Avenue. The three-bedroom with two full and two half bathrooms also boasts hardwood floors and an expansive open floor plan designed for...
Marking a milestone: St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Croatian Church in Millvale celebrating 125 years
Mary Theresa Petrich recalled walking from Hatfield Street in Lawrenceville over the 40th Street Bridge and up the hill to St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Croatian Church in Millvale to attend Sunday Mass. “My mother and father had me baptized in that church,” said Petrich, 97, who still lives in Lawrenceville....
Sewickley Academy trio’s project raises money for livestock feed for animals in N.C. affected by Hurricane Helene
During the Christmas holiday break, Maria Sirianni thought the most joyous time of the year wasn’t so joyous for people in North Carolina. They were still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, which struck the mid-South in September, claiming 248 lives and causing widespread damage in seven states. The...
Light of Life Rescue Mission partners with Geno Levi Salon to open styling space for homeless
Geno Levi was 19 years old, doing drugs with no direction in his life. He found himself living in a bathroom at a beauty academy in Washington, Pa. “The owner showed me love,” said Levi, as he shared his story on Tuesday inside Light of Life Ridge Recovery Place on...
2 bladder cancer survivors turn their journey into a lifeline for others
Bill Russell and Jim Rieker are survivors. Both diagnosed with bladder cancer, the men have made it their mission to help others with the disease through the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, the largest bladder cancer advocacy group in the nation. “When I was diagnosed, I didn’t know about the group,”...
For American Gold Star Mothers, Mother’s Day holds extra meaning
When Kathleen Hanley sits on her red folding chair among the rows of graves that stand tall in freshly manicured green grass at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil, she doesn’t notice the sounds of cars rushing by on the highway or the funeral processions driving through. She’s...
For American Gold Star Mothers, Mother’s Day holds extra meaning
Kathleen Hanley sits on a red folding chair among the rows of headstones that stand in perfectly aligned rows at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil. She doesn’t notice the sounds of cars rushing by on the highway or the funeral processions driving through. She is focused on...
St. Nicholas Croatian Church in Millvale plans luncheon to mark 125th anniversary
St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Croatian Church in Millvale, the first Croatian church in the U.S., will celebrate 125 years on June 1. The 125th anniversary celebration will begin with a Mass at 10 a.m. with Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik as celebrant, followed by a luncheon from noon...
Kennywood announces return of the Steel CurtainVideo
The Steel Curtain roller coaster is almost done with its rehab and is set to return to action. After more than a year’s closure, Kennywood officials announced Thursday that Pennsylvania’s tallest roller coaster will be up and rolling for Memorial Day weekend. The West Mifflin amusement park opened for its...
Sewickley Civic Garden Council’s May Mart is ‘Keeping Sewickley Green’
Sewickley is going green. The Sewickley Civic Garden Council’s May Mart’s theme is “Keeping Sewickley Green.” The garden market tradition has been happening for six decades. May Mart brings about 70 garden clubs, nurseries and nature-oriented businesses to the heart of town on May 10 along Broad Street, selling a...
New Castle-based Pyrotecnico will light up AC/DC’s Pittsburgh show
Pete Cappadocia has played with fire, smoke and other special effects for four decades. Known as “Pyro Pete,” the pyrotechnics expert has spent many nights lighting up the stage for some of the biggest rock ‘n’ roll bands in the world, including AC/DC, which is set to play Acrisure Stadium...
Hats off to PNC Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s Hat Luncheon, which raised a record amount
Marquerite Westinghouse hosted elaborate dinners and soirees at her and her husband George’s estate on what is now the grounds of Westinghouse Park. There are photographs of her wearing fancy headpieces. So the site became a fitting space for another big-time party Saturday — the annual PNC Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy...
