Lifestyles category, Page 49
Daycation: Go sky high with skydiving in Mercer
A high-flying adventure awaits those brave enough to jump out of an airplane in rural Mercer. Skydive Pennsylvania is the only full-service skydiving facility in Western Pennsylvania, located at the Grove City Airport. Owner Cecil Smith, 66, has logged more than 5,912 jumps in his 49 years of skydiving. Smith...
SupperMarket food, music nights return to Lincoln Highway Experience
Outdoor dining and music will be available again when the weekly summer SupperMarket returns Wednesday to the Lincoln Highway Experience in Unity. The Wednesday events, running from 5 to 8 p.m., offer outdoor dining options from several area food purveyors, along with a live musical act. Serving up a la...
Out & About: Library art exhibit showcases Vandergrift couple’s work
Retirement afforded Gary and Ginger Hepler time to spend on creative pursuits that they didn’t have during their working years. The fruits of their labor are on display until June 17 in a show called “City Mouse, Country Mouse” at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library. The name isn’t representative of...
2nd mini-golf venue putting for dough in Strip District
A two-block radius in the Strip District is now home to not one, but two indoor mini-golf venues that promise a fresh take on the game paired with upscale fare. Puttshack officially opened its location at the Strip District Terminal on Wednesday morning, around a quarter mile from Puttery Pittsburgh,...
Mystery writer K.C. Constantine’s home for sale in Greensburg’s Academy Hill
When Carl Kosak returned from work to his home in Greensburg’s Academy Hill neighborhood, he got something to eat and then headed down to the basement. That’s where he assumed his second identity — one long hidden from co-workers, neighbors and friends — as acclaimed mystery writer K.C. Constantine. “My...
Pittsburgh Pride celebrates 50 years
This is a milestone weekend for the Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ community. Fifty years ago, 50 members marched from Market Square to Schenley Park in commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall Riots. The date was June 17, 1973. It will always be remembered as Pittsburgh’s first Pride Parade, according to QBurgh, a source...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: June 2-4
Madcap musical Saint Vincent Summer Theatre’s season-opening production of “The Andrews Brothers” has performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Carey Performing Arts Center at Saint Vincent College in Unity. The musical is a madcap romp of mistaken identities, featuring 30 songs...
Filipino American chefs come into their own with multiple James Beard award nods
Like a lot of chefs, Aaron Verzosa has been hustling the past three years to get Archipelago, his Filipino restaurant in Seattle, through the pandemic and its ripple effects. Getting a James Beard Award nomination was a validating moment. “Being able to amplify and showcase stories about the Filipino American...
Egg prices coming down, but high costs persist for local farmers
Egg prices and production levels are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, despite lingering impacts from bird flu and ongoing concerns from some local farmers about high feed costs. According to the latest Northeastern chicken and egg report from the USDA, Pennsylvania’s egg production was down 8% in April compared to...
How to plant a container like the pros do
Have you ever gone to the grocery store for, say, milk, and left with a cartful of impulse buys? Well, I visited a couple of nurseries last week in search of one specific plant and left with nearly everything except that plant, which both retailers had sold out. As usual,...
Out & About: Ligonier Valley meal deliverers get thank-you party
For a small-town group, Ligonier Valley Meals on Wheels puts up some pretty impressive statistics. About 100 volunteers prepare and deliver between 40 and 50 meals Monday through Friday every week, assisting three paid employees. That includes about 30 cooks sharing duties in the kitchen at Heritage United Methodist Church...
Out & About: First Westmoreland Art Nationals show opens at WCCC
At the opening of the Westmoreland Art Nationals, exhibiting photographer Brandon Flume of Jeannette said, “I got the greatest award there is.” It had nothing to do with his work, though. He was referring to his engagement to another exhibiting photographer, Jessica Schulte of Davidsville. They said they only told...
Not child’s play: Dad and his daughter bring the sidewalks to life through colorful chalk art
Concrete is the canvas for the father-daughter duo who creates images done with chalk — reminiscent of the dad’s first drawings for his little girl and her younger sister in the driveway of the family home in North Huntingdon. Colorful characters appear to be smiling or laughing. Some have an...
Excessive screen time a factor in loneliness, mental health risks for youth
Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts on the impact of isolation and loneliness. Michele Wentzel can tell when one of her three children is troubled. “They kind of isolate themselves and are very moody,” she said. “I can tell something’s going on.” Wentzel keeps the lines of...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: May 26-28
Community music A recital by students in the Seton Hill University Community Music Program will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the university’s Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave., Greensburg. The program serves area young people and adults who are seeking to advance their musical training and performance skills through...
Kennywood launches Spinvasion, a new ‘extra-terrestrial’ rideVideo
Kennywood is debuting its newest addition just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. Spinvasion, a multi-action spin ride, is the first of its kind in the U.S., according to the amusement park. The ride, which comes as part of the newly revamped Area 412 section of the park, opens Friday....
Go beyond hamburgers and hot dogs for your summer barbecues
Is it even summer if you aren’t out on the patio grilling? According to BBQ Revolution, seven out of 10 adults in the United States own a grill or a smoker. A survey on the website showed that 72% of consumers love grilling for the flavor it adds to food,...
How to make Caramelized Shallot-Cheese Fondue while camping
This recipe for Instant Caramelized Shallot-Cheese Fondue by Chris Nuttall-Smith is exactly the dish you pull from your pack at 7,500 feet as a pre-winter storm blows past. It’s also exactly the dish you want while car camping on a crisp fall day when everybody’s got rosy cheeks and ridiculous...
On Memorial Day, will you eat like a king or go camping?
NEW YORK — If your idea of a meal while camping is something quick and bland — maybe a power bar, a can of beans or some instant noodles — food writer and critic Chris Nuttall-Smith suggests something else, just as quick but also tasty. An avid backpacker, hunter, skier...
3 ways to pay for your summer vacation
A summer vacation can feel like a seasonal rite of passage — a sacred time to break away from the demands of everyday life in favor of fun and relaxation. But summer can also be an expensive time to travel, which makes it hard to budget enough money for your...
Former BrewDog Pittsburgh space up for lease
Two months after closing, the former BrewDog Pittsburgh brewpub location is looking for a new tenant. The East Liberty locale is seeking leases for the 4,000-square-foot restaurant space on Centre Avenue, according to a release from Howard Hanna. A price for rent was not listed. The brewpub opened in February...
Tips for growing herbs (you don’t even need a garden)
Culinary herbs are among the easiest plants you can grow. They only need sunlight, water, and well-draining soil with a neutral pH. You don’t even need a garden. Many herbs, such as rosemary, basil, cilantro, lemon balm, oregano and mint will grow well in containers. In fact, mints should only...
Prepare for a surprisingly social and zippy pet when you adopt a desert tortoise
PHOENIX — They’re not fluffy, they don’t play fetch and they certainly don’t roll over. But there is such a thing as a lap tortoise. What’s more, pet tortoises can wag their tails, will plod on up to greet you and some can even recognize their own names. The surprising...
Guatemala-born designer links history and culture in fashion show
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A Guatemala-born designer combined Indigenous weaving technique, modern clothing design and colorful history from her native country in a recent Texas runway showcase. The display offered a taste not only of Elena De León’s artistic vision, but of work by Guatemalan mothers, including some in the U.S....
Pittsburgh chef making homemade pasta going viral on social media
Ryan Peters went viral for simply making homemade pasta for his wife in 2020. The dish turned out really good, he said. “For the next 64 nights, I made homemade pasta,” he said. “I became obsessed with it. I posted on social media. It became my thing, trying to make...
