Future events
local stage
The musical “Show Boat” will float into Connellsville Area Senior High School at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 27-28, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 1, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 2. Tickets will be available from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in the lobby at the entrance to the high school library and auditorium at the front of the building. Tickets are also available before the shows. For more information, call the school at 724-626-4063.
“Clue,” a murder-mystery dinner theater production, will be presented on Saturday, March 29, at the historic Stone House Restaurant on Route 40 near Farmington.
California Area High School’s Class of 2003 will present the musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, through Friday, March 7, in the high school auditorium. For ticket information, call California Area High School at 724-785-4202.
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. 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.
The Greater Uniontown Chorale will continue rehearsals on Monday at Trinity United Presbyterian Church on the corner of Fayette and Morgantown streets in Uniontown. Rehearsals are held from 7 to 9 p.m. The chorale will be rehearsing Mozart’s “Requiem” for presentation on Palm Sunday, April 13, in conjunction with the Asbury Festival Choir Series. For rehearsals, singers should enter the church via the lower right front door. Rehearsals are held in the social room of the church. Parking is available in a lot across from the church. For more information, call Joanna Ball at 724-628-3382.
Penn State Fayette will present singer, songwriter and musician Ashley Cox will deliver at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20, in the caf?. The Sarah Pillow Jazz Quartet will perform a variety of standards from Jacques Brel to Thelonium Monk at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, in Swimmer Hall. For more information on any of these events, contact Penn State Fayette at 724-430-4125.
“Symphony on Wheels” will travel to Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 8, to attend “A Tribute to Henry Mancini.” The concert will feature Academy Award-winning conductor, Bill Conti, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as they pay tribute to one of the city’s favorite sons – Henry Mancini. The legendary songwriter has been part of the American soundscape for generations with hits like “Moon River,” “The Peter Gunn Theme” and “The Pink Panther Theme.” The deadline for purchasing tickets for this concert will be Friday, Feb. 28. For reservations, call Susan at Communities in Schools at 724-437-2540.
The Greater Uniontown Children’s Choir will accept new members for the 2003 spring season through the end of February. All interested children may audition any Thursday evening prior to choir rehearsal at 6:15 p.m. Students are asked to prepare the “Star-Spangled Banner” for the audition. The choir rehearsals will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the music room at Dunbar Borough Elementary School on Pechin Road, which is located across from the Fayette County Fairgrounds. The tremble choir is open to children who like to sing from the Fayette County area in grades four through senior high school. However, boys must have unchanged voices. For more information, call 724-439-6477.
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.
The Gallery Store at Touchstone Center for Crafts near Farmington is closed for the season. It will reopen the first weekend of May in conjunction with Touchstone’s second annual Hammer In and the May weekend classes. Regular business hours will be maintained when weeklong classes resume in June. However, art objects in jewelry, glass and pottery are available at the same prices at MVP Jewelers in Serafin Square on Morgantown Street in Uniontown. For more information, call 724-439-4944.
odds & ends
The book, “Point Marion … From the Beginning,” is currently for sale. The 490-page volume includes the genealogy and history of the area beginning with the Indians and ending 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.
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.
An inspirational dance class will be held at the Uniontown Area YMCA. The classes will be held 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Mondays and 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. Thursdays. The class will be taught by Nancy McChesney. The classes will include a warmup, stretching and simple dance steps. The class provides a low-intensity and low-impact workout. The participants do the dance movements to Christian music. Call Bill Poninsky at 724-438-2484 for more information.
The Bobby Nicholas Band will perform on Saturday, March 1, during Mardi Gras 2003 sponsored by St. Therese Parish in Uniontown. The event will take place at the Shadyside Restaurant, 998 N. Gallatin Ave., Uniontown. The evening will include a complimentary one-hour open bar, hor d’oeuvres, dinner, traditional Mardi Gras masks, tiaras, bracelets and coins, fellowship and entertainment. Tickets are available by calling St. Therese at 724-438-2341 or Brenda at 412-582-1568.
The romantic story of “Romeo & Juliet” will glide across the ice on Monday, March 10, at Divito Park in Leisenring. It will mark the fifth year in a row that the St. Petersburg Russian Ballet has presented the production at Divito Park. Show time is 7:30 p.m., but the doors will open at 4:30 p.m. Those planning to attend are reminded to wear a light jacket and gloves. For more information or to purchase tickets, call Divito Park at 724-626-1400.
The Friends of the Uniontown Public Library are selling personalized children’s books that can be ordered via the Internet from the buyer’s home computer at http://www.rwrinnovations.com. Each book will be personalized to the buyer’s specifications. Shipping is free. Please use the promotion code: “FRIENDS” when placing an order. Use of this code does not change the price otherwise charged for the book. Orders are generally received within one week. Sample books are on permanent display in the Children’s Department of the library.
The Uniontown Public Library at 24 Jefferson St. has a variety of unique gift ideas available for the public year round. Books about local history and genealogy, as well as other books of local interest written by local authors, can be purchased in the Pennsylvania Room on the second floor. Also available are library promotional items sold by the Friends of the Library, including mugs and tote bags, as well as stationery, bookmarks, cookbooks and other special reading-related items that change throughout the year. Visit the Friends’ display on the library’s second floor.
A traditional “old style” circus will roll into the California Rotary Club Wednesday, May 28, 2003. At 7:30 a.m., the public is invited to watch the unloading and feeding of the animals. The elephants will raise the big top at 8:30 and 9 a.m. Two performances, one at 4:30 p.m. and the other at 7:30 p.m., will be featured later in the day. Ticket purchases benefit the California Rotary Club and the Kelly Miller Circus. Buy tickets from the Rotary Club today and save.
Sport Card, Nascar and Memorabilia Show will be held Friday through Sunday, March 7-9, at the Uniontown Mall. The show will be held near the Value City Department Store. Dealers from three states will buy, sell and trade cards. For more information, call 724-592-5038.
The Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau invites the public to attend a meeting from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa near Farmington, where six panelists will share information on the 250th anniversary celebration of the French and Indian War and how it will impact the region. For more information on the War for Empire panel discussion, contact Julie Donovan at the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau at 724-238-5661, ext. 18 or jdonovan@laurelhighlands.org.
St. Aloysius R.C. Catholic Church on Ranch Road, Dunbar, will host the parish’s annual Mardi Gras celebration from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 2, in the social hall. Dennis Martin is general chairman of the event. The Rev. Edward McCullough is pastor. In addition to a bake sale, a variety of ethnic foods and various desserts will be available during the event. The youth group will host a children’s corner and pinata. The public is invited to attend. No advance tickets will be sold. Various food items will be available.
The Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. announced a special wine tasting will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 1, at the Brownsville Sons of Italy, which is located on Water Street. Local wine makers have donated their wines to be tasted. For tickets or more information, call 724-785-9331 or visit the Flatiron Building Heritage Center, 69 Market St., Brownsville.
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.
Chinese pianist Yin Cheng Zong’s visit to the St. Vincent College Concert stage will take place Saturday, March 22. The concert will be held at 8 p.m. in the Science Center Amphitheatre. To inquire about this concert or other furture performances in the 30th season of the St. Vincent College Concert Series, contact the box office at 724-537-4565.
Yanni will present the new sound of classical music with his one-of-a-kind orchestra at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena. Yanni will perform his greatest compositions and new music from his latest album “Ethnicity.” To purchase tickets, call 412-323-1919.
Tributes to Black History Month featured by Washington & Jefferson College’s Arts Series will take place in Feburary at 7:30 p.m in the Olin Fine Arts Center. On Monday, Milian guitarist Habib Koite and his band Bamada will perform. One of Africa’s brightest stars, Koite developed his own modern sound by adapting the chords of the traditional youth’s harp to the electric guitar. In a second tribute, the eight-member ensemble Princely Players will appear Saturday, Feb. 22, on the Olin stage to present a combination of spirtuals, work songs, hymns and songs of freedom. For additonal information, call 724-223-OLIN (6546).
art
The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh announces “Americanisms: Shaping Art and Society in the 1950s,” which will be displayed until July 20. For more information, contact the Andy Warhol Museum at 412-237-8300 or visit the Web site at www.warhol.org.
The 2003 Merrill Lynch Young Artists Competition, held by the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, has an upcoming Tuesday registration deadline for taped auditions.
The competition is open to vocalists and instrumentalists, who are residents of Westmoreland County and who are not yet high school graduates. Musicians and vocalists will compete for the opportunity of future performances and cash rewards. For more information, contact the Westmoreland Symphony Office at 724-837-1850.
Winterlude, the Greensburg Art Club exhibit, will run through Friday, March 7, with hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call the Greensburg Garden Center at 724-836-1123 or the Greensburg Art Center at 724-837-6791.
Art classes for beginners at the Greensburg Art Center will continue each Thursday through March 13. Drawing, clay sculpture, watercolor, acrylic, pastel and oil painting will be offered. Classes for children and experienced painters are also available. Register now for the winter/spring session by calling 724-837-6791 or visit the Web site at www.greensburgartclub.org.
odds & ends
“Orchid Inspiration” will be showcased at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens through Sunday, March 16. The Orchid Exhibit includes works done by a plethora of artisans, while the Orchid Room in the glasshouse is dedicated to the showing of these flowering plants year-round. In addition, orchids of all varieties will be shown in the conserveratory’s Serpentine Room during the exhibit. Educational programs on orchids are also available at noon and 2 p.m. throughout “Orchid Inspiration” months. For more information on the conservatory, call 412-622-6914 or visit the Web site at www.phipps.conservatory.org.
In honor of Black History Month, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Schenley Park will offer a variety of educational public programs that are free with admission to Phipps. The programs will be held throughout the month of February. For more information about the conservatory, call 412-622-6914.
The Greater Pittsburgh Rib, Wing and Music Spectacular is now scheduled for Fourth of July weekend, July 4-6, at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
Throughout this weekend, more than 20,000 visitors are expected to attend the festival where rib and wing vendors compete as customers vote on their favorite mouth watering recipes. Cash and awards will be given to the first, second and third-place winners. Next month will herald the release of the concert schedule and entertainment line-up. Commercial, craft and food vendor applications are now being accepted. Vendors call 724-863-4577.
“A Celebration of Quilting in America” will be featured from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 15 (National Quilt Day) at the John D. Rockefeller Vocational School in West Virginia. The Panhandle Piecemakers Quilt Guild, sponsors of the event, invite the public to bring quilts, share ideas, watch others quilt and view quilts in progress as the event unfolds. Coffee and cookies will be served. The John D. Rockefeller Vocational School is located on Route 2 approximately one and a half mile north of New Cumberland, W.Va. Parking is free.