Lifestyles category, Page 64
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Nov. 11-13
Artisan gift shopping Hours for the annual Holiday Mart will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Saturday at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. More than a dozen artists and artisans will offer American-made items suitable for gift-giving, including jewelry, architectural illustrations, prints,...
Top, Lite-Brite, Masters of the Universe in toy hall of fame
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The National Toy Hall of Fame’s new honorees include an object dating to ancient times, a line of muscle-bound action figures and an iconic art set whose medium is colorful pegs. The hall on Thursday announced the top, Masters of the Universe and Lite-Brite as this year’s...
5 mistakes you’re making with Medicare open enrollment
Millions of retirees are in the thick of Medicare open enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, but many find the process challenging. Some don’t understand the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, many are overwhelmed by Medicare advertising, and only 4 in 10 people review their...
In a recent WWII Days reenactment, some participants played the Nazis — here’s why they do it
Someone has to play the bad guy. Someone has to play the Nazi. Otherwise, how do you teach history? I heard this a lot. Whenever I would ask anyone portraying a German soldier at Rockford, Illinois’ annual World War II Days about why they had chosen to reenact a soldier...
Plans growing for Phipps Conservatory’s Holiday Magic! winter show
Visitors will take an arctic adventure when they visit the Holiday Magic! Winter Flower Show and Light Garden at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The rooms of the historic glass house in Oakland will be populated with displays imagining the landscapes and denizens of the frozen north. “Holiday Magic” opens...
Kimberly Palmer: 5 ways to save this holiday shopping season
This holiday shopping season is shaping up to be longer, pricier and in some ways more chaotic than in previous years, which makes it easy to overspend. But there are also opportunities for significant savings if you know where and how to search for them. “There are supply chain issues,...
Out & About: Greater Latrobe Art Conservation Trust honors longtime leader
The treasures of the Greater Latrobe School District’s permanent art collection aren’t all hanging on the walls. They include the people who have helped to expand and preserve it since the first pieces were acquired in 1936, according to Superintendent Michael Porembka. Among those he considers priceless gems is Barbara...
Daycation: Smicksburg offers a rural retreat 60 miles from Pittsburgh
Unplug and unwind with a rural road trip retreat to Amish country in Indiana County. A daycation to Smicksburg offers a glimpse into a large Amish population living a simpler, agricultural lifestyle rich in their religious beliefs. More than 300 Amish families reside in the Smicksburg area, co-existing among those...
Out & About: Greensburg Art Center opens ‘Art of GIFTing’ holiday sale
The halls and walls are decked for the annual Art of GIFTing holiday show and sale at the Greensburg Art Center in Hempfield. Featuring items handcrafted by area artists and artisans, the show opened with a Saturday afternoon reception. It will run through Dec. 21. Merchandise includes holiday-themed fine arts...
Out & About: Greensburg Garden Center offers tips to ‘punch up’ holidays
With the holidays fast approaching, folks who attended Greensburg Garden Center’s Punch Up Your Holidays party are better prepared. Held Thursday evening at Rizzo’s Banquet Hall in Crabtree, the event offered a variety of ways to add a little pizzazz to the festivities. For gentlemen wanting to look their best,...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 4-6
Pittsburgh and its people will be celebrated this weekend through music, running and the unveiling of a musical dedicated to a hero of the Depression era. Jazz week wrap-up Saxophonist and composer Tia Fuller, a member of Beyonce’s all-female tour band, will perform during concerts at 7:30 p.m. Friday and...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Nov. 4-6
Holiday marketplace The annual Holiday Market is planned for noon-4 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of the Ligonier Country Market, at West Main Street and Springer Road in Ligonier. The market features holiday-themed items and other merchandise handcrafted by dozens of area vendors. Food and beverages will be available. For...
Why booking travel on your phone is a bad idea
Since the first iPhone launched 15 years ago, consumer shopping habits have slowly but relentlessly shifted toward mobile devices. According to a survey of 3,250 U.S. consumers from Pymnts.com, a website dedicated to analyzing the role of payments in new tech, the majority of travel service purchases (51.4%) were made...
North Allegheny native creates Thanksgiving e-cookbook tailored to food allergies and special diets
There should be a dish for everyone at the Thanksgiving table, and that includes those with food allergies and special diets, according to “An Octofree Thanksgiving” author Liz Fetchin. “An Octofree Thanksgiving” is a new e-cookbook that proves a palate-pleasing, stress-free holiday feast free of the top eight food allergens...
Millennial Money: Maximize your benefits to offset inflation
Employee benefits are one of the most attractive things about a prospective job and can determine whether you take an opportunity or leave it. When you do decide to take the job, do you maximize the benefits? If not, you may be leaving money on the table. And in this...
Emily Post’s etiquette tome overhauled for 21st century
NEW YORK — Embracing without permission. Disparaging one parent in front of children struggling with divorce. Flaunting privilege. Being a bad listener or, worse, a terrible loser. The world and all its interactional black holes would likely have Emily Post spewing her tea. The grand dame of all things manners...
Pumpkins can be composted, donated to farms, fed to wildlife
Hold off before throwing that porch pumpkin into the trash along with Halloween candy wrappers. Those jack-o’-lanterns don’t have to end up in the local landfill. Consider composting pumpkins in the garden, donating them to community gardens, farms or even a zoo, or simply leaving them as a snack for...
Greensburg Garden Center program offers ways to ‘Punch Up’ holidays
The idea for Greensburg Garden Center’s upcoming “Punch Up Your Holidays” program came from someone wanting to donate a punch bowl to the group. That got members thinking of different ways to put some new pizzazz into holiday drinks, decor and dress, co-president Carla Rusnica said. They’ll share some ideas...
Ligonier Life Is Good shop owners like brand’s positive message
In a small town with quaint shops, a choice of restaurants and multiple widely popular community events throughout the year, you could argue that life is good already. And yet, for Ligonier, things might just have gotten yet another notch better with the addition of a Life Is Good branded-merchandise...
Celebrity tribute artist channels his inner ElvisVideo
Don’t step on his blue suede shoes. He needs them. Professional Elvis tribute artist Kelly Hylton’s fancy footwork often wears out the heels of his shoes. “I go through dress shoes like crazy. I blow the soles off dancing too much,” Hylton said. Hylton, 51, lives in Rural Valley, Armstrong...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Oct. 28-30
Haunted history Glowing jack-o’-lanterns will light the way as a ghostly figure welcomes guests to “Hair-Raising History: Frightfully True Stories from the Ligonier Valley,” with tours from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday at Compass Inn Museum, 1386 Route 30, Laughlintown. Storytellers will relate eerie tales of local 19th-century...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Oct. 28-29
Natural wonders — like dinosaurs and other spooky specimens, talented teens and musical geniuses — are in the spotlight this weekend in Pittsburgh. Tyrannosaurus time Dinosaurs roam the earth again in the Jurassic World Live Tour, coming this weekend to PPG Paints Arena, 1001 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh. Show times are...
Ex-Trib ‘Fanfare’ columnist Kate Benz pens book about Kansas farming town
Traveling from Pittsburgh to Boulder, Colo., to drop off her son at college, Kate Benz ended up with an honorary hometown and new extended family in Kansas — and a book about it all. Her plan was to take the shortest route west, then fulfill a longtime desire to explore...
Alpine views, picturesque towns, and a mountain to cycle up
CLUSES, France — “Be patient, slow down,” I reminded myself as we neared the summit of the Col de la Colombiere in the French Alps, a climb that’s been ridden 23 times in the Tour de France. And, trust me, they don’t include it so regularly in the world’s most...
Halloween Caramel Apples: an easy, fun treat amid the candy
There is a slightly weird irony to the fact that around Halloween, we tend to look for recipes for seasonal sweets, even as we prepare for an onslaught of candy. My kids are way beyond trick-or-treating age, but that doesn’t mean we don’t lay in a supply of mini candy...
