Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 50

Doing live theater demands that everyone involved adapt quickly to changing conditions. Greensburg Civic Theatre is proving its adaptability as it prepares to stage “Almost, Maine,” a John Cariani play opening the troupe’s 69th season on Thursday. Each member of the cast of five will play numerous roles. “One thing...

Who-oo wants to learn more about owls? The National Aviary is offering close encounters with the nocturnal birds of prey through its annual Owl-o-Ween days and other October programming. “There is no bird better for fall than an owl, and at Owl-o-Ween at the National Aviary, families can get to...

You Are Here art center and gallery in Jeannette is out to prove that one person’s junk is another one’s treasure, with the Upcycle Challenge ‘20, an art competition using recycled and reused materials. For a $10 entry fee, participants receive a package of miscellaneous arts and crafts materials from...

Sad to say, but Halloween might be the least-scary thing about 2020. Still, area scare attractions are doing their best to bring the heebie-jeebies to the masked masses, even in the midst of covid-19 restrictions. “Halloween seems like one of the few things you can do this year, because everyone’s...

Pittsburgh Opera will welcome small, live audiences back to productions of its modified 2020-21 season, in addition to livestreaming all performances. First up is Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” opening Oct. 17 for six performances in front of socially distant audiences at its headquarters in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Stage director Crystal...

Bakers hunting for canned pumpkin have found it to be a hit-or-miss proposition lately. They’ve even taken to sharing sightings on social media. The good news, according to allrecipes.com, is that there isn’t really a shortage. The bad news is that it doesn’t make the Thanksgiving pie staple any easier...

Like many other fairs and festivals, Fort Ligonier Days was canceled this year due to the pandemic — though it will be available in virtual form at fortligonierdays.com. But that doesn’t mean the streets of the picturesque borough will be empty and quiet this weekend. The Ligonier Valley Chamber of...

The season’s final antiques and collectibles sale is Sunday at Historic Hanna’s Town in Hempfield. Pandemic notwithstanding, it’s been a pretty good summer for the sales, said Lisa Hays, executive director of Westmoreland Historical Society, which manages the site for Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation. While attendance by both vendors...

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will bring a new type of front row experience to music lovers via an online concert series premiering Oct. 19. ”Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience” will include five episodes that will traverse the region and offer classical and popular music, along with Holiday Pops and...

The soil in a bog consists largely of slowly decaying plant matter. Along with being acidic, it is oxygen- and nutrient-poor, limiting the types of plants that will thrive there. Sphagnum moss provides the living plant layer atop the waterlogged environment. Other common bog plants include reeds, sedges, cranberries, blueberries...

A reboot of the Pittsburgh Humanities Festival will offer online “smart talk about stuff that matters.” Interviews available for free explore health care and policy, incarceration, technology and creating opportunities for artists of color in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Humanities Festival @ Home kicks off Friday with the first of four...

Thanks to interest in the region’s thriving craft beverage industry, the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour is returning for a second year. Since the tour launched in the fall of 2019, numerous new craft beverage locations have opened in the region, allowing version 2.0 to expand from about 30 to 45...

Exclusive items from the shops of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are now available at patrons’ fingertips, via a new online shop. “This makes our products more available to our supporters,” said Betsy Momich, Carnegie Museums director of communications. “Obviously, online shopping itself is not new, but it is...

It’s the end of the road for Olga Herbert — at least for her long stint as Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor executive director. Herbert, who has served in the position since the LHHC was created 25 years ago, is retiring at the end of October. Her successor will be Lauren...

Being nebby isn’t always a good thing, but Doors Open Pittsburgh encourages it. On Saturday, the annual event will give visitors an inside look at 22 iconic, historically significant or just plain interesting structures in Downtown Pittsburgh and on the North Side. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; individual...

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announced new 2021 dates for two special concerts that were postponed from the 2019-2020 season. “An Evening with Honeck & Mutter & Williams” will take place on June 9, while Ben Folds will appear with the orchestra on Oct. 15 next year. Both concerts will begin...

Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s new outdoor performance venue will do more than offer patrons a way to see live acts during ongoing covid-19 gathering restrictions. It also will be “an anchor” for community gatherings and development in the up-and-coming West End that the theater calls home, according to executive artistic director...