JoAnne Klimovich Harrop stories, Page 32
Pittsburgh Opera fashion show featured live opera performers
Guests expect to see fashion models on a runway. But for a show to include live opera singers’ powerful voices with songs from “Carmina Burana,“ ”Rigoletto” and “Rinaldo”? That’s not something you see and hear every day. Friends of the Pittsburgh Opera hosted their annual style event on Monday with...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Feb. 17-19
It’s a long holiday weekend for some with Presidents Day on Monday. Here are some ways to spend it. Auto Show The Pittsburgh International Auto Show is Friday through Monday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. There will be a wide variety of vehicles in a non-sales atmosphere....
Puttery Pittsburgh brings ‘chic’ mini golf to the Strip District
It’s certainly not your parent’s mini golf course. Heck, it’s not even been your mini-golf course. Until now. The high-concept Puttery Pittsburgh opens its doors Friday in the Strip District. And it greatly expands the experience of miniature golfing. The venue’s three courses — The Lodge, The Library and The...
Standbys, understudies, swings ensure that the show will go on
Ready to go on at a moment’s notice, some actors and actresses wait in the wings. They are in the theater in case one of their colleagues can’t take the stage because of illness, a family emergency or a scheduled day off. They often are referred to as “unsung heroes”...
Leon Ford shares story of ‘moving forward’ despite adversity with students from 9 local high schools
Leon Ford wheeled himself in front of a group of high school students on Friday and told them his story. “I was pulled over by the police. I was shot multiple times. I’m paralyzed. I was 19.” A Pittsburgh police officer shot Ford during a 2012 traffic stop in Highland...
How to tackle the Super Bowl spread with Kansas City, Philadelphia flavors
It’s cheesesteaks vs. barbecue, but there’s so much more. No matter which team you are rooting for to win Super Bowl LVII, make sure your food game is strong by incorporating some of the two competing cities’ authentic fare into a watch party menu. Philadelphia, known as the “City of...
Be my Valentine: Cancer Bridges hosts dinner for cancer patients, loved ones
When Naomi Howard was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, she wanted to give up. It was listening to the loving words of her Valentine that she took to heart. “I said, ‘If you won’t fight for yourself, please fight for me,’” said her husband of 42 years, John Howard....
‘Wheel of Yinzer’ game show to feature ‘YaJagoff!’ and ‘Pittsburgh Today Live’
Sarah Aziz promises not to tell anyone. “I am good at keeping a secret,” said Aziz, director of festival management for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, who was invited to host “Wheel of Yinzer,” a live game show modeled on what Pat Sajak and Vanna White have been doing for decades...
Mad Mex in Oakland closes because of staffing challenges, lease situation
Despite being surrounded by thousands of college students, Mad Mex in Oakland could not find enough employees to remain open. After nearly 30 years in business on the corner of Atwood and Bates Streets, the restaurant has closed. “I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, ‘There...
It’s cookies and beer time for Nancy B’s and Allegheny City Brewing
Imagine tasting a sweet humungous Nancy B’s Bakery chocolate chip cookie in a brewed liquid form. That’s right. Nancy B’s Bakery of West Homestead has collaborated with Allegheny City Brewing in the North Side’s Deutschtown neighborhood for a dessert beer for a fourth year — only this time they are...
Pittsburgh’s Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor celebrates its 1923 founding
Here are two scoops. Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor in Pittsburgh’s Strip District is marking the 100th year of its founding. And it’s also no longer for sale. “Klavon’s is a piece of Pittsburgh history, and I feel like not enough people know about it,” said Desiree Hanchar, of Fox Chapel,...
All Saints Convent in Etna transformed into apartment living
The cross details and All Saints name remain on the front of the building, the beloved home to nuns for many years. But, as is protocol for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh when a religious building is being reposed, anything liturgical, including stained glass with symbols such as a chalice...
With more ways to tip, customers willing to pay it forward
Desiree Singleton recalled her late father, Bill Ringler, having her, her brother and sister figuring out a tip on a bill when the family dined out. “He talked to us about the service we got and how much we should tip,” Singleton said Tuesday inside her business, Harvest Moon Coffee...
World of Wheels showcases classic cars, trucks and motorcycles this weekend in Pittsburgh
Just like expensive pieces of art, more than 300 cars, trucks and motorcycles are displayed on red carpets at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, surrounded by ropes and chains connected to stanchions. Some are adorned with colorful flowers nearby or showcased with their hoods up. Tires are...
Dry January continues to rise in popularity
Six years ago, Jacob Zadnik spent most of the week traveling for work as a consultant. That included eating out most days — and, with that, drinking lots of alcohol. He and his coworkers challenged each other to try Dry January — 31 days of no alcohol. This month is...
Pittsburgh dancer Maria Caruso’s one-woman show to be available on Broadway on Demand
Maria Caruso has never watched herself perform. On Jan. 20, that will all change. She plans to sit down in her Los Angeles, Calif., home with her husband, Alan Russell, and view her one-woman show “Metamorphosis” streaming on Broadway on Demand. And you can, too. For $3.99, the hour performance...
Monroeville couple open Back To The Foodture on 5th near PPG Paints Arena
Joe Giuffre and his son Joey were the first customers. They found a booth near the back and ordered loaded buffalo chicken fries. “The owners are great people, and they are family-oriented,” Joe said about Back To The Foodture on 5th, minutes after it opened on Jan. 2. “It’s a...
Pittsburgh’s Original Oyster House to close through mid-February
Jenn Grippo didn’t want to make this decision without first talking with her employees. The co-owner of The Original Oyster House in Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh with her mom Renee Grippo (known as Mrs. G) held a meeting with their 10 employees and asked for everyone’s input. The topic:...
A behind-the-scenes look at Cirque du Soleil: CorteoVideo
Catherine Duval and her team were inspecting each piece of clothing and accessory. They were in search of missing buttons, torn fabric or stains, holes or anything out of the ordinary. It’s their mission to make a repair or replace the piece before the show can go on. “If a...
Damar Hamlin’s toy drive prompts donations topping $7 million
A toy drone. A Hot Wheels track. A Mickey Mouse car. To Sierra Giesy’s three sons, these are fun items. To their mom, they represent so much more. The McKees Rocks mother of Alec, 12; Liam, 6; and Nolan, 4, watched her children choose the items with the help of...
Heartache: Murrysville family honors the memory of loved one
When Debbie and Jeff O’Connor walked through the door from an early December trip last year, they immediately saw it. The Christmas tree was in its place in the patio room. “My daughter Caitlin had brought the tree up from downstairs,” Debbie O’Connor said. “She wanted to surprise us, and...
Show time: Local teen equestrian jumping to new heights
Bridget Hickton mounts her beautiful horse, Russell. She leads the animal to the ring. Together they take the jumps so eloquently — it’s almost as if they are flying. “I am an animal person, and I believe you can communicate with pets,” said Hickton, an equestrian. “I love this horse.”...
Dining in the dark coming to Bellevue’s Revival on Lincoln
Darkness can bring other things to light. That’s the thought behind a dining concept called “Pitch Black,” where people are blindfolded and then served a meal. “Blindfolded taste tests are a widely used method which sometimes have proven to trick and heighten our senses and allow us to let go...
Pleasant Hills mother and daughter to compete in national pageant
Minutes after Susan Fancsali was born, she was having trouble breathing. “When her color was looking so bad and her breathing was labored, the nurse wrapped her up with the blanket covering her that I didn’t even get to see her,” her mother, Kim Bennear Fancsali, said. “They told me...
Despite hurdles, these Afghan refugees successfully made transition to living in Pittsburgh area
After three months of living in Pittsburgh, Ahmad Yousofzay yearned to return to his native Afghanistan. He had traveled here with his wife and three children in November 2017. They didn’t know anyone. Communicating with others was difficult. In Afghanistan, Yousofzay was a man of importance. He had worked as...
