Future events
local Actors and Artists of Fayette County (AAFC) will present its Christmas show titled “Greetings!” from Dec. 2-5 at Scottdale Showtime Theatre, located at 111 Pittsburgh St., Scottdale. For more information, call 724-887-6814.
The State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown will present the following shows during its 15th anniversary season. Saturday brings “The Flying Karamazov Brothers” back to the theater. The show features silly dances, world-class juggling feats and lots of audience participation. The New Sigmund Romberg Orchestra and Soloists will bring “A Viennese Christmas” to the theater on Dec. 17. Feb. 5 will bring “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” “My One and Only,” a musical comedy featuring Gershwin classics, will be presented March 15. The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s production of “All the Great Books (abridged)” will be presented April 2. “Steel Magnolias,” a story that takes place in Truvy’s Beauty Shop, will be presented April 10. Paul Consentino and The Boilermaker Jazz Band will serve up jazz, swing and old-time ballads in the New Orleans style on May 7. For more information on the shows, call the theater at 724-439-1360 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.The Scottdale Choral Society invites the public to attend a series of four Christmas concerts from Nov. 28 to Dec. 6. On Sunday, Nov. 28, the first concert will be presented at the Perryopolis United Methodist Church. The second concert will be sung on Monday, Nov. 2,9 at the Immaculate Conception Church, Connellsville. The third concert will be performed at St. John The Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Scottdale with the fourth and final concert to be on Monday, Dec. 6, at Cochran Memorial Church in Dawson. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be under the direction of Dwight Brown and accompanied by Sue Booher.
“A Christmas Gloria,” a holiday concert, will be presented on Saturday, Nov. 27, by the Greater Uniontown Chorale and the Greater Uniontown Children’s Chorus. The program will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held at Asbury United Methodist Church, which is located at the corner of Beeson Boulevard and Dunbar Street in Uniontown. Assistant director Roddy Hibbs of Smithfield will conduct the chorale while Marsha Brady is conductor of the Children’s Chorus. A good-will offering will be received during the program.
The Cochran Memorial Methodist Church, located on Griscom and Howell Streets in Dawson, will host a concert by the Greater Uniontown Chorale titled “A Christmas Gloria” at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29. There will be a free-will offering.
Scottdale Showtime Theatre will host an audition to participate in a star-studded Karaoke Star Search at the theater in Scottdale on Nov. 27. The showcase will feature a line up of talented local and surrounding area karaoke entertainers with professional sound equipment and stage lighing. Call 724-887-5774 for an audition or email Karaokeis4U@aol.com. The program is sponsored by Norene Price Productions.
“Christmas for Two,” an intimate Christmas concert performed by Paul and Barb Carmer, will be presented at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Dec. 3 and Dec. 17 at the Cramer Performing Arts Studio, 13 Pittsburgh Road, Uniontown. The show will feature Christmas duets and Yuletide favorites. Private shows are also available for groups. For more information, call 724-438-2926.
The Point Marion Lions Club will hold a benefit fund-raiser every second Saturday of the month through June 2005. The events are held at the Lions Club skating rink and begin at 6 p.m. This is a smoke- and alcohol-free event. Guests can enjoy a sandwich and soda with the live music and entertainment. The Country DJ’s and Betty Jo Heater will perform Saturday. The open stage will be held from 6 p.m. along with Ray Rhodes and Friends. The Country Rollers will perform on Dec. 11. The doors and kitchen open at 5 p.m. To participate or for more information, call 724-725-5737. A donation will be accepted at the door.
The Asbury Festival Series will present “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” Menotti’s Christmas opera, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at the Asbury United Methodist Church, located at the corner of Beeson Boulevard and Dunbar Street, Uniontown. Performed in England, the opera is about a poor crippled shepherd boy whose act of unselfish love brings about a miracle. Tickets may be purchased at the Fayette Area Chamber offices, Ellis Music Store, Judy’s Do Re Me Music Shop in Uniontown and at Amend’s Jewelry in the Uniontown Mall. Youth group discounts are available by calling 724-447-1119.Frank L. Melega Art Museum has extended the exhibit titled “American Impressionist” by Nancy Jessen Winkels through Sunday, Dec. 12. The museum is located on the upper floor of the Flatiron Building Heritage Center, 69 Market St., Brownsville. Heritage center hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For museum hours, call the center at 724-785-9331. For a private exhibit viewing, call Patrick Daugherty, museum curator, at 724-245-6120.The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Kentuck Knob will host an Enchanted Evening on Nov. 27 and Dec. 18 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event includes a tour of the house decorated for the holidays, hot wine, hors d’oeuvres and music. For reservations, call 724-329-1901.
The Brownsville Historical Society will host the Christmas Candlelight Tours at Nemacolin Castle on Front Street in Brownsville every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in December and January. Hours are from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and 2 to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The castle will be closed on Dec. 24 and 25. Light-up night will be held on Nov. 26 with a marshmallow roast over an open fire, visit with Kris Kringle, storytelling, and a craft booth where children 12 and under can make a gift for someone special. “Christmas Cheer” will serve as the theme this year with the rooms adorned with some fresh trees and greens, flowers and traditional decorations. Hot wassail and cookies will be served. For more information, call 724-785-6882.
The annual Hopwood Village Light-Up Night celebration will be held on Friday, Dec. 3. Activities will begin at 5:30 p.m. when the new village Christmas wreaths and a community Christmas tree with decorations made by students at Hutchinson Elementary School will be lighted. School and community groups, including the Greater Uniontown Chorale, Laurel Highlands High School jazz band and Hutchinson students, will provide music throughout the evening. Santa will arrive on a Hopwood Volunteer Fire Department truck at 6:30 p.m. and distribute treats to the children. Activities will be held in the parking area of the Hopwood Center (Four Star Pizza). Many of the businesses in the village will be open to celebrate the holiday season.
The Holiday Treasures Art Show and Sale on Dec. 3-5 will mark a 22-year tradition of showcasing 10 Fayette and Washington County artists. This invitational show features a broad spectrum of arts and crafts done by local artists. Holiday Treasures is held in the earth-sheltered home of Scott and Barbara Campbell on the Grindstone Road. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3-4, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5. There is a free admission and free parking.
Smock Historical Society will host a nut roll sale for the holiday season, with fillings of nut, apricot, poppy seed or prune. Each roll is freshly made locally. To order, call Dick at 724-677-2415 by Dec. 3. Delivery will be around Dec. 11.
The Lion Ambassadors at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus will host a light-up night at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, in the Student Lounge of the Williams Building. There will be cookies, hot chocolate and door prizes. For more information, call 724-430-4130 or send an e-mail to feadm@psu.edu.
The Christian W. Klay Winery will host a Holiday Open House at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, for kids of all ages. This event will feature a bonfire, carols, appetizer buffet, tastings of the award-winning wines, a giant Christmas tree and Santa in his workshop.
The winery is located in Chalk Hill on the historic National Road. For further information, call 724-439-3424 or visit the Web site at www.cwklaywinery.com.
Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Friendship Hill National Historic Site will close its visitors’ centers on Thursday in observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday. The park grounds, including the trails, will remain open to the public from sunrise to sunset. For information, call Fort Necessity National Battlefield at 724-329-5512 and Friendship Hill National Historic Site at 724-725-9190.
Christmas for Two, an intimate Christmas concert performed by Paul and Barb Cramer, will be held Dec. 3 and 16 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at The Cramer Performing Arts Studio, 13 Pittsburgh Road, Uniontown. Tickets are by reservation only. For information, call 724-438-2926.
“Homes for the Holidays” annual house tour sponsored by the Crime Victims’ Center will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12. The tour will feature four beautiful homes and one unique historic bed and breakfast. Welcoming guests will be Dr. John and Lisa Sunyecz, Jim and Lisa Dunn, John and Darlene Duall and Chris and Kristina Kearns. Also featured will be the Inne at Watson’s Choice Bed and Breakfast owned by Bill and Nancy Ross and the newly renovated “Stable,” which is now a meeting and conference center. A Chinese auction featuring holiday arts and crafts and a variety of gift certificates will be held inside the “Stable.” There is a tour ticket donation. A limited number of tickets are available. Tickets will be on sale from Monday, Nov. 29, through Friday, Dec. 10, at the Crime Victims’ Center, 109 W. Fayette St., Uniontown, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 724-438-1470 for more information.
The fourth annual Christmas Sports Show will be held at the Uniontown Mall from Nov. 26 to Dec. 24 in the Sears’ section of the mall. The hours will be Mall Christmas hours. There will be many gifts for the sports fan, including Steelers memorabilia (both old and new), sports cards, NASCAR and comic books. Anyone interested in buying or selling sports cards and comic book collections can call 724-592-5038 for more information.
The seventh annual “A Country Christmas in the Greenhouse” will be Nov. 26 through Dec. 5 in Duda’s Greenhouse in Republic. The show will feature crafts by more than 30 local crafters with plenty of choices for Christmas shopping. Live wreaths, swags and blankets will be sold. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, call 724-246-2132 or 724-246-7762.
64 Crayons Cultural Center, located in the Thompson House, 815 Water St., Brownsville, continues to offer free playwriting workshops from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, and poetry, fiction and non-fiction workshops from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The Tuesday workshops concentrate on one-act plays in conjunction with 64 Crayons Cultural Center’s Spring Short Play Festival. For additional information, call 724-785-9010 or e-mail Geezersbks@att.net.
The Curiosity Shoppes, sponsored by 64 Crayons Cultural Center and Thompson House, may be visited on the second floor of the former Samuel Thompson Mansion, 815 Water St., Brownsville, from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturdays.
Uniontown Senior Citizen’s Monthly Dance “Golden Harvest, A Salute to our Veterans” will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday at the Uniontown VFW Post 47, located on West Main Street in Uniontown. Music will be provided by Bill Francis Orchestra.
Refreshments and door prizes will be offered. For information, call 724-437-6050, extension 227.
The State Theatre Center for the Arts will accept non-perishable donations this holiday season to benefit the Fayette County Community Action Food Bank. Donations will be accepted at the State Theatre box/administrative offices from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and tonight, Light-Up Night. Donations will also be accepted Dec. 10 when The Temptations perform and Dec. 17 during “A Viennese Christmas” featuring the Sigmund Romberg Orchestra.
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West Virginia Public Theater will present Roger and Hammerstein’s hit musical “Cinderella” on Dec. 14-23. School matinees are scheduled at 9:30 a.m. and at noon on Dec. 14-21. Public performances are scheduled at 2 p.m. Dec. 19 and 7 p.m. Dec. 22-23. All performances are held at the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre at West Virginia University’s Creative Arts Center. To reserve tickets, call 304-599-6785 or 1-800-999-9878. Additional information can be obtained through the WVPT Web site at www.wvpublictheatre.org.
The Pittsburgh CLO debuts “Late Night” at the Cabaret at Theater Square every Tuesday through Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Weekday acts include Deana Muro, musical director for “Forever Plaid,” who will appear regularly on the “Late Night” stage to showcase her piano talents. Appearing twice in November is “The Slovak Cowboy,” Roman Vitkovsky, who sings country favorites with a unique twist. Seating is open to the public and will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Patrons who have seen “Forever Plaid” are welcome to stay in their seats to enjoy “Late Night” at the Cabaret. Reservations are recommended for Friday and Saturday evenings. Call 412-281-1264, extension 237. The Cabaret at Theater Square is a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.A benefit dance for Local Reserve Units will be held at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, at the Palms Yacht Club in Lower Speers. Top classic rock music by Uniontown’s Gerry Onesi and the Area 51 Band will be performed. For ticket information, call 724-246-9629, 724-583-0543 or 412-377-1871. All proceeds will be used to send Care Packages to the Troops in Iraq.
The Streets of Gold Ministry will present “Ed Crawford and the Mystery Man Quartet” in a Southern gospel dinner concert at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, at the Indiana VFW Post 1989 located on Indian Springs Road in Indiana. There is a cost for the dinner and concert. For reservations, call 724-349-9346.
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s Merrill Lynch Young Artists Competition for 2005 is open to vocalists and instrumentalists who are legal residents of Westmoreland County or take private music lessons in Westmoreland County and have not yet graduated from high school. Participants compete for cash prizes and performance opportunities. Registration deadline is Jan. 21, 2005, for taped auditions and live auditions. The winners’ recital takes place at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at Seton Hill University. For information, call the Westmoreland Symphony Office at 724-837-1850 or email at info@westmorelandsymphony.org.
The St. Vincent College Concert Series invites the public to celebrate its 33rd season. The artists appearing this season are Thomas Meglioranza on Saturday; Handel’s complete Messiah on Dec. 4; Soyeon Lee on Jan. 22; Nanae Mimura on Feb. 12; Yin Cheng Zong on March 12; and Kyung Sun Lee on April 16. All concerts are held at 8 p.m. in the Science Center Amphitheatre of St. Vincent College in Latrobe with the exception of December’s Messiah performance, which will be held in the St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica. For more information on tickets and available entertainment packages, call 724-537-4565.
art
“Figuratively Speaking: Recent Works by Duncan MacDiarmid” will be held in the St. Vincent Gallery at St. Vincent College, where it will be on view through Sunday, Dec. 12. Featured in the exhibition will be nearly two dozen works by artist Duncan MacDiarmid, who is a sculptor of portraits, figurative sculpture, animals and original concepts in bronze, stone and clay. In addition, an exhibition titled, “Woven Into History: American Coverlets From the Collection of Foster and Muriel McCarl,” will also be on view until Dec. 12 in the St. Vincent Gallery. For information, call the gallery at 724-805-2107.
odds & ends
The twenty-second annual Festival of Lights, sponsored by the Ligonier Valley Historical Society, will be held Dec. 4-12 from noon to 7 p.m. daily in the Gallery of the Ligonier Valley Library. There will be 54 trees and 13 wreaths decorated by local families, businesses and groups, and are for sale and available for pick up after the festival closes. In addition, there is also a raffle table and a holiday boutique filled with a variety of items, many hand crafted and unique. The Festival of Lights is the major fund-raising event for the Ligonier Valley Historical Society, which operates Compass Inn Museum in Laughlintown. For more information, call 724-238-6818.
Compass Inn Museum, located along Route 30 in Laughlintown, three miles east of Ligonier, will host the Christmas Candlelight Tours from Thanksgiving weekend and continue on Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 12. There will be special evening hours from 5 to 8. The Christmas tours begin the Friday after Thanksgiving at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 27-28, from 3 to 7 p.m. Demonstrations in the cookhouse and blacksmith shop provide an added feature on Saturday, Nov. 27. For additional information, call 724-238-4983 or visit www.compassinn.com.
LeMoyne House and Bradford House Candlelight Tours will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4 and Dec. 11; and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12. The Lemoyne House will feature the Christmas of 1812, the first year the LeMoyne family spent in their beautiful new home. The Bradford House will feature a 1790s. Christmas. Both houses will be beautifully decorated for the holidays with volunteers in period clothing guiding visitors through the candlelit rooms. Tickets are available at the doors.
Overly’s Country Christmas, located at Westmoreland Fairgrounds near Greensburg, is open every day through Jan. 2 including holidays, Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. with Friday through Sunday hours from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Back for its 48th year, the old-fashioned Christmas Village blends nostalgia and a dash of holiday magic with a drive-through and walk- through lighted Christmas village that creates lasting holiday memories for thousands of families each year.
For more information, call 800-9-OVERLY (968-3759), 724-423-1400 or log onto www.overlys.com.
The Frick Art & Historical Center will be dressed for the season with twinkling lights, trees, greens, ribbons and winter blooms for a Victorian Christmas, which will be carried out in new tours of Clayton and expanded holiday programs that incorporate the Frick’s broad collections of fine arts, decorative arts and historic cars and carriages. The center, located at 7227 Reynolds St. in Point Breeze, will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and from 6 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 26 and 27, Dec. 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 29 and 30. They will be closed on Mondays. For more information and reservations, call 412-371-0600 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Sunday, or visit the Frick’s web site at www.frickart.org.
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will present “The Nutcracker” ballet at 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. Tickets are now on sale at the WSO office. For information about the event, call the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra office at 724-837-1850.
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens presents “Medicinal Plants: Earth’s Pharmacy” through April 3. This is a rare chance to see the basic, essential elements used in everyday remedies as they grow in nature. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 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. and Friday until 9 p.m. Phipps is closed Monday. Phipps Garden Center, located at 1059 Shady Ave. in Mellon Park, is a horticultural education center offering classes, workshops and the gift boutique, “Shop in the Park.” For more information, call the conservatory at 412-622-6914.
The Greater Morgantown Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) and MountainFest LLC have announced the Wild and Wonderful MountainFest Motorcycle Rally, scheduled for next July 29-31 in Morgantown, W.Va. The three-day rally, set for the last weekend of July every year, is expected to attract 15,000 visitors to Morgantown in 2005, with potential future attendance expected to exceed 100,000. For more information, contact Jay Redmond at 1-800-458-7373.
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.
Pennsylvania’s largest toy show presented by Orangestone Promotions Inc. will be held on Dec. 4-5 at the Pittsburgh Expomart in Monroeville. The Pittsburgh Toy, Comic & Childhood Collectibles Show will celebrate its 15th anniversary with the biggest selection of Collectible Toys and Comic Books in the state. This international event includes more than 450 tables of both new and vintage collectible toys. For more information, contact Dominic Alessandria of Orangestone Promotions Inc., 456 Old Farm Lane, Johnstown, or call him 814-467-1500.