Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 39

Taking the stage Stage Right’s School for the Performing Arts will end its school year with three fully produced shows, Friday through Sunday in Science Hall Theater at the Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood campus. The schedule includes: “Bye Bye Birdie Young Performers Edition,” ages 8-12, 6 p.m. Saturday and...

Tim Zontek was a regular at Oliver’s Pourhouse before the pandemic shutdown. The Mt. Pleasant resident was seated at the bar of the downtown Greensburg eatery on Wednesday, a day after its reopening. “It’s good to have them reopen,” he said. “They’re good people, and they have the best sandwiches...

Everything old will be new to someone, as Antiques on the Diamond returns to Ligonier on June 5 for a 34th season. The outdoor show and sale was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., about 30 vendors will be present, setting up around...

Beginning in August, the Lamp Theatre in downtown Irwin will be rockin’ and rollin’ again. Shows that were postponed due to the pandemic have been rescheduled, starting Aug. 6 with the 1980’s music tribute band, Mullet. “Everything listed on the calendar right now is just those postponed shows,” said general...

Organizer Jessica Hickey is expecting a crowd Thursday for the season-opening Greensburg Night Market. The weather forecast is good and people are eager to get out, said the founder of the Downtown Greensburg Project, which hosts the event. About 45 vendors will set up from 5:30 to 9 p.m. along...

Pittsburgh Festival Opera’s upcoming schedule is based on three V’s — “to be visible, viable and victorious — even during a pandemic,” according to Artistic Director Marianne Cornetti. “Because we are still in a pandemic year, and not knowing how confident our audience would be in attending performances before July,...

Return of the ‘90s They say you’re not a true kid of the 1990s if you never heard someone say, “Get off the internet. I need to use the phone!” Hard to believe it’s more than 20 years since that era passed into history, but it’s coming back for a...

Like so many other theater professionals, Tyler Crumrine of Millvale found himself without income as theaters went dark during the pandemic. “All of my theater work was gone, and all the momentum that went with it was gone,” he said. “I had to look at what my options were.” Fortunately,...

“What does kindness look like?” From Saturday through May 29, Latrobe Art Center is inviting people to answer that question by spreading intentional acts of kindness throughout the community. “We’re hoping for a big chain reaction of kindness,” center Executive Director Michael Tusay said. The center’s project is being held...

Lessons from everybody’s favorite neighbor will return to the forefront with “Won’t You Be My Neighbor, Again?,” a new community programming series based on the life and legacy of Fred Rogers. Saint Vincent College, the college’s Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media and Latrobe Art Center are...

Professional artists and volunteers are needed for a monthly series of summer paint-outs planned in Ligonier by River Art Works. The first of the second-Saturday sessions will be held from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. June 12 at Ligonier Diamond Park. Other dates are July 10, Aug. 14 and Sept. 11. Interested...

By now, Pittsburghers are used to their city making various “best” lists. The Steel City has been named a top place for everyone from sports fans and foodies to retirees and Gen Xers. Now it’s also been recognized as one of the top 10 U.S. cities for artists — ranking...

After the success of last summer’s “Homegrown Stories,” City Theatre and Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse have commissioned five additional playwrights to write 10-minute plays for “Homegrown Stories 2.” With a company of Point Park alumni and Pittsburgh-based artists, a digital reading of the works will take place at 7...

Artist Harold Miller and his wife, Susan, spent a lot of time in the car during the pandemic. “We spent the whole pandemic driving around taking photos, and then I’d paint (the scenes),” said Miller of Homer City, Indiana County. “That’s how we kept our sanity.” The pastime paid off...

3 Rivers Comicon will return to the Pittsburgh area in a “LITE” version May 22-23 at The Waterfront in Homestead. The convention, featuring comics, toys and other “nerdy things,” will set up outdoors in the overflow lot between Farmer’s National Bank and Steak ‘n Shake, near New Dimension Comics. Hours...

Latrobe Art Center’s annual Open Show welcomes works by artists of all ages and experience levels. The name was especially apt this year, as the center opened its doors for a May 13 reception that drew a group of people happy to socialize again after months of isolation. “This is...

Escape to the country (market) Ligonier Country Market opens for the season on Saturday, with hours from 8 a.m.-noon at the market grounds at the west end of the borough. The popular community-based farmers market features dozens of vendors whose wares reflect the “Make-It, Bake-It, Grow-It” theme. All items for...

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will bring music to the open air during “Summer With the Symphony” concerts in the amphitheater at Hartwood Acres Park in Allegheny County. The series will feature a full orchestra performing eight concerts — four classical, three pops and one family-themed — running from July 23 to...

The response to the Hometown Heroes program was a real eye-opener for Ashley Kertes, executive director of Greensburg Community Development Corp., which sponsored the project. In 2020, GCDC asked community members to nominate local heroes whose photos would be displayed on banners throughout downtown Greensburg and in Southwest Greensburg. “Doing...

The Greensburg Art Center 2021 Biennial will open on Saturday — although the open juried exhibition technically could be called a triennial, said co-chair Pat Majcher. The show should have taken place in 2020, but was delayed by the pandemic, she said. It will run through June 25 at the...

Colorful drawings and uplifting messages will cover the Lincoln Avenue Trail in Latrobe on Saturday, as Latrobe-GLSD Parks & Recreation and Latrobe Art Center host a free art activity. “Chalk the Walk” is scheduled for 9 a.m.-7 p.m. all along the trail that runs the length of Lincoln Avenue, from...