Future events
local stage
Reservations for the Thompson House Restaurant’s interactive Halloween Mystery Dinner Theatre, “The Vampire Game,” scheduled for Thursday should be made by calling 724-785-4744. The Thompson House Restaurant is located at 815 Water St., Brownsville.
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.
Bruce Ludwick Jr. will present an organ recital at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Uniontown. Works will be presented by J.S. Bach, Hindemith, Albright, Gigout, Bridge and Franck. Ludwich is music minister of St. Peter’s Church and is a student of Dr. William Haller at West Virginia University. A reception will follow in the Parish House.
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.
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.
Sylvia Vignali of Hopwood, Uniontown Art Club president, and Patty Clutter-Thorpe of Fairchance, recording secretary, have chosen 16 photographs to exhibit at the National City Bank in downtown Uniontown during bank hours in October. The photographs portray the essence of local landscapes and nature through their vision of composition, lighting and impact. Both women have taken classes from nationally known photographers Norm Schumm and Nancy Rotenberg at the Touchstone Center for the Arts. Vignali has focused her skills on the fine art of black and white photography for which she has won many awards. Clutter-Thorpe has exhibited photos at the Carnegie Museum Photography Section, Westmoreland Art Nationals and has won several best of show awards. She owns and operates a wedding photography business in Fairchance. A portion of all sales will benefit the Uniontown Art Club. For more information, call Vignali at 724-439-3880 or Clutter-Thorpe at 724-564-2019.
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.
Candlelight Ghost Tours of Nemacolin Castle in Brownsville will be held every Saturday and Sunday in October, starting this weekend and running through Oct. 31. The tours will be held from 6 to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and 6 to 10 p.m. on Sundays at the castle, which is located along Front Street in Brownsville. Everyone who visits the castle asks if it is haunted. Tour guides will share the investigation results from a para-normal research team, information gained by psychics, the castle staff and volunteers and the castle’s visitors. Charge for the castle tours is $6 for adults and $3 for children age 12 and under. For more information, call 724-785-6882.
Parishioners of St. Aloysius Church, which is located on Ranch Road in Dunbar, are planning a spaghetti and meatball dinner for Sunday, Nov. 3, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children under age 12. The Rev. Edward McCullough is pastor. Chairpersons are Dennis Martin and Tammy Nedrow. Betty Connors is in charge of the tickets. For advance tickets, call Betty at 724-277-4410 or tickets may be obtained at the door. The public is invited.
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. through Thursday. 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, Nov. 6, 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.
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. The next meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 1. 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, Nov. 5, 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 Frazier Community Library will host an author talk and book signing at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the library. Local author Ceane O’Hanlon-Lincoln will speak about her collection of short stories, which are threaded by their romantic themes and autumnal setting. “Autumn Song, Romantic Interludes” is her first collection of short stories, however, she has won honors for two screenplays at Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute Chronicles. Call 724-736-8480.
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.
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.
Two of Pittsburgh’s premier haunted houses, Terror by the Lake in North Park and Phantoms Phest ’02 (also known as Phantoms in the Park) in South Park, opened. Proceeds from both houses will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western Pennsylvania. The houses have raised more than $1 million for the Foundation since 1992.
Terror by the Lake, created and directed by SPFX “Benzy,” on Pearce Mill Road, North Park, is open through Nov. 2.
It is closed on Mondays.
It is open from 7:30 to 10 p.m. weekdays and 7:30 to 11 p.m. weekends.
The cost is $8 Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday and $10 on Friday and Saturday.
For more information, call 724-934-HELL or visit www.terrorbythelake.com.
Phantoms Phest ’02, featuring carnival rides and games, is located at 100 Acre Drive, South Park.
The house is open through Oct. 31. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
It is open from 7 to 10 p.m. weekdays and 7 to 11 p.m. weekends.
The cost is $9 per person, which includes rides.
Games will be offered for an additional cost.
For more information, call 412-854-4156.
For details about the haunted houses, visit the Web site at www.phantomsinthepark.com.