Out & About 2019: So many social engagements, so little time

Your intrepid Out & About crew was busier than ever in 2019, dashing from one event to another — sometimes up to four in one day.

We apologize for not being able to cover every worthy happening around Westmoreland County. Let us know about your upcoming art, social and fundraising events beforehand, and we’ll try our best to attend.

In the meantime, here’s a list of 10 notable events that took place during 2019, listed in chronological order. Some were brand new and some were tried and true.

The standard for inclusion was simple: It had to be big and it had to be fun.

Twelfth Night Celebration, Jan. 5

Fort Ligonier’s second annual Twelfth Night Celebration was a blast from the past, with guests in their Colonial best dress partying like it was 1776. The gala laid the holiday season to rest with a last hurrah of food, drink, music and dancing.

Back again were the Wayward Companions, a Pittsburgh-based ensemble of classically trained musicians, playing tunes that would have been familiar to the Founding Fathers. Country-dance callers Tom and Lesley Mack of Luray, Va., also returned to guide revelers through the steps of popular period dances.

Special treats included wassail and a traditional Twelfth Night cake with dried fruit, spirits and two dried beans baked into the batter. History buffs and real-life couple Bill Koker and Lauren Buches found the beans, meaning they were king and queen for the night.

Leadership Karaoke, March 2

Move over, “American Idol” and “The Voice” — the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition’s inaugural vocal competition proved once again that Westmoreland has talent.

Held at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Hempfield, the sing-off featured community leaders surprising the audience — and sometimes even themselves — with their singing ability.

Apparently, state Sen. Kim Ward is known far and wide for her karaoke chops, but Cindy Leonard, executive director of the YWCA Westmoreland, said her husband of 14 years first heard her sing just hours before showtime.

At the end of the evening, organizers promised the crowd that they already were working on karaoke 2.0 for 2020.

80s Adult Prom, April 6

What do you remember most about the ’80s? Neon colors, shoulder pads, fingerless gloves, big — and we do mean big — hair for both girls and guys.

There was all that and more at the Hempfield Athletic Complex, as the Rotary of Westmoreland went back to the future with its first-ever 80s Adult Prom. Everybody had fun tonight, as they got into the groove and whipped it, beat it, busted a move and fought for their right to party.

Rotary President Dan Howell and his sister-in-law Tina Howell headed up the prom committee, with proceeds intended for both local and national teen suicide awareness programs.

Off the Wall pARTy, June 14

Arts and culture are alive and well at Penn State New Kensington, evidenced by the third annual gala, where party-goers found themselves immersed in art

The evening kicked off with a VIP reception with special guest artist Rodney Allen Trice, and continued with a pop-up gallery, art auction and sale, do-it-yourself art activities, speed painting demonstrations, hors d’oeuvre and dessert stations and dancing to the music of Belly Up.

Proceeds benefit the cultural arts fund “to enhance arts and humanities programming and education,” according to Kary Milan, organizer and director of development and alumni relations.

The Stroll, Aug. 9

A traffic jam isn’t a common occurrence in Ligonier, but there was a good reason for the congestion on the night of The Stroll, the annual antique and classic car cruise, dance contest and all-around good time.

Warm temperatures and clear skies brought out dozens of cherished vehicles and their owners, parked around the Diamond and up and down nearby streets, along with hundreds of spectators and a good number of dancers.

Swing City provided a nostalgic soundtrack as visitors ambled among the pastel-colored 1950s Fords, Corvettes from all eras, a sleek silver Dodge Viper, American muscle cars, stately sedans, European imports, a burly Mack truck and more.

The annual event is sponsored by the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce.

GOAL Magazine Gala, Sept. 7

A group of sharp-dressed men and women gathered in the Greensburg Country Club to support Our Clubhouse, a Pittsburgh- and Greensburg-based nonprofit that provides support to lives touched by cancer, via the third annual GOAL Magazine Gala.

The magazine is published by a nonprofit founded in 2016 by Bill Urbanik, Tony Slezak and Jessica Marazza, who work in wealth management, as a vehicle for business people and entrepreneurs to share useful information with each other, their clients and other area residents.

Providing charitable support is a big part of the mission, too, Urbanik said.

“GOAL is the biggest supporter for our Greensburg location,” Our Clubhouse Executive Director Dani Wilson said.

Party-goers enjoyed formal portraits and a selfie station, dance exhibition, auction, casino-style games, music, food and beverages.

Big Art Party, Oct. 5

The Westmoreland Museum of American Art started grooving to a ’60s vibe when the pop art exhibition, “Era of Cool: The Art of John Van Hamersveld,” opened July 20. All that grooviness exploded in a riot of psychedelic sights and sounds during the annual Big Art Party.

Guests dug deep into their closets or hit the vintage stores to come up with bell bottoms, granny glasses, headbands, mini and maxi skirts, go-go boots and more fun fashion to parade at the Greensburg museum.

The fun included a silent disco, live music, art projects and food. Van Hamersveld, with his wife Alida Post, was on hand to sign copies of his iconic prints.

Champions of Dance, Nov. 8

This year’s competition proved that age is just a number when it comes to cutting a rug.

Held in the Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel & Conference Center, the annual event benefits the United Way’s Open Your Heart to a Senior companionship program.

Competitors Leslie Schupp and Bruce Meyer were introduced as having an average age of 70, and Meyer quipped, “I’m not only a dancer, I’m also a potential customer.” Not to be outdone by the youngsters, Schupp and Meyer samba-ed their way to three perfect 10 scores and took second in the judges’ scoring.

During intermission, Reed Nelson and his Nelson Loguasto crew wowed the crowd with a hip-hop dance, complete with stilt walker, glow sticks, smoke and fireworks.

Whiskey Smash, Nov. 16

No wonder the folks at West Overton Village call their annual whiskey (and other spirits) tasting event the Whiskey Smash.

The smash hit that keeps getting bigger each year takes place at the East Huntingdon historical complex that has its roots in whiskey making, going back to 1803 when farmer Abraham Overholt first started distilling rye whiskey on the property.

As West Overton’s signature event, the Whiskey Smash celebrates local craft distilleries and the resurgence of craft whiskeys and distilled products, along with preservation and interpretation efforts, according to its website.

Guests at the fifth annual Smash could belly up to the bar for a taste of what some creatively named area distillers (and one winery) had to offer.

Home for the Holidays, Dec. 21

There’s no place like home for the holidays, and there’s no place like Greensburg’s Palace Theatre for “Home for the Holidays,” the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s calendar year-ending concert.

This year’s concert featured the usual — the orchestra, a guest soloist and a choir of area high school students — along with an extra special element: a world premiere. Under the direction of guest conductor Maria Sensi Sellner, soprano Meghan DeWald sang “For Behold From Henceforth,” by Nancy Galbraith, chair of composition and professor at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music.

Audience members were invited to sing along for several numbers and to stand, as is the custom, for the inspiring finale, the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah.”