Future events
local “An Evening of Interactive Children’s Theater” will be presented by the Brownsville Area High School Thespian/Drama Society at Cox-Donahey Elementary School at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Excerpts from “Treasure Island” and “The Wizard of Oz” will be performed. Tickets will be sold at the elementary school from 3 to 5 p.m. today and on the evening of the performance.
Actors and Artists of Fayette County will hold auditions for the children’s show “A Visit from St. Nicholas” from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday and 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at Scottdale Showtime Theatre. Two women in their late teens to mid-30s, one man 40 or older, two girls ages 7 to 13 and one boy ages 9 to 11 are needed for the production. Rehearsals will begin the first week of December, and the show will be presented Dec. 19-20. Laurie London is directing. All roles are open, and no prior acting experience is required. For more information, call 724-737-0733.
“A Shenandoah Christmas” will be presented at New Life Covenant Church in Markleysburg at 7 p.m. Dec. 12-14. There is no admission charge, and seating is on a first-come basis. This musical is set in the mountains of Virginia during the Civil War. It features memorable characters, high-energy choral numbers, country ballads, dancing and a homespun tale suitable for all ages. “A Shenandoah Christmas” features more than 25 actors along with an adult and children’s choir. New Life Covenant is located on Route 40 about five miles east of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort next to A.J. McMullen School.
For more information, call the church at 724-329-4945.The Greater Uniontown Chorale will hold rehearsals at 7 p.m. Monday in the Westminster Room of the Trinity United Presbyterian Church, which is located at the corner of Fayette and Morgantown streets in Uniontown. All current and new members should attend at that time as the chorale will begin to prepare for an October Telethon appearance at the Uniontown Mall and its annual Christmas seasonal event. Anyone who has any questions may contact director William Dreucci or Richard McCoy, the president of the board of directors.
The Point Marion Lions Club will begin its music jamborees, which will continue every second Saturday of the month through June 2004 at the skating rink in Point Marion. The doors will open at about 5 p.m. The open stage starts at 6 p.m. The event is alcohol and smoke free. A small donation will be accepted at the door. For information or to book a band, call 724-725-5737. Visit the Web site at www.lionwap.org/pointmarionpa.
Classical music and musical theater will highlight the 2003-04 season of the Asbury Festival Recital Series. Featuring the music of Marcel Grandjany, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, “278 Strings” will premiere in the Asbury sanctuary March 7. The series will conclude April 3 with a performance of Franz Schubert’s “Mass in G” sung by the Asbury Festival Choir and the Greater Uniontown Chorale in addition to Josef Rheinberger’s “Concerto No. 2 in F” being performed by Asbury organist Jim Hutchinson. Asbury Festival Series subscription brochures can be obtained by mailing an address label to Asbury United Methodist Church, attention: Festival Series, 20 Dunbar St., Uniontown, Pa., 15401. Brochures will be mailed shortly to those on the series mailing list. Individual tickets will be on sale two weeks prior to each recital event at local businesses in Uniontown and Hopwood.
The fall recital series for the Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Uniontown will feature the following concerts: the multi-talented Winkler family of Morgantown, W.Va., on Sunday, Nov. 30; the Trinity chancel and handbell choirs on Friday, Dec. 19. For more information, call the church at 724-437-2709.
Advanced Strings, a group of guitar playing, banjo strumming, yodeling senior adults, meet every Thursday at Center in the Woods in California for its weekly jam session. For more information, call 724-938-3554.
The Greater Uniontown Chorale will present a program featuring “A Festival of Lessons and Carols” in the old English tradition that will mark the Christmas season. The performance will be held at Trinity United Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7. The program will include the Childrens Chorus and the Chancel Ringers from the Third Presbyterian Church. Tickets are available at Ellis Music store, Judy’s Do-Re-Mi Music store, Atkin’s Music stores and from members of the chorale.
Katie and Sara Zebley, a local duo, will present a holiday program for the Mozart Music Club at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2. The event will take place in the Susanna Wesley room at Wesley United Methodist Church on South Pittsburgh Street in Connellsville. The girls are the daughters of Ray and Janice Zebley of Dawson. Katie, 17, plays the flute, piccolo, guitar and piano while her sister, Sara, 14, plays clarinet, violin and piano. Their repertoire includes country, pop and gospel. Entrance to the church is through the back red door.The Diversity of Life Place Letters, a descriptive narrative of the design concept, will be on display every Thursday through Saturday through Nov. 30 at Christina’s, 231 Fayette St., Uniontown. The submission by a local resident will compete in a contest sponsored by The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. for the new World Trade Center Memorial Park Contest. The contest began April 28, and finalists will be chosen by the end of this year. The display includes a colorful and unique garden plus five necessary elements/designs. Other local artwork will be featured in the display at Christina’s.
“Interpretations,” an exhibit of paintings and monoprints by Samuel N. Koleman, will run from Saturday through Feb. 7 at the Frank L. Meglega Art Museum on the upper floor of the Flatiron Builidng Heritage Center, 69 Market St., Brownsville. The opening reception will be held Nov. 22 from 2 to 6 p.m. The Heritage Center is open noon to 6 p.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For museum hours, call 724-785-9331.
The annual “Homes for the Holiday” house tour sponsored by the Crime Victims’ Center will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. The tour will feature four privately owned homes and the Stemz Floral Shoppe and Caf?. Welcoming guests will be Bill and Ellen Ulmer, Roger and Penny Ice, Mark and Pat Altman and Mike and Sharon Mullen. A limited number of tickets are available. Following the tour, a special dinner will be held at the Torchlight Restaurant. Tickets are on sale at the Crime Victims’ Center, 109 W. Fayette St., Uniontown. Call 724-438-1470.
Artists Image Resource (AIR), Pittsburgh’s only professional printmaking studio, will present a collection of fine art prints at California University of Pennsylvania’s Manderino Gallery of Fine Art, located on the third floor of Manderino Library. All are welcome to attend a catered opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. The gallery is open from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and 2 to 6 p.m. Sundays. The show will run until Jan. 15.
The works of 10 Fayette and Washington County artists will be featured at the 21st annual Holiday Treasures Art Show and Sale Friday through Sunday, Dec. 5-7, in the home of Scott and Barbara Campbell. The show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The Campbell house is located on Grindstone Road at the top of the first driveway on the right, one-half north of the routes 40 and 166 intersection in eastern Brownsville. Admission and parking are free. For more information, call Barbara Campbell at 724-785-5715.The Asbury United Methodist Church Chancel Choir and Theatre Guild will host an authentic Christmas Madrigal Feaste from Friday through Sunday, Dec. 12-14. The 16th-century dinner and entertainment will be held in the Asbury social hall, which is located at the corner of South Beeson Avenue and Dunbar Street. Guests will be treated to a beef dinner with all the trimmings along with 15th- and 16th-century entertainment and reverly very similar to that seen in the manor halls of Medieval England during the festive yuletide season. A highlight of the evening’s entertainment is the masque or play-within-a-play, which is presented by the Royal court and a group of wandering actors called the Half-Act Players. The evening’s feasting is topped off by a brief concert of Christmas favorites by the Asbury Madrigal Singers. Reservations for the event can be made by mail only. Reservation brochures are being mailed this week to those already on the madrigal mailing list. Seating is limited for the three evenings, and reservations must be received by Nov. 27. There will be no reservations made by telephone or at the door. If you would like to be placed on the mailing list to receive a brochure, send an address label to Asbury United Methodist Church, attention: Magrigal Feaste, 20 Dunbar St., Uniontown, Pa. 15401. Seating each evening will begin at 6 p.m., and dinner and entertainment will begin at 6:45 p.m. Asbury’s social hall is handicapped accessible.
Christmas SportCard, NASCAR, Comic Book and Collectible Show will be held at the Uniontown Mall. It will start Nov. 27 and will continue until Dec. 24 near the Sear’s store at the mall. There will be dealers from three states with many different items to fill Christmas gift lists. For more information, call 724-592-5038.
Dyn-A-Star Gymnastics located in the Uniontown Mall will hold a Fun Night, including a talent show and 50/50 drawing, at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6. The proceeds of the 50/50 drawing will be donated to the Salvation Army. A representative of the Salvation Army dressed in uniform will be present to receive the donation.
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.
The sixth annual “A Country in the Greenhouse” will be held Nov. 28 through Dec. 7 in Duda’s Greenhouse in Republic. The show will feature crafts by more than 25 local crafters with plenty of choices for Christmas shopping. Live wreaths, swags and blankets will be sold by Duda’s Greenhouse. Show hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, call 724-246-2132 or 724-246-7762.
The “Carpathian Cookery” cookbook, which is now in its 10th printing, is again available for sale. The 330-page cookbook now features a protective plastic cover and includes sections on Christmas customs and recipes and Easter 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 suitable for the pre-Christmas and pre-Easter fast, are included. For more information, call 724-438-6027.
A cookbook is currently being planned for print by the State Theatre Center for the Arts Progressive Dinner Committee. The committee asks anyone with favorite recipes that they want included in the book to send the information to the State Theatre, 27 E. Main St., Uniontown, Pa. For questions or additional information, call the State Theatre at 724-439-1360.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater is searching for volunteers to work in a variety of capacities from “Ask Me” guides to garden helpers to pavilion assistants to transcription services. Those applying must enjoy nature, architecture or history. Volunteers are offered a flexible schedule, working one day a week or one day a month. For more information, call 724-329-1441, ext. 1203, or e-mail aturnicky@paconserve.org.
Penn State Fayette announces the Fall 2003 Cultural Events Series. A hypnosis show will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, in Swimmer Hall by Dr. Bengali who learned hypnosis in India, its place of origin, and who has performed hundreds of shows for the past 20 years in foreign countries and within the United States. Also, visitors to Penn State Fayette can relax and enjoy coffee and refreshments while listening to coffehouse-style talent from the college’s faculty, staff and students at the Fall Campus Coffeehouse session scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Williams Cafeteria. All programs are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Melanie Thomas at 724-430-4199.
The second annual Festival of Lights Celebration will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, with a covered dish dinner at the Mt. Olive Evangelical Church Fellowship Hall on Route 982 in Connellsville. To volunteer or for more information, call Shirley Clawson at 724-887-4839 or e-mail her at thelionroars@lcys.net by Monday.
A Family Thanksgiving Dinner, hosted by the Center in the Woods, is scheduled for noon Nov. 27 in the center’s dining room. A traditional turkey dinner will be served for free, but donations are welcome. Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 11 a.m. Sandra Reeves will provide entertainment at 11:30 a.m. To make reservations or for more information, call Diane Kuppelweiser at 724-938-3554. To sponsor a meal for someone who will be alone on Thanksgiving, call Diane by Wednesday.
The Fayette Film Festival, co-sponsored by the Penn State Fayette Library and the office of Continuing Education, will present the movie “Rules of the Game” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6. Faculty and staff will host their favorite films, providing introductory talks and discussions afterward. All showings are free and will be held in the Eberly Building Corporate Training Center. For more information, call Joe Segilia at 724-430-4211 or John Riddle at 724-430-4199.
The award-winning Ozark Jubilee, direct from Branson, Mo., will bring its Christmas show titled “Christmas: The Best of the Best,” to the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10. Headlining the jubilee is Branson’s funniest comedian and world-class fiddler, “Doofus Doolittle.”
Friendship Hill National Historic Site announces its 2003-04 winter hours. The Gallatin House, including the visitor center, will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. The house will be available for group tours by reservation Tuesday through Friday. A 48-hour notice is requested for tours. All other areas of the park, including hiking trails, will remain open from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week through the winter. The restrooms at the main parking lot will be locked at 5 p.m. every evening. For more information or to make reservations, call 724-329-5811.
The Uniontown Senior Citizen’s will hold their monthly dance from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday at the Uniontown VFW Post 47 on West Main Street. The dance offers the sounds of the Bill Francis’s Orchestra, and refreshments and door prizes are planned. For more information, call Kassie DeWalt at 724-437-6050.
An old-fashioned Christmas open house will be held at the Coal and Coke Heritage Center located at Penn State Fayette campus library from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5. The latest reprint of “Patch/Work Voices: The Cultural and Lore of a Mining People,” first issued in 1977 will be available for purchase. Authors, Drs. Evelyn Hovanec, Dennis Brestensky and Albert Skomra will attend to personalize each edition. For more information, call 724-430-4158.
Holiday Bingo will be hosted by the Point Marion Progress Club on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the American Legion Hall at 109 Railroad St. Doors open at noon, early bird 50/50 bingo will start at 1:45 p.m. and regular bingo begins at 2 p.m. Games for gifts with a Christmas theme will be held. Door prizes, a Chinese auction, cookie sale and light refreshments will also be available.
Holiday Bingo proceeds will go toward civic and beautification projects in Point Marion.
Christmas Candlelight Tours will be held at Nemacolin Castle in Brownsville from Nov. 28 to Nov. 30, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in December and Jan. 2-4. The tours are available from 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays and 2 to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Activities begin with Light-Up Night on Sunday when the castle grounds and walls are lined with luminaria. “An Old-fashioned Christmas” is this year’s theme. For more information, call 724-785-6882.
“The Nutcracker” will be performed at California University of Pennsylvania at 8 p.m. Dec. 5, 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 6 and 2 p.m. Dec. 7. For more information, call 724-938-5943.
A Poinsettia Tea Luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at California University of Pennsylvania’s Southpointe Center.
Proceeds will benefit the Cal U Southpointe Book Scholarship Fund for adult students. For more information, call 724-873-2760.
A Longaberger Basket Bingo will be hosted by the St. Mary School Association in the school cafeteria on Sunday, Dec. 7.
The shool is located at 17 Gilmore St., Uniontown. Games begin at 2 p.m. Proceeds will go to the renovation of the gymnasium floor.
For more information, call Michelle DeMoss at 724-245-0205 or Dian Cavinee at 724-438-5392.West Virginia Public Theatre will present “Scrooge, The Musical” Dec. 8-12 exclusively for school groups. Shows will be performed daily at 9:30 a.m. and noon in East Fairmont High School’s auditorium. Schools or school groups interested in making reservations should call 877-999-9878 or 304-598-0144.
“A Musical Christmas Carol” will show at the Byham Theater Dec. 5-23 at various times. This Charles Dickens’ classic, featuring character Ebenezer Scrooge, is set to the music of yuletide melodies and filled with yuletide charm. Purchase tickets or gain more information online at www.pittsburghCLO.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or by visiting the new box office at Theater Square located in the heart of the Cultural District on Penn Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets. Pittsburgh CLO will also present seven specially priced 10 a.m. educational student matinees complete with a study guide, a behind-the-scenes video and musical performances. Teachers, who want to make the show a part of their lesson plans, should call Susan on the group sales hotline at 412-263-2560 or e-mail groups@pittsburghCLO.org. Call or e-mail the group sales hotline for special group ticket programs.St. Vincent College’s Department of Fine Arts and Music will host auditions for students interested in pursuing undergraduate degrees in music, music performance or music education. Admission to St. Vincent’s music programs are by audition only. Auditions will be held on four Saturdays throughout the 2003-04 academic year: this Saturday, March 6 and April 17. All auditions will begin at 11 a.m. in the Fine Arts Department located on the third floor of the Robert S. Carey Student Center. Appointments are required. To receive a copy of audition requirements, schedule an appointment or for more information, contact Joseph Bronder at 724-805-2123.
The Monongalia Arts Center in Morgantown, W.Va., will hold OpenMac Night at the center every month. Any bands interested in performing at one of the OpenMac Night events should contact Seret Englestad at 304-292-3325 or stop by 107 High St. in Morgantown, W.Va., for more details.
Bluegrass music live will be presented at the Sagebrush Round-Up from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29. Bluegrass bands Windy Ridge, Hargus Creek, Rails of Bluegrass, the Hoover Family and Dively-Shawver will be featured. The Sagebrush Round-Up is located six miles east of Interstate 79 at Exit 139 near Fairmont, W.Va. No alcoholic beverages are permitted. For more information or to book a bluegrass band, call 304-782-3645, 304-292-5854 or 304-363-4864.
The River City Brass Band will present “Holiday Festival” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. Guests are the Greensburg Central Catholic High School Choir. For more information or reservations, call 412-322-7222 or toll free at 1-800-292-7222 or visit www.rcbb.com.
Freddy Cole will perform a Christmas concert at Dowe’s on 9th in Pittsburgh on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 28-29. Show times are 8 and 10 p.m. both nights. For more information, call 412-281-9225 or visit www.doweson9th.com.
The St. Vincent Camerata will celebrate the upcoming holidays with its seasonal Christmas Concerts in period costume at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14, in the St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica in Latrobe. For more information, call 724-537-4579.
The Voices of St. Vincent, four distinguished soloists and the St. Vincent Chamber Orchestra, will present an encore performance at Handel’s complete “Messiah,” as part of the St. Vincent College Concert Series at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, in the St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica in Latrobe. A Classic Dinner at St. Vincent, a sit-down dinner at 6 p.m. and the concert, is available. Call the SVC Concert Series box office at 724-537-4565 for more information.The Waynesburg College Benedum Fine Arts Center gallery will feature an exhibition of artwork by Waynesburg College students through Dec. 8. A reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 8. The gallery is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. Admission is free. For more information, call 724-852-3274.The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is offering an exploration of the animal world in “Skulls and Skeletons” featuring dozens of real and replicated skulls, skeletons, bones and fossils of present day to prehistoric animals including the wooly mammoth and a killer whale. It offers a learning experience on the skeletal adaptations of reptiles, birds, mammals, fish and insects and why the various animal adaptations are crucial to their survival. The exhibit also features a real dinosaur bone for visitors to touch. The aquarium is the first venue for this exhibit. The exhibit will begin a nationwide tour after its Pittsburgh stop. “Skulls and Skeletons” will be in the Discovery Pavilion at the Kids Kingdom until January. For more information on the exhibit, call the aquarium at 412-665-3639.
Smitty’s on the Water Front, 119 River Road, Speers, will offer dancing from 7 to 10:30 p.m. every second Sunday of the month. There is an admission charge. For more information, call 724-483-7333.
Millions of sparkling lights and animated displays across 15 acres makes up the Overly’s Country Christmas, a drive-through, walk-through Christmas Village, held at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Mount Pleasant Township through Jan. 4, every day including holidays. Event favorites include: Mister Rogers Neighborhood, Sprouting Water Fountain, Forest of Dancing Trees, Walkway Entrance to the Christmas Village, Kids’ Korner, Santa and Mrs. Claus, the Dancing Snowmen, Ringing in the New Year Bells, Carousel Park, Galliker’s Milking Pallor and Victorian Carolers. Wagon/sleigh rides and kids’ express train rides will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Gifts, treats and a bonfire will also enhance this Christmas tradition. Proceeds from the event benefit Overly’s Lights For Little Ones Endowment, which supports multiple children’s causes. For more information, call the infolines at 800-9OVERLY (968-3759) or 724-423-1400 or visit the Web site at www.overlys.com.
Wild West Garden at Phipps Conservatory will run through Feb. 22 with four different G-scale trains traveling tracks through the 1,250-square-foot western landscape. An interactive mining car explores an ore mine. Turn-of-the-century steam engines pass through mountains and canyons, traveling over bridges and through tunnels admist a variety of plants all to scale. Phipps serves the area in two locations: Phipps Consevatory and Botanical Gardens in Schenley Park and Phipps Garden Center at 1059 Shady Ave. in Mellon Park. For additional information, call the conservatory at 412-622-6914 or the garden center at 412-441-4442. To learn more about either location, visit Phipps online at www.phipps.conservatory.org.
Tour seven decorated Victorian homes during the Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House tour Friday through Sunday, Dec. 12-14, in Allegheny West on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Calvary United Methodist Church, famous for its Louis Tiffany stained-glass windows, will be included in the tour as well, decorated to celebrate a 19th-century Christmas. Tours will be scheduled at 12-minute intervals from 5:24 and 7:12 p.m. Friday, noon and 7:12 p.m. Saturday and 12:24 and 6 p.m. Sunday. Sleigh rides must be scheduled in advance to secure a seat. Personal tour guides will explain Victorian holiday traditions, give the history of Allegheny West and its famous 19th-century residents and will discuss the individual homes as they are visited. A holiday shop will be at the tour’s end in Jones Hall where a cup of hot cider and a browsing of antiques, gifts and handcrafted items awaits. Available Friday and Saturday evenings is a candlelight dinner tour featuring the seven Victorian homes plus dinner at a restored neighborhood home. Ticket quantities are limited. For additional details and tickets, call 412-323-8884 or visit the Web site at www.alleghenywest.info for updates.
The sixth annual Jingle Bell Run and Walk for Arthritis will take place Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Westmoreland County Community College campus. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by costume contest judging at 9:30 a.m. The race will start at 10 a.m. The fourth annual Elf Run, a special lap for children age 10 and under, will begin at 10 a.m. For more information, call 724-836-3370.
Compass Inn Museum will hold Christmas Candlelight Tours beginning Thanksgiving weekend and will continue Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 15.
For more information, call 724-238-4983 or visit www.compassinn.com.
The 21st annual Festival of Lights, sponsored by the Ligonier Valley Historical Society, will be held noon to 7 p.m. Dec. 6-14 in the Gallery of the Ligonier Valley Library.
Local families, businesses and groups will decorate more than 50 trees and 14 wreaths, which will be for sale and available for pick up when the festival closes. The event will also have a raffle table and complimentary cookie caf?. For more information, call 724-238-6818.