Spring Heritage Market at the Pump House

Saturday, April 23 · 10:00am - 3:00pm

Ethnic foods and crafts; button box music; free bike rides on the Great Allegheny Passage; Pick-a-Prize Auction and other surprises!

The Historic Pump House

880 E. Waterfront Drive

Munhall, PA

Just past Lowe's and across from U.S. Steel Building.

www.riversofsteel.com

St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish Fish Fry

Every Friday
11am to 7pm.

HUGE Fish Sandwich, Jumbo Shrimp Dinner with Steak Fries and Cole Slaw, Crab Cakes, Mac & Cheese, Pierogies, Potato Pancakes & homemade baked goods.

Eat in or take out (412) 462-1743

St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish
363 W. 11th Avenue Extension
Homestead, PA 15120

www.facebook.com/stmaxparish

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

COMCAST

Day of Caring!

at

The Carnegie Library of Homestead

10^th Ave in Munhall

Minor repairs, painting, landscaping, etc.

COMCAST will donate

$20.00 per volunteer to the Library

Saturday, April 30, 2011

8:00 AM – 12:00 noon

For more information, please call 412-292-4066

‘Mercy and the Firefly’ inspired by life in Homestead

Point Park’s REP theater company combines themes of crime, forgiveness in ‘dark comedy’

Even though Cassidi Parker was not cast in the Pittsburgh Playhouse premiere of "Mercy and the Firefly," she had developed such a connection with the play that she stuck around as assistant director in case something opened during production.

Parker's intuition proved correct when she was cast as an added character, Aisha, a week before tech rehearsal, placing her at the right place at the right time during the play about a nun saving a student from the violence of gang warfare.

"It's an uncomfortable play because the show is not hiding anything," Parker, a sophomore musical theater major at Point Park, said in a telephone interview last Wednesday. "The audience should go in with a clean slate, willing to accept something that is not like what they have seen before."

Parker will join The REP, Point Park's professional theater company, in performing the play, written by Amy Hartman and directed by Melissa Martin, at the Pittsburgh Playhouse throughout the month of April.

"Students should go see the play because they need to be aware of what is going on around us outside of Point Park's walls," Parker said. "The issues in the play are not even that far away from us."

The play tells the story of a nun named Lucy who teaches at an East Los Angeles Catholic school, an area plagued by gang warfare. Lucy witnesses and prevents a student's attempt to murder a fellow student, Aisha. After getting arrested for going into hiding with Aisha, Lucy learns the following day that Aisha has been murdered. In desperation, Lucy kidnaps Mercy, the murderer, and they flee to Homestead, Pa. in order to extract Mercy from becoming a gang's soldier within the violence.

"The audience will see the characters struggle to do what's right even when it is the hardest thing to do," Parker said.

Hartman wrote the play during the Bricolage Urban Scrawl, a theater event which challenges artists to write and stage a new play within 24 hours. After several rewrites, Hartman asked Ronald Allan-Lindblom, the artistic director of the Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) at Point Park University, to attend a reading of the play in Pittsburgh a little over a year ago. Lindblom liked it so much he announced at the reading that the Playhouse would produce it.

The story plays off of Homestead's economic and societal climates.

"I think the poverty in Homestead inspired me," Hartman said. "It used to be this working class town, and then the steel mills moved and all these generations lost their jobs, homes and neighborhoods. The factories were bulldozed, and now you see stores like J. Crew and L.L. Bean there. That dichotomy is alarming to me."

The set, designed by COPA's Head of Design Stephanie Mayer-Staley, will depict Homestead's depressed state.

"The entire set is floating so that it appears not real," said Penelope Lindblom, associate professor of theater arts, who plays Vivian Clark, Lucy's mother who takes in Lucy and Mercy when they move to Homestead. "It is a little bubble in time, and as the play progresses the set recedes so that ultimately there is only trash and an empty backyard, and the house the cast lives in disappears."

Staley traveled straight to the setting for inspiration.

"[Staley] went to Homestead and took all these interesting pictures, and one was of this house that was repaired with doors, which made up all of the walls," Lindblom said. "The house on the set is made up of all these mismatched doors, which symbolically might represent every door as an opportunity. Which way will the characters go?"

The play tackles a number of tragic problems within the characters' lives.

"There are some huge issues in the play," Lindblom said. "We are talking about suicide, rape and murder, but it is still funny at the same time."

Lindblom describes the play as a dark yet poignant modern tragedy.

"The main characters are sad, damaged people who live on the fringe of society," Lindbolm said in an interview last Tuesday in the COPA office. "Lucy is in the heights of spiritual enlightenment as a nun and falls out of God's arms because she cannot force herself to forgive Mercy for who she is and what she has done."

According to COPA Marketing Director Chris Hays, the audience will witness an emotionally charged production.

"The audience will leave feeling troubled and emotionally invested in a chilling tale and tasking journey," Hays said. "It is a dark comedy that will make you laugh until you cry."

And yet, theme of forgiveness is depicted in the play.

"One of my lines says it all: to forgive the unforgiveable is as close to God as you're ever going to get," Lindblom said. "Everybody in this play has issues with forgiveness. It shows the only way you can heal yourself is to forgive others. It does not have to be religious or spiritual; it can be moral and ethical. That is my interpretation."

Sharon McCune, who plays Mercy and has been involved with the play since its conception, thinks students should see the show because of that theme.

"There are adults, a student, a mother and a daughter all asking for forgiveness," McCune said in an interview at the Playhouse last Tuesday. "There's some stuff about drug abuse, and that is periphery to how people relate to one another and how it affects how you grow up and the choices you make. The play shows it is never too late to be forgiven or ask for forgiveness."

pointparkglobe.com

By Nicole Chynoweth

Published: Tuesday, March 29, 2011

West Mifflin Senior Center

The new West Mifflin Senior Center, operated by Life Span will have a ribbon cutting on Monday April 4th @ 9:00 AM at the West Mifflin municipal building 3000 Lebanon Church Road, West Mifflin, PA 15122

Steel Valley: A memoir in stories and poems

Michael Adams will read from his book Steel Valley and lead a discussion afterwards of life in the Steel Valley during the heyday and decline of the steel industry. He will be joined by Charlee Brodsky, a professor of photography at Carnegie Mellon University, for Thursday’s presentation at the Homestead Library.

Where: Carnegie Library of Homestead
510 E 10th Ave
Munhall PA 15120
http://www.homesteadlibrary.org/

When: Thursday, April 14 5 to 6:30PM

This event is free.

Michael Adams grew up in West Mifflin, PA. He has a Master’s degree in planning from the University of Pittsburgh and worked as a planner for the Allegheny County Planning Department in the 1970s. His latest book is Steel Valley (2010 Lummox Press http://www.lummoxpress.com/lummoxpress/indexlp.htm ) . He is the author of five other books and winner of the 2007 Mark Fischer Poetry Prize. He now lives in Lafayette, CO with his wife, Claire.

Charlee Brodsky, a professor of photography at Carnegie Mellon University, has photographed the steel valley from when the mills were standing in the 1980s until they were razed and the Waterfront built. She produced two books, one with Judith Modell Schacter entitled Homestead, A Town Without Steel; and From Mill Town to Mall Town with writers Jane McCafferty and Jim Daniels.



Emily Salsberry

Library Services Coordinator/Youth Services Librarian

Carnegie Library of Homestead

510 E 10th Ave

Munhall PA 15120

p 412-462-3444

f 412-462-4669

Check out our blog! www.homesteadlibrary.blogspot.com

West Homestead tourist attraction needs room to grow

Some call it a national treasure. Others see it as a local gem.

Whatever it's called, it is a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction in West Homestead: the Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center.

More than 23,000 visitors to the Pittsburgh region last year visited the facility, including 18 tours of 40 people apiece, conducted from September through May.

"Those visitors represented 48 states and 25 nations," said Patricia French, the center's president.

But its popularity has created a slight problem: lack of parking for visitors and the need to expand the museum for a new kitchen, gift shop and cafe, she said.

"We currently have two kitchens, but would like to have one new, modern kitchen," she said.

The Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County recently approved a grant of up to $150,000, under the county's Community Infrastructure & Tourism Fund, toward the center's $1.3 million expansion.

French is hoping the state approves a $250,000 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant previously authorized for the center.

The money will help to buy two buildings and three contiguous lots, adjacent to the center on West Eighth Avenue, needed for the expansion. The buildings will be demolished.

"We hope to establish between 35 and 40 off-street parking spaces," French said. "Right now, visitors park on a dirt road."

Founded 80 years ago as the Bulgaro-Macedonian Beneficial Association, a group to service 850 families of Bulgarian and Macedonian heritage who resided in the region, the center's membership today is a mixture of various nationalities. And it is no longer a beneficial society.

"The center helps instill tradition and customs that forge a strong sense of community, regardless of one's ancestry," said French, whose parents were co-founders of the center.

The center houses a museum, library, archives, performing dance ensembles and a learning area.

The museum and library are in the building's bottom floor and feature paintings, sketches, musical instruments, journals and audio and video recordings, plus graphics and academic manuscripts.

While these attractions draw visitors to the center, there's another ingredient that brings people to the site -- or call for it to be sent to them: the soups.

About 12 years ago, the organization embarked on its Soup Saga, a venture to sell the many ethnic soups commonly made by its members and volunteers, French said. Soup sales now pay for about 60 percent of the facility's operating costs.

This includes 14 soups, such as chicken soup with farina dumplings (the most popular), Balkan bean and spiced wheat.

"It's the only place locally which doesn't serve pierogies, haluski or fried fish," she said. "We currently are awaiting a report from Ireland, where we sent our soup recipes, on how the soup sales went."

By Sam Spatter
FOR THE PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, March 17, 2011

Read more: West Homestead tourist attraction needs room to grow - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_727501.html#ixzz1HfdhwA6D

May opening set in historic site for Homestead Flea Market

A veteran antiques dealer is launching the Homestead Flea Market near Pittsburgh with a grand opening planned for May 21. Iris Ramos, who owned an antiques business in California, has been searching for the right location since she moved to Homestead, Pa., three years ago. She finally found an 800-square-foot storefront for her swap meet in a historic building at 812 McClure St. “I was looking for a larger location, but the building is so beautiful, and the rent is very fair,” she says. “I live in the community, and I hope to make this a place that will serve the neighborhood.”

The location features 15-foot-high pressed tin ceilings and fine wood floors. The building has been a martial arts studio and a grocery store. It has room to fit just 20 vendors. “It’s a micro-mini flea market serving Pittsburgh and the local community,” says Ramos.

Space rental starts at $15 for both Saturday and Sunday; the market will be open on those days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. However, Ramos says she will not charge vendors rent during May. “The first two weekends are free,” she says, “I want to get the buzz out that ‘Wow, there’s a new flea market.’ ’ The grand opening will also feature free antique appraisals. Ramos is advertising on Craigslist to spread the word. For more information, call Iris Ramos at (412) 537-9336.

fleamarketzone.com

March 24, 2011 by Michael Alterio

Developers predict 'renaissance' in Homestead

Daniel and Ellie Valentine have seen a lot of changes in Homestead since they opened their restaurant, the Tin Front Cafe, on East Eighth Avenue on Sept. 15, 2009.

"There have been a number of businesses that have opened just in our block," Mrs. Valentine said.

New stores that have opened nearby include Mostly Mod, which sells vintage home furnishings and art, Swagger World, which sells urban contemporary clothing and Emil's Modern Furniture, which offers custom built-in cabinets.

In addition to new businesses opening in Homestead, Mrs. Valentine said the Tin Front itself has experienced increased traffic because of new neighbors.

A new restaurant, Smoke Barbeque and Taqueria, is expected to open at 225 E. Eighth Ave. this month, in a building owned by developer Joe Ranii of Cityscape Construction, Homestead.

The takeout restaurant, featuring traditional Latin food for breakfast and lunch, will be run and managed by partners Jeff Petruso and Nelda Carranco.

Mr. Ranii said Homestead is poised to make a transformation such as the one that occurred on the South Side. He believes Homestead's metamorphosis will take place more quickly than did the South Side transformation, which happened over two decades.

During the South Side renaissance, Mr. Ranii first worked on the former Brady Street Bridge Café building, which now houses Mallorca. After continuing to work through that renaissance, and was invited to take part in the restoration of Homestead by urban designer David Lewis, Daniel Valentine's stepfather.

Mr. Ranii said Homestead's unique location makes it a prime spot for redevelopment.

"I think the potential of Homestead is unlimited," Mr. Ranii said.

Mr. Lewis, Mr. Valentine, Mr. Ranii and architect Walter Haglund are part of a loose-knit group of independent developers called the Downstreet Consortium, dedicated to improving Homestead's historic district.

Mr. Ranii said his apartments in the 225 E. Eighth Ave. building rent from $800 to more than $1,600 per month.

Both Mr. Ranii and the Lewis-Valentine family rent to young professionals, rather than students, he said. One of his tenants runs a boutique bakery, and another owns an art gallery.

Mr. Valentine said the goal of the Downstreet Consortium has been to create "a critical mass" of new businesses on the 200 block of Eighth Avenue and for them to spread into the community.

Buildings are undergoing transformations in other areas of Homestead as well, Mr. Valentine said.

Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch, a Homestead native, is renovating a former bakery and warehouse building between Sixth and Seventh streets into apartments.

Three recent additions to Amity Street include the Blue Dust restaurant and bar, Posh nail salon and Katie's Candy, which opened last year.

Mr. Valentine's mother, Judi Tener-Lewis, and stepfather, David Lewis, own seven buildings in Homestead. Their first, the former Moose building, was the site of Judi's store, the Annex Cookery, for six years.

Now the Cookery is located next to the Tin Front at 218 E. Eighth Ave.

The Tener-Lewis-Valentine family has created four 1,700-square-foot loft apartments in their buildings at 213 and 215 E. Eighth Ave. across the street from the Tin Front.

They started the loft apartment renovations in late 2005 and finished them in 2007.

Daniel Valentine said his family also put in a four-bedroom, 21/2-bath apartment above the restaurant, doing the renovations in 2008 and 2009.

When asked about the income from the Tin Front, Mr. Valentine said: "I think it continues to grow and improve."

Mr. Valentine said all three men obtained National Historic tax credits through the National Trust, which helped primarily with interior renovations.

They also obtained façade easements through the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County's Streetscape program, and obtained loans through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency for interior apartment renovations through that agency's mixed use financing program.

Steel Valley Enterprise Zone also helped fund renovations of each building developed by the consortium.

The Three Rivers Wet Weather program helped pay for installation of a "green" roof on the Tener-Lewis-Valentine family's building at 215 E. Eighth Ave.

The financing made the renovations and restorations feasible, and a lot more development can be done in Homestead, he said.

"There's an amazing stock of municipal buildings and churches that could be easily turned into penthouses, condos and loft apartments," he said.

He said buildings that could be transformed include the former Strand Theater, old Post Office and municipal buildings and the historic churches on Tenth Street.

Thom Betz, Homestead code enforcement officer, said most renovations recently have been done in The Waterfront development, though some have been along Eighth Avenue. Mr. Betz said six new businesses were created in 2010 by rehabbing existing properties in The Waterfront.

Ten houses in Homestead were demolished last year, but seven new ones are being built along Mifflin and East 14th streets, funded with public money through the Mon Valley Initiative, he said.

Anne Cloonan, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com

Thursday, March 03, 2011

By Anne Cloonan
Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11062/1129239-55.stm#ixzz1FallDdN3

Steel Valley Drama Club to Present “Seussical” March 10‐13

Munhall, PA – The public is invited to attend Steel Valley Drama Club’s production of “Seussical,” by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens March 10 – 13 at the High School Auditorium.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. March 10‐12 and 2 p.m. on March 13.

Admission is $1 for children in kindergarten – grade five; $7 for grades 6 to adult.

Now one of the most performed shows in America, "Seussical" is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza!

Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty ("Ragtime," "Once On This Island") have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie and a little boy with a big imagination‐‐Jojo. "Oh, the Thinks You Will Think" as the spirit of imagination transports the colorful characters from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos.

The story centers around Horton the Elephant, who finds himself faced with a double challenge‐not only must he protect his tiny friend Jojo (and all the invisible Whos) from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must guard an abandoned egg, left to his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him, the only one who recognizes "his kind and his powerful heart." Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family, and community are challenged and emerge triumphant, in a story that makes you laugh and cry.

The main cast includes:
Cat in the Hat ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Ben Bobick (Junior)
Horton ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Aaron Faux (Junior)
Jojo ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Rachel Dudash (Senior)
Sour Kangaroo ‐‐‐‐‐‐ Kelly Bennett (Senior)
Mayzie ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Krystal Waller (Junior)
Gertrude‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Kaylee Rush (Sophomore)
Bird Girls ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Shannon McShane (Junior), Jen Gerhold (Senior), Nikki Kwolek (Senior)
Wickersham Brothers Sean Collins (Senior), Zach Edelmann (Junior), Kenny Baurle (Junior)
Mr. Mayor ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Sean Collins (Senior)
Mrs. Mayor ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Nicole Salapa (Junior)
Yertle the Turtle ‐‐‐‐‐ Zach Edelman (Junior)


Chorus:
Sandy Alhaj
Keona Blakney
Samantha Brown
Samantha Bruener
Sarah Csider
Jacquelyn DiGiannurio
Lauren Drane
Sara Fallon
Jada Griffin
Jordan Hammell
Korey Hammell
Emily Jones
Natalie Konish
Ilyssa Nera
Rachel Pittik
Taylor Stevens
Taylor Wellman
Meghan Wolf
Production Staff:

Director Jonathan Edwards, English teacher Steel Valley Middle School
Costumes Toni Besh, French teacher Steel Valley High School
Choreography Fran Savolskis, owner Fran’s School of Dance in Munhall
Art director Susan Wright, Art teacher Steel Valley High School
Set Design Bob Barko, Steel Valley alumnus
Music Director Lisa Harrier, Stage Right Productions, Greensburg
Choral assistant Sally Altman, Adjunct Spanish Professor, Penn St. Greater Allegheny
Stage manager Earl Pearson
Stage manager Katy Ruffing
Producer Michael Altman, English teacher Steel Valley High School

Tickets are available presale at Steel Valley Activities Office or at the door; for more information, please contact the following:
Steel Valley Activities Office 412‐464‐3600 x2400
Drama Club website: svdrama.com
Email: maltman@svsd.k12.pa.us (Michael Altman, producer)

Biography of Jester Hairston

Early life

Hairston was born in Belews Creek, a rural community on the border of Stokes, Forsyth, Rockingham and Guilford counties in North Carolina. His grandparents had been slaves. At an early age he and his family moved to Homestead, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh, where he graduated from high school in 1919. Hairston, who gave up studies at Massachusetts Agriculture College in the 1920s, went on to graduate cum laude from Tufts University in 1928 and studied music at the Juilliard School. He worked as a choir conductor in the early stages of his career. His work with choirs on Broadway eventually led to his singing and acting in plays, films, radio programs, and television shows. And, in 1937 was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Career

Hairston wrote the song "Mary's Boy Child" in 1956. He also wrote the song "Amen", which he dubbed for the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field (1963). He arranged traditional "Negro spirituals". Most of Hairston's film work was in the field of composing, arranging, and choral conducting. Hairston also acted in over twenty films, mostly in small parts, some of which were not credited to him. Among the films he appeared in were bit parts in some of the early Tarzan movies, St. Louis Blues (1958), The Alamo (1960), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Lady Sings the Blues (1972), I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) and Being John Malkovich (1999).

Hairston appeared on The Amos 'n' Andy Show. He had been in the radio program that was the basis for the TV show. He also played the role of Wildcat (1974-1975) on the show That's My Mama. In his senior years he appeared in the show Amen as Rolly Forbes (1986-1991). His last television appearance was in 1993 on an episode of Family Matters, a sitcom.

In his later years, Hairston served as a cultural ambassador for American music, traveling to numerous countries with choral groups that he had assembled. In 1985 he took the Jester Hairston Chorale, a multi-racial group, to sing in the People's Republic of China, at a time when foreign visitors were still quite rare in that country.

Death

Hairston died in Los Angeles from natural causes in 2000. For his contribution to the television industry, Hairston has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6201 Hollywood Blvd. He is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood California.

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Mayor Betty In Black and White

Female mayors making their mark, serving their communities

Betty Esper ran for mayor of Homestead 17 years ago because she wanted to be able to walk her dog in the park near her home.

"There were gangs in there smoking marijuana," she said. "I told the police, and they said, 'Walk somewhere else.' "

She took her complaints to council and got a similar response.

"My philosophy is, if you want something done, get involved," said Esper, 77, who won her first term as mayor in 1990. After losing re-election in 1994, she returned in 1998 and has been mayor since.

Eileen Miller said she ran for mayor of Springdale on a dare.

When someone told her she "would never win," she took that as a challenge. She wound up beating a long-term Democrat after getting on the ballot as a Republican write-in. She is the first woman to occupy the Springdale mayor's office.

Miller and Esper are among a half-dozen female mayors in Allegheny County.

Voters in smaller towns are more likely to elect a woman as mayor, said Susan Hansen, a professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh. Of the 1,156 mayors of U.S. cities with populations of more than 30,000 as of August, 202 were women, or 17.5 percent, according to the Center for American Women in Politics.

"I love my job. I wouldn't be in it this long if I didn't," said Esper, who bucked the traditional old boys' network to win her job. She plans to continue in office as long as her health is good.

Like many Mon Valley mill towns, Homestead went through a painful transformation during Esper's terms.

When she began working at U.S. Steel's Homestead Works in 1951, Homestead was "a vibrant town with people on the avenue. It was busy all the time."

By the time she left her job in January 1987, "there was nobody left to say good-bye to." The massive mill where she spent three decades -- the foundation of the borough's tax base -- had closed.

Within three years of her election, the borough was placed under state oversight through the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act program, called Act 47. It left the program 14 years later, because of the booming commercial, business and residential development at The Waterfront.

Miller, 59, is used to breaking gender barriers.

She was the first woman inducted into the Cheswick-Springdale Lions Club in 2001 and was president of the local chapter from 2007-09.

A Democrat, she lost the primary vote but won enough Republican write-in votes to get on the GOP ballot in the November election -- and won. Now, she said, party lines don't matter. She just wants to do a good job for the borough.

"It's been a whirlwind," Miller said. Within days of her swearing-in last year, she had to declare a state of emergency because of the Feb. 6 snowstorm that buried Western Pennsylvania in almost 2 feet of snowfall.

She has a wish list of items the borough needs but can't afford. She's seeking donations to try to raise the $1,300 needed to buy two computers for the police cruisers.

She's not ready yet to sign on for another term.

"I'll let you know at the end of the four years," Miller said.

Dorothy "Dee" Quinn decided to run for mayor to try to make a difference in the borough of Emsworth.

"I felt that the borough in which I live needed a little bit of fresh blood," said Quinn, 71.

The incumbent she beat was 78 years old, she said.

The political atmosphere changed since she served on borough council in the early part of the decade.

"People are so angry about everything that is going on, they lash out at everybody," Quinn said. "I can't understand the anger."

Although she likes the job, she isn't ready to commit to a second term.

"It's a learning experience. It's a shame younger people aren't getting interested in it," she said.

Being the mother of two daughters helped Swissvale Mayor Deneen Swartzwelder's political career, she said.

"The mother instinct helps. ... When you deal with kids, it's always compromise," she said. "You're always in the middle. I'm a good moderator."

Swartzwelder, 46, is in the second year of her second term.

"I love it. It is very fulfilling," she said. "I feel like I'm helping the community."

She, too, bucked traditional political circles to get elected.

"The old boys' network is not as strong as it used to be," she said. "There's also an old girls' network. It was definitely a challenge to over come that."

Ina Jean Marton, mayor of White Oak since 2004, got her first taste of politics at age 16 when someone asked her to help out at a polling place.

"I thought that was the greatest thing I could do for my country. I was just so proud," said Marton, a Republican who spent 11 years on borough council but did not expect to become mayor.

Marton knocked on most doors in the borough when she decided to seek the mayor's post seven years ago, and will do it all again in 2014.

"I'll put on my walking shoes and go out again," she said.

Over the past 14 years, Pennsbury Village Mayor Lucy Harper performed 33 weddings.

"A lot of times, the bride likes having a woman officiate instead of a man," said Harper, 63, who spent a term on council before running for mayor.

The unique borough -- which consists of 700 residents in 500 condominiums -- seceded from Robinson 35 years ago.

Although there was one murder during the past 14 years, Harper said enforcing the borough's leash laws and getting dog owners to clean up after their pets is among the borough's chief concerns.

"Pets are our biggest problem," Harper said.

By Craig Smith, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, February 10, 2011

Read more: Female mayors making their mark, serving their communities - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_721911.html#ixzz1DX12lYLy

Carrie Furnace site can help local communities

Carrie Furnace's 165 acres may bolster the future for a dozen communities.

There may be new homes, office buildings, light industry and highway links, as well as a section set aside to mark its steelmaking history. All that will depend on how much private investment Carrie Furnace can draw and how much taxpayer support it gets amid tightening budgets in Harrisburg and Washington.

"It is very important to invest heavily in the communities that surround the Carrie Furnace site," Allegheny County director of economic development Dennis Davin said last week. "It is not going to be walled off from these communities. It is going to be a part of these communities."

Davin said it is something he and retiring county Executive Dan Onorato believed from the start of redevelopment of this former U.S. Steel millsite along both sides of the Monongahela River from Pittsburgh's Swisshelm Park neighborhood to the Rankin Bridge. "If we continue to put the public investment into the communities while we're doing the remediation and infrastructure work," Davin said, "the communities can benefit."

Carrie Furnace reaches into Pittsburgh, Swissvale, Rankin, Munhall and Whitaker and borders on Braddock. Any action may affect Woodland Hills, West Mifflin Area, Steel Valley and Pittsburgh school districts. While part of the former U.S. Steel property is included in the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area managed by Homestead-based Steel Industry Heritage Corp., the county owns most of the development.

It will be multi-use but not meant to rival the adjacent Waterfront on the former U.S. Steel's Homestead District Works property. "We don't think the market can justify another Waterfront there," Davin said.

The rest of the planning "is up in the air" but the county development director has a vision of light industrial and office buildings on that acreage. Retail does not appear to be in the mix. Most of the infrastructure work is done inside the acreage, including sewer updates. Both the county and SIHC are working on environmental assessments.

"We're meeting and working on environmentals with the state Department of Environmental Protection," SIHC president August R. Carlino said.

SIHC manages the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, which last July acquired rights to Carrie blast furnaces No. 6 and 7 and some surrounding acreage.

Once SIHC gets environmental clearance, Carlino said, "and we get final signoff and absent any major issues ... we'll be prepared to move forward with stabilization of the Blowing Engine House roof." Carlino expects work to begin on a new roof in the spring or early summer.

The county also is focused on two other pieces of infrastructure: Another flyover ramp, from the Rankin end of the Rankin Bridge, and a hot metal bridge across the Monongahela.

"That hot metal bridge goes into Munhall," said that borough's Mayor Raymond Bodnar. "It would lead right to Waterfront Drive, so it would parallel the Rankin Bridge."

Waterfront Drive links up with Route 837 over a flyover ramp whose expansion has been championed by the mayor for a decade.

"Every time I see Mayor Bodnar he tells me about that in no uncertain terms," Davin said. "He really sees a need and we see a need."

The county director expects a link to the Munhall flyover ramp will be part of the overall construction and rehabilitation of the hot metal bridge, something that could happen after a traffic study expected within 18 months.

First, however, the county will move with its proposal for a Rankin flyover ramp.

"It is critical for us to have another access point into the site, by means of a flyover," Davin said. "We have that designed already. This is a construction-ready project."

Davin said "a number of developers" have said they want to see a flyover from the Rankin Bridge.

"That is the one project we have to have," Davin said. "Then we think we can get a lot of good strong responses to a request for proposals." The county is talking to its congressional delegation in Washington, but was unable to get a share of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants handed out as part of President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funding.

A month before Gov. Tom Corbett makes his first budget address to the General Assembly, Davin is hopeful support will come from Harrisburg. "This administration is all about jobs," Davin said. "This is the kind of investment that creates jobs."

Former Gov. Ed Rendell provided Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grants that included $6 million in August 2004 for brownfield redevelopment and $5 million in December for the hot metal bridge. Tax Increment Financing that helped build the Waterfront may be employed in Carrie Furnace, but it would be a different sort of TIF. "A TIF for entertainment, retail, those generate a lot more tax revenue than for residential and light industry," Davin said. He said "a couple of speculative TIFs" have been done in the Pittsburgh International Airport corridor "and we are probably going to do a few more."

An organization watching out for RFPs is West-to-West Coalition, best known for brownfield reclamation from West Homestead to West Elizabeth. "We're looking to assist in the Carrie Furnace site," West-to-West chairman George Matta II said.

"West-to-West Coalition has contributed $135,000 to the current site assessment," coalition executive director Steve Pholar said. "We continue to believe that the Carrie Furnace site could be a showcase site in terms of new housing development and a planned urban site." "There is a potential there to build townhouses and patio-style homes," Matta said.

Pholar said West-to-West "stands ready to coordinate with a development partnership presenting a sequential plan of renewal." There also is the effort to promote the site's history by the SIHC, based in the Bost Building in Homestead.

Carlino spent last week in Washington, D.C., talking to staffs in the offices of U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, and Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Scranton, as well as House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over national heritage areas.

Doyle introduced a bill last summer to designate a Steel Industry National Historic Site in Allegheny County that includes Carrie Furnace. It died along with a companion Senate bill.

"It has to start all over again," Carlino said. "Doyle's office is looking at reintroducing the bill."

Casey co-sponsored the companion bill introduced by then-U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Philadelphia.

"Since (Specter) is no longer a senator, we've asked Sen. Casey's office to consider introducing the bill," Carlino said.

While Carrie Furnace extends into Munhall and Whitaker, there isn't much to develop on that side of the river. Davin hopes "to maximize as much activity as possible" between the railroad tracks and the river. Housing there is unlikely.

Still, Davin said, the county was able with that purchase to bridge a gap in the Great Allegheny Passage between Duquesne and the Waterfront, including construction of a new pedestrian bridge. "A part of what we are doing now is taking down two other pedestrian bridges across the tracks," he said.

By Patrick Cloonan, MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Read more: Carrie Furnace site can help local communities - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailynewsmckeesport/s_721903.html#ixzz1DQcQAE7B

2011 Chess Tournament at the Carnegie Library of Homestead!

February 19th at 10am

For children up to grade 8.

You must register for the tournament! Call 412-462-3444 option 3 or email Miss Emily at salsberrye@homesteadlibrary.org to sign up!

West Homestead Engineering & Machine Company - West Homestead, PA

Miranda Cosgrove has a blast with her young fans

Remember Summer Hathaway?

She was the adorable little fifth-grader who sang so atrociously, they made her the band manager in "School of Rock."

It was the screen debut for Miranda Cosgrove, which makes it ironic that she packed the Carnegie Music Hall Library of Homestead Wednesday night on her maiden "Dancing Crazy Tour."

Like Miley Cyrus or the Monkees, she has a TV theme song to play live, so sure enough, she came bounding out with "Leave it all to Me," from her hit Nick show "iCarly."

The crowded stayed seated, oddly enough, which was a good thing given that it was made up of big moms and dads and little grade-schools who would have had little chance of seeing her in her white jacket and dazzling mirrored silver skirt.

Miranda sings better than Summer, thankfully, but she won't be confused with Christina Aguilera or Beyonce any time soon. She has a small, cute, peppy voice that got a lift from a second singer on stage, especially on the bright choruses.

There's no question she was a lively performer, bounding around the stage, with wavy black hair flying, and flirting with her two male dancers. Backed by a six-piece band unafraid to rock out a little, she mixed bubblegum pop from her debut album, like "Kissin' U," "BAM" and "Disgusting" (all unrelated), with a few covers: No Doubt's "Just a Girl," "About You Now" (a Sugababes song she did on the "iCarly" soundtrack) and a breezy medley from her iPod of "Dynamite"/"Bulletproof"/"I Gotta Feeling."

It was a short-and-sweet hour set that saved the best for last ??? a new single, "Sayonara," that had the electropop feel of a Britney hit and the catchy "Dancing Crazy," which had the kiddies rushing the stage.

For the 17-year-old Cosgrove, it's all a low-stakes gamble. She has a hit TV show that was just renewed and charisma to spare on screen. She doesn't need to be the next big teen-pop star, and the odds are, she won't.

Thursday, February 03, 2011

By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11034/1122718-388.stm#ixzz1CuxJ1m00

Cultural Heritage Workshops offered by Rivers of Steel

(Homestead, Pa) – Explore the heritage of Southwestern Pennsylvania during the Rivers of Steel Cultural Heritage Workshops. Each two-hour workshop will provide a view into the cultural history of the region, as well as potentially your own personal heritage. Workshops will be held Saturdays, beginning Feb. 19 and will go through May 16. Each two-hour workshop includes light refreshments. Bring a friend or family member and make a morning of it! Limited seating so reserve your space now. All workshops, except the Digital Camera Safari workshop, will be held at The Bost Building, 623. E. 8th Ave., Homestead. The Digital Camera Safari workshop will be held at The Pump House, 880 E. Waterfront Drive, Munhall. For more information, call 412.464.4060, ext. 46 or smoreira@riversofsteel.com

Telling Your Story: Oral Histories Step-by-Step 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 19 at The Bost Building, Homestead; Cost $40.

Oral histories are stories told by living people about the past. Grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, all have valuable information to share about their family's history. Learn more about how to spark a memory, ask the right questions, and organize the information. Workshop led by Rivers of Steel Archival Staff. http://www.riversofsteel.com/shop/product/telling-your-story/

Genealogy: How do I Start? 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 26 at The Bost Building, Homestead; Cost $40.

A beginner's guide to genealogy with the basic information you need to get started discovering your ancestry. Students will be guided through the first steps of creating a family tree, learn about the latest genealogy software and sort through resources. Instructor: Nancy Dean. http://www.riversofsteel.com/shop/product/genealogy-how-do-i-start/

Beautiful Writing: History and Hands-on Calligraphy 10 a.m. to noon March 5 at The Bost Building, Homestead; Cost $40.

Learn about the history of calligraphy and the difference between Eastern Asian and Western Calligraphy, then learn the basics of doing it yourself. Some supplies included. Instructor: Adam Smith. http://www.riversofsteel.com/shop/product/beautiful-writing-history-and-hands-on-calligraphy/

Photo Detective: Deciphering Pictures to Uncover History 10 a.m. to noon March 12 at The Bost Building, Homestead; Cost $40.

Visual literacy is the key to uncovering many hidden details of historic photographs. Learn the techniques historians use when examining images to unravel mysteries and find clues to the past. We will look at images from the Library of Congress from the early 1900s and examine the story they tell of our past as well as use collaborative efforts to decipher your own family photographs. Instructor: Sylvia Ehler. http://www.riversofsteel.com/shop/product/photo-detective/

Heritage Scrapbooking: Preserving Family Photographs 10 a.m. to noon March 19 at The Bost Building, Homestead; Cost $40.

This workshop will help to inspire beautiful, fun, and creative ideas for scrapbooking your family history and preserving your old family photos. Our expert will give you the 411 on preservation techniques, how to make your photo history fresh, and help with putting it all together. Some supplies included. Bring your own scrapbooking materials as well. Instructor: Anne Neikirk. http://www.riversofsteel.com/shop/product/heritage-scrapbooking/

Pittsburgh Food Treasures or How we got the Pierogi 10 a.m. to noon March 26 at The Bost Building, Homestead; Cost $40.

Traditional Pittsburgh foods reflect the city's multicultural heritage, especially that of the European immigrants of the early 20th century. While these immigrant populations introduced dishes such as pierogi and haluski to the city, they are now enjoyed by Pittsburgh in general. Join us to learn more about the history of these delicious cultural delicacies. Samples included. Instructor: Sylvia McCoy. http://www.riversofsteel.com/shop/product/pittsburghs-food-treasures/

Repurposing your Handheld Heirlooms 10 a.m. to noon April 2 at The Bost Building, Homestead; Cost $40

In this class, you will learn how to creatively repurpose your small heirlooms, keeping them fresh and relevant for future generations. Bring your handheld heirlooms or old jewelry and learn how to revision them into a new masterpiece. Instructor: Laura Stuart-Smith. http://www.riversofsteel.com/shop/product/upcycling-your-handheld-heirlooms/

Here Comes the Bride: Pittsburgh Wedding Rituals 10 a.m. to noon April 9 at The Bost Building, Homestead; Cost $40

What is a Dollar Dance? Who started the cookie table? What is the difference between a Vybava and a Veno? Learn the answers to these and many more questions about the treasured traditions that came to this country from Europe in the late 19th century. We will examine artifacts and listen to stories that will bring these rituals to life. Instructor: Sylvia Ehler. http://www.riversofsteel.com/shop/product/here-comes-the-bride/

Beginning Digital Photography 10 a.m. to noon May 7 at The Bost Building, Homestead; Cost $40

Are those little icons on your digital camera driving you crazy? Are you having trouble making sense of your camera's manual? What is White Balance anyway? Join us for this beginning class designed to help you get to know your camera better. This class will cover white balance, shutter speed, manual settings, and more. Instructor: Sally Bozzuto. http://www.riversofsteel.com/shop/product/beginning-digital-photography/

Digital Photo Safari 10 a.m. to noon May 14 at The Pump House, Munhall; Cost $50

The site where the Pinkertons landed during the famous Homestead Steel Strike will be the destination for this unique opportunity to see inside and photograph the historic Pump House on the Mon River. Spend a morning with fellow photographers capturing this amazing piece of Pittsburgh history, the riverside, and the frequent train traffic on the bridge. Instructor: Sylvia Ehler. http://www.riversofsteel.com/shop/product/digital-photo-safari/

The Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area is managed by the non-profit Steel Industry Heritage Corporation (SIHC) in partnership with the National Park Service and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. SIHC works with communities throughout the region to identify, conserve, promote, and interpret the cultural, historic, recreational and other resources associated with steel and steel-related industries. The goal of the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area is to use these resources to encourage community revitalization through cultural tourism, historic preservation, natural and recreational resource conservation, cultural and educational programs and related economic development. Rivers of Steel National Heritage area encompasses Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties. For more information, visit www.riversofsteel.com

###

--

Sherris Moreira

Director of Marketing and Tourism Development for Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area

The Bost Building

623 E. 8th Ave., Homestead, Pa

412.464.4020, ext. 46

Cell: 412.423.TOUR (8687)

Fax: 412.464.4417

www.riversofsteel.com

Find us on Facebook

The 54 th annual Homestead District Reunion

The 54 th annual Homestead District Reunion will be held on March 5, 2011 at the Elks Club, Englewood, Florida.

Current and former residents of Homestead, Munhall, West Homestead, Whitaker, West Mifflin, and Lincoln Place will be attending.

For registration information contact : Darrell Hess at 412-580-1157 or by Email at darrellhess@Gmail.com.

Half off your second entrée from TGI Friday's

There’s always a warm welcome for you at T.G.I. Friday’s and we are cranking up the heat.

Half off your second entrée goes well with a generous helping of Friday’s fun!

Use this coupon often and send it to your friends, too.

It’s like starting your very own heat wave.

Go here to print this coupon from T.G.I. Friday’s, valid through February 8: http://fridays.qrs1.net/greatdealsapp/16d7qs1m_print.html?CMP=30415

Historic Munhall library adds elevator, amenities

The Carnegie Library of Homestead at last has an elevator in the historic, French Renaissance-style building.

Patrons now can navigate the 112-year-old Munhall building from the library area or Music Hall to the Athletic Club or to a future coffee shop without using steps.

Dan Lloyd said the library board has wanted to install an elevator since it acquired the building from U.S. Steel in 1988.

“It has always been that we don’t have the money for an elevator,” Lloyd, the library board president, said.

Installation of the elevator, completed earlier this month, was funded by a $150,000 federal Community Development Block Grant funneled through Allegheny County.

“That didn’t pay for the whole elevator,” Lloyd said. “We had some other grant money to fund soft costs and costs that weren’t funded by CDBG.”

He said the insight of the library’s consulting director of building operations Matthew Szanca helped to save the library a lot of money on utilities that could be put toward the elevator. Szanca noted that library athletic director Edward Child has had a large hand in cutting the water bill.

Lloyd said there are patrons who want to use the library’s athletic club, but can’t climb steps.

“There are people who want to use our Silver Sneakers room (but) can’t do steps because they have bad knees, but they can spin or they can work out on their upper body,” he said. “They could have emphysema or a lung disorder, like my father, who had to take Silver Sneakers at another location because, by the time he got up the steps, he was ready to go home.”

Szanca said the elevator is in Phase A, now going only from the first to the second floor. He said Phase B, which is awaiting funding, will allow the elevator to access the basement, swimming pool and other community rooms.

Lloyd said the idea for a coffee shop has been discussed since he became a library board member in 2004. He said he would visit Barnes & Noble at the Waterfront and note the nice atmosphere a coffee shop added to the business.

Lloyd said a committee was formed to bring a coffee shop to the library. After members toured other libraries, the committee recommended finding a corporate partner, and estimated the cost for the project would be $100,000.

Lloyd said he knew it wouldn’t be that expensive, and told the library board it would only cost approximately $20,000.

Even with an all-volunteer workforce, he said, the library didn’t have enough money to build the coffee shop. Lloyd’s aunt Betty Jane Lloyd donated $10,000 to complete the coffee shop.

“She wanted to see it finished,” Lloyd said.

The retro-designed room will be named Aunt B’s Coffee Shop.

Lloyd said the space where the coffee shop will be located was an old storage area with a wooden partition, which was removed.

“This building was designed by Alden & Harlow,” he said. “Alden & Harlow designed the Duquesne Club and I think designed the courthouse downtown. They are famous architects. Their vision was to have these windows illuminate this whole area when you came up the steps. The partition wall took away that whole idea that the architects had.”

Lloyd and Szanca said many people volunteered their services to create the room for free, including George Edwards painting the coffee shop, Bob DeLu aiding in construction, Robert Howell donating
light fixtures, and LeRoy Pettis contributed his art.

Work was started in December 2009, but wasn’t continuous because it was volunteer work done mostly by Lloyd and Szanca.

Library board member Susan Wonsock designed the room.

It eventually will contain vending machines and tables. Gourmet coffee might be sold during Music Hall concerts or other events.

“You can bring a magazine up here, sit down and read,” Lloyd said. “People who come in for Silver Sneakers can gather here after. We want to make it a meeting place.”

“This would be perfect for a small group of seniors to meet,” Szanca said.

A grand opening for the coffee shop is planned for March. It will coincide with the grand opening of a new welcome center and teen space at the library.

“The best thing that happened to the valley is Andrew Carnegie,” Szanca said. “The best thing that happened to the Carnegie Library of Homestead is Dan Lloyd.”

More information about Carnegie Library of Homestead is available by calling 412-462-3444, or online at the www.homesteadlibrary.org website.

By Stacy Lee, MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS
Thursday, January 27, 2011

Read more: Historic Munhall library adds elevator, amenities - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailynewsmckeesport/s_720092.html#ixzz1CFQ8i9g7

The Pump House for your next venue

Looking for a unique venue for a wedding, art show, workshop or birthday party?

Check out our Historic Pump House in The Waterfront right by the Monongahela River.

Very earthy and artsy and historical.

Read more about the Pump House history.

Rivers of Steel

For more information, contact sdrane@riversofsteel.com

Tamara Tunie on The Today Show

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Pittsburgh Bleeds Black and Gold

The Steelers Remain a Blue-Collar Team in a Blue-Collar Town; 'It Really is a Religion Out Here'

PITTSBURGH, Pa.—Jim Kelly forged his entire Hall of Fame career in Buffalo. He went to four Super Bowls with the Bills. He set NFL records in Buffalo and had his number retired there.

But he grew up in Pittsburgh. His dad owns a Terrible Towel. And when his father moved to Buffalo this past year to be closer to his 13 grandchildren, "he did bring it with him," Mr. Kelly said, not one trace of pique apparent in his voice.

After all, that's Pittsburgh.

Nurses at the Oakbrook Commons cancer center tie the bright yellow, game-day waving Terrible Towels to the IV rods dispensing chemotheraphy treatments.

High school football players get more pumped for the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League championship, played on the Steelers' Heinz Field than they do for the state title game, out in Hershey Park.

Visitors at Pittsburgh International Airport have to pass side-by-side statues before leaving the airport. One is of George Washington, our country's first president and the official founder of Pittsburgh. The other is of Franco Harris, who caught a pass in a divisional playoff game.

"That's Pittsburgh," says Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch, chuckling.

The pass Mr. Harris caught, of course, was the legendary Immaculate Reception in the Steelers' 1972 franchise-igniting win over the Raiders.

Deflected off safety Jack Tatum, scooped by Mr. Harris, it was judged football's greatest play off all-time by NFL Films. The monument's place next to Mr. Washington, Steelers receiver Hines Ward said, "tells you all you need to know about football and this part of the country."

Although he's in his 13th year here, Mr. Ward is not a native. Mr. Batch, born and bred seven miles outside Pittsburgh proper in Homestead, is. He knows Pittsburgh, where the blood runs black and gold, where the legion of football Hall of Famers will likely never stop sprouting and where something is clearly in the water.

"No one knows what's in the water. That's the point. Have you seen that river?" Mr. Batch exclaims, pointing out the Steelers' practice facility toward to the brackish Monangahela. "It's all muddy and dark."

That is the point, of course. If ever a region was built in the image of this game, it would be here.

The city was borne of steel mills and manufacturing, and a blue-collar ethos that Mr. Kelly— whose father worked in a steel mill—said he often talked about sharing with fellow natives and Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Dan Marino.

"Nothing is given to you in Pittsburgh," Mr. Batch said, "and nothing is given to you in football either."

In the days of the steel mills and smokestacks, the Steelers and their lunch-pail nature were something everyone, rich and poor alike, could take pride in.

Today, as the industrial sites have been shuttered, the banks have moved in and events like the G20 Summit have landed in town, "Pittsburgh is still that steel mill town," native and former Jets tailback Curtis Martin said. "And the Steelers are still that blue-collar team."

George Novak coaches at Woodland Hills, whose six NFL players are the most from any one high school in the league. Jets linebacker Jason Taylor was a 6-foot-1, 165-pound home-schooled 11th grader outside Pittsburgh when Mr. Novak told him to come out for the team.

He was a safety. The next year he put on 15 pounds, and when he comes home with the Jets Sunday for this AFC title clash, he'll do it as a six-time Pro Bowler in his 14th NFL year.

"Jason was determined and very competitive," Mr. Novak said. "He learned that growing up in Western PA."

It's all tied together, from midget football to high school on through to the Steelers. Since the 1970s, when they won four Super Bowls, the Steelers have been a benchmark in the league. This Sunday they'll be looking for their eighth Super Bowl trip, and seventh Super Bowl trophy.

There's stability and there's success, and it makes Mr. Kelly rue what's happened in Buffalo, where he loves the Bills and hates that 14- and 15-year-olds have no personal recollection of the Bills as successful. No playoffs, few winning seasons and definitely no Super Bowls.

"When you keep winning as a franchise year in and year out, those kids, they continue to see the winning tradition," he said. "The passion automatically goes from parents to kids."

It's a passion that gives rise to the inane, like the Monroeville man who's painted the bricks on his house gold and black. Or the endearing, like the 80-year-old women who 24-year-old Steelers receiver Mike Wallace says regularly recognizes him at the grocery store. Or the occasionally tough, like the day after the Steelers' 2009 Super Bowl win, when Mr. Ward went to fill up gas.

"This woman says to me, 'Hey, we gonna win one next year?'" Mr. Ward said with a smile and a head shake. "I wanted to say, 'Let's enjoy this one for a minute.' It really is a religion out here."

Which is why religion is invoked in the names of the plays: Immaculate Reception. Immaculate Deflection (1996 AFC title game). Immaculate Interception (Super Bowl XLIII).

The lore is only part of the reason why nurse Susan Braun tied those towels to the IV rods at the cancer center this year.

"Terrible Towels are part of our culture here," Mrs. Braun said. "They're a sign of home and they stand for our strong city. I think it gives our patients some hope."

The weaving of that bond, Mr. Batch says, has as much to do with the Rooney family as it does the steel mills. Patriarch Art Rooney was the founding owner of the Steelers, an accomplished mediator who was unafraid to stand alone in opposition when the NFL considered moving another franchise to a then racially-tense Dallas in the early 1950s.

His son Dan took over day-to-day operations in 1974. Progenitor of the league's Rooney Rule, designed to increase interview opportunities for minority head coaching candidates, and a member of the Hall of Fame, Mr. Rooney is now ambassador to Ireland.

He's a man who still pays for his lunch in the cafeteria he owns, rides the team charter to away games and sits in coach.

"My first flight here, I was shocked. Not only was he not in first class, he was sitting in the last row by the bathroom, where you can't recline," Mr. Batch said, still incredulous all these years later. "He just said, 'I'm not playing a game tomorrow. I don't have to stretch my legs.' That's a Hall of Famer?"

That's how important football is here.

Maybe that's why Mr. Martin remembers having to rustle up 50 to 75 tickets every time the Jets came to town—"and how not only would those people not wear green, they'd be ready to fight with Jets fans," he said. "My mother was my only relative who didn't wish me ill will when I played the Steelers."

Maybe that's why picking an all-time all-Western Pennsylvania quarterback is impossible.

"Montana can start, Marino can come in after the half, and since I'm so good at the two-minute offense, I'll come in at the end," Mr. Kelly says.

But then what about Johnny Unitas?

"Johnny U can come coach us," Kelly says.

Right, except that Bill Cowher, Marty Schottenheimer, Packers coach Mike McCarthy and Bengals coach Marvin Lewis are all from Western Pennsylvania too.

"There really is no place like it," Mr. Roethlisberger said Thursday. "No one else matches their city like we do. We're blue collar, we're hard-working, we're good old guys and that's what this city is."

By ADITI KINKHABWALA

Wall Street Journal
January 21, 2011