Future events
local Actors and Artists of Fayette County (AAFC) will present “Blue Suede Paws,” a mini-musical by Tim Kelly, on Sept. 5-7 at the Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale. “Blue Suede Paws” is the first of three Fall Family Showcase productions scheduled by AAFC. The storyline of this mini-musical is a cross between “Grease” and “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde” and uses many high school age performers. Additional information is available by calling 724-628-3371.Local rock band Happy Ending and Half Lit will perform from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday at the Farmington Fair, located on Route 381 off of Route 40 in Farmington.
The Greater Uniontown Chorale will begin practice for its fall and winter concerts on Sept. 8. Under the direction of Warren Shirer, the group meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays in the choir rehearsal room at the Third Presbyterian Church, 425 Union St., Uniontown. Membership is open to any adult who loves to sing, and no auditions are required. For more information, call Richard McCoy at 724-437-6400.64 Crayons at Jozart Studios, 333 Second St., California, invites local writers to submit short plays, from eight to 15 minutes running time, for possible production as part of the 2007 season at California Community Theatre. The plays will be read and judged by members of the 64 Crayons Writing Workshop. Final decision on production rests with the CCT board of directors. No more than two plays will be considered per playwright. A readers’ fee of $5 for one play or $8 for two will be charged, but playwrights will receive a share of the performance proceeds for any play produced by CCT. The fee will be waived if the author joins the writers’ workshop and participates in the production process. For more information, call Dr. Fred Lapisardi at 724-938-9730 or e-mail him at 64cryaons@jozartstudios.com.
Food vendor wagons wanted for Pioneer Days festival, which will be begin at 10 a.m. Oct. 4-5. For more information, call Shirley Baldwin at 724-736-2955 after 3:30 p.m.
St. George Maronite Catholic Church announces that its annual Homecoming Festival will take place on Aug. 24 on the church grounds and social hall at 6 Lebanon Terrace. The day will begin with an 10:30 a.m. divine liturgy celebrated by the Rev. Joseph R. David, pastor of St. George, in remembrance of the living and deceased members of the parish. Assisting will be Thomas R. George, sub-deacon. The homecoming festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. and will include Middle Eastern cuisine and American foods, traditional music, oldies music, games, entertainment, children’s activities, a variety of baked items, games, dancing and other activities. Chairmen include George, John R. Richey and James W. Nickman. Tours of the special additions to the church grounds will be held at the Shrine to Our Lady, with the Memorial Rosary Walk and Garden; the Saint Rafka Memorial Shrine in honor of the living, deceased and honorary members of the Ladies’ Guild. For more information on the festival, Call St. George Rectory at 724-437-5589.
Cruisin’ in the Park VI, a car, truck and bike show, will take place on Aug. 24 at Shady Grove Park in Lemont Furnace. Registration will be held from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The show will take place from 1:30 to 4 p.m. The first 200 will receive 11-inch stand-up dash plaques and gifts. Trophies will be awarded to the top 96. D.J. Terry’s Tunes and Pickle Radio will be featured. The event will include food, door prizes, a 50/50 auction and a Chinese auction. Golf carts will be available on site. Camping is available. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Children’s Hospital. For more information, call Shady Grove Park at 724-439-3438 or 724-245-9557.
Pechin Car Cruise will be begin at 5:30 p.m. every Friday through Oct. 24, which is the Halloween cruise. The event will feature a D.J., 50/50 drawing, food and door prizes.
The Friday Night Car Cruise at Valley Dairy in Connellsville is being moved to Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m., weather permitting. All cars are welcome, including classics, muscle, imports and newer models. Door prizes, a 50/50 drawings and music by D.J. Arnie Amber will be featurd.
Vendors are needed for Music in the Mountains 2008, which will take place Aug. 30-31, at the Ohiopyle State Park in the falls area. The event will feature arts and crafts, food vendors, musical entertainment, interpretative programming, climbing wall, helicopter rides and fireworks over the Youghiogheny River. For information, call 724-329-8594 or send an e-mail to ohiopylesp@statepa.us.
Brownsville Area School District Retired Employees Reunion will be held Sept. 13 at the Nixon Gun Club. All teachers, student teachers, administrators, custodial, I.U. personnel and guests are invited to attend. Those interested are asked to call Dick Majernik at 724-785-3684 or e-mail rjmajernik@yahoo.com or write to Dick Majernik, 419 Pearl St., Brownsville, Pa. 15417.
St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church will hold its third annual class car show on Sept. 28 in the church parking lot, located at 185 E. Main St., Uniontown. Registration begins at noon and ends at 2 p.m. The car show will follow from 2 to 4 p.m. There is a registration fee. The first 150 cars will receive dash plaques and gifts. More than 25 trophies will be awarded, including one large Father Tom’s Favorite. Classes include 1900-1940, 1941-1954, 1955-1965, 1965-1970, 1971-1976, 1977-1988, Street rod/Modified, Truck 1959-older, 1960-1988. The event will feature D.J. Arnie Amber, 50/50 drawing contest, Chinese auction and food. A golf cart will be on site for transportation. Proceeds will benefit the St. John the Baptist Byzantine Church maintenance fund.
The Christian W. Klay Winery will present its 2008 summer interactive Murder Mystery Dinner Theater at 6 p.m. Sept. 7. The evening includes complimentary wine tasting of the award-winning Christian W. Klay collection and a buffet dinner. Tickets are available for the event. Early reservations are recommended. For reservations, call the winery directly at 724-439-3424. The event is not recommended for children under 16.
The Perryopolis Parks & Recreation Authority will sponsor an oldies night at Sampey Park in Perryopolis from 8 p.m. until midnight on Aug. 22. Music from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s will be provided. Prizes will be awarded for the best period outfits from the three decades. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 724-736-2133 or 724-736-0166. Tickets are available at the door.
The New Salem Presbyterian Church will sponsor its ninth annual Presby Peach Fest from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23. Tickets are available for either the pork or ham barbecue or hot dog meal, including coleslaw, baked beans, chips, drink and choice of peach dessert with ice cream. Door prizes will be drawn every 30 minutes. A bake sale will be held in front of the church during Peach Fest hours. The church is located at 27 S. Mill St. in New Salem. Proceeds will benefit local church mission projects. Tickets will be available at the door. For more information, call 724-785-6480.
The Christian W. Klay Winery in Chalk Hill will hold an authentic New England lobster and clambake at 1 p.m. Sept. 14. The afternoon will be held rain or shine. It will feature complimentary tastings of award-winning wines from the Christian W. Klay collection, a limbo contest and a menu of clams, lobster, crab legs, fried chicken, salad and dessert. Dinner will be served in the wooded glen. In the event of rain, dinner will be served in the restored 1880s barn. There is a cost for the dinner. For reservations, call the winery directly at 724-439-3424. Reservations are required, and a 48-hour cancellation policy applies.
The Nathanael Greene Historical Foundation is looking for artists and vendors to participate in the third annual Art Blast on the Mon, which will be held on Labor Day weekend. On Aug. 29, a Creative Communities Conference will be held at the Greensboro Fire Hall, starting with registration at 8 a.m. A full day of workshops and speakers has been planned for community leaders and artists. Teachers will be able to get their Act 48 credits for this conference. On Aug. 30, an Arts Festival will be held with an Everyone’s Art Show and an Every Kid’s Art Show at the fire hall. Prizes will be awarded for both shows. For the adult show, prizes of $300, $200 and $100 will be awarded. Prizes of $100, $50 and $25 will be awarded for the Every Kid’s Show. Also, a People’s Choice Award will be decided by votes made by those attending the show. Last year, more than 100 pieces of art was on display for Greensboro’s first art show.
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A juried show for South Arts Gallery titled “Gold Rush” will take place through Sept. 19. Robert Schmalzreid is the juror. It is free and open to the public. The gallery is located in the Schoolhouse Art Center, 2600 South Park Road, Bethel Park. The gallery is open from 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Artists who are showing their work are offering free demonstrations. The public is invited to watch the artists work and ask questions. A schedule of demonstrations will be available in the gallery or by calling Carol at 724-852-6363. For more information about the exhibit, call Margo at 412-835-9010.Country star Jo Dee Messina will perform on Aug. 28 at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Waynesburg. Her new album titled “Unmistakable” is set for release in 2008. She is the Association of County Music’s (ACM) top new female vocalist winner and a Grammy nominee.The 15th annual Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts Colonial Festival will be held Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 at the Westmoreland County Fairgrounds. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday. The event will feature 500 costumed participants from 18 states in more than 220 exhibit booths. Face painting, balloon animals, Kidders & Kritters petting zoo, Wild World of Animals Show, wagon rides and candle making will be featured. The event also will include Kenawha Artillery Civil War Military Encampment, two Civil War string bands on Saturday to Monday, food and on-site parking. The event will be held rain or shine. Both indoor and outdoor exhibits will be included. There is an admission charge. For more information, call 724-863-4577.
Hoedown round and square dancing, slow dancing, polkas, line dancing and clogging will be held on the following dates and locations: 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Addison Fire Hall; 7 to 10 p.m. Aug. 22 at the Haydentown Community Center; and 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Long Branch Grange Hall off Dolly Road in Long Branch. The Dave Dahl Trio will provide music and figure calling.
The annual West Newton Community Festival will take place from 5 to 11 p.m. Sept. 5, noon to 11 p.m. Sept. 6 and noon to 7 p.m. Sept. 7. There are still spaces available for food and game booths, non-profit and business booths, crafts, flea market, trash and treasure tables. Call 724-872-7937 for booth or table spaces. Anyone interested in participating in the parade taking place at noon Sept. 7 can call 724-872-4258.
Kennywood Park in West Mifflin will present “Pittsburgh on Parade” as its 59th annual Fall Fantasy theme. The annual extravaganza will be held at 8 p.m. through Aug. 24 plus Aug. 29. Along with up to 12 band performing every night – almost 150 high school and college bands – numerous all-time favorite Pittsburgh “celebrities” will be grand marshals for the 2008 parade. For more information, including a listing of performing bands and a discount coupon, visit www.kennywood.com. Kennywood is closed Aug. 25-28. The park opens at 5 p.m. Aug. 29 and is open all day Saturday through Labor Day, plus two bonus weekends on Sept. 6-7 and Sept. 13-14.
The Monongahela River Buffs’ monthly meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the River Museum, 175 Second St., Monongahela. The program will consist of a video interview of the late Ernie Gabler by Dr. J.K. Folmer I at Ernie’s Monongahela River Memorabilia Room in the old school house in Greensboro on Oct. 28, 1982. Gabler even had a large working model of the former Lock and Dam 7 at Greensboro. This is the only visual history of his efforts to get river artifacts by donation and loan. It was Gabler’s activities, beginning after the 1976 bicentennial, that led to the first meetings in the school house which led to the Buffs’ founding in 1979. The museum is open from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday or by appointment. For more information, call George Hutchko at 724-258-6231, Bill Goettel at 724-258-8808 or Dr. Folmar at 724-938-7856 or email him at folmar@zoominternet.net.