Mary Pickels stories, Page 30

Twenty celebrities, from William Shatner to Barry Bostwick and Kate Flannery to Karen Allen, will attend the Steel City Comic Con April 12-14 at the Monroeville Convention Center, 209 Mall Blvd. Show hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are on sale now,...

Valentine’s Day may be Cupid’s chance to celebrate romantic love, but first, women will celebrate the importance of their friendships with Galentine’s Day. The Senator John Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St., Pittsburgh, in partnership with Pittsburgh Yoga Events, offers women a chance to toast to health and history with...

Intrigued by Pittsburgh Restaurant Week? If the event, scheduled for Jan. 14-20, already has you salivating, just call or click. It’s really that simple. “Several of the restaurants do offer reservations through Open Table, which is on our website,” says Brian McCollum, now directing his 15th culinary event.“Those that don’t,...

Pittsburgh Musical Theater will stage “In the Heights” at the Gargaro Theater, 327 S. Main St. in the city’s West End, as part of its 2018-2019 Seize the Stage Season and Rockin’ West End Series. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24- 26 and 31 and Feb. 1-2, and at...

Local artists Jeff Donato, who has instructed art at Westmoreland County Community College and Seton Hill University, and Ray Kuchinka, also a musician, will show their art work at Feathers Artist Market and Gifts, 102 Fourth St., Irwin, beginning with an opening night reception from 6-9 p.m. Jan. 10. The...

Pittsburgh Glass Center will offer a Make It Now Valentines event from 4-9 p.m Feb. 8 at the facility at 5472 Penn Ave. The hands-on activity is open to couples, friends and families, according to a release. No experience is necessary for the 15-minute walk-in workshop. Those attending can make...

Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce is planning its 10th annual “Soup’s On” event, set for 11 a.m.-2 p.m. March 23. The popular winter activity lets participants walk around the borough and visit its merchants, as local restaurants serve samples of their soups. Visitors are encouraged to check out the town’s...

Although Alexander Hamilton never made it to western Pennsylvania in his lifetime, there are several connections to the “10-dollar Founding Father” in the Fort Ligonier museum today. According to a news release, the smash Broadway musical’s song “History Has Its Eyes on You” references George Washington’s experiences in the French...

Every Monday in February, French bistro La Riviera will operate as a to-go soup kitchen for people in need in Pittsburgh, according to a news release. The restaurant, at 5925 Baum Blvd., will be closed for regular business hours on Mondays, however, the soup kitchen will be open from 2-5...

In advance of the Backstreet Boys beginning their “DNA World Tour,” their biggest arena tour in 18 years, including a stop at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena on Sept. 14, the band has released a new track and video from the “DNA” album. “No Place” is among the songs included on...

The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley will host a still life painting workshop with Doreen Currie from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 26. The “Winter Workshop” is designed for beginner and intermediate artists alike, according to a news release. Currie, an award-winning artist whose paintings recently were featured...

Saint Vincent College alumna Abigail Chabitnoy, a 2009 graduate and poet, is the first speaker for the school’s spring semester’s Visiting Writers Series on March 13. The 5 p.m. event in the Luparello Lecture Hall in the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion is free and open to the public....

Westmoreland County Blind Association will host its annual spring gala at 6 p.m. March 1 at the Greensburg Country Club, 309 Pleasant Valley Road, with a theme of “Havana Nights.” The evening will feature a savory Cuban dinner buffet and rum bar, along with a cigar lounge hosted by Nelson...

Westmoreland’s Wine Shine ‘n Spirits Palooza will be held noon-4 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Ramada Inn Hotel and Conference Center, 100 Ramada Inn Drive, Hempfield. Participating wineries and distilleries, according to the event’s Facebook page, include Bee Kind Winery, Big Spring Spirits, Black Dog Wine Company, Bushy Run Winery,...