5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Sept. 2-5
Everyone from Anglophiles to sci-fi fans will find something to do around Pittsburgh during this last official weekend of summer.
Soul food showcase
A Soulful Taste of the Burgh: Pittsburgh’s Soul Food Festival is set for Friday through Sunday in Downtown’s Market Square, with live entertainment beginning at 11 a.m. each day.
Honoring the city’s culinary, butchery and Black food business history dating back to 1795, the festival will feature specialized food vendors from across Western Pennsylvania, along with a barbecue contest, speakers, local and national entertainment, a minority vendors market and children’s activities.
Performers in various music genres will include Artistree, The Flow Band, Dr. James Johnson and the Pittsburgh Jazz All-Stars and Pastor Deryck Tine and The Lemington Chorale. DJ sets and line dancing also are planned.
Admission is free. For information, visit A Soulful Taste of the Burgh on Facebook.
It came from outer space
“The Blob,” a campy sci-fi, horror classic from 1958, is screening this weekend at the Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Ave. in Downtown Pittsburgh.
In his debut role as a leading man, Steve McQueen plays a teenager wooing his girlfriend on Lover’s Lane, when a meteor lands nearby and unleashes a man-eating blob. The pair are dismissed as pranksters while the amorphous alien feasts on the citizens of their small Pennsylvania town.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday and 3 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
A ticket is $11, or free to children 12 and younger. To reserve, visit trustarts.org.
All aboard
The Rangos Giant Cinema at Carnegie Science Center will host the United States premiere of “Train Time,” following the trek of a modern American freight train, at 12:15 and 4 p.m. Saturday.
The film will screen daily at those times through Sept. 12 in the facility on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.
The Stephen Low Co. film showcases the heritage and the evolving role of railroading, along with a Black female train conductor in an industry that is perceived to be dominated by men. It highlights the beauty, vastness and diversity of the American landscape and how railroads remain a backbone of modern civilization while adapting to meet the challenges of the environment.
A ticket is $7, or $6 for Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh members. To reserve, visit carnegiesciencecenter.org.
‘What fools these mortals be’
Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks returns with its 18th main stage production, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” playing at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Frick Park, near the Blue Slide Playground in Squirrel Hill.
Written around 1595 and among the Bard’s most popular plays, the comedy is set in Athens, where two romantic couples and a group of six amateur actors find themselves in a forest inhabited by fairies who manipulate the humans, while engaged in their own domestic intrigue.
The play will also be staged Sept. 10-11 in Highland Park, Sept. 17-18 in Westinghouse Park and Sept. 23 in Schenley Plaza, concluding Sept. 24-25 back in Frick Park. The Schenley Park performance is at 6 p.m.; others are at 2 p.m.
Attendance is free; donations are accepted to support the company and its programs. For information, visit pittsburghshakespeare.com.
Cheerio, old chap
This year’s Britsburgh: A Festival of Britain in Pittsburgh begins Monday with A Right Royal Afternoon Tea at 2:30 p.m. at The Mansions on Fifth, 5105 Fifth Ave., Shadyside. A ticket is $75.
The festival celebrates British beer, tea, history, architecture, Shakespeare and other aspects of British culture with a variety of events through Sept. 11. Also scheduled are the cask tapping of a locally made London porter, theater productions, an online panel discussion on “Churchill’s Great Escape” and a pub quiz night.
Some events require a paid ticket, others are free. A Sept. 9 Hartwood Acres mansion and garden tour is sold out.
For information, visit britsburgh.com.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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