Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 53

The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will return to the stage of The Palace Theatre for its 2021 season, with one significant difference from past years. The seats in the historic Greensburg theater will be empty and, instead, patrons will be viewing concerts in their homes via livestream presented in partnership with...

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is planning its return to Heinz Hall in January, but in the meantime will offer a new digital music series free to the public this fall. The digital programming will introduce a “reinvented” 2020-21 season, the symphony’s 125th, taking the place of in-person concerts that have...

“Songs of Hope” will fill the air on Thursday at St. Emma Retreat House in Greensburg, in a concert presented by Alabaster Productions. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. on the patio of the facility at 1001 Harvey Ave. “Our show is designed to pour hope into our audience....

A mosaic created for a show at the Greensburg Art Center will have a permanent home at a chapel in Puerto Rico. Artists Rosemary Sovyak of Hempfield and Tom Niggel of Greensburg combined their talents for the piece that was part of last winter’s “Collaborations” exhibition, featuring works made by...

Many hands make light work, and they also can make beautiful art — as illustrated by the upcoming “Art Neighbors” exhibition at Greensburg Art Center. Now in its second year, the show features work by artists who are members of either, or both, the Greensburg and Latrobe art centers. The...

It’s a job-hunting truism: you only get one chance to make a good first impression. One way to do that in the age of online applications and networking is with a good headshot. To help job seekers reach that goal, the Cattfeinated Cat Cafe in Greensburg will offer free headshot...

The pandemic actually provided the Loyalhanna Watershed Association with an opportunity to expand its fifth annual Farm-to-Table Harvest Dinner. Previous dinners have been sit-down affairs in the barn on the association’s hillside property in Ligonier Township, with food prepared by one vendor from the Ligonier Country Market. Because of the...

Leah Lizarondo, co-founder of 412 Food Rescue in Pittsburgh, is in heady company with her inclusion in the book “Vital Voices: 100 Women Using Their Power to Empower.” To be published in September by Assouline, the book is presented by Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international nonprofit that partners with...

The families of James and William Ulery were looking forward to their 95th annual reunion on Aug. 23 at Laurel Highlands Campground Pavilion in Donegal. But, like so many other events this year, the gathering fell victim to the covid-19 pandemic. “I hated like everything to have to (cancel), but...

When will patrons be able to return to Pittsburgh’s Cultural District for live music, theater and other entertainment? While the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust does not have a date to resume in-person programs, it is “working with national tours and presenters to realign all 2020 season programs into the 2021 calendar...

While some teens have been busy during the pandemic shutdown recording TikTok videos, a 15-year-old from Laughlintown has gone a big step further. Lanigan McCulty created “Greece Lightning the Musical,” which will be staged this weekend at the Diamond Theatre of Ligonier. Granted, he might have an advantage over the...

Pittsburgh CLO has postponed all scheduled in-person performances until 2021, citing “uncertainties and risks related to the ongoing health crisis.” Postponed shows includes the previously scheduled fall Kara Cabaret productions of “Dixie’s Tupperware Party” and “Untitled.” The annual production of “A Musical Christmas Carol” at the Byham Theater will be...

With questions remaining about how schools will operate in the fall, back-to-school shopping feels a little different this year. “It’s hard to even get excited about it,” said Wynter Hisker of Greensburg during a July 24 trip to Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. The 12-year-old is a student at Greensburg Salem...

Pat Beyer says she’s heard many times over the years that ghosts inhabit the Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont. After all, the structure has been around since Civil War times, starting out as a barn before its reincarnation as a theater with a long string of owners. Beyer, Apple Hill’s...

Western Pennsylvanians can let the rest of the country know how beautiful fall is in the Laurel Highlands, by voting for the region in USA Today’s poll of top 20 Best Destinations for Fall Foliage. The nominees, chosen by editors of the USA Today 10Best website, also include the Pocono...

Five Pittsburgh-area playwrights have written 10-minute plays responding to the current state of the world. A one-night-only digital reading of the resulting works, entitled “Homegrown Stories,” is planned for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6 as part of City of Asylum’s The Show Must Go On(line) Series. The initiative is a collaboration...

A quartet of Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra string musicians will be “Live on the Lawn” Friday on the grounds of the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. The concert, beginning at 7 p.m., features the WSO String Quartet — violinists Dena Miller and Samantha Nelson, Sarah Ferrell on cello and Sasha Shapiro...

Antiques on the Avenue returns to downtown Greensburg on Saturday, featuring antiques dealers from Westmoreland, Allegheny and Cambria counties. Dealers will set up from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. along South Pennsylvania Avenue, offering an eclectic mix of items, including stoneware, vintage jewelry, advertising, primitives, vintage linens, vintage holiday decorations...

Latrobe Art Center hosted its annual lamb dinner fundraiser on July 26 at Jamison Farm in Unity. Seeing guests arriving in masks reminded farm owner John Jamison of a bit of family folklore. With Prohibition on the horizon in 1918, Jamison’s grandfather, J.C. Jamison Jr., and a partner “decided to...

The work of noted area artists will be available in an online art auction to benefit Sage’s Army. Bidding will begin at noon Wednesday. Among more than two dozen artists donating work are prominent local artists including Dan Overdorff, Mary Ellen Raneri and Toni Antonucci, along with national and international...