PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Many Pennsylvanians buy gas across the Ohio line, where it’s cheaper. Many bought fireworks there until 2017, when they became legal in Pennsylvania.

Soon, many may go there for pot.

Ohio voters approved adult-use recreational pot last November, with dispensaries to be licensed by Sept. 7. So merchants in Northeastern Ohio are looking forward to selling Pittsburghers tokes over the line.

“We’re constantly getting calls from Pennsylvania,” says Terrell Washington, who co-owns Leaf Relief in Youngstown. “Everyone on the border is getting calls. We are staffing up as well as stocking up.”

At press time, Washington had received a provisional dual-use license and was awaiting further approvals to serve recreational customers. He plans to sell recreational and medical marijuana at his two current Leaf Relief stores in Youngstown and suburban Columbus as well as new shops he’s planning in each area.

Washington’s not the only Ohio dispenser looking eastward — others near the border say they’ll try to add locations there and draw Pennsylvanians. And, in June, Greenlight Dispensary, a chain in six other states, bought Ohio Valley Natural Relief in Wintersville, Ohio, outside Steubenville.

Greenlight did not comment, but the dispensary’s previous owner, Mike Petrella, says the new one plans to replace the 1,300-square-foot building with one about three times larger, plus a drive-through lane, partly to draw customers from nearby West Virginia (7 miles from the state border), where marijuana is not legal, and Pennsylvania (13 miles from the border).

Petrella, who also is the mayor of Wintersville, says that other area merchants are planning a hotel and a restaurant for travelers.

“Traffic is going to go through the roof,” he predicts. “People are going to be traveling here, spending the day, going shopping, going to a restaurant.”

Ohio’s legalization of recreational pot has spurred Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to make a similar push here; with the exception of West Virginia, Pennsylvania is completely surrounded by states that have legalized adult-use pot. (Medical marijuana was legalized in Pennsylvania in 2016.) Shapiro predicts the move could generate more than $255 million in annual tax revenue within five years.

In June, Democratic State Rep. Emily Kinkead of Brighton Heights and Republican State Rep. Aaron Kaufer of Luzerne County were promoting a bill for adult use. If it does pass, it would take at least a year to develop the regulations and prepare for sales.

Meredith Buettner, who leads the Pennsylvania Cannabis Association, says about the Ohio action: “We’re certainly using it to put some pressure on legislators to get moving.”

Will There Be Border Patrols?

In the meantime, there’ll be a catch for Pennsylvanians buying cannabis in O-High-O. It’s still unclear whether it will be legal to use pot there in public, and few accommodations there openly welcome it. But it can’t legally be brought back to Pennsylvania either. Even holders of Pennsylvania medical cards are limited to home-state marijuana. The two states don’t honor each other’s cards.

Are marijuana customers likely to be arrested near the border? Recreational pot dispensers in other border states say their customers haven’t been targeted. And Pennsylvania State Police Communications Director Myles Snyder says they hadn’t boosted enforcement near those states — Maryland, Delaware, New York and New Jersey — and probably won’t near Ohio.

All seems quiet on Pennsylvania’s western front, too. Petrella says, “The police, I can tell you, they have bigger issues going on than marijuana.”

Lt. Ray Santiago of the Ohio Highway Patrol wrote in an email: “The Patrol enforces all laws impartially and does not target individuals based on their state of origin.”

The federal government still prohibits possession but seldom prosecutes mere consumers. And President Joe Biden is moving to downgrade marijuana from the most restrictive category of drugs.

Access in Other States

For marijuana, Ohio will just require proof that customers are 21 or older. They can buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces at a time, enough to last an average user about 52 days, according to a 2022 study published in the journal Addiction, Research & Theory.

Ohio’s November measure was a law, not a constitutional amendment, so legislators could change it anytime. At press time, though, Ohio Division of Cannabis Control spokesman James Crawford said that the state agency was carrying out the law as written.

To predict Ohio’s traffic from Pennsylvania, experts look to other border states, where several proprietors say that they drew plenty of Pennsylvania customers.

Damien Cornwell, who runs Just Breathe dispensary in Binghamton, New York, as well as the Cannabis Association of New York, says that 5% to 10% of his shoppers come from Pennsylvania, about 8 miles away. At The Greenery Spot in Johnson City, New York, security guard Mel Maginley says, “We get quite a few daily … We’ve had Pittsburgh, Philly, Harrisburg, all over the place.”

Some Pittsburghers traveling to other destinations imbibe, too. John Duncan, who co-owns 716 Cannabis in Orchard Park, New York, says that fans in Steelers gear stopped there in January, when the team’s playoff game in that town was delayed by snow.

The Seneca Nation of Indians in Salamanca, New York, which has no sales tax, is an additional draw. A Butler County user who withheld his name says that he often bought joints at the reservation, about 45 minutes from his vacation home in that state.

New York also allows marijuana lounges, where Pennsylvanians can imbibe and sober up before driving home.

Local Pot Fests Grow

Of course, it’s not hard to buy recreational pot in Pennsylvania — it’s just illegal. Patrick Nightingale, head of Pittsburgh NORML, which advocates legalization, says, “We have a robust illicit market, so there isn’t a huge need to go out of state.”

At the second Steel City Cannabis Convention in Monroeville in May, an attendee who withheld his name said he gets plenty in Pennsylvania “legally and illegally.”

Jack Weber, who’s staging the fourth annual Pittsburgh Cannabis Festival in August, says, “I don’t know if there are enough patients in Western Pennsylvania that will choose to drive to Ohio over visiting a local dispensary to have a large impact on the current Pennsylvania medical program.”

But some consumers drive far for discounts. One Pittsburgh medical user says, “It’s cheaper to spend a weekend in Detroit, stock up and bring it back to Pennsylvania.”

Maybe the grass is always greener on the other side of the line. A few medical users say that they preferred products sold elsewhere but banned here, such as smokeable ones.

Pot fests are growing in popularity. “As things become more legal,” says Steel City organizer James McClintock, “people are coming out of the closet to learn what they didn’t know.” His May event at the Monroeville Convention Center drew about 3,000 people, triple his previous crowd. He’ll stage a third event in the same place on Sept. 14-15.

Last year’s Pittsburgh Cannabis Festival drew more than 6,000 people. This year’s will take place from noon to 5 p.m. on Aug. 11 in the northeast corner of Allegheny Commons Park on the North Side.

These gatherings feature vendors, music, food, education and related services, such as help applying for medical cards.

Recreational Pot Likely to Surge

Early this year, an ounce of high-quality medical marijuana cost an average of $330 in Ohio and $358 in Pennsylvania, according to NuggMD, a business linking patients to doctors for marijuana cards. When a state legalizes recreational pot, prices tend to soar awhile with the new demand, then settle as growers catch up.

Ohio dispensaries will charge 5.75% to 8% in sales tax, depending on the location, plus 10% for a buyer without a medical card from that state. If the U.S. downgrades marijuana to a less dangerous drug, the industry will qualify for tax breaks that might trickle down to consumers.

Back in Youngstown, dispensary co-owner Washington predicts Ohio’s sales should more than double soon, especially near the border.

“We look forward to welcoming some new friends from the Pennsylvania market.”

Grant Segall is a national prize-winning reporter who has written for The Washington Post, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Philadelphia Magazine, Time, Reuters, Science, Oxford University Press and other outlets.

SAM BASSETT | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

At 13, Sam Bassett found themselves in a new school, in search of new friends. When they found a group that looked promising, the new friendships came with a cultural assignment: Watch “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and read “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

Now, at 35, Bassett has been running Pittsburgh’s “Rocky Horror” shadowcast for seven-plus years and performed with them since 2007 — and has become friends with Stephen Chbosky, the Pittsburgh-born author of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

Bassett liked the assignment, to say the least.

“I liked these new people who accepted me as I was,” says Bassett, who uses they/them pronouns. Screenings of “Rocky Horror” and shadowcast performances (wherein performers imitate and exaggerate the action onscreen) provided them a sense of community and belonging.

“There aren’t a lot of places available for younger audiences to explore their sexuality, explore their individuality, explore comedy — basically have fun without oversight.”

By day, Bassett is the assistant director of integrated marketing within annual giving at Carnegie Mellon University. By night — quite literally, as shows often start at midnight — they’re the president of both the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players, Pittsburgh’s longstanding “Rocky Horror” group, and the Shadowcasting Arts of Pittsburgh, a nonprofit Bassett formed to better administer the group and its dozens of yearly performances.

A registered nonprofit is a far cry from the early days of “Rocky Horror,” known for wild and reckless screenings at the bygone King’s Court in Oakland. “Nowadays, we’re a little more welcoming. We don’t say very inappropriate things; we look more for comedy and expression rather than the moment of gasping and clutching your pearls.”

The nearly 50-year-old movie, a countercultural staple upon release, has become an institution. Midnight showings have persisted across the country. That longevity, Bassett says, is not merely a result of the film’s onscreen charms, it’s also about community.

“I grew up without stability, so having something [that allowed me] to see my friends on Monday and Thursday for rehearsals and then for a meeting on Sunday, that’s just seeing your friends multiple times a week.”

When they first joined the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players in college, they say, “the people at ‘Rocky Horror’ seemed more familiar to me. They weren’t as scary as the people that I was just meeting for the first time at the university.”

That sentiment is echoed in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” in which the awkward protagonist Charlie finds belonging and acceptance with his friends at “Rocky Horror” screenings. Written by Chbosky, the book was adapted into a 2012 film; scenes depicting “Rocky Horror” were filmed at Dormont’s Hollywood Theater, with the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players serving as the in-film shadowcast. Bassett not only appears in the film but got to know Chbosky; they still email regularly. “We’ve become friends — just talking about our lives.”

Bassett is notably unintimidated by celebrity encounters. On their 25th birthday, they went to PPG Paints Arena to see Bruce Springsteen, bearing a handwritten sign requesting a birthday dance with the Boss. Springsteen eventually pulled them onto stage.

“I love you,” Bassett said.

“I love you, too,” Springsteen replied. “Do you want to play guitar?”

Suddenly, Bassett was jamming with the E Street Band in front of a sold-out arena. “They say never meet your heroes. I say dance with them.”

As Pittsburgh has continued to establish itself as a shadowcasting hotbed, the amount of events — and connections to the “Rocky Horror” film’s stars — has grown. Bassett has performed with Barry Bostwick, the longtime film and television favorite who plays Brad Majors in “Rocky Horror,” as well as Patricia Quinn, who plays the mysterious Magenta. This month, Pittsburgh will host the second installment of YinzCon (appropriately dubbed “YinzCon N’at” rather than “YinzCon 2”), a “Rocky Horror” convention featuring shadowcasts from across the country.

Some of those groups attending the event, scheduled for Aug. 28 through Sept. 1 at the Wyndham Grand and other local venues, will offer performances of other films such as cult favorite comedy “Clue” and fellow oddball musical “Little Shop of Horrors.” While other films do receive the shadowcast treatment both in Pittsburgh and elsewhere, none has captured such a commanding presence as “Rocky Horror.”

“Nothing has come close to ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ because you can do whatever with it,” Bassett says. “There’s enough campy problems with it that you can turn it into comedy, you can turn it into drama, you can look at different characters.”

The result is a space that fosters not only creativity but also personal exploration.

“I’m a little bit more of myself,” Bassett says. “I think that’s where ‘Rocky Horror’ really blossoms — it’s a community that will try out different pronouns, try out different personalities.”

NICK TOMMARELLO, GRADUATE ASSISTANT AT POINT PARK UNIVERSITY’S CENTER FOR MEDIA INNOVATION, IS SPENDING TIME IN MARKET SQUARE THIS SUMMER, DRESSED AS A NEWSPAPER COURIER. HE’S TALKING TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT LOCAL NEWS. | PHOTO BY THOMAS CHARYTON

There are so many stories yet to be told in Pittsburgh, why not yours? 

The Pittsburgh Pitch provides the opportunity for all journalists and members of the public to pitch their stories and win $1,000 to support reporting and publication. There will be a category for students, journalists and the public.

“The goal behind the Pittsburgh Pitch is to reconnect journalists with their audiences,” said Andrew Conte, director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University, which launched the initiative. “We’re asking them to pitch directly to the public. The people who are going to consume the news get to decide what stories are going to be in the news.” 

The Pittsburgh Pitch is a part of Newsapalooza, a new event Sept. 26-28 that aims to amplify the importance of local journalism in the Pittsburgh community. Presented by the Center of Media Innovation, Newsapalooza will offer workshops, local newsroom tours and a speaker panel of journalism professionals. 

“It’s going to be a chance to meet other people and remember why journalism matters so much to our democracy, Pittsburgh, and all of our communities,” says Conte. “This is an opportunity to remember that it [local news] can be fun and it can mean a lot to our communities. It’s really about great local storytelling and just getting people to come together.”

Applications for the Pittsburgh Pitch are open until Aug. 15. Selected individuals will pitch their stories during Newsapalooza on Sept. 27 at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, Downtown.

Neil Strebig won the first Pitch Pittsburgh in 2018 while working for the Northside Chronicle. His pitch was centered on how local newspapers in Western Pennsylvania were shrinking due to causes like misinformation or political movements. 

“For me, it helped me understand the local news crisis from a much different angle. I think that it helped me grow as a reporter as far as understanding empathy and how to talk to different residents,” he says. “It helped me understand that I might have an idea for a concept for a story, but really until you start writing and start talking to people, it’s always going to pivot.”  

Strebig. who now covers business and economics as a journalist in Memphis, Tennessee, is excited to see the return of the story contest. With local newsrooms continuing to see a reduction in staff and funding, the Pittsburgh Pitch provides journalists with the resources to complete their passion project. “It’s about communicating your nut graph and your lead effectively and trusting yourself,” said Strebig, “There’s a lot of stories that go unchecked and untold just because reporters don’t have the means to do it.” 

As part of Newsapalooza, the center’s graduate assistant Nick Tommarello is spending time in Market Square this summer, dressed as a newspaper courier. 

“We wanted to interact more directly with members of the public, specifically talking about local news,” says Tommarello, “How do they get their news? How do they stay informed throughout their day and throughout their week? What local publications and organizations are they following?”

Newsie Nick is collecting these interactions with the public in a short video series where residents and community leaders share how local journalism is important to them. “The whole point about local news and local journalism is that it is for your community, but also by your community,” he says. “Change happens on a local level. If you really want to change something, it starts within your communities.” 

And to get the public excited for Newsapalooza, the Center for Media Innovation will be holding Market Square NewsBreaks on the stage. From topics on supporting Downtown residents, street harassment and how to react, audiences can engage with the community and local journalists. The live discussions will be held at noon Wednesdays on July 24, Aug. 21, and Sept. 18 at noon.

As far as the Pittsburgh Pitch, Conte says: “Take that first step in the application and think creatively. There’s so many stories that aren’t being told. Just look around and think about what’s the one thing you want people to know about Pittsburgh.” 

Jilian Musser’s reporting is supported by the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.

THE BIKES & BREWS TOUR IS HELD AT 2 P.M. SATURDAYS AND LAUNCHES FROM THE BIKE THE BURGH TOURS HEADQUARTERS NEAR THE DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER, DOWNTOWN. | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

There’s nothing like seeing a new city on foot. My husband and I have taken wonderful walking tours of Berlin, London (a Jack the Ripper tour, a tour on “Law in London” and a pub crawl), Prague, Lisbon and Charleston, South Carolina — plus ghost tours of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Savannah, Georgia, and St. Augustine, Florida.

Yet one of my favorites so far has been an architectural walking tour of Chicago — and I’m hoping to someday take a similar tour of Downtown, led by Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation guides. At street level, our city architecture is every bit as varied and impressive, if not more so, than what Chicago has to offer. No wonder that, when our writer Ruby Siefken took the tour recently to include in our 2024 Visitors Guide, most attendees were from Pittsburgh. That report begins on page 17.

Our staff fanned out to take several local tours, also by boat and bike, to see what out-of-towners see when they come to the Steel City. We found that these tours are as interesting to those who have lived here for years as they are to visitors. The guides are knowledgeable and engaging, and we all learned something new.

The tours we took just scratched the surface of what’s available here. For example, the newest tour of Henry Clay Frick’s home Clayton, “Gilded, not Golden,” recently won the 2024 Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History. In late June, I took a “Views & Brews” tour, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, that provided a rare look at the inside of a variety of condos. We also toured the Kaufmann’s Grand apartments and its incredible rooftop pool and basketball court, and it was interesting to see all the progress that’s been made in converting Downtown office buildings, warehouses and former department stores into housing.

For your next staycation, please consider taking a tour of your home city.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Mosquitos testing positive for West Nile Virus have been found in several Pittsburgh neighborhoods, and health department officials are urging people to be cautious around the insects this summer.

“Generally, the species of mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus are active from dusk to dawn,” said Allegheny County Health Department Vector Control Specialist Nicholas Baldauf in a statement. “Residents can deter mosquito bites by using insect repellent on exposed skin or choosing to wear long sleeves and pants. Both methods are effective at reducing or eliminating the possibility of getting a mosquito bite.”

Mosquito samples collected in Brighton Heights, California-Kirkbride, Elliott, Sheraden, Esplen, and Marshall-Shadeland tested positive for West Nile Virus earlier in the month, and the health department sprayed areas with a low-risk insecticide to lower the mosquito population. The same is planned this week for Highland Park, Homewood, Point Breeze and Wilkinsburg, where samples also tested positive.

West Nile Virus is the leading mosquito-borne disease in the United States; it’s caused when an infected mosquito bites a human. According to the health department, most people infected with West Nile Virus do not feel sick. Common symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash, but only 1 in 5 people infected with the virus develop symptoms. Less than 1 percent of infected people develop a serious illness.

The last reported human case of West Nile Virus occurred in September 2023, however, Dr. Ernesto Marques, an associate professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health’s Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, cautions that West Nile cases are likely underreported. 

“Diagnosing WNF [West Nile Fever] is often missed,” Marques said in an email. “A large fraction of cases is mild and can go unnoticed by the patient, and the symptoms are common with other more frequent diseases.” 

Marques notes the risk of neurological complications increases with age. People aged 50 and older are 10 times more likely to experience them, and people aged 80 and older are 43 times more likely. 

“The neurological symptoms can be confused with other diseases, like Parkinson’s disease and Guillain-Barré syndrome,” Marques says, therefore the number of West Nile Virus-related complications may be underestimated.

There is no vaccine for West Nile Virus, only treatment focused on alleviating symptoms. For neurological complications, hospitalization and close monitoring are required, he says.

Marques notes mosquitos breed in stagnant water, such as in plant vases, plastic containers, and water reservoirs, either inside or outside. He too recommends using mosquito repellents and reducing areas of exposed skin.

The health department noted mosquitoes can breed in as little as a half inch of stagnant water.

“Residents should pay close attention to potential breeding sites like stagnant water in tires, unused swimming pools, buckets, corrugated piping, and clogged gutters,” the statement said.

UPPER ST. CLAIR GRAD AND OLYMPIC CONTENDER JOSH MATHENY COMPETES IN A BREASTSTROKE EVENT. | PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MATHENY FAMILY

Pittsburgh is sending several athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to swim, row, jump, wrestle, kick and bounce their way onto the world stage.

Opening ceremonies for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad will kick off on Friday, July 26 with a boat parade along the Seine, one of Paris’ most notable attractions. 

Related: Wilkinsburg Muralist Heads to Paris Olympics to Spread Message of Peace

Josh Matheny, Michael Grady, Bridget Williams and Spencer Lee have perfected their athletic abilities over a lifetime of training in the Pittsburgh area. One former and two current athletes with the University of Pittsburgh Panthers also are competing in soccer, basketball and women’s swimming, although they’re representing other countries in the games. And a North Allegheny Senior High School graduate will be representing Puerto Rico in the decathlon.

Let’s meet them: 

FROM LEFT, UPPER ST. CLAIR TEAM MEMBERS RYAN SENCHYSHAK, JASON ZHANG, JOSH MATHENY AND GANESH SIVARAMAKRISHNAN SHOW OFF THEIR MEDALS AFTER WINNING THE MEDLEY RELAY IN THE PIAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN MECHANICSBURG, PA IN 2021. | PHOTO BY SIJAN ZHANG

Josh Matheny (Men’s 200 breaststroke) 

Pittsburgh’s youngest Olympian, Upper St. Clair graduate Josh Matheny, clinched his spot in the Paris pool by one tenth of a second at Olympic swimming trials on June 16. 

The 21-year-old is a rising senior at University of Indiana. The swimmer is a seven-time All-American, nine-time Big Ten medalist and two-time NCAA medalist. But, his speed started in the Upper St. Clair pool where he broke several team and pool records. 

On June 16, Matheny placed third in the 100 meter breaststroke with a time of 59.23 seconds, just 0.7 seconds shy of 26-year-old Charlie Swansonoff. The third-place score did not secure him a spot in Paris. 

But, Matheny kept kicking. Just three days later, he swam toward an Olympic spot once more, this time in the 200-meter breaststroke. Matheny finished in second place with a time of 2:08.86 to secure his spot in the 2024 Olympic Games. 

“It has been my dream almost my whole life to make the Olympics and for it to finally happen still is sort of a surreal feeling,” Matheny wrote in a text message. 

Matheny’s weekly training consists of 10 swimming sessions and three weight-training sessions. As the Games approach, his training regime is tailored toward his event, the 200-meter breaststroke, so he is mainly focusing on aerobic work and speed. 

Matheny says he is looking forward to enjoying the experience and the privilege of representing the United States on the world stage.

Michael Grady (Rowing)

Michael Grady is returning to the Olympic Games for the United States rowing team for his second chance at the podium, this time in Paris. 

Grady, a 27-year-old Bradford Woods native, graduated from Central Catholic High School in 2015. While there, Grady earned three varsity letters for the Vikings and served as team captain his senior year. 

Grady rowed for Cornell University on the varsity eight team, and he was the only freshman on the varsity squad during his first year. In 2018, he won first place for the U.S. at the Under 23 World Rowing Championships. Grady told TribLIVE this will be his eighth appearance as a member of Team USA. 

“It’s an honor and a privilege to do this,” Grady said, adding that he takes after his father, John Grady, who also rowed competitively. 

In his first Olympic appearance in 2021, Grady and his four-man team  placed fifth in Tokyo. This year, Grady is the only returning member of the 2021 four-men squad; new members include Justin Best, Nick Mead and Liam Corrigan. 

U.S. Olympic Team Trials were held from April 4-7, 2024 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida. In Grady’s event — known as the coxless four — the rowers each equipped with one oar sit in a straight line on a narrow, 44-foot boat. 

Bridget Williams (Pole vaulting)

Pittsburgh pole vaulter Bridget Williams is also headed to Paris with high hopes to jump onto the podium for the U.S.

Williams, a Greensberg native, graduated from Hempfield Area High School in 2015. During her time there, Williams won two PIAA State Championships in 2013 and 2014, helped her team win several WPIAL championships, and became an individual state pole vaulting champion her senior year. 

The 28-year-old attended the University of Virginia from 2015-19 where she competed in pole vault. Williams started her time at UVA on a record-breaking high — 13 feet high to be exact. During her first year, she broke the school record with a jump just over 13 feet, and she broke that record three more times during her time in Charlottesville. Now, Williams’ career best is just over 15 feet, 10 inches. 

Williams qualified for the U.S. women’s pole vault team on June 30 with a 15 foot, 6 1/4 inch jump that earned her first place at the team trials in Eugene, Oregon. Williams will be accompanied by Olympic veteran and gold medalist Katie Moon and fellow Olympic rookie Brynn King on the U.S. pole vaulting squad in Paris.

Spencer Lee (Wrestling)

Spencer Lee squashed the United States’ unqualified status for the 2024 Olympic Games this year, securing his spot in Paris with nothing but W’s. 

Lee graduated from Franklin Regional High School in 2017. The Murrysvillenative recorded an astounding 144-match winning streak with only one loss during his high school career.  

Lee left Pittsburgh to wrestle at the University of Iowa, a renowned wrestling powerhouse. At only 25 years old ,  Lee already boasts an impressive record as a three-time PIAA state champion, three-time U.S. gold medal winner and three-time NCAA champion. 

Since returning to the international wrestling circuit in 2023, Lee has held an undefeated record for 18 matches according to USA Wrestling. 

At the beginning of the 2024 Olympic trials, the United States remained unqualified for the Games at Lee’s weight class, 125 pounds. Lee traveled to Istanbul to compete at the final Olympic Qualifier. After four consecutive wins to make the finals, Lee secured his spot in Paris. 

“Hearing ‘he’s not qualified yet!’ is no fun, so I’m happy to get the job done,” Lee captioned an Instagram post on May 12. 

The United States is projected to have the largest wrestling team at the 2024 Games with 16 qualified athletes including 10 men and six women. Lee will take the mat for the U.S. in August. 

Ayden Owens-Delerme, a 2018 graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School, qualified for the Olympic decathlon event in April and will represent Puerto Rico in the games. According to the Pittsburgh Union Progress, he scored the top score in the World Championships and broke a Puerto Rican record. The decathlon event will take place in Paris Aug. 2-3.

Among Pitt alumni, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Marcedes Walker will be representing Azerbaijan on the basketball court. Nigerian Deborah Abiodun, a student at Pitt who plays on the Panthers women’s soccer team, will be competing with the Nigerian Super Falcons, under the direction of Pitt Panthers women’s soccer coach Coach Randy Waldrum. Rising Pitt junior Jayla Pina will represent Cape Verde in West Africa in the 100-meter breaststroke. 

UPDATED July 22: This story was updated with information about Ayden Owens-Delerme’s achievement.

July 18, HAMPTON TOWNSHIP – Pittsburgh Magazine has selected Madia Homes Inc. and its new Four Seasons development as the 7th annual Ultimate House, presented by Duquesne Light Co.

“The selection honors Madia Homes’ ambitious plans for a new community in Hampton as well as its long history of high-quality custom homebuilding in this region,” said Betsy Benson, publisher of Pittsburgh Magazine.

Each year, Pittsburgh Magazine’s Ultimate House celebrates the “ultimate” in residential living in Pittsburgh at a particular point in time, educating the public about the latest innovations and state-of-the-art features and then opening the selected home to public tours over a 10-day period – with all ticket proceeds going to The Free Care Fund at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

“Being able to show the quality of our product and our new community is great, but it really will help some kids in need,” said Luke Madia.

Since its inception in 2015, Pittsburgh Magazine’s Ultimate House projects have raised more than $370,000 for the Free Care Fund.

Pittsburgh Magazine’s 7th annual Ultimate House will be the first home constructed in Four Seasons, with groundbreaking expected to take place next month and public tours scheduled for the fall of 2025. The home will comprise 6,000 square feet of living space on three levels, ample outdoor entertaining space, a remarkable state-of-the-art kitchen with a 12-foot island, and much more.

“What I’m looking forward to is showing what our company can do, because we’re one of the last few true custom homebuilders,” Luke Madia said.

Throughout 2024 and 2025, Pittsburgh Magazine and its partners will share construction updates on the home, offering inspiration to Pittsburgh homeowners and generating excitement for the public tours along the way.

“This project truly brings to life what a clean energy future can look like for residents in the Pittsburgh region,” said Brian Guzek, vice president of corporate strategy at DLC.

“Through state-of-the-art electric technology, this home will not only offer top-of-the-line appliances and systems, but also provide better indoor air quality and a higher level of comfort, convenience and efficiency for those who will call this place home. As we continue making significant strides in clean energy, we’re looking forward to showing the many benefits of electrification that local homeowners can enjoy for years to come.”

Sign up for project updates at PittsburghMagazine.com/ultimate

Media Contact: Casey Mahaven, Events Manager, casey@mahavenevents.com

#####

CANNED COCKTAILS | PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

During the pandemic, businesses like The Warren Bar & Burrow, Downtown, relied on canned cocktails to keep sales flowing. But when the COVID crisis ended, so did the ready-to-drink cocktails; they were only allowed to be sold in state liquor stores. 

However, a new law signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro on July 15 now permits canned cocktails to be sold in a wider array of establishments with a special permit. Convenience stores, restaurants, bars, grocery stores and beer distributors can now sell premade cocktails.  

“Cocktails to go was a big portion of what we did during COVID,” said Spencer Warren the owner of The Warren Bar & Burrow, “If we can do cocktails to go, that gives us an added element. When people go on their boats or do other things, they can come in and get our cocktails.” 

The cocktails must contain an alcohol content no higher than 12.5% and can only be sold before 11 p.m. Legislative analysts predict that by 2028-29, the state will see a $35 million annual revenue from the ready-to-drink cocktails. 

House Bill 829, which passed the State Senate by a 47-3 vote, allows for other changes to the Pennsylvania Liquor Code. The bill was introduced by House Rep. Matthew R. Gergely, D-White Oak. 

The new law extends happy hours from 14 hours a week to 24. Other amendments include offering discounts on up to two food and alcoholic drink combination specials.

Barcadia, located in Downtown’s Market Square, is not only a bar but has three levels offering more than 85 arcade games. However, because of the $10 charge for gameplay, the place was not drawing as many customers as it had hoped during happy hour. With the new law and longer hours, General Manager Mia Hebson hopes to see an increase in happy hour attendance. 

While the Warren does not offer a happy hour, Spencer Warren hopes it will benefit Pittsburgh’s overall restaurant industry.

 “Just because it doesn’t affect us, doesn’t mean I’m not supportive,” Warren said, “I’m very supportive to help other restaurants too. Because as a group, we need more people coming Downtown.” 

The new law also allows for a temporary liquor license extension to outdoor dining areas. State liquor changes introduced during the pandemic allowed outdoor dining areas within 1,000 feet of the licensed building to serve alcohol. The provision was set to expire at the end of the year, but now is extended indefinitely. 

Jilian Musser’s reporting is supported by the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.

LUKE AND SARAH MADIA, THE CHILDREN OF FRANK MADIA | PHOTO BY GREG SCIULLI

With his head of thick silver hair and a matching goatee, Frank Madia cut a memorable figure.

The founder of Madia Homes Inc., a custom home builder and developer based in the North Hills, often dressed in a black leather blazer, with a gold chain around his tanned neck. Thanks to his sharp sense of style, his Italian-American heritage — and his uncanny ability to get things done — he was known to his many friends as “The Godfather.”

“He would make stuff happen. He always knew a guy — but not in a bad way,” says his daughter, Sarah Madia. “If anything, he was always helping people. If someone needed something done, not even house-related, he would help.”

His other nickname was the “Mayor of Wexford,” a moniker bestowed on him because of the amount of people who would call out his name in greeting, or come up to shake his hand as he dined at his favorite restaurants in the North Hills.

Whether it was guiding people on their careers, their marriages, or leading them to church, Frank — known for his larger than life personality — wasn’t shy about giving advice, either, often personally setting people on the right paths to achieve their goals.

It was from a well-earned wisdom.

Growing up on the North Side, Frank was a tough kid with a propensity for getting into trouble. Frank’s father, unsure about where his son was heading in life, got him a job with what was then known as Pittsburgh’s Port Authority Transit. It was a stable job, his father told him, and came with a good pension.

But Frank didn’t see his future there.

Setting his youthful scrapes aside, Frank buckled down and earned his real estate license. He was aided in his studies by his first wife, Jean — who died in 2019 — as well as by his great faith.

“In his early 20s, my dad had a big turnaround,” Sarah says. “He became a Christian and literally his whole life turned. He put everything on his faith, even his business.”

A natural dealmaker who used his street smarts to his advantage, Frank excelled in real estate, becoming one of the region’s top sellers. Jean also obtained her real estate license and, after Frank earned his broker’s license, the couple ran their own brokerage firm.

As he became more familiar with the home construction process, Frank decided to try his hand at building — and Madia Homes Inc. was born.

“He started with some small houses, modular homes,” Sarah says. “Then, over time, the houses got bigger and he became known as a custom builder.”

Responsible for a number of home developments in the North Hills, Madia Homes is perhaps best known as the builder behind the stately Heights of North Park neighborhood in Pine. Frank also lived in the Heights before building his elegant final home, which he shared with his second wife, Missy, on a plot near North Park two years ago.

“I think the consistency of the quality of the build is what Madia Homes is known for,” says Luke Madia, Frank’s son. “He would develop the ground and put in the roads and the infrastructure. He’d take it really from just a field to a finished community.”

That legacy of quality, consistency and respect for others is what Luke and Sarah will carry on in their father’s name.

After a short illness, Frank died in May at age 71. Although Luke, who obtained his real estate license while still in high school, had already taken over most of the company’s day-to-day business, he now fully oversees Madia Homes, including its commercial side. A successful Realtor with RE/MAX Select Realty, Sarah remains involved with the family business.

The siblings intend to honor Frank as they join forces with Pittsburgh Magazine to build and celebrate the 2025 Ultimate House.

Established in 2015, the Ultimate House has recognized six “ultimate” homes. Its 7th will be built at Madia Home’s new Four Seasons neighborhood in Hampton. The modern, coastal-inspired home, is projected to be complete by the fall of 2025.

Throughout the construction process, Ultimate House will partner with Pittsburgh’s best brands and businesses to showcase the “Ultimate” in residential living today.

Once staging is complete, the home will open to the public for two weeks of tours, with all ticket proceeds benefiting UPMC Children’s Hospital’s Free Care Fund. Since its inception in 2015, Pittsburgh Magazine’s Ultimate Houses has raised more than $370,000 for the fund.

“What I’m looking forward to is showing what our company can do, because we’re one of the last few truly custom home builders,” Luke says. “Being able to show the quality of our product and our new community is great, but it really will help some kids in need.”

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Rob King, a member of the Steelers game day broadcast team for more than a decade, will be the Steelers new play-by-play voice on the radio. 

He replaces the legendary Bill Hillgrove, 83, who retired from that role last February after calling the plays from the radio booth since 1994. Hillgrove will continue to call Pitt games.

King made the announcement Thursday morning on the Steelers flagship station, WDVE-FM, a media partner of IHeartMedia Pittsburgh.

 “Rob has done a great job in his 25-year career in the Pittsburgh market and is very respected among his peers in the business,” said Steelers Team President Art Rooney II in an announcement. “We are excited for Steelers Nation to hear his unique perspective and excitement of making our fans feel they are in the stadium witnessing the action on the field.” 

King will join color analyst Craig Wolfley in the broadcast booth.

“The Steelers hold a special place in this community and across the country,” King said in a WDVE release. “I am thankful to Art Rooney II, the Steelers and iHeartMedia for giving me this incredible opportunity to be a meaningful part of one of the greatest organizations in professional sports.” 

THE COMMERCIAL STREET BRIDGE ALONG THE PARKWAY EAST, AS SEEN FROM FRICK PARK. THE BRIDGE WILL BE DEMOLISHED IN 2026 AND REPLACED BY A NEW BRIDGE BUILT BESIDE IT. | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

And so it begins.

Roadwork starts Monday on an exit ramp off the Parkway East that will set the stage for one of the largest highway construction projects in the Pittsburgh region — the $95 million replacement of the Commercial Street Bridge.

Where is that, you ask? It’s the 861-foot-long bridge that carries 100,000 cars a day in and out of the Squirrel Hill tunnels on the Monroeville side of the Parkway East. It crosses Frick Park near the former Irish Centre building.

And here’s an early warning to start saving up your vacation days to be away during the month of July in 2026. That’s when the parkway will be closed in both directions for 25 days while the current bridge is demolished, debris is removed and a new bridge that’s been built beside it is slid into place. The work will be done by Joseph B. Fay Co., according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Starting Monday, July 22, the inbound Wilkinsburg exit ramp (Exit 78B) to Ardmore Boulevard will be closed through late August as crews lower the ramp. That work is necessary because it will be the main detour route for inbound traffic when the Commercial Street Bridge is closed in 2026. Right now the ramp is too high to allow tall trucks to drive under another overpass in the area. Detours will be posted.

THIS IS A RENDERING OF THE ARCHED DELTA FRAME STRUCTURE THAT WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING COMMERCIAL STREET BRIDGE ON THE PARKWAY EAST. | COURTESY OF PENNDOT

The project will use what PennDOT calls Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques to laterally slide the new bridge onto the existing alignment of the Parkway East. An arched delta frame structure will be built just south of the existing Commercial Street Bridge on temporary foundations and slid slowly into place once the existing bridge is demolished and debris removed.

According to the Pittsburgh Union Progress, motorists and park-goers will see work starting in August under the Commercial Street Bridge area to prepare for future construction. Trees and brush will be removed and the street and trail under the bridge will be temporarily relocated so the substructure that will support the new bridge will be built.

In coming months, according to PennDOT, motorists can expect single-lane and shoulder restrictions in each direction of I-376 on weekends and weeknights as needed through 2026. Additionally, in 2025, there will be several overnight full closures and detours of eastbound I-376 and a full weekend closure and detour of I-376 in each direction. 

PennDOT has created an email distribution list for the public for Parkway East traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by sending email addresses to ymanyisha@pa.gov. Please write “Subscribe – Parkway East” in the subject line.

105 Oakwood Road
Peters Township, PA 15317

Presented by Jim Popeck
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services

An excellent opportunity in Peters Township for the discerning buyer. Unparalleled superior/high-end finishes and an outdoor/auto-enthusiast paradise. Attention to detail & thoughtful selections create a daily 5-star experience.

Picturesque views from the veranda/balcony overlook the pool oasis and landscaped grounds. Sophisticated ceiling designs and stately mouldings grace the rooms throughout the home. Exquisite, two-tone gourmet kitchen with accenting working surfaces, stainless steel and ceramic is everything you’d expect in a home of this caliber.

Main level master with walk-in closet & en-suite bath of royalty proportion. Enormous lower level with walls of glass designed to erase the lines between indoor/outdoor and offer unique gathering spaces. Three levels have access via elevator or two dramatic staircases. Pamper your rides with the three bay garage PLUS a five bay detached garage with lift.

Detached structure includes a full bath, 22×14 wood working shop, finished second level and HVAC. Peters Township amenities at your fingertips!

Price: $3,400,000
Beds: 4
Baths: 4 | 1 half

Click here to learn more about this property.

To schedule a visit:

Jim Popeck
Office: 724-941-8800

Sponsored content is created and paid for by the marketer.

PHOTO BY HARRISON BARDEN/PITTSBURGH PIRATES

The much-anticipated All-Star showdown against Aaron Judge lasted just one pitch and amounted only to a one-hop grounder to third, but by then two of the pitches Paul Skenes had thrown to Juan Soto had already shown America all anybody needed to see.

The first was what is fast becoming Skenes’ signature amid the array of nasty options he has at his disposal, the “Splinker,” a pitch FOX analyst and Hall-of-Fame pitcher John Smoltz described as “kinda like a split-finger sinker.”

Whatever, it’s been proving exceptionally difficult to hit.

Skenes’ historic start for the National League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas proved to be no different.

Related: Pirates Can Begin to Dream Again Thanks to Skenes

Soto waved weakly at the initial offering, “the kind of swing that nobody draws against this generational hitter,” FOX play-by-play man Joe Davis maintained.

We’ve been seeing that all along.

The second was a slider low and away that didn’t threaten to enter the strike zone.

“That’s the one pitch that has the ability to upgrade,” Smoltz assessed. “It’s gonna be a weapon for him.

“I would think if that upgrade continues, as normal pitchers do, he is gonna be unhittable.”

Imagine the impact if that happens, as Smoltz anticipates it should.

Skenes’ first 11 Major League starts had been a revelation, identifiable by swagger, strikeouts, weak swings, weak contact and winning.

But what if he gets even better in his next 11 and beyond?

What if, as Smoltz suggested, “unhittable” is the mere mastering of Skenes’ slider away?

That might get the Pirates into the playoffs even if they don’t make a trade to upgrade their anemic offense.

The Bucs hit the All-Star break at 48-48, and in the thick of the races for the N.L. Central Division championship and a Wild Card invitation to the National League playoffs.

Their climb from a season-low six games under .500 on May 25 back into contention has included a record of 31-26 since Skenes’ debut on May 11.

Skenes is 6-0 individually and the Pirates are 8-3 collectively in games in which he pitches.

They’re also 13-6 in games in which Mitch Keller has taken the mound.

Related: Skenes Raising the Roof Along with Pirates’ Expectations

Those two are absolutely capable of leading a charge in the unofficial second half of the season.

And Jared Jones (the Pirates are definitely capable of better than 7-9 when he starts) will presumably return sometime in mid-August.

That’s the heart of a rotation that can take a team to October.

Even a team as offensively challenged as the Pirates.

Adding a significant bat prior to the July 30 trade deadline would enhance their chances significantly (the need for such a transaction is as obvious as it is unlikely given the Pirates’ determination to spend as little money as possible regardless of the circumstances).

Even a minor addition or two might nudge the Bucs over the hump.

Related: Why Is There Such High Demand for Paul Skenes Baseball Cards?

But even if they do nothing, as most observers are probably resigned to the Pirates doing (did we mention how much they hate to spend money?), they can get there from here.

The biggest issue might be finding a way to keep Skenes pitching assuming the Bucs are able to make a push for the postseason.

He’s never thrown more than 122.2 innings in a season (at LSU in 2023) and he’s at 66.1 this season (not counting his one-inning, 16-pitch All-Star dominance).

“Pittsburgh’s gonna have to find a way to get him through the second half,” Smoltz observed, before adding, “Can you imagine them in the postseason?”

“Oh man,” Davis added.

Oh, man, indeed.

SENZA HAS QUICKLY GROWN INTO MANY THINGS, INCLUDING A CATERING KITCHEN. | PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Couples Justin and Caitlin Steel and Matthew and Jessie Manowski spent a lot of time together during the pandemic.

Veterans of the service industry, the food-loving friends supported each other through service shutdowns, staff shortages and Covid protocols, all while becoming parents, sharing home-cooked meals and planning for the future as business partners.

In a way, quarantine gave birth to Senza in Etna. The name, an Italian word that means without rules or boundaries, is reflected in the ever-changing menu. In addition to good eats, ranging from seafood and steaks to apps made with seasonal fruits and veggies, there’s a small, but thoughtfully curated selection of wine, beer and cocktails.

STEAK AT SENZA | PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Related: Etna Has Been Getting National Attention for Several Years – And For Good Reason

Caitlin, who was a Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre company member before retiring from the stage in 2016, met Justin at Bar Marco, the Strip District joint he owns. They liken the new spot to a European cafe. And they should know; her performance career and his culinary studies took them around the world.

They collect culinary experiences like souvenirs and they’re all on display at Senza, from Korean-spiced crisp chicken and Amalfi-style scampi and shrimp risotto to carnitas and a French brie slab with seasonal jam and bread.

The spot, which opened in February as a bakeshop, has quickly grown into many things, including a catering kitchen. The Manowskis launched Mesa/Terra Catering and Private Dining when they lived in Colorado and now offer the Mediterranean-style service here in PA. Bar Marco is on both of their resumes, so there’s usually a fresh pasta dish on the menu.

PASTA AT SENZA | PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Related: CoStar Brewing Takes the Spotlight in Etna

Senza is also an event space, foodie destination and, on a monthly basis, the place to be for a Thursday night, four-course tasting menu.

No rules. No boundaries. No tips accepted.

Drop in on, say, a Saturday around 11 a.m., and you can order a braised pork shoulder and a Bloody Mary or make it a wine-and-charcuterie morning while your dining companion sips Boon Boona Coffee and downs one of chef Jessie’s pastries. For decades, her family ran Barkus Bakery, a company that operated multiple shops around Pittsburgh.

I went to Senza on a Friday afternoon with my daughter, Sarah. Typically, she’s a picky eater, but she housed a dish of burrata and heirloom tomatoes, a New York strip steak, frites, a side salad, fresh bread and then tried to go after my Tagliatelle. I kindly told her “Taglia-hell no!”

It was my last, moderately priced meal before embarking on a beach vacation, and I wanted to savor every bite.

The space has a nautical feel to it. White-washed boards cover the walls, and there are several high-backed, blue booths that look like upholstered waves. During the day, they’re bathed in sunlight pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling front windows. Feel free to pull up a stool and gaze out at bustling Butler Street.

Flowers, shelves lined with cookbooks and an array of artwork add splashes of color. Matthew, a Wisconsin native, is an artist both in and out of the kitchen.

He was also playing server that afternoon and we had a nice conversation about how vacations feed the soul.

Eating handmade noodles in a white wine sauce with kale, summer squash, hazelnuts and big dollops of chevre cheese was the perfect way to kick off my week of sunburn, sand and seafood. I paired it with an effervescent tequila cocktail and could hear the ocean calling my name. Or maybe that was the Senza burger begging me to adhere to an all-burger diet.

Related: Visit Some Sizzling New Burger Joints

I hope to return on a Thursday evening for one of those popular prix-fixe parties. The July 25 event is already sold out.

The dinner series started in March with an epicurean exploration of France’s regional cuisine. I urge you to follow their Instagram page and scroll back through the menus and drool. Seriously, you’ll need a life preserver.

Each event is priced at $99 per person and includes four courses, wine pairings, dessert and gratuity. Although the partners have grand visions, their seating is limited.

Consider it an all-inclusive vacation.

Etna: 372 Butler St. Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Saturday dinner service starts July 20.

Breed: Other
Sex: Male
Age: 9.2 years
Weight: 4.1 pounds

Meet Strudel!

Strudel is a nine-year-old senior bun who came to us after his bonded partner passed away and they could no longer care for him. He is currently living in a foster home. He loves to be pet, brushed and groomed. He enjoys chewing on cardboard – which is his favorite enrichment activity. Strudel’s vision is impaired, so he does not see too well. He would do well in a home with children 13 and older, who will respect his space. He could live with another rabbit pending a successful meet and greet.

Interested in giving this golden aged fella a wonderful retirement? Fill out an application at thinkingoutsidethecage.org.

All of our animals are altered, microchipped and up to date on vaccines before being made available for adoption.

Please read our adoption guidelines and start your application before coming to meet one of our animals in person. A typical adoption can take up to an hour. Please visit at least one hour before closing if you plan to adopt that day.

Requested Adoption Donations

Young/Adult younger than 6 years | $85
Senior 6 years or older | $50

Golden Age Retrievers

The requested donation for adopters age 60 and older has been partially underwritten. Click here for more information.

Veterans

Animal Friends waives the requested adoption donation for veterans and active-duty members.

Animal Friends
562 Camp Horne Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Kennel License #: 1042

GET BRINY AT PICKLESBURGH THIS WEEKEND | PHOTO COURTESY OF DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH PARTNERSHIP

There are some activities that are nominally targeted at youngsters, yet are simply so cool that adults must be included. For example: A (free) opportunity to create a musical backpack. At the museum.

Sure, you could just help your little ones make their own over-the-shoulder cacophony machine — but then you wouldn’t get one. And you definitely want one.

Fortunately, kids, parents, and any other adults will be accommodated this Saturday, as the Carnegie Museum of Art and Squonk team up to present the Inside Out Summer Exhibitions Celebration. In the sculpture court, you’ll be invited (with help) to create your own DIY instrument — then take part in “Squonk’s Parade of Recycled Wonders,” as the creative theater company turns the day’s festivities into an all-out celebration.

It’s much more than just loud knapsacks, however. If you register in advance, you’ll get complimentary museum admission from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., giving you the opportunity to take in the museum’s current lineup and innumerable treasures free of charge. You can also hop on complimentary tours inside (until 2 p.m.), or snack on grub from the Pita My Shawarma food truck outside.

It’s part of the museum’s loaded Inside Out series, which brings free art and activities into the open air for the warmer months. For younger guests, it’s a great introduction to the world of art — and for everyone, it’s a can’t-miss opportunity to engage with one of the city’s most storied institutions.

More Things to Do in Pittsburgh

Picklesburgh, much like its signature floating vegetable, is getting bigger — it threatens to become a summer-dominating event around these parts. We already experienced “Taste of Picklesburgh,” and that’s just the lead-up to this weekend’s main event: Four days of brined goodness, from signature drinks and food samples to music and entertainment with a slightly green theme, on and around the Boulevard of the Allies. You can peruse the preserved vendors and samples at will, head to Market Square to take in the annual “Olympickle Games,” or bring the kids to the appropriately named “Li’l Gherkins” activity area. If you’re planning on attending on Saturday, grab a ticket (they’re limited) to “Whose Brine Is it Anyway?,” an all-star improv show with a pickled focus taking place at Arcade Comedy Theater. Whatever your fancy — and even if, like this suddenly sheepish writer, you don’t actually like pickles all that much — you’ll see why this festival has been ranked among the best specialty food fetes in the country.

The breakthrough album by Paula Cole, “This Fire,” is an icon of ’90s radio rock. Catapulted by the infectious (and oddly somber) single, “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?,” Cole scored an even bigger hit with “I Don’t Wanna Wait,” immortalized as the theme song for the teen drama “Dawson’s Creek.” In the years since, Cole has continuously reinvented her style, exploring jazz and folk sounds while continuing to record and perform. This Sunday night, you can see her — for free — at Hartwood Acres, as part of the Allegheny County Summer Concert Series.

Sam Shepard’s play “Buried Child” is no light evening at the theater: A family on the brink of ruin welcomes a newcomer, exposing their secrets and regrets to unforgiving light. In the hands of the capable and courageous Throughline Theatre Company, however, it will assuredly be a dynamic and moving performance. The company presents “Buried Child” at Carnegie Stage, opening this Friday and continuing through July 28; a strong cast includes Brett Sullivan Santry, Cecilia Staggers and Michael McBurney. (And we recommend LeoGreta for your pre-show meal.)

A new documentary, “Frank Capra: Mr. America,” explores the life and creative legacy of the iconic Hollywood producer. It opens Sunday at the Harris Theater Downtown, and if you’re lacking in your film history, you can brush up alongside the doc; a group of Capra’s movies, both iconic and slightly obscure, will screen as well. Catch “You Can’t Take It With You,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and more through the end of the month.

Paul Skenes just smoked the American League All-Stars; can the Pirates continue their four-game winning streak after the All-Star Break? They’ll have to handle the formidable Phillies to do so, as the cross-state rivals come into town this weekend for a three-game set. Don’t let those visiting fans dominate the stands: It’s also Yinzerpalooza Weekend at the ballpark, featuring block parties, fireworks, and — on Saturday — a free Wiz Khalifa bobblehead to the first 20,000 fans in attendance.

Looking for more things to do? Check out our complete list of events in Pittsburgh for today, tomorrow and the weeks ahead.

Three Rivers Stadium by Joel Dinda/Flickr is licensed under CC BY 2.0

On July 16, 1970, the Pittsburgh Pirates played their first game at their new home: Three Rivers Stadium.

The Pirates lost the game 3-2 to the Cincinnati Reds, the same team they’d lose to in the National League Championship Series. They ended the season with a 89-73 record, giving them their first National League East title.

In June that year, they played their final game at Forbes Field, which had been their home since 1909.

According to Historic Pittsburgh, “At the time of the opening game, the construction work on Three Rivers was still incomplete inside and outside, forcing some fans to cross wooden planks over muddy parking lots to reach their seats.”

The Pirates played at Three Rivers until its demolition in 2001, when they moved to their new home base of PNC Park.

RICKY SPICUZZA, THE NEW GENERAL MANGER OF KENNYWOOD AND SANDCASTLE PARKS. | PHOTO COURTESY OF PALACE ENTERTAINMENT

It didn’t take Ricky Spicuzza long to make changes upon his promotion to general manager of Kennywood and Sandcastle Water parks. Working behind the scenes earlier this month, he extended Kennywood’s closing hours by an hour — from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. — through July 20. 

Palace Entertainment, which owns both Kennywood and Sandcastle, announced the promotion of Spicuzza on Tuesday. He’s a lifelong Pittsburgher who has worked at one of Palace Entertainment’s parks for 22 seasons. Palace also owns Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier.

Related: 5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Next Trip to Kennywood

He started his career with Palace Entertainment in 2002 as a food and beverage team member at Kennywood. In 2010, Spicuzza worked as the aquatics manager at Idlewild & SoakZone before his promotion to director of operations in 2013. 

He has now served as assistant general manager at each of Palace Entertainment’s three Pittsburgh-based parks; Idlewild in 2016, Sandcastle Water Park in 2021 and Kennywood Park in 2023. 

Last year, Spicuzza also led several Kennywood upgrades including the opening of the new Potato Smash bumper cars, Carousel Burger Company and Jeeter’s Pub. According to a press release from Palace Entertainment, Spicuzza has been instrumental in overseeing the operations, retail, maintenance, security and food and beverage departments at Kennywood since his appointment. 

Related: Kennywood Caters to Thrill-Seeking Foodies with New Rides and Restaurants

He succeeds Mark Pauls, who has been promoted within Palace Entertainment to vice president of operations for the United States and Australia. Palace owns more than 20 major entertainment venues across 10 states and two countries, says Lynsey Winters, Palace communications director. 

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Matt and Micheline Barkley aren’t doctors, but they’ve got a cure for the summertime blues.

The couple operate Ice Cream Emergency, a 32-foot-long bus that looks like an ambulance. When the mercury rises, it’s time to catch a cold.

It was already 88 degrees at 10 a.m. when the mobile, full-service parlor pulled up outside of Pittsburgh Magazine’s headquarters on Washington’s Landing. We hired the company to give us the scoop because nothing boosts morale like a mid-morning sundae bar.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Related: Chill Out This Summer at The Snowman, a Tiny Ice Cream Stand with a Big Personality

The vehicle is stocked with a toppings bar and 22 three-gallon tubs of premium ice cream in various flavors, including gluten- and dairy-free options. Before boarding, you can fill out a prescription slip detailing your order. I housed a cup of vanilla piled high with waffle cone bits, peanut butter sauce, hot fudge, whipped cream and cherries.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Matt and Micheline wear scrubs and carry “stethoscoops,” but they cannot cure brain freezes.

The Barkleys cater corporate and private events in Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties. They try to stay close to their New Brighton home because the bus only gets 8 miles per gallon. Pigging out on a gas hog is just what the doctor ordered.

Nine years ago, a Connecticut family launched Ice Cream Emergency. Today, there are 16 franchisees in seven states. The Barkleys own the first one in Pennsylvania.

After raising four kids and selling their business (Matt, an Army veteran, served as CEO of Plastikoil of PA, Inc. for more than 25 years), they wanted to chill out but stay active.

They researched brick-and-mortar ice cream shops, but once they discovered Ice Cream Emergency online the lights and sirens went off in their heads. They decided to hit the road — STAT!

The retrofitted bus arrived in March, around the time I reported on another mobile merry-maker, The Pub on Wheels!

The Barkleys’ first event was on April 8 at a solar eclipse watch party in Sharpsburg, a fitting way to usher in a new career that’s synonymous with sunshine. The ICE season runs from April through October, but they hope to cater some winter weddings and parties.

“Everybody’s happy when it’s ice cream,” Micheline says. “There’s no doubt in my mind that this is what we were meant to do.”

A SAMPLE OF KYLE HOLBROOK’S WORK. THIS IS A MURAL HE PAINTED IN WILKINSBURG. | PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLE HOLBROOK

Kyle Holbrook, a muralist from Wilkinsburg who has painted murals around the world, is set to paint four murals in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 26-Aug. 11. The locations, as well as collaborating artists, will be revealed when the murals are painted, he says. 

These murals will feature his signature universal symbol of peace, he says, showing a hand holding up a peace sign with its fingers. 

KYLE HOLBROOK’S SIGNATURE UNIVERSAL SYMBOL OF PEACE. | PHOTO BY RICHARD COOK

Holbrook believes in the power of art to share his message. 

“[I want to] bring more attention to the issue and the need for peace and humanity…” he says. “What a more important time to send the message as a human that we need to think about peace and humanity.”

Related: Here Are the Pittsburgh Athletes Going to the Paris Olympics

His message of peace comes from the lasting issue of gun violence in America. Holbrook himself, as well as close friends, have been victims of gun violence. He hopes to spread his message of peace with these murals. 

He also wants to connect his message of peace to the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza conflict. 

“I think doing this, these murals for the Olympics, is the pinnacle of my career,” Holbrook says.

KYLE HOLBROOK | PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLE HOLBROOK

Holbrook plans to paint these murals in high-traffic areas that many tourists will visit because of its proximity to art done by famous artists such as Banksy, Activator, a French street artist and JR, a French photography muralist. 

The Olympics are expected to draw 300,000 spectators from around the world. He plans to print the words on the murals in English and French so that the message is universally understood. The murals will also include Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic and Russian symbols.

To make this project successful, Holbrook received $150,000 from the Louis Wolfson Foundation and the Miami-based Pinnacle Housing Group to get needed supplies and to work out logistics with the property owners of the four buildings. 

In the last 24 years, Holbrook says he has painted more than 400 murals in the Pittsburgh area and 150 in Miami, where he resides part of the time. He also says he has painted murals in 43 countries. 

He also founded Moving Lives of Kids, known as the MLK Mural Project, a public arts organization that empowers youth through art and education by equipping them with the skills to produce public art. It involves a group mural project and community work each summer.

Murals he has painted in the Pittsburgh area include August Wilson in the Hill District, the Veterans Mural on the South Side as well as the large image of Roberto Clemente on the side of the Clemente Museum in Lawrenceville. He has also painted a mural in Monroeville Mall, which includes many Pittsburgh icons like Mac Miller and Franco Harris on the 20th anniversary of the Monroeville Mall Mural in 2023. 

ALLEGHENY COUNTY EXECUTIVE SARA INNAMORATO WEARS VISUAL IMPAIRMENT GLASSES TO SIMULATE HOW IT WOULD FEEL TO TRY HITTING A TENNIS BALL WITH LOW VISION. SHE’S AT A NEW COURT IN SOUTH PARK. | PHOTO BY RUBY SIEFKEN

“Ready? Play!”

This tennis match starts like any traditional game with the echoing “thwack” of firm foam against the tight webbing of a tennis racket’s sweet spot. But, as the ball travels through the air to land on the opposite side of the net, it makes a distinct rattling sound to let the opposing player know when and where to react. 

These tennis players are missing a seemingly vital part of the game — their vision. 

On Monday, Allegheny County officials unveiled the first permanent blind and visually impaired tennis courts in the nation — now located in South Park, Boyce Park, North Park and Settlers Cabin.

The courts are actually a project organized and set up by the nonprofit Highland Park Tennis Club, which has been offering free summer clinics for blind and visually impaired players since 2019 on courts with temporary modifications.

Blind and visually impaired tennis, otherwise known as BVI tennis, was created in 1984 by Mioshi Takei, a blind Japanese athlete. The sport is now played in 40 countries internationally, making the U.S. behind the ball in such adaptive sports. The Highland Park Tennis Club — which has been based at the courts on Stanton Avenue in the Highland Park neighborhood — and the United States Blind Tennis Association started this project in Pittsburgh to change that. 

“When you have to modify something that everyone else just gets to walk on and use, it just makes you feel a certain way,” says County Executive Sara Innamorato, who tried some tennis shots Monday on the courts in South Park as she wore visually impaired glasses to see what the experience is like. 

“We’re saying come as you are,” she says. “We have the courts ready for you.”

The project was largely created by Dana Squelch-Costa, president of the United States Blind Tennis Association, or USBTA. 

Costa founded USBTA for her daughter, who was born with a visual impairment. In cooperation with Carlow University professor Jennifer K. Roth, Innamorato and the Highland Park Tennis Association, Costa made her dreams — and her daughter’s — a reality. 

“It allows for my daughter to just be free and play, just as any other child or adult would,” says Costa. “It breaks down those boundaries and allows for freedom and removes the stereotypical inability to play a sport because you have some disability or some limitation.”

LOW VISION TENNIS COURTS IN SOUTH PARK. | PHOTO BY RUBY SIEFKEN

So, how do blind athletes play tennis? There are several modifications that make this sport possible without vision. 

Players are split into visual classifications to determine which set of rules the athlete will follow. Players who are ranked B1 have no vision, play with shorter rackets and are allowed three bounces on each side of the net. B2 and B3 players have fuzzy or poor partial vision and are allowed two bounces. B4 and B5 players have good partial sight, and these players are allowed the traditional single bounce. 

BVI tennis courts are smaller than traditional courts. The courts are outlined with raised lines which allow players to identify their position on the court by feeling the lines with their feet. Before permanent courts were established, these ridges were created by taping wire along the perimeter of the courts with tape. 

The most important aspect of this sport are the sound-adapted tennis balls — the firm foam balls contain a rattling sound device that emits a noise when the ball is both in the air and once it hits the ground. 

Roth, vice president of the United States Blind Tennis Association and a Highland Park Tennis Club community partner, has a background in cognitive neuroscience and is professor of psychology and counseling at Carlow University. She has led and participated in several science experiments regarding the brain’s ability to localize an object’s location based on sound. 

In the future, Roth hopes to perfect her patented design for an electronic ball, which will make the sound easier to locate in the air using just your ears. 

Highland Park’s tennis program has 16 members. Players can participate through 12-week summer clinics designed for visually impaired players as young as age 5. 

Charles Gottus, who is blind, has been involved with the program for more than two years. 

Gottus was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa when he was in the fifth grade. The rare genetic eye disease runs in his family and causes vision loss over time. Before his diagnosis, Gottus says he was very active and participated in baseball, tennis, hockey and other sports. 

But, when his vision took a turn in his mid 30s, Gottus had to stop playing sports. He said it is one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do. 

Fifteen years later, the 53-year old says he was nervous the first time he held a racket after years off the court. 

“The second I hit that first ball, I was just like ‘Oh boy, this is what I’ve been missing,’” he says. 

Since Gottus joined the club, it has taken part in several national tennis conventions, including an outing at the US Open. 

He says the community of players and friends he’s made along the way have offered him the opportunity to share his experiences with others who share them. Gottus says he even hopes to compete one day. 

“It’s just made a world of difference for me and it’s given me my confidence back,” he says. 

“Chuck is one of the many reasons that we keep going,” says Costa, who took part in training Gottus at the Highland Park Tennis Club. 

Costa says the USBTA is hoping to expand permanent courts across the United States. The organization works with regional tennis clubs to train instructors, recommend equipment, establish programming and teach trainers how to effectively interact with blind athletes. 

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Last summer, Pittsburgh was crawling with thousands upon thousands of Spotted Lanternflies. By covering cars, eating gardens, and swarming around houses, the invasive insects antagonized every simple summer enjoyment.

So, is the buzzing back? According to the Post Gazette, “Penn State researchers expect lanternfly numbers to drop significantly in the next year or two, if previous population trends in the eastern part of the state hold.”

But that doesn’t mean they’ll all be gone. Rather than seeing 50 to 100 a day like we did last summer, expect closer to 10. Not as many, but debatably still too many.

Lanternflies are invasive insects that feed on a plethora of plants, including fresh produce like grapes, stone fruits, and apples.

Their damage to hardwood trees is likely less severe than originally expected, according to a Penn State study. Lanternflies won’t kill healthy hardwoods, however they will cause damage. It is suggested to water large trees during drought to help reduce the stress.

The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania advised in a press release against homeowners covering trees with sticky tape to capture lanternflies.

“The tape lives up to its name and can capture birds and beneficial insects, leading to serious injury or a prolonged and painful death,” the society said.

The best way to deal with the nuisances is to simply squish!

“Be a friend to birds and beneficial insects — say no to sticky tape and yes to the tried-and-true method of squishing Spotted Lanternflies,” the society said.

MIKE SULLIVAN AND HAT TRICK, OR HATTY FOR SHORT. | PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH ZOO & AQUARIUM

Pittsburgh Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan visited the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium to welcome their newest macaroni penguin chick, Hat Trick — Hatty for short.

The penguin, who hatched on Mother’s Day, received his visitor for a private meeting on July 7, resulting in an adorable video.

“I was honored to welcome the newest Penguin, Hatty, to our team at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium,” Sullivan said in a press release. “We love to visit the real penguins in their habitat and see their personalities.”

While coach was taking photos with the new player in his lineup, she started acting fussy, to which Sullivan had a witty response.

“She’d fit right in with our group,” he said. “She reminds me of Geno.”

HATTY STILL HAS HER DOWN FEATHERS. |PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH ZOO & AQUARIUM

Macaroni penguins lay two eggs at a time, and often either smash or discard the first egg. This time around, zoo staff took the first egg laid by macaroni parents Sammy and Elsa, and placed it under gentoo penguin couple Mambo and Cookie in order to let the egg develop.

The gentoo pair took the egg under their wings and incubated it for 35 days.

“I thought [the chick hatching on Mother’s Day] was very fitting for our first-time foster mom, Cookie,” says Shanna Gay, Zoo Aquarist.

Sullivan had the opportunity to meet the rest of the penguin team in the exhibit, including Sully, named after coach himself, and Ltang, for defenceman Kris Letang.

PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH ZOO & AQUARIUM

“Tanger likes to be photoed as well,” says Coach Sullivan as he holds his phone in front of the penguin in the video. “We tell our Tanger he’s never seen a mirror he hasn’t liked.”

According to the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, Hatty still has her down feathers, making her not yet waterproof. Once she grows in her adult feathers and passes her swim test, the newest addition will be slowly integrated into the penguin habitat in the Aquarium.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Brian Mendelssohn gazes up at the damn sandworm above him.

“I haven’t had a chance to turn the eyes on yet,” he says with a sigh.

The devil’s in the details at a new Lawrenceville restaurant that kind of reminds me of a Tim Burton movie I saw back in ’88 starring Pittsburgh native Michael Keaton.

Related: Fans of ‘Beetlejuice’ Will Dig This Strange and Unusual Restaurant in Lawrenceville

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Main Street Diner & Kickback Cafe is in its weekends-only stage of existence. By mid-August, it’ll cross over into expanded hours that include brunch service. Better jump in the line.

I couldn’t make it to the eatery’s Independence Day Weekend debut, but I was the first customer to draw a door when it opened for business on July 12. My brooding, teenage daughter, Sarah, accompanied me to the dark room in the basement of Lawrenceville Market House.

I ordered food and drinks at the bar. She wanted a burger, fries and a chocolate milkshake; I opted for a Polish platter and a Strange & Unusual whiskey cocktail.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Mendelssohn, whose Polish mother-in-law was in the kitchen teaching the staff how to make pierogi, flipped a switch that makes the sandworm’s eyes glow red. He’s the host with the most, babe.

In addition to running businesses relevant to my interests, including Row House Cinemas and Simply Burgers & Fries, both in Lawrenceville, his Fulton Commons Food Accelerator program in Manchester is making one of my foodie dreams come true. On Aug. 15, Sept. 19 and Oct. 17 from 4 to 8 p.m., Franklin Street Markets will be held in Manchester to give emerging local food and farm producers a chance to sell their goods. I hope all of his buildings go condo!

Once our hunger was gone, split, outta here, we hit the arcade.

There are a bunch of pinball machines, including a “Jaws” game. After we dropped some tokens, Sarah and I walked a few blocks up Butler Street to Allegheny Cemetery to pay our respects at the “Jaws” tombstone.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

The temperature outside was hotter than Dante’s Inferno Room, so she, of course, complained the whole time.

Kids! You know, I love them!

Lawrenceville: 4112 Butler St., lower level. Current hours are 3:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

PHOTO BY TOM DAVIDSON

Dippy is turning 125 this year, and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History is hosting a slate of festivities to celebrate the beloved dino.

Thursday, July 18 is Teen Night: Dippy 125, where teens ages 13-18 are invited to a free night full of dinosaur-themed activities, snacks in the teens-only lounge, and learning what made Dippy such an important discovery. Tickets must be registered in advance, as capacity is limited.

The following week on Tuesday, July 23, Dippy & Friends: A Virtual Event will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Carnegie museum curator Matt Lamanna will be speaking about the dinosaurs and animals that lived the same time as Dippy.

The month-long “gotcha-day” celebration ends with After Dark: Dippy’s Rockstar Bash from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, July 26. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History will open its doors for a 21+ bash for Dippy with activities planned throughout the night, including pop-up musical performance. Tickets are required.

Dippy is a Diplodocus skeleton situated in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Oakland. It is considered the most famous dinosaur skeleton in the world because of the numerous plaster casts donated by Andrew Carnegie to multiple major museums.

Dippy has a public sculpture on the grounds of the Carnegie Institute and Library which is decorated with little props for different seasons and events. Dippy’s 125th is being shown off with a little birthday hat atop his head.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

With youth players gearing up for the fall football season, the question of safety may arise in parents’ minds. 

In April, the NFL allowed players to wear Guardian Caps, protective headgear worn around players’ helmets, during regular season games after officials said they saw a 50% reduction in concussions for players who wore them during training season the previous two years. 

Dr. Thom Mayer, the medical director for the NFL Players Association who was the originator of the NFL concussion guidelines program, says while his work focuses on the NFL, it’s important to focus on the issue at any age.

“We’ve had some very good success with that in terms of a combination of helmet testing, rules changes, reducing the number of contact practices that players have … the recent work on Guardian Caps, and it’s a work still very much in progress … If there happened to be corollary benefits to youth football or high school football, other areas, then [that’s] always good.” 

He says he feels kids younger than 12 don’t need to be playing contact football.

“I don’t think you learn any skills from contact, helmeted, padded football before about 12 to 14 years of age that you can’t easily pick up after that time,” he says. 

But football at any age provides “huge benefits” from teamwork, developing trust, developing responsibility and being fit. Mostly, he says, the benefit is having fun.

“The question, ‘Should I allow my son to play football?’ It’s an interesting phrasing of the question to begin with … My question is, is that the child’s deep joy?”

If a young person says they want to play because someone else thinks they should, whether that be a parent, a friend, or a coach, Mayer says that’s a bad sign.

The same goes for when a parent speaks with a coach. If a youth coach says they want players to have fun and build character, trust and teamwork, Mayer says he’s all in.

“If I hear a coach say, ‘Well, I’m going to make men out of them. I want to toughen him up. I want to win championships. As the great philosopher Monty Python used to say, ‘Run away!’”

“You want to run away from coaches like that,” he says. “That is not the kind of coach you want.”

Parents and coaches should have frank conversations about safety, Mayer says. Parents should ask about the coaches’ rules on safety and what they think is the role of the use of the head in the game.

“And if they say, ‘We do Oklahoma drills, we do bull in the ring,’ again, Monty Python, run away.”

He says when he coached his own kids (only when they asked him to), he told his team parents they were going to talk about having fun and building confidence, not winning.

He told them, “We’re not going to beat them down. We’re going to build them up.”

PHOTOS BY CAPTURED LISTINGS

When her grandchildren moved to Pittsburgh 16 years ago, Deanna started visiting them frequently — and the city made an impression on her. 

Joey Selley says her mother-in-law then spent five years looking for the perfect spot in Pittsburgh to call home before finding everything she was looking for at 6911 Church Ave. in Ben Avon. 

“The house had to be walking distance from where we are because she envisioned our kids walking to her house to visit,” she says. “She got that wish because they would often go for walks together to get candy and drinks at the gas station in the Avalon bus loop, and then bring her her favorite candy bars — Snickers or Mounds.” 

Deanna enjoyed 11 years living in the cozy ranch home near her grandchildren. Her family says Deanna (they didn’t want to share her last name) was happiest when her home was full of her children and grandchildren. Despite their busy schedules, her family made that happen as often as they could.

“We had the best time just all being together in her house. I think that she enjoyed being surrounded by us,” says Selley. 

Now listed for $389,000, the three-bedroom, two bathroom home is ready for new owners to fill it with memories.

Jennifer Waters of Howard Hanna says the listing checks so many boxes. One-level living in walkable Ben Avon is one of them, as there are very few ranch-style homes in the stately, historical neighborhood, which is filled with Victorians and American Foursquare-style homes. 

Built in 1957, the home has a recent, 400-square-foot addition that brings the total living space to 1,216 square feet. Inside the new space are an extra living room on the main level, as well as a third bedroom below it — which Waters says gets amazing sunlight — a full bathroom and its own dedicated exit. 

The remainder of the unfinished lower level is spacious, while the roomy kitchen has a functional layout. Waters says the well-maintained house has some other great updates, such as the Trex composite deck. 

“I can just imagine enjoying my morning cup of coffee overlooking the beautifully landscaped and fully fenced-in backyard,” she says.  

While the updates make this house stand out, Waters also loves some of the things Deanna chose not to change. 

“She left the mint-green-and-black, retro tile bathroom,” she says. “It’s not for everyone, but it adds to the charm of the home and is a throwback to the era of the home build.” 

While the home is a gem, the friendly neighborhood is icing on the cake. Selley says the local children loved to come play with her mother-in-law’s dog, or stop by when out for a walk.

“When she passed, so many of them came to us and shared moments of talking to her while they were walking by,” she says. “They all cared about her and had wonderful things to say about her. It was a comfort to know that so many other people loved her company. The feeling of a close-knit community is strong here.”

Meg St-Esprit is a Bellevue-based freelance journalist who covers real estate, lifestyle, education, parenting and travel for a variety of local outlets including Pittsburgh Magazine, PublicSource, Kidsburgh, Pittsburgh City Paper, and City Cast Pittsburgh. Meg offers Hot Property, an inside look into unique and historic homes on the market. Each week, Hot Property goes behind the For Sale sign to share the story of a special Pittsburgh-area home.

About: Ben Avon
Population: 1,899
Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Pittsburgh’s north boroughs have long been popular with commuters for their prime location. Ben Avon, wedged into the triangle made by Ohio River Boulevard and Interstates 279 and 79, is situated perfectly for quick access to all of the city’s major arteries. There are no regular public buses to Ben Avon, but the commuter 19L route takes residents to and from Downtown during the morning and evening commutes.
Schools: Avonworth School District (avonworth.k12.pa.us)
Neighborhood: Named for the Scottish term for “hill by the waters,” Ben Avon is a walkable, historic community with access to parks and several local businesses. Various parades and festivals are beloved by residents year-round, which adds to the community’s close-knit feel. 

Neighborhood data provided by Niche.

A WATERFALL VIEW FROM THE MAIN STREET BRIDGE | PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

“Chagrin Falls is about as picturesque a place as you can imagine,” actor Tim Conway wrote in his 2013 autobiography. “Trust me, it’s a dream town, a living template of mid-nineteenth century America.”

Who am I to argue with Tim Conway?

Incorporated as a village in 1844 (and technically a suburb of Cleveland, located just two hours from Downtown Pittsburgh), Chagrin Falls is bisected by the meandering Chagrin River, with whooshing sound effects provided by two waterfalls that flow through the heart of the historic downtown area. There’s a walkable Main Street — as any self-respecting picturesque village must have — lined with more charming shops than a Hallmark movie.

Conway, who is best known for his comedic stunts on “The Carol Burnett Show,” is not the only notable Chagrin Falls-er. There’s also Bill Watterson of “Calvin and Hobbes” fame (leading to widespread speculation that the comic is set there), 19th-century poet and suffragist Addie Ballou, Broadway stars Corey Cott and Elena Shadow, cartoonist Bela “Bill” Zaboly (“Popeye”), and former San Francisco Giants outfielder Ted Wood.

Start at Chagrin Hardware (82 N. Main St.), a family-owned store serving the village since 1857. If they don’t have it, you don’t need it. A revolving nuts-and-bolts cabinet holds everything from flag brackets and white key tags to boot cleats and corn huskers. Toy soldiers and Christmas ornaments rest side by side on countless shelves, and rakes and garden hoses line the walls. Looking for horseshoes? An “Easy Rider” movie poster with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper riding into the sunset? Whatever you’re looking for, it’s here.

EVERGREEN BAKERY | PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

The Evergreen Bakery is a new addition to downtown Chagrin. Specializing in naturally leavened bread, artisan pastries and local goods, this is the place for all things yeasty and sweet. We were particularly enamored with the chocolate babka loaf and the strawberry rose crostata, although the lemon sugar cookie makes a better on-the-go treat.

The Chagrin Falls Popcorn Shop is a must-see. Perched atop the river with a waterfall gushing below, the shop is a wonder of red-white-and-blue rustic charm. Popular popcorn flavors include Cleveland Art Pop, Sweet Sriracha Cheese and “Chagrin Style” (double cheese and kettle).

The Spice & Tea Exchange is a fun spot to sniff spices from around the world. If my whole house smelled like Cinnamon Chunk Korintje, I wouldn’t complain. For a morning boost, order the Victorian Chai or Ginseng Hippie at the Tea Bar. Just a few steps away is Fireside Book Shop, two floors of the best in bookish stuff. Pay special attention to the shelves of staff picks.

HEDGES HOME-DECOR SHOP | PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

For a small village, the clothing stores in Chagrin Falls are high-end. Choices include A Bit of Skirt, Toni, Nola True, Haven and Blush, each with its own magazine-ready display window. But it’s the home-decor front where downtown really shines. Both Hedges and White Magnolia are heaven for homebodies who are looking to spruce up tired kitchens and dining rooms with items inspired by trips to Tuscany or Normandy. Don’t miss the back wall at Hedges, where you can choose ceramic tiles glazed with images of compasses, honeybees, lighthouses, dapper hares and even St. Nicholas.

Where to Stay

The Inn of Chagrin, just steps away from the downtown shops, scored a coup when renowned fashion designer Christian Siriano signed on to remodel the historical inn’s 15 rooms. Siriano won the fourth season of “Project Runway” in 2007, becoming the series’ youngest winner. His vision for the Inn of Chagrin combines traditional and contemporary, and his fashion-inspired artworks grace the walls in many rooms.

Where to Eat

For dinner, tuck into M Italian (mitalian.com). The lasagna — with house-made bolognese, ricotta, mozzarella and twin pomodoro and alfredo sauces — gets Nonna’s approval. For a lighter bite, try the Pasta M (cavatelli, meatball and pomodoro). The lightly crusted starter bread is baked in-house as well. You’ll want to slip an extra loaf in your pocket. After dinner, browse the adjacent Glass Asylum, where you can watch objets d’art made right before your eyes.

THE GLASS ASYLUM | PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

When to Go

I can’t imagine Chagrin Falls having a bad hair day; it’s truly spectacular in any season. I’ve been twice — in mid spring and early winter — and there are always sights to see. I plan to return in the fall, when one resident said Chagrin is “a big pumpkin and cranberry-colored party.” The village does the holidays right too. Decorated live trees line the Riverside Park Path for the season, and even the streetlight poles catch the spirit with live greenery. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, a massive popcorn ball named Jupiter drops to celebrate the new year.

THE UNDERGROUND BURGER CO. AT THE LEANING CASK. PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER.

After downing 32 burgers for March’s cover story, I vowed to reduce my meat-and-bun consumption. That’s pretty difficult in a town where the number of burger joints is rising faster than my cholesterol.

Here are a few new spots that lured me back into the grease trap.

The Underground Burger Co. at Leaning Cask Brewing Co.

Springdale’s The Leaning Cask Brewing Co., a pup-friendly pub that names their English-style ales after canine breeds, is celebrating its seventh anniversary. So, it is, in essence, their dog year.

To mark the milestone, owners Josh and Stefanie Lipke are starting a new food concept that’s sure to get tails and tongues a-waggin’.

The Underground Burger Co., named after London’s famed subway system, specializes in smash burgers, Belgian-inspired fries, authentic liege waffles and homemade lemonades. By late-summer, the eatery will operate several days a week from the lower-level of the brewery’s courtyard. The 2,000-square-foot, four-tiered space is literally below Pittsburgh Street-level, so the name’s quite right, innit?

In addition to wine, cider, beer and cask ale (a rare style in Pittsburgh), you can sip housemade cocktails by the firepits. play outdoor games and pet dogs.

Partners Justin Herko and Kailey Resnik handle the sizzling side of the pro-Brit business. They made me a jolly good burger on July 10 during the third and final pop-up of the summer.

Despite the kiln-like temperatures, it felt like the holidays inside the spacious taproom. The AC was on full-blast and a faux fireplace roared in the cozy lounge area. People were eating, drinking and being merry while watching a “football” game being played across the pond.

Excessive heat turns me into a real Scrooge, but I felt so dang festive I ordered a pint of Christmas Cur, a winter ale that’s made an off-season return to the draft list.

My burger, crafted from locally sourced ingredients including beef from Salem’s Market and an Allegro Bakery’s gluten-free bun that gives the sandwich a nice chew, arrived at my table in a little box. For a meat-lover, it was the perfect Christmas in July present.

All that was missing was a big, red bow.

Springdale Borough: 850 Pittsburgh St. Hours are Wednesday-Friday 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday noon to 10 and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Pepito’s Place

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Jose Moreno’s culinary career has taken him from a cooking school in his native Venezuela to a Panamanian cocoa-processing plant, a chocolate company in Brazil, New York City kitchens and Florida, where he specialized in Japanese cuisine.

Now the globetrotter is slinging burgers in Brookline.

Pepito’s Place, which opened in March, fuses Venezuelan street food and American fare. The Mechada hot dog, for instance, is topped with shredded beef brisket, potato sticks, cheddar cheese, ranch and sweet plantain slices.

Pepito’s is named after a Spanish story about Don Pepe, a man who would go to small restaurants and bars and order a baguette filled with meat. He was definitely on to something.

Warning: You might want to bring Pepto-Bismol to Pepito’s Place.

The burgers and dogs are stacked high and the side dishes look more like a main course. The place is small, but you can sit at the counter, spin old 45 records, peruse the eclectic decor and sip a Venezuelan soft drink called Fress Kolita while you eat a deliciously sloppy sandwich.

The Big Boy pepito, accompanied by a side of cheese-bacon fries, is the shop’s biggest seller and the biggest item on the menu.

A 13-inch hoagie roll is stuffed with steak, chicken breast, bacon, corn, potato sticks, shredded cheddar cheese and traditional Venezuelan sauces, including bacon, garlic, cheese and a sweet corn condiment that I would happily drink by the gallon. Social media influencers will love the Smurf Sauce, which has a sweet, smoky flavor and a neon blue hue.

Brookline and the surrounding neighborhoods are filled with lots of great eateries, including The Kickstand Sandwich Shop, Oak Hill Post, Moonlit Burgers and Tim’s Corner Market. Pepito’s Place is a nice addition.

“I wanted to open this eatery because I’ve always had a passion for street food,” Moreno says. “I believe that street food is where a person can truly showcase a lot of their roots and culture through food. When I noticed that this style of food from my country wasn’t represented here, I decided to open this business featuring one of the most universal and popular dishes worldwide: burger.”

Brookline, 919 Brookline Blvd. Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 3 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Super Smash Burgh

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Super Smash Burgh is located in a former Penn Hills car wash. There’s no indoor seating, but the old bays make nice, little patios.

The new business hasn’t forgotten its property’s roots. On July 14 from noon to sunset, you can fill your belly and clean your ride when the eatery hosts a Bikini Car Wash Day Party with food, drinks, games and music.

Owner Marcus Porter opened the business in June to not only feed the community he loves, but to give his four children a hard-working hero to look up to.

His super power? Making the best kind of bad-for-you food.

The menu includes smash burgers, fries, wings, onion rings and deep-fried Oreos. In an attempt to appear semi-healthy, I opted for the vegan burger. It tasted like the real deal! Of course, I had to try a few bites of my daughter’s beef burger for comparison purposes. And her fries.

Forget my car, my body needs to undergo a cleanse.

Penn Hills, 6520 Saltsburg Road. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Franken-Fried Food Truck

Now that I’ve celebrated Christmas in July, it’s time to decorate for my favorite holiday: Halloween.

I can’t wait to sink my incisors into a burger from Franken-Fried. I’ve been catching glimpses of this frightening food truck around town, but have yet to meet the mad scientist behind it. The vehicle’s paint job, a combination of monsters and munchies, is to die for. I’d like the artist to recreate it in my kitchen – a horrifying place for all ye who enter.

PHOTO © NEON

One review quote appearing in ads for “Longlegs” calls it the best serial-killer flick since “Silence of the Lambs.” While that’s a slight exaggeration (that relies on a nebulous subgenre qualification), it’s easy to see why that movie was invoked; from the hardscrabble yet beautiful settings to a Clarice-esque performance from Maika Monroe, “Longlegs” seems determined to recall the 1991 classic.

The new film, however, crosses the line from human terror to supernatural fears. Written and directed by Osgood Perkins — the actor and filmmaker is the eldest son of Anthony Perkins — “Longlegs” never hides that there are otherworldly (or underworldly) forces at play, beginning with FBI Special Agent Lee Harker (Monroe) discovering that she has psychic abilities.

A no-nonsense superior (Blair Underwood) notices Harker’s abilities and assigns her to investigate a killer named Longlegs, who has left Zodiac-esque notes at a slew of crime scenes but does not appear to have ever actually murdered anyone. We only catch glimpses of the madman — played with grinning, flailing menace by Nicolas Cage — for most of the running time, as the script follows a circuitous path to bring our hero and villain together.

Undoubtedly, the script stumbles — or, rather, it ties itself up. Even within a supernatural context, the film adds a dozen unnecessary detours and spooky flourishes to get where it’s going; a lot of time is spent on terrifying dolls that serve as little more than demonic text messages.

If the script falls short of the mark, the direction far exceeds it. Perkins proves virtuosic in his ability to conjure dread and menace; you don’t fear a jump scare, you fear the sudden intrusion of mind-quaking horror. I can’t imagine watching “Longlegs” alone at night; see it in the theater, where the promise of well-lit hallways can keep you from getting lost in fear.

My Rating: 7/10

“Longlegs” is now playing in theaters.