Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh celebrates it semiquincentennial in November, but all year there are events planned to increase awareness of Pittsburgh’s awesomeness and reasons to visit our fine city.

There have even been plays and operas written to celebrate this occasion, including Second City’s Three Rivers Run Through It! and Squonk Opera’s Pittsburgh: The Opera.

Second City’s Three Rivers Run Through It! runs from January 8-13th, so catch it before it ends! It’s playing at Pittsburgh’s Public Theater on Penn Avenue in the Cultural District.

The Public Theater’s website describes the play: “Created especially for Pittsburgh Public Theater in celebration of the city’s 250th Birthday, comes a brand-new, laugh-out-loud-funny sketch & improv show from the phenomenal Second City. Picture Big Ben meeting Kenny Kangaroo for pierogies in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and you know what we’re talking about. If you love Pittsburgh and you love comedy, this is the show for you. Come and live it up!”

Ticket prices range from $25-45, with $15 pricing for theater goers age 26 and under, but you have to call 412.316.1600 for details.

For more information visit their website here.

Pittsburgh: The Opera is returning due to popular demand and will probably sell out like last year, so buy those tickets as soon as you can if you’re planning on going!

Showtimes:
Thursday, January 17 at 8 pm
Friday, January 18 at 8 pm
Saturday, January 19 at 8 pm
Sunday, January 20 at 3 pm

Tickets:
$12 in advance
$15 at door general admission
$8 students, seniors
$10 groups of 10 or more (all group sales must be in advance)

Available at the door or from ProArts Tickets via telephone at 412.394.3353 or secure website www.proartstickets.org.

The opera will be performed at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty and for more details, visit their website.

To see what other exciting projects are going on in Pittsburgh, check out yesterday’s post here. I tend to post events/articles that are related to the arts and music, so if you find this site lacking in other departments, please send me your events and project info so I can post that as well. Being an art and literary editor, I am constantly communicating with and trying to promote these areas I’m interested in.

Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh 250, Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, Public Theater, Pittsburgh: The Opera, Second City, Three Rivers Run Through It, East Liberty

The Vaudeville Carnivale is this Saturday at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater and looks like a very interesting event!

The Carnivale will have food and drinks, dance performances, gypsy vendors, old time photos and more!

Doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. $10 will get you a ticket if you’re a senior or a student and $5 if you’re a child under 10.
To buy tickets in advance, visit the Pro Arts Ticket website or call 412-394-3353.

The Kelly-Strayhorn Theater is located at 5941 Penn Avenue in East Liberty and for further information, visit their website.

In addition to hosting the Vaudeville Carnivale, Zafira Dance Company teaches classes on belly dancing and performs in the Pittsburgh area. According to their website their performances “are opulent vignettes that combine Bellydance with contemporary and ethnic dance forms. The result is an ornate performance that blurs the boundary between old and new; performer and audience, earthy and elegant.”

Also according to their website, “Zafira Dance Company members work together as a collective. Christine Andrews, Maria Hamer, Jennifer Imashev, Tamara Nelson and Olivia Kissel have been teaching and performing together since 1996. Their friendship and love of dance shines through in each performance. Each member is a contributing artist and brings something unique to the company. This collective approach allows Zafira to offer a unique and powerful dance experience like no other.

Zafira teaches and performs regularly in venues that range from intimate café settings to full-scale theater productions in Pittsburgh and at dance festivals around the country.”

For more information about Zafira Dance Company and the Vaudeville Carnivale visit their website.

If you can’t make it out to the Carnivale, check out Mosley’s post on exhibits going on at the Science Center instead.

Pittsburgh, Vaudeville Carnivale, gypsy, Zafira Dance Company, belly dancing, Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, East Liberty

Unblurred is an East End sponsored showcase that features art from a variety of mediums, live music, performances and more on Penn Avenue, between 4800-5500 Penn and also as far down as Highland Park. This showcase of local talent happens on the first Friday of every month and I am glad that I finally made it to one. This month’s event also purposely coincided with Lawrenceville’s Artist’s Studio Tour, but unfortunately I was only able to make it to the Unblurred event this time.

Let me just start out by saying that it was a really hot and humid night to be walking around and for being in un-air conditioned buildings, but it was certainly worth it. The art was amazing and I got to talk to a lot of new people I probably never would have met otherwise.

The first place I checked out was Modern Formations, which featured the art of David Bernabo, who produced some really nice works of art. The majority of his work was mixed media, with sound and light displays as well. So actually I guess his work could be considered multimedia art if I’m using the correct term. Regardless, I’m a huge fan of mixed media, so I really enjoyed his work. His show runs through August 31st, so I suggest you check it out.

The next gallery I went into was Imagebox, which featured the work of Rick Byerly, who is an excellent photographer. The photography he had on display featured ice and water images that he took while on Lake Superior’s North Shore earlier this year. The photos really captured the essence of the moving ice shelves and the frigid temperatures of that region. His exhibit runs through August as well and is viewable by appointment only. You can check out more of his work at Uniquetake.com.

I spent most of my time at Garfield Artworks, which featured the work of Jodi Perigo, Kate Hansen, and Stefanie Maas. The exhibit was called “Skin Tone” and showcased the artist’s skills at portraying the human body in various poses and in displaying many emotions. Most of the work involved paintings, but Stefanie’s work featured a nice display of clay on wood, so there was variety to this show. All of the work was excellent and it’s nice to see an all-female exhibit. Sometimes I think women lack the confidence to do things like this and I really wish they didn’t. The only music of the night that I got to see was Buddy Nutt, who plays various instruments, including a saw, a ukulele, a kazoo and anything else he comes up with. He really puts on a great show and you can check out his music at www.myspace.com/buddynutt.

The exhibit at Garfield Artworks runs until August 30th and you can find out more information on their website here. Stefanie Maas also has a website where you can check out her work at www.stefwithaft.com. I couldn’t find any websites/Myspaces for the other two artists, so if anyone knows them, let me know.

The last place I visited was Metamorphose, a gallery and studio boutique that is right across the street from Garfield Artworks on the corner of Penn and Gross. The gallery was full of handmade clothing and artwork that was really something. It featured art from Marci Ghering, Padma, Adam Cannon, Patrice Lehockey, and Judy Dickson to name a few. The house itself was interesting in its decor, with its brightly painted pink walls that normally would have annoyed me, but really complemented the old Garfield home. Outside of the gallery, Liz Berlin from Rusted Root was playing and it seemed like everyone was having a really good time despite the humidity. You can check out the gallery’s website here.

All in all I would say the event was a success. I think the weather might have stopped a few from coming out, but there was still a great crowd. I definitely plan on coming back out for the next Unblurred since it was such a great time.

I didn’t get a chance to check out c SPACE, the Clay Penn, or the Union Project, but I definitely will next time. I’ve been meaning to make it out to the Union Project ever since I heard of it. You can find out more information about the place here and what they are trying to achieve. I love the efforts the Union Project, as well as the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative and other organizations, are making to improve Pittsburgh neighborhoods and to bolster the arts scene; it is truly something everyone should make an effort to support.

Check out Unblurred/Penn Avenue Art’s website for details on the exhibits talked about and how to visit them throughout the month of August, as well as upcoming events.

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Since everyone likes lists, I thought of another one. What is your favorite place to get a hamburger in/around Pittsburgh? I find that not everyone can get this right. To have a good hamburger it must be cooked to order, be made from good meat, and have just the right seasoning. Here are my top three burgers:

1. Rocky’s II (Mckees Rocks) – This place has amazing food and great service. Get the double cheeseburger with bacon at your own risk. It puts Wendy’s Baconator to shame.
2. Fat Head’s (South Side) – I know it sounds like I am obsessed with this place but I can’t help it. I have been never been disappointed when I go here. You can’t go wrong with good beer and a burger.
3. The Sharp Edge (Crafton and East Liberty) – Belgium Beer and a Bacon Cheese Burger is what heaven is like for me. I usually get the “Sharp Burger” since it’s cheap and comes with crispy bacon.

Like last time, let me know your top three and why you like them. I enjoy reading about new places.

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Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is sponsoring a series of Neighborhood Forums, the first of which will be held in the North Side tonight. There will be information about the initiative, Neighborhoods First Agenda and there will be input from the Mayor on the current conditions and future of the community. There will be a series of ten community conversations throughout Pittsburgh neighborhoods in the coming months.

For any readers who live in the city of Pittsburgh, you might want to participate in one of the following forums:

July 19 – North Side
August 1 – Downtown, North Shore & Strip
August 29 – Southside Flats, Slopes, Hilltop, Mt. Washington & Duquesne Heights
September 5 – Upper East End (Lawrenceville, Morningside, Garfield, Friendship, Bloomfield, Highland Park)
September 19 – 31st Ward, Hazelwood, Glen Hazel
September 24 – West Pittsburgh
October 24 – East End (East Liberty, Larimer, Lincoln Lemington, Homewood, Brushton and East Hills)
November 7 – Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Greenfield, Swisshelm Park, Point Breeze, Regent Square
December 5 - South Hills (Brookline, Beechview, Banksville, Overbrook, Carrick)
December TBD – Oakland, Hill and Uptown

These forums will be listed in the “community events” calendars of the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review ahead of time.

Thursday, July 19th
6:30 -7:30 pm
Pittsburgh’s Grand Hall at The Priory
614 Pressley Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

For more information contact:
Jennifer Watson
Neighborhood Initiatives Coordinator
Office of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
412-255-4765
Jennifer.Watson@city.pittsburgh.pa.us

The following information was taken from the websites of the Post-Gazette and Progress Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh, neighborhood forum, Luke Ravenstahl, mayor, North Side, downtown, North Shore, South Side, South Hills, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Oakland, Point Breeze, Strip District, Mt. Washington, Duquesne, Upper East End, East End, Hill district, Hazelwood

I was browsing the Post-Gazette’s website and found one of the funniest events listings. The listing is for a Hot Dog eating contest and it’s happening in East Liberty at the Station Street Hot Dog Shop. Here is the description of the event:

EAST LIBERTY: Station Street Hot Dog and Sandwich Shop, 6290 Broad St., hosts a six-minute Hot Dog Eating Contest at 1 p.m. as part of its grand opening and in observance of July as National Hot Dog Month. First prize winner receives $300, a color television and case of hot dogs. Call 412-365-2121.

I think what the first prize winner wins is amusing. $300 and a case of hot dogs would have been enough, I don’t know why their throwing in a color TV. If you already have one it would be useless and I can’t imagine it being that good to begin with. I could see in the 1960’s winning a color TV would have been a big deal, but not now. It just sounds like over kill to me.

I do need some extra money so I might have to give this a try. But I am not sure if I could even eat 3 hot dogs. Now if it was a Bacon eating contest I would win for sure!

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