Lifestyles category, Page 73
Covid couples can’t catch a break as inflation makes weddings more expensive than ever
DALLAS — In June, Second Rodeo Brewing in Mule Alley in Fort Worth hosted a shotgun wedding for three couples who were sick of covid delays and the increasing cost of planning a wedding. The event included an officiant, live band, cowboys, beer bouquets and wedding guests. Adrian Atilano, 25,...
Disney’s Splash Mountain will become Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in late 2024
ORLANDO, Fla. — Walt Disney Co. has announced a timeline for the re-theming of Splash Mountain and a new name for the ride set to become based on “The Princess and the Frog.” The attraction’s name will be Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and it will open at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland...
The state of barbecue: How North Carolina is clinging to tradition in its most famous food
RALEIGH, N.C. — It’s an impossible question but Wyatt Dickson has an answer. The best bite of barbecue in his barbecue-filled life happened to be a pig he smoked himself. It was a heritage breed from down the road at Chapel Hill Creamery, its diet consisting of leftover whey from...
Explainer: When is Manhattanhenge? Where can you see it?
NEW YORK — Didn’t make it to Stonehenge for the solstice? There’s still time to catch Manhattanhenge, when the setting sun aligns with the Manhattan street grid and bathes the urban canyons in a rosy glow. The last two Manhattanhenge sunsets of 2022 are Monday and Tuesday. Some background on...
Out & About: Painters show plein air works at Greensburg Art Center
Greensburg Art Center issued artists the challenge of packing up their paints and easels and taking to the city streets and country roads for “Plein Aire 15601,” the center’s first exhibition of works created “en plein air” — a fancy French phrase simply meaning “outdoors.” An opening reception was held...
Out & About: The Westmoreland’s ‘Summer Saturday’ offers food, music, fun
A bite to eat, a cool drink, live music, games and good friends make for a perfect summer evening. All those ingredients went into the mix for the July 9 “Summer Saturday: Together Together” event on the terrace of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. The Benvenuti’s Pizza...
Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home for sale in Rosslyn Farms for $799,500Video
At first glance, it’s pretty clear who architect Joel Kranich was thinking of when he drew the original blueprints. The house he designed tucked back along Winthrop Road in Rosslyn Farms has nontraditional shapes, several balconies, plenty of natural light, open floor plans and one room with furniture built into...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: July 8-10
Americana classics Session Americana will play classics of American roots music, along with original songs, at the weekly SummerSounds concert, beginning 7 p.m. today at St. Clair Park in downtown Greensburg. The Boston-based folk/rock collective comprises a rotating line-up of singers and multi-instrumentalists who promise a raucous live show. Group...
Black parade culture museum reopening in New Orleans
Ten months after Hurricane Ida damaged a museum celebrating New Orleans’ African American parading culture, the Backstreet Cultural Museum is reopening. A parade is planned Saturday afternoon from the original building to the new museum site just blocks away in the city’s Treme neighborhood, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported....
‘It used to be just retired folks’: Full-time RV residents are getting younger
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thomas Hoff was tired of living in a regular old house. He was fascinated with “tiny-living,” and often dreamed of moving into a recreational vehicle. When his roommates moved out of his Gardner Lake house in Johnson County in 2018, he saw his opportunity. He has...
Founder’s daughters revive Tropical Bungalow restaurant in Hempfield
Tom Papinchak said the smoothie was relatively new to Western Pennsylvania when he started selling the fruity concoction in the mid-1990s, first from a mobile thatched-roof kiosk and then at his Tropical Bungalow kiosks in Westmoreland Mall, downtown Pittsburgh and The Galleria in Johnstown. About 10 years later, he moved...
How a hotel satisfaction promise has led to more discontent
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the “100% Satisfaction Guarantee” was all the rage among many hotels. The gist was simple: Encounter a problem and receive your money back. In theory, this approach addressed fairly serious issues such as early-morning pool renovations that made the jackhammer an unwelcome alarm clock....
Tips for growing a healthy garden during drought
Many people try to save water just to do the right thing (and save money too). But when serious drought hits, and state and local governments enforce restrictions, water conservation becomes non-negotiable. So far this summer, nearly 65% of the United States and Puerto Rico is experiencing “abnormally dry” weather,...
Out & About: Ligonier museum program tracks fashion through the ages
“Petticoat” and “bodice” are familiar clothing terms, but what about “farthingale” and “stomacher”? Saint Francis University costume designer Bonnie Resinski discussed them all — and more — during the second annual fashion show and purse auction on June 25 at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley. Her...
Melon salad with spicy pork? A sweet and savory yes!
A summery fruit salad and spicy pork tenderloin might not seem the most natural pairing — until you consider the precedents of pork chops with apple sauce and Italian prosciutto with melon. Truth is, cooks have been pairing sweet fruits and savory meats for centuries. And there’s something about the...
4 ways parents can help kids have a great summer at camp
For generations of American kids, summer camp has been a familiar rite of passage. They’d get some exercise, maybe learn a new skill, and hopefully build a few new friendships before the lazy days of summer ended. Whatever the camp’s focus might be, kids could mostly count on a predictable...
Out & About: Karaoke fundraiser proves ‘Westmoreland Has Talent’
It wasn’t your run-of-the-mill karaoke night. The performers brought a little something extra to Westmoreland Has Talent, a fundraiser for the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition, held June 25 at Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield. University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg president Robert Gregerson channeled Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top with a beard,...
Venice unveils mandatory day-trippers’ reservation and fee
ROME — Starting in January, Venice will oblige day-trippers to make reservations and pay a fee to visit the historic lagoon city, in a bid to better manage visitors who often far outnumber residents in the historic center, clogging narrow streets and heavily used foot bridges crossing the canals. Venice...
Zambelli Fireworks preps for Pittsburgh Fourth of July celebration
Dr. George Zambelli Jr. describes it as “painting the night sky.” That’s what he and his family have been doing for nearly 130 years. Zambelli Fireworks is one of the largest fireworks companies in the world. It produces more than 1,600 “night sky” shows a year. Half are done during...
Unity couple founds nonprofit to provide housing for veterans
Andrew and Shela Gornik always have made a point of thanking veterans for their service. They’ve taught their four children to do the same. “If our kids walked past a veteran, even when they were small, we would tell them, go right back there and say, ‘Thank you for your...
Out & About: Fourth of July weekend starts with a bang at Fort Ligonier
The Fourth of July weekend started with a bang during the Friday evening Cannons and Cocktails party at Fort Ligonier. Literally. The festivities included mock cannon firings in the hilltop stockade of the restored French and Indian War-era historical complex. Guests had an opportunity to sample a George Washington Rye...
Inflation to blame for Hershey candy price hikes
Get ready to pay more for Hershey bars and other candies. The Hershey Company is raising prices to battle rising inflation and supply chain issues, according to analysts. Goldman Sachs analyst Jason English told Yahoo Money that Hershey has enacted “broad-based” price increases across its candy portfolio that “collectively amount...
Check out what Beechview has to offer: A Pittsburgh guide
Numerous beech trees growing on its hillsides is how the neighborhood of Beechview got its name. This area of Pittsburgh, located 3.5 miles outside of the city, was originally settled in the late 1700s, according to the book “Images of America: Beechview” (Arcadia Publishing). Scotch-Irish and English were the first...
Black-owned cigar lounge opens in Penn Hills
For years, every Tuesday, East Liberty native Sheldon Oliver would meet with a group of his male friends to have a space to be vulnerable, share laughs and talk about life. The small gathering of five men began to grow as people around them would gravitate to their conversations. Three...
Anthrocon attendees ready for hot Pittsburgh weekend in fursuits
In February 2016, there was a brazen theft from a car in San Francisco. The owner put a plea for help out on social media to find the missing item — a furry costume of a purple giraffe. “The post went viral, and a homeless person found the purple giraffe,”...
