Future events
local music
The Point Marion Lions Club will host a “Music Jamboree” fund-raising event at the skating rink in Point Marion every second Saturday of the month. The event will begin at 6 p.m. and will feature an open-stage portion from 6 to 7:30 p.m. A feature group or band will play from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. These events will continue every second Saturday of the month through June 2003. There will be music from the staff band and unexpected guests. There is a $2 donation at the door. The kitchen opens at 5:30 p.m. To participate in the open stage, book a band or perform in the feature portion, call 724-725-5737 or 1-304-599-0795.
“Symphony on Wheels” will travel to Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 21, to attend the “Holiday Pops” concert. A holiday tradition that grows more popular every year, Heinz Hall is transformed into a winter wonderland by the sounds of the season. The audience will enjoy such favorites as music from “The Nutcracker” and holiday classics like “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night.” An audience sing-a-long will follow. Deadline for purchasing tickets for this concert will be Friday, Dec. 13. Ticket cost is $42 for seating in the grand tier or orchestra level. Bus transportation from the Uniontown Mall is available for a charge of $17 for a round-trip ticket. Call Susan at Communities In Schools at 724-437-2540 for reservations.
The Connellsville Thanksgiving Festival of Choirs sponsored annual by the Mozart Music Club will be held at 6:45 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, at Wesley United Methodist Church on South Pittsburgh Street in Connellsville. Spiritual and gospel music will be the main emphasis in this year’s event. Merle Stutzman, choral director head at Connellsville Area High School, will once again direct the combined choir. Joanna Ball is chairperson for the event. Chris Hornick, band director at Connellsville Junior High East, will direct an instrumental ensemble. Guest soloists will be soprano Sheryl Nagy and trumpet performer Jim Henigen. Nagy teachers private piano, voice and organ locally. Henigen is the band director at Connellsville High School.
The Jazz Ambassadors of the U.S. Army Field Band, the official touring jazz ensemble of the U.S. Army, will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown. The event is sponsored by the Herald-Standard and the State Theatre. Free admission will be provided with a ticket. Tickets are available only through the Herald-Standard. Ticket requests will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis. Non-ticketed patrons will be seated 10 minutes prior to the state of the show.
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will present its second concert of the 2002-03 season at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. Opening the concert is “Scherzo” subtitled “Celebration” by Greek composer Manolis Kalomiris followed by Dvorak’s “Cello Concerto” with Marcy Rosen. Tickets are $10, $18, $25 and $36. Student rush tickets are $5. For more information, call 724-837-1850, e-mail morriebrand@westmorelandsymphony.org or visit the Web site at www.westmorelandsymphony.
art
The Flatiron Building in Brownsville houses two museums. The Heritage Center tells the story of the two major eras of history relating to the making of America. The Westward Expansion (National Road era) and the Coal, Coke, River and Railroad (Industrial era) offer changing exhibits every two months. For more information, call 724-785-9331. The Frank L. Melega Art Museum located in the upper level of the historic Flatiron Building offers Melega’s original art of many mediums focusing on the industries of the area. Reproductions and limited-edition reproductions are available for sale in the gift shop.
A.G. Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten will hold an art auction fundraiser to benefit the educational program for children in the Uniontown area. It will be held on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Becker’s Shadyside Inn. Marlin Art, New York-based company, will furnish exquisitely framed art in a variety of mediums – oil, watercolor, lithographs, etc. – and provide an auctioneer for the evening. Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres are available during the preview period and the auction. The event will also feature a variety of raffles and a Chinese auction.
odds & ends
The book, “Point Marion … From the Beginning,” is currently for sale. The 490-page volume that includes the genealogy and history of the area begins with the Indians and ends with the year 1999. It details not only the borough of Point Marion, but also the surrounding area because Point Marion was once located within the boundaries of Springhill Township in the former state of Virginia. The book is available at The Book Store in the Cherry Tree Plaza, Smithfield Pharmacy in Smithfield, Kendall Floral, Clar-Mac Sales and the Point Marion Hardware in Point Marion, New Geneva Pottery in McClellandtown and Riverrun Books and Prints in Greensboro.
Halloween Costume Ball entitled “Ghosts and Goblins” and “Kreatures and Kritters” will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday during the Uniontown Senior Citizen’s Monthly Dance at the Uniontown VFW Post 47, which is located at 47 W. Main St., Uniontown. A mummers parade will be held at 7:30 p.m. The event will feature square, round, line and other dancing. Music will be provided by Dave Dahl’s Orchestra. Refreshments and door prizes are planned by the committee. Pete Porreca is commander of the VFW Post 47. Kassie DeWalt is dance chairperson.
Geezers’ Writing Workshops have been moved to Tuesdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The workshops are free, but individual tutoring sessions for writers may be arranged for other times at reasonable rates. These will also be held at Geezers’ Literary Book Shop, which is located on the third floor of the Thompson House in Brownsville. For more information, contact Dr. Fred Lapisardi at 724-785-9010 or e-mail Geezersbks@worldnet.att.net.
Deadlines for both high school and college divisions of the 64 Crayons Short-Play Writing Contest have been extended to Friday, Nov. 15. Teachers, gifted program coordinators, play directors or others involved with student groups interested in play writing, who have students interested in this project, should either call 724-785-9010, e-mail Geezersbks@worldnet.att.net, or write to 64 Crayons Short-Play Writing Contest, third floor of the Thompson House, 815 Water St., Brownsville, Pa. 15417 for contest rules, awards and performance information.
The 25th anniversary of the Progress Club’s annual Arts and Crafts Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Point Marion Volunteer Fire Department hall at the corner of Water and Cheat streets in Point Marion. Crafts, lunch and baked goods will be available. A ticket will be given to each person as they enter, which is used for the hourly drawing for a craft donated by the exhibitors. Admission is free, and there is ample parking. The Progress Club is also raffling a hand-crafted light walnut mission-style shelves cabinet featuring glass doors. The $1 ticket may be purchased in advanced from a club member of at the lobby the day of the show. Table reservations are still being accepted. The event is open to the public. For further information, contact Diane at 724-725-5457 after 7 p.m.
The “Carpathian Cookery” cookbook, now in its 10th printing, is again available for sale. The 330-page cookbook now features a protective plastic cover and includes sections on Easter customs and recipes (and Christmas customs and recipes), traditional Rusyn foods and other ethnic dishes and many other recipes of St. John’s parishioners. Many paska and kolachi recipes, as well as meatless dishes and Lenten recipes, are included. The price of this cookbook is $13 plus $2 postage and handling. To order, send a check or money order to Ethnic Craft Club, St. John Byzantine Catholic Church, 185 E. Main St., Uniontown, Pa. 15401 or call 724-438-6027 for more information.
The Smock Heritage Museum is open every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum portrays life as it was in a typical coal-mining town during the Coal & Coke Era. Three rooms in a “Patch Company House” are open, and the tour takes visitors back in time to life during that era. “Cicconi Tavern” is on display where several meetings were held to organize the union along with information on Colonial Mines No. 1 and No. 2, photos, antiques, vintage clothing and a unique craft shop. The museum will open on weekdays by appointment. For more information, call 724-677-2528.
Penn State Fayette has announced the Fall 2002 Cultural Events Series. All events are open to the general public. Musician Andes Manta will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, in Swimmer Hall. For more information, call 724-430-4199.
The fall coffeehouse schedule at Penn State Fayette will be held from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Wednesday, Dec. 4, in the J.L. Williams Building Caf?. The audience can relax and enjoy some coffee and refreshments while listening to coffeehouse-style talent from Penn State Fayette faculty, staff and students. Penn State Fayette English professor Dr. Fred Adams serves as the coffeehouse emcee as he performs many favorites on his guitar. Each evening has a mix of poetry reading, singing, piano and jam sessions. Campus clubs and organizations sponsor the coffeehouses by providing coffee and refreshments for all in attendance. For more information, call 724-430-4199.
The State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown will celebrate the 80th anniversary of “The Grand Old Lady of Main Street.” Residents can support this historic landmark by sponsoring an 80th anniversary commemorative flag imprinted with their name, business name or organization’s name. The theatrically themed flags will be displayed on Main Street from mid-September until Thanksgiving. The cost is $45 to sponsor one side of the flag or $80 for both sides. For more information, call the State Theatre office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 724-439-1360.
Chestnut Ridge Christian Academy, which is located in the old Boyle School, 115 Downer Ave., Uniontown, will hold its 18th annual craft show, silent auction and bake sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8. Some of the items that will be auctioned are a signed baseball from Pittsburgh Pirate Scott Sauerbeck, a round of golf for four from Nemacolin’s Mystic Rock, which is valued at $600, and Seven Springs skiing/snowboarding tickets.
The Friends of the Brownsville Free Public Library are currently selling packets of note cards. A hand-drawn sketch of the library is displayed on the front, with the inside left blank. One packet includes 12 note cards for $5. They can be purchased at the library or from any member of the organization. The organization is also conducting a membership drive. They meet the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the library. For more information concerning the note cards of the “Friends,” contact Barry Blaine, librarian, at 724-785-7272.
Great Bethel Baptist Church, 47 W. Fayette St., Uniontown, is gearing up for the collection week of Operation Christmas Child’s “Love in a Shoe Box” project. Great Bethel will serve as the collection center, and once again as a drop-off site for completed shoe boxes. OCC, run by international Christian and relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, delivers show boxes filled with small gifts, toys and candy to suffering children all across the globe. Completed shoe boxes may be delivered to Great Bethel Baptist Church from Nov. 18-25 during the hours of 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This year there are drop-off sites in Uniontown, Markleysburg, Amity, Connellsville, Everson, Normalville and Meyersdale. Call 1-800-397-9257 for more information.
The National Park Service will present a program entitled “Queen Alliquipa, Seneca Matriarch” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, in the in the Visitor Center at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield on Route 40 in Farmington. It will be the feature program for Native American month. The slide program will highlight the life of Queen Alliquippa, a powerful Seneca woman from the colonial period. Her decision to form an alliance with the British rather than the French helped lead to the French and Indian War. A $3 park entrance fee will be charged for adults age 17 and older.
Asbury United Methodist Women Election Day Spaghetti Dinner will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the fellowship hall of Asbury Methodist Church. The church is located at the corner of Beeson Avenue and Dunbar Street. The cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children. Tickets will be sold at the door. The public is invited and take-out orders are available. Dinner will include spaghetti with homemade meatballs, bread, salad, dessert and beverage.
The employees of Mount Macrina Manor invite the public to view the Live Nativity Presentation from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, on the grounds of Mount St. Macrina. This year visitors can enjoy the reading of the nativity throughout the presentation as well as holiday music. In addition, the first 100 cars will receive an angel handcrafted by the residents. The event is free of the public.
Mount Macrina Manor Cookbooks will be available for purchase in December for only $10. The book offers a collection of more than 300 recipes from residents, employees and their families. Proceeds of the sale benefit the residents of Mount Macrina Manor. For additional information or to place an order, call Christie at 724-430-1125.
A covered-dish dinner and dance will be held on Friday, Nov. 22, at the Bullskin Senior Center, which is located on Route 982 near Connellsville. Participants are asked to arrived by 11 a.m., bring a covered dish and donate $1. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. followed by dancing from 1 to 3 p.m. Hoe-down square dancing, slow dancing, polkas, waltzing, line dancing and clogging will be offered. The Dave Dahl Trio will provide music and figure calling.
area
stage
The Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont recently announced its 2002 summer schedule, which offers dramas as well as comedies. This season’s highlights include the male and female versions of “The Odd Couple,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Taffetas” and “Picnic.” Apple Hill Playhouse is a restored barn that has been converted to a 175-seat performance space. Dinner-theater packages are available with the nearby Lamplighter Restaurant. Apple Hill is located about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh in Delmont. For more information, call 724-468-5050 or visit www.applehillplayhouse.org.
music
The Voices of St. Vincent are currently holding auditions for all sections of the chorus. Rehearsals are every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. in the St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica in Latrobe. Rehearsals are required. For additional information or to schedule an audition, call Joseph Bronder at 724-532-6600.
The Messiah Choir of St. Vincent College will hold final auditions for all selections of the chorus to sing the “Messish” on Saturday, Dec. 7. Rehearsals are every Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Rovert S. Carey Student Center, formerly Kennedy Hall. Rehearsals are required. For more information or to schedule an audition, call Joseph Bronder at 724-532-6600.
art
An exhibit entitled “Vistas of the Laurel Highlands” is offered at the Mountain View Inn in Greensburg. This exhibit is a result of collaborative work between the Westmoreland Photographers and Vance and Vicki Booher, owners of the Mountain View Inn. The public is invited to view this permanent limited-edition collection of vistas from various locations in Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties. Featured will be Fallingwater, Cucumber Falls, Cedar Creek, Twin Lakes, St. Michael’s Church in Rector, Rolling Rock, Linn Run, Four-Mile Run, Ligonier, Sugarloaf, Barronvale Covered Bridge and more. The photographers of this collection are Anne Bernstein, Tracy Ekovich, Ann Hewitt, Shireleah Kujawa, Kern Little, Jim Miller, Lois Odendahl and Lorie Womack. Professional framer Cathy Hayden of the Nature Nook and Malloy’s Camercade assisted with the project. For information, contact Kujawa at 724-219-9355.
odds & ends
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Schenley Park is staying open every Friday until 9 p.m. Visitors can enjoy an evening stroll through the entire conservatory, then sit and relax in the Palm Court where cappuccino, expresso and desserts will be available. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardents, the 13-room Victorian glasshouse and gardens in Schenley Park, is open year-round Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phipps is closed Mondays. Phipps admission rates are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors age 60 and older, $4 for students with ID and $3 for children ages 2 to 12. Children under 2 and Phipps members are admitted free. For more information about the conservatory, call 412-622-6914 or visit online at www.phipps.conservatory.org.
Harvest candlelight tours begin at Compass Inn Museum near Ligonier on Saturday and continue on Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 24 from 2 to 5 p.m. The Inn, an authentically retored 1799 stagecoach stop, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is decorated for the Harvest/Thanksgiving season with pumpkins, cornstalks and other natural accents. Visitors are asked to allow one hour for the tour.
Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students through high school. Children age 5 and under are complimentary. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are requested for groups of 10 of more. The inn will open for groups of 20 or more on weekdays. For additional information, call Compass Inn at 724-238-4983. Christmas candlelight tours begin Friday, Nov. 29, with special evening tours.
Hoe-down round and square dancing, slow dancing, line dancing and clogging will be offered during the following dates and times: 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Ohiopyle Community Center; and 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at the Arthurdale Center Hall in Arthurdale, W.Va. The donation is $4 per person. Children 12 and under are admitted free. The Dave Dahl Trio will provide music and figure calling.
Holiday Craft Show will be held from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, at the Fallowfield Township Fire Hall in Charleroi. Proceeds will benefit the Fallowfield Township Volunteer Fire Company. Door prizes and raffles will be offered.
The kitchen will be open, and a bake sale will be held. For more information, call 724-483-8426.
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPA Aquarium has switched to its fall and winter hours of operation. The zoo will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with admission gates closing at 4 p.m.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History will present a special exhibit, “Fascinating Fakes,” through Dec. 8 in the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems. The exhibit showcases specimens that have been embellished to increase value, altered to look like a more valuable piece and examples of some specimens with questionable authenticity. The exhibit is free with museum admission. “Fascinating Fakes” can be enjoyed Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays until 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens, $5 for children ages 3 to 18 and full-time students with ID. The exhibit is free to children under age 3 and Carnegie members. For more information, call 412-622-3131 or visit the museum’s Web site at www.CarnegieMuseums.org/cmnh.
Jim Getty, America’s foremost Abraham Lincoln re-enactor, will join the Westmoreland County Historial Society for an “Evening with Abraham Lincoln,” a special reception and lecture in Smith Hall Dining Suite at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Visitors can meet “Honest Abe” while enjoying the hot and cold hors d’oeurves and cocktails that will be served at the reception, which begins at 6 p.m. The lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Theater. Both the reception and the lecture are open to the public. A special admission package for the reception and lecture is $15 for members and students and $20 for non-members. To attned only the lecture, the admission is $5 for members, $8 for non-members and $3 for students under the age of 12. Seating is limited. Call Jennifer Wilson at 724-836-1800 to make a reservation.