Homestead, PA now connected to DC by trail

PLEASE JOIN US TO CELEBRATE!
Homestead, PA now connected to DC by trail

June 17, 2011 at 10:00 am
at the Whitaker Bridge ramp*

A new, amazing 3-mile section of the Great Allegheny Passage will be opened for trail use. This section includes two new bridges and the scenic former U. S. Steel coke gas pipeline road.

Help us thank the funders, the landowners, the contractors, and the volunteers.

Bring your bicycle and ride the new section after the event.

RSVP to admin@atatrail.org or call 724 537 6905.

* Please enter at Guardian Storage (1002 East Waterfront Dr. Munhall, PA 15120) to be directed to parking for the event.

Rebirth in Homestead: the Carnegie Library

Comedian Paula Poundstone will be there Friday. Patti Smith showed up in 2007 just after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. David Crosby and Graham Nash recently played to a sellout crowd, as did Nickelodeon's "iCarly" star Miranda Cosgrove.

Is there a glitzy new entertainment venue in town?

Not exactly, unless you consider the century-old music hall at the Carnegie Library of Homestead to be glitzy, with its terrific acoustics, a thousand seats of burnished wood, a coffee shop (whose grand opening is Friday during the Paula Poundstone performance) and a wine bar.

The recently renovated hall, along with a new fitness center, reading room and other amenities have transformed the Homestead library -- located in Munhall -- from an antiquated white elephant of a building in a faded neighborhood into a self-sustaining multipurpose facility for a newly reinvigorated community.

At a time when nonprofits and other "community benefit" organizations are reeling from cuts in public funding, the Homestead library is a textbook example of social enterprise and reinvention, experts say, using revenue from the music hall and its fitness club memberships to stay viable. The library's core mission has been preserved, and then some: you can check out a book or use a computer, take a Spinning class, have a cup of coffee or see a show.

There's more to come: a swimming pool in the basement -- the longest continually operating heated pool in Western Pennsylvania, complete with marble columns reminiscent of ancient Rome -- will be renovated, as will an old bowling alley, which may become an indoor baseball training facility.

"They've captured the spirit of the original Andrew Carnegie vision for libraries in building and renovating what he originally saw as a community center with multi-function outreach, updated for the 21st century," said Marilyn Jenkins, executive director for the Allegheny County Library Association, which comprises 45 libraries -- including the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, which isn't affiliated with Homestead.

"If we had told people in Pittsburgh that we were going to take a 113-year-old library and turn it into an engine for economic development that would drive business to the Waterfront and surrounding communities, they would have said we were crazy -- but most people think I'm crazy anyway," said Dan Lloyd, a Munhall insurance agent who is widely regarded as the driving force behind the library's renovation.

Mr. Lloyd, who chairs the library's 11-member board, may have ruffled some feathers when he first joined in 2004, but few people are complaining now except, he noted, for some who said they were shocked -- shocked -- that alcohol was being served during music hall performances.

Bookings have dramatically increased thanks to the efforts of Brian Drusky, a local concert promoter who took a chance on Homestead when others wouldn't, Mr. Lloyd said. When he first started contacting entertainment promoters about bringing acts to the music hall six years ago, he was told "it will be a cold day in hell when we bring a show to Homestead."

"Who's sorry now?" he asked a visitor, only half-jokingly, adding that when Ms. Cosgrove, then 17, appeared at her sold-out show in January, 100 young fans paid extra and lined up an hour beforehand in the old shuffleboard room to meet the young star.

Mr. Lloyd's "aha" moment, he says, came in 2006, when he attended a seminar led by Michael Kumer, executive director at Duquesne University's Nonprofit Leadership Institute, who talked about the ways "community benefit" organizations could survive.

"What we do is coach organizations, to assume that they have hidden assets and can creatively look and explore ways to leverage those assets to create new and diversified income streams," said Mr. Kumer, who said he was aware of Mr. Lloyd's subsequent efforts.

The library was designed by the architectural firm of Alden & Harlow, which designed the Duquesne Club, and is believed to be the third library in the United States built by Carnegie after those in Braddock and the North Side.

"I totally admire what they're doing in Homestead. Libraries have to change with the times," said Vicki Vargo, executive director of the Carnegie Braddock library -- Mr. Carnegie's first library. While in a more economically depressed community than Homestead's, Braddock's library is renovating its own music hall and has transformed what used to be a bathhouse in the building into a ceramic studio.

While a $1 million endowment established by Carnegie helped the Homestead library stay afloat during the 1990s, the 2008 recession meant a $300,000 drop in its worth, forcing the board to lay off its executive director, library director and a music hall employee.

"Many corporations lay off at the bottom end of the ladder, but we could not do that because it would have meant a cut in services," said Mr. Lloyd. Instead, he and other board members are managing the facility themselves until they are able to afford to hire an executive director.

The library's operating budget is $850,000, not including capital expenditures -- of which only $161,000 came from government funding in 2010. Last year, $150,000 from a community block grant was used for infrastructure improvements, along with $50,000 from the Allegheny Foundation to renovate and enlarge the children's and teen areas.

The children's library, across from the new adult reading room, is a marvel. Its walls, ceilings and columns were hand-painted in trompe l'oeil fashion by artist Elizabeth White, while the teen area -- called "the Sky Room" -- was painted in shades of dark blue, punctuated with stars, by artist Ian Green.

The adult reading room was also restored to its original design.

Professionals were hired to do much of the work, but Mr. Lloyd and a number of other volunteers spent nights and weekends stripping floors, sanding and painting to reduce costs.

They even laid the tile themselves in the coffee shop -- named after Mr. Lloyd's Aunt Betty Jane Lloyd, who donated $10,000 to complete it.

On Friday, music hall patrons for the first time will be able to go to Aunt B's coffee shop for a cup of joe, unless they're in the mood for a glass of wine.

And while they're imbibing, they're helping their local public library survive.

"It's all about people stepping up to the plate," Mr. Lloyd said.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

By Mackenzie Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11152/1150464-51-0.stm#ixzz1O1nFq1i3

O'Hara sculptor immortalizes Smiley cookie in Waterfront statue

Smiley, the Eat'n Park cookie recognized throughout the Pittsburgh region, is celebrating his 25th birthday year with a statue of himself at the Waterfront.

"We wanted to do something special for Smiley ... and immortalize him," said Kevin O'Connell, senior vice president of Eat'n Park Restaurants, at a Tuesday news conference. There, an excited, costumed Smiley waved at people and pulled down the purple curtain to reveal his stationary counterpart.

"Smiley is one of the most recognized icons in Western Pennsylvania, and he's come to life as our mascot," O'Connell said.

Eat'n Park officials unveiled the new, glossy statue of Smiley, which stands about 5 feet, 4 inches tall inside the Homestead restaurant, close to the entry area.

The statue version of Smiley, a cookie created in 1986, looks exactly like the costumed mascot who appears at Pittsburgh events: a red cap, blue eyes and mouth, blue legs and red shoes. Restaurant officials say they expect thousands of kids to get their pictures taken with the giant cookie guy.

Not just a sugar cookie, Smiley participates in community causes, such as with Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, O'Connell says.

"It's hard to imagine that, in 1985 in Pittsburgh, there were no Smiley cookies," he said. "They're such a big part of our community."

O'Hara sculptor Ron Seman created the Smiley statue, which weighs about 200 pounds, out of steel and foam, and is covered with shiny epoxy material. Seman took about three months to complete the statue.

"Most of my projects are not nearly as fun as this," said Seman, president of his company, The Object Works.

Cliff Miller, vice president of creative services for Eat'n Park Restaurants, said Smiley's massive popularity comes from his universal appeal.

"It's a known fact that if someone smiles at you, you naturally smile back," Miller said. "Smiley is always smiling at you. Smiley is always happy, obviously."

And he's a yummy sugar cookie to boot, Miller said. What's not to like?

Eat'n Park might commission more Smiley statues for other locations in the future, he said.

By Kellie B. Gormly, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Read more: O'Hara sculptor immortalizes Smiley cookie in Waterfront statue - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/fooddrink/s_739754.html#ixzz1NzG3QJxD

Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish First Ever Carnival

The days and times are:
Thursday & Friday – 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.,
Saturday – 5:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Sunday from 2:00 – 8:00 p.m.

This event will be a collaborated effort between the St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish and the West Homestead Fire Department.

Our Carnival includes something for people of all ages: games, rides, funnel cakes, nationality food booths, nightly entertainment, raffle tickets, a large flat screen television to be raffled & bingo.

The nationality booths include: Polish, German, Italian and American. Parish bakers will provide the Bakery.

The nightly entertainment will include:

May 26, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. “Besame” (Columbian Band),
May 27, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. “Cuieado” (Tango Music- dance instructors included),
May 28, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. “Sanford Effect” (Reggae)
May 29, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. “Real Deal” (Classic Rock).

For more information and directions to the church, please call the parish office at 412.461.1054 or check us out on Face Book.

363 W. 11th Ave. Extension
Homestead, PA 15120

www.facebook.com/stmaxparish

Foursquare: https://foursquare.com/venue/2087035

Volunteers Needed for The Steel Valley Community Gardens

Steel Valley Community Gardens through the Western PA Conservancy and Young Life of the Steel Valley will plant flowers on Saturday, May 28th, beginning at 9am at the garden at the foot of the Homestead Grays Bridge, the garden at 7th and Amity Streets, and 15th and West Street.

Volunteer help from the community would be greatly appreciated.

For more information contact Jesse Saunders at 412-874-6584.

The Carnegie Library of Homestead

510 E 10th Avenue
Munhall, PA 15120
412-462-3444

Many in our community have inquired of me as to just how our library operates. As President of the Board of Directors, I thought it might be a good time to discuss just what we do and how we do it so that everyone in the community would have the same first hand information. While our library is “free to the public” as Andrew Carnegie prescribed when he left us this wonderful facility, we are not government owned or operated. We are a 501 C3 non profit corporation that is managed by a board of directors made up of regular citizens that are appointed and volunteer to serve. Presently we have eleven board members made up mostly by members of the community.

We are NOT part of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh but rather an independent library that is part of the 44 member Allegheny County Library System (ACLA). While most of the many library services that we offer are totally free, other activities and use of our facilities come at a cost such as our fitness club memberships or a ticket to a concert. Indeed the fees derived from our fitness club and our music hall operations are what keep the library doors open six days a week. Excellent management by our board and staff over the last few years resulted in ZERO cutbacks to hours and services and in fact saw expanded service offerings, while many other libraries faced severe cutbacks and potential closure with an uncertain outlook for the future. While we aren’t yet assured of another 113 years, our short term future is bright!

Our library operating budget is a little over $850,000 not including capital expenditures. That said, we probably receive about $500,000 form state and local governments to pay our employees and our expenses right? WRONG with a capital W! Even before the Rendell administration cut library budgets 20% in 2009, State library funding had been less than adequate and most libraries were dependent on local government donations. Our cut was about $18,000 and Governor Corbett’s budget hasn’t cut anymore and has in fact added a few programs back that were cut in 2009. Of our $850,000+ budget in 2010, we received $161,000 or 19% from state, regional and local governments broken down as follows: State basic aid $61,306 (based on populations served), RAD $82,903 (based on a very controversial and formula which we fought hard for), and $15,000 from the four municipalities that designate us as their library. For 2011 Munhall has stepped up to $20,000, Homestead $1,500, West Homestead $2,000, Whitaker zero, and a $2,000 gift from West Mifflin, even though they have not designated Carnegie of Homestead as their library.

If you did the math ($850,000 -$161,000) you would have realized that we have $689,000 to make up in our operating budget. In order to produce the revenue necessary to pay our 25 or so employees ($321,000), the utilities ($96,000), payroll taxes and insurance ($64,136), new books and materials ($36,000), and all of the other expenses, we rely on our so called “social enterprise ventures”. It is our fitness club memberships, our room rentals, pool party rentals, gym floor rentals and exercise classes that contribute from our fitness club side. From the music hall operations, our national concert series provides another stream of incomes like hall rental, beer and snack concessions, web site advertising and ticket fees that have made a major contribution since the fall of 2008 when we started doing concerts. Additionally, we apply and receive operating grants that help defray some costs as well. The balance of our operating budget comes from our endowment, about $132,000 per year the past three years, down from an excess of $200,000 in 2007. It is this kind of prudent fiscal belt tightening that will lead to future success for the next 100 years.

To summarize, the citizens of the community need to know that we have made great strides in cost cutting without cutting programs or services, while simultaneously increasing all of our revenue streams, renovated the adults reading room, the children’s library, the teen space, added a computer lab and coffee shop, an elevator (which had been talked about for 20 years) and just opened our new welcome center all in the last four years. We have quietly done nearly $750,000 of renovations over the last four years to improve our facilities to better serve our patrons. Why not stop in to take a look around, read a book, take out a DVD, or just to relax check out the new coffee shop!

Dan Lloyd
President of the Board
www.Homesteadlibrary.org
www.librarymusichall.com
www.flickr.com/photos/cloh/

Finally, if you would like to make a contribution or think you would like to offer more in the way of volunteering or if you may be interested in board service, please send your inquiry, questions or resume to Dan Lloyd, Carnegie Library of Homestead, 510 E Tenth Avenue, Munhall, PA 15120.

HOME COOKED BY DONNA

Dan Lloyd, owner of a large local insurance agency and a local property developer, while ordering dinner at Home Cooked by Donna in the winter of 2009, began talking business with the owner. Donna's was originally located in a small space in the 200 block of Homestead and was formerly called Worthy's Ribs. On occasion you can still get some of those great ribs when not sold out. Donna Boyer, owner operator on "Home Cooked by Donna" expressed her interest in operating a "sit down" restaurant in the area, as opposed to just a take out place. Dan, impressed with the diner type home style food and generous portions, told Donna that he hopes she finds a place and can stay in the area. Hoping to keep a business in the area that already had a following, Dan, while ordering another meal a few weeks later, tells Donna that his son owns a building at 406 East 8th Avenue in Munhall, and he could make it a restaurant. The building was formerly operated for over 30 years as the Nite Cap Lounge. In January, the two came to terms on the rent and they hope to make the transition to the new space by May 2010. Construction was begun in January 2010 by Dan and a small crew. Construction took much longer than expected but the new restaurant with seating for 40 opened without much fanfare in September 2010.

Since opening, Donna's has been cranking out some of the best home cooked food in the burg one carefully prepared plate at a time. In addition to the great food the interior is warm and friendly and is just a cozy quiet place to enjoy a meal. While the restaurant doesn't host a parking lot, there is ample on street parking, and the short walk around the block or just down the street is somewhat refreshing in contrast to the mega-lots we have gotten used to. For his efforts, Dan did manage to get one of his favorites on the menu; turkey devonshire. If you like hot roast turkey or homemade meatloaf and potatoes, you'll get none better that at Donna's, and should you manage to eat it all, have a nice nap!

Home Cooked By Donna
406 E. 8th Ave.
Munhall, PA 15120
412-464- 1450
www.facebook.com/homecookedbydonna

A small dine in or carry out food establishment family own and operated. Serving fresh, good, & healthy portions of daily "home cooked" meals. Our very diverse menu offers breakfast, lunch, & dinner six days a week.

Amity Street entrance to Waterfront to close May 9

Construction work at two railroad crossings will close the Amity Street entrance to The Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead on Monday May 9, 2011

CSX and Norfolk Southern will install new sections of rail panel and resurface the crossings with concrete and asphalt to smooth the ride for motorists, said Sean Campbell, general manager of CAMSCO Service Inc., which is managing the work zone.

The street will be closed at East Sixth Avenue starting at 9 a.m. Monday May 9. It is scheduled to reopen by 9 p.m. Friday May 13, Mr. Campbell said.

Mayor Betty Esper arranged to have the project start after Mother's Day, she said, so shoppers buying gifts or taking their moms to dinner would not be inconvenienced.

Shoppers can reach The Waterfront via its two other entrances, from the Homestead Grays Bridge and Route 837 at East Waterfront Drive.

Friday, May 06, 2011

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11126/1144460-55.stm#ixzz1LlYc27AE

Negro League signs to line bridge

Plaques will honor Grays, Crawfords

The lineups haven't been announced yet, but the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords, legendary baseball rivals in the Negro Leagues, will be matched up again next week.

A series of signs honoring the teams will be unveiled Thursday on the Homestead Grays Bridge at an event hosted by Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, Homestead Mayor Betty Esper, the Pirates and the Josh Gibson Foundation.

It will be 9-on-9, as nine signs commemorating the Grays will line the side of the bridge carrying traffic toward Homestead, and nine markers depicting the Crawfords will bedeck the Pittsburgh-bound side.

"The idea was to honor both of the teams and the Negro Leagues," said Mr. Onorato's spokesman, Kevin Evanto.

The display is the culmination of a decade-long dream of Ms. Esper, who began gathering support in 2001 for renaming what was formerly the Homestead High-Level Bridge to honor the Grays, the dominant Negro National League team of the 1930s and 1940s.

At the time she mentioned a goal of draping banners of Grays players along the bridge, which was renamed in 2002.

"Mayor Esper has been a driving force behind this," said county spokeswoman Megan Dardanell.

Rather than banners, the display will be metal signs, in the shape of elongated home plates, bearing photographs of the great players and owners of the teams. The signs were designed by Pittsburgh sports artist Dino Guarino, who has painted images of many of the region's great athletes, including Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente, Mario Lemieux and Arnold Palmer.

"We think this is a great part of not only baseball but Pittsburgh folklore," Mr. Guarino said. "More and more people should be aware of it."

The photographs are black-and-white but the signs are accented in Prussian blue for the Grays and cranberry red for the Crawfords, he said. Each will have the team's logo on the back.

The metal signs will hold up better against the elements than vinyl banners, Mr. Evanto said.

The Homestead Grays were established in 1912 but the team's roots went back more than a decade before that. They competed in the Negro National League from 1935 to 1948 and won nine straight pennants from 1937 to 1945.

The Crawfords played independently in 1931 and 1932 and in the Negro National League from 1933 to 1938.

Although the names of the honorees haven't been revealed, it's a sure bet that catcher Josh Gibson, who played for both teams, will be among them. Mr. Gibson hit more than 800 home runs during a 16-year career and was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1972.

The Josh Gibson Foundation is celebrating the centennial of the great catcher's birth this year, and is headed by Mr. Gibson's great-grandson Sean.

"These guys have done a lot for baseball and are very seldom recognized," Mr. Gibson said. "That bridge gets a lot of traffic. People will have a chance to learn more about these two great teams."

Pittsburgh, he added, "has always been at the forefront of doing things like this."

Saturday, May 07, 2011

By Jon Schmitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Read more: http://www.postgazette.com/pg/11127/1144763-55.stm#ixzz1Lh1bIy8k

Kennywood's Open!

Ghost hunters back in Homestead

Stars of the Syfy original series "Ghost Hunters" are trying to find out what people in Homestead already know — that the former police station near the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Amity Street is haunted.

Film crews were recording outside the facility Friday evening. Officers were interviewed as well as police secretary Vicci Kenna. Kenna was filmed in a place she thought she would never have to return, the old station`s basement.

"It`s very exciting, but it was still creepy in the basement," Kenna said. "Very creepy. Even worse because it`s all empty and really weird, but I think this is exciting. It will prove to everybody now, hopefully, that we were not crazy. We have worked with the other world. We have worked with the other side of whatever."

Paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson were not at the station Friday. The hunters conducted their investigation at the former station last Saturday.

"We`ve had a good experience here," producer Mike Peebles said.

Hunters also investigated another location about an hour away from the Steel Valley area. That area was not revealed Friday.

Police Chief Jeff DeSimone gave the hunters a tour of the facility.

"I`m tickled pink that they chose to come to Homestead, and I`m just excited that they`re here," he said. "I`m looking forward to whatever evidence they might have uncovered."

Ghost Hunters is not the first paranormal group to investigate the former police station, which originally was built as a post office. Hauntings Research revealed its findings in September 2010 of a study they conducted in May of that year.

Founder Ed Ozosky said at the time the jail cells contain a vortex for souls and spirits crossing into and out of the living world.

"I totally lost track of how many people were in there," Ozosky said of the souls inside the former station. "One of the reasons there were so many people is that it literally had an open doorway for spirits to come and go... a vortex (detection) is very rare."

The Greater Pittsburgh Paranormal Society gathered nearly 30 hours of video footage and 100 hours of audio recordings in 2008, and they reported screams in the basement as well as human figures moving about in a locked office.

DeSimone said the Syfy group may have more or different findings than the investigators.

"These guys are by all means the premier organization," the chief said. "They`re the ones on TV. They each employ different methods even though they are similar. Each has its own way of doing things."

Peebles said he could not talk about what was found, only that it will be shown in an episode within the next two to three months for the show`s seventh season.

"They really won`t tell us anything about the investigation," Kenna said. "Just that it`s over and they need to interview the people that have experienced things and worked in the building."

Hunters also burned the midnight oil at the Carnegie Library of Homestead in Munhall last Sunday.

Library president Dan Lloyd said the hunters explored the entire facility including the athletic club, the pool, the boiler room, the main hall, the adult reading room and the music hall.

"They sought us out and heard from a number of people (that the library was haunted)," Lloyd said. "They dug into the history of the area and library. (The show`s) going to have to do with the history of the Mon Valley."

Lloyd said athletic club director Edward Child reported he saw something unexplainable. He also noted someone died in the pool in November 1899.

According to a report in the former Homestead News Messenger that month, Robert E. Peebles, 25, died Nov. 28 around 10 p.m. "under mysterious circumstances" and "was found dead in eight feet of water."

"A lot of people don`t know this, but it`s something that I knew because I do a lot of reading," Lloyd said. "There are some odd circumstances surrounding this guy`s death."

Lloyd also noted people reported books falling off shelves for no apparent reason, among other unexplained phenomena.

The season premier of Ghost Hunters is scheduled for June 1, and is set in Hawaii.

Ghost Hunters airs on Syfy Wednesdays at 9 and 11 p.m. EST. Check local listings for station information.

This is the second time Ghost Hunters came to the Steel Valley area. Hunters went into a few homes for the show`s first season.

Peebles said he could not remember what was found at that time.

By Michael DiVittorio, MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS
Saturday, May 7, 2011

Read more: Ghost hunters back in Homestead - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailynewsmckeesport/s_735949.html#ixzz1LgOyX7b6

Film Notes: Labor movie series kicks off with factory fire doc

Two films about the deadly 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire will be shown Thursday 4/28/11 to mark Workers Memorial Day, honoring those killed on the job.

The Battle of Homestead Foundation will open its annual movie series with a documentary about the March 25, 1911, catastrophe that killed 146. A fire broke out in the upper floors of a New York garment factory where workers, mostly young Jewish and Italian women, were unable to escape due to locked and blocked doors.

Some tried to jump to safety but found certain death on the sidewalk below. Firemen's nets were broken by the force of bodies, ladders proved to be too short to reach those trapped, fire escapes were missing or overrun, and many women burned to death as shocked onlookers stood helplessly nearby.

The series at the Pump House of the old Homestead Works will show "Triangle Fire," an hour-long "American Experience" documentary produced to mark the anniversary of the tragedy, along with a 9-minute short, "Triangle Returns: Young Women Continue to Die in Locked Sweatshops."

The program is free and starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at 880 E. Waterfront Drive in Munhall.Also scheduled as part of the series, all free (although donations accepted):

• "Coal Country" -- Documentary exploring the impact, benefits and costs of mountaintop removal in contemporary West Virginia. Screens at 7:30 p.m. May 26.

• "One Day Longer: The Story of the Frontier Strike" -- This film examines one of the longest strikes in American history, as workers at the Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas went on strike in 1991 after the company slashed wages and benefits. The strikers held a 24-hour picket line for more than six years, and none of the union members ever crossed it. 7:30 p.m. June 30.

• "Struggles in Steel: A Story of African-American Steelworkers" -- A photography exhibit will accompany this documentary by filmmaker Tony Buba and activist and one-time steelworker Ray Henderson. They tell the forgotten story of the struggle for equality in Pittsburgh's steel industry and the labor movement through archival footage and eloquent recollections. 7:30 p.m. July 28.

• "People and Power, The Struggle Continues: A History of Steelworkers, 1880-1980" -- An overview of Pittsburghers with special attention paid to the Homestead plant, the 1892 lockout and strike, 1919 strike, organization of the United Steelworkers, post-World War II era developments, and fight against plant closings in recent decades. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 25.

• "The Coca-Cola Case" -- Documentary investigating charges of union busting and far more serious offenses at bottling plants in Colombia, Guatemala and Turkey. 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29.

• "Newspaper of Record: The Pittsburgh Courier, 1907-1965" -- Pittsburgh filmmaker Kenneth Love or an associate will introduce this new documentary tracing the Courier's rise to a national paper with 14 editions. It served as a record of African-American life and a vanguard of the civil rights movement. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27

For more information, see www.battleofhomesteadfoundation.org or call 412-831-3871.

Friday, April 22, 2011

By Barbara Vancheri, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11112/1141012-60-0.stm#ixzz1KancDCbs

Carrie Furnace Hard Hat Public Tours Kick off 2011 With “Rankin Deer Head” Artist Tim Kaulen

The 2011 season of the Carrie Furnace Hard Hat Tours will be kicked off at noon on Saturday, April 30 with guest tour guide Tim Kaulen (www.timkaulen.com) who was instrumental in creating the well known “Rankin Deer Head” sculpture on the property. Kaulen will offer an artist’s perspective of Carrie Furnace and the popular sculpture he helped create with other members of the Industrial Arts Co-Op more than a decade ago. A regional public artist, Kaulen is well-known for his use of recycled materials in projects seen at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Southside Riverfront Park, to name a few.

The Carrie Furnace complex, now managed by the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation as of 2010, used to be part of the US Steel Homestead Works. At one time, the site was key to preparing the country to enter World War II and providing the iron to create armor plating for ships and tanks. The pair of furnaces operated from 1907 to 1978 and the site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Future plans for the site include its development into a heritage park with an interpretive center.

Public tours of the century old iron-making complex will also be held at 9 AM, 10 AM and 11 AM April 30, followed by Kaulen’s special presentation at noon.

Other public tours will be held 9 AM, 10 AM and 11 AM May 21, June 18, August 20, September 17 and October 15. On June 17, another special tour guide, Landscape Ethicist Rick Darke (www.rickdarke.com) will speak at the Historic Pump House on the topic of “Carrie Furnace in Global Context: New Parks and Gardens Forged from Industrial Landscapes.” He will also guest tour guide at noon June 18 at the Carrie Furnace complex. His work has been featured on NPR, the New York Times and Garden Design Magazine. The author and photographer of many books, he was also featured in: “Fallingwater” and “The New American Landscape: Leading Voices on the Future of Sustainable Gardening”, both to be published later this year.

For more information or tickets, contact Stacy Drane at 412.464.4020, ext. 32 or sdrane@riversofsteel.com

Spring Heritage Market at Historic Pump House in The Waterfront

Held 10 AM to 3 PM April 23

(Munhall, Pa) – Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area is sponsoring a Spring Heritage Market 10 AM to 3 PM April 23 at the Historic Pump House, 880 E. Waterfront Drive, located in The Waterfront - a popular Pittsburgh area shopping district. The ethnic artisan market is a means for the national heritage area to support and promote the diversity and cultural history of the Pittsburgh region.

Free and open to the public, the event will include authentic, ethnic heritage art, such as Bulgarian-Macedonian pottery, Moroccan purses, Native American beadwork and Irish collectibles. Crafts representing the Pittsburgh region’s more recent green heritage include pop industrial art, handcrafted jewelry and baubles made from recycled materials, among others.

The event will also include a taste exploration of our region’s diverse culture with foods representing Cuba, Bulgaria-Macedonia, England and Hungary, among others. Sample soups, teas and chocolate and purchase other foods, such as homemade cookies and breads from The Rise Above Bakery and Cafe or Easter treats from Dorothy’s Candies.

Music will be provided by Mostefa Hnadi,owner of Global Market Retail, on the doumbeck drums in the morning and in the afternoon by Joe Grkman, Jr., - of the award-winning Slovenian Polka band Grkmania, who play regularly at Hofbrauhaus in Pittsburgh’s Southside. Visitors can also take part in a Pick-a-Prize Auction, with chances to win items such as Bulgarian pottery and tickets to the Pittsburgh Irish Festival.

The Historic Pump House is also on a trailhead of the Great Allegheny Passage via the Steel Valley Trail, and Golden Triangle Bike Rentals will be offering free bicycle rentals for brief path explorations. The market location is the historic site of the 1892 Lock and Strike. The structure was barely a year old when it took its place in history as the site of the infamous “Battle of Homestead.” On July 6, 1892 the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Pinkerton Guards hired by the Carnegie Steel Company clashed on the banks of the Monongahela River beneath the Pump House – now considered one of the most dramatic conflicts in American Labor history. Today the Pump House is the only brick structure that remains of United States Steel’s Homestead Works. Now under the auspices of Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, the Pump House can be rented for private events.

For more information, please contact Sherris Moreira at 412.464.4060, ext. 46 or smoreira@riversofsteel.com.

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

Steve Pellegrino’s latest one-man show: ACCORDION STORIES

Story telling at its best interspersed with music and song.
Benefits Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

April 28, 29, 30, 2011 8pm

Greybox Theatre, 3595
Butler St Lawrenceville PA 15201

Tickets: Adults: $15 plus food item(s)
Student/Youth: $12 plus food item(s) (Group rates available)

For tickets: www.QMproductionsinc.com, call 412-576-0898 or purchase at the door

The endlessly entertaining Steve Pellegrino grew up in the Mon Valley, the son of an immigrant Italian family, whose lives were affected by the great depression, union organizing and WWII. “The accordion and songs I heard growing up are used as connective tissue to share a family history as it reveals moments in our social and cultural past in America since the 1920’s. It is as much a reminiscence of growing up in these times as a history lesson in the saga of one of America’s great industrial valleys.”

QM Productions, Inc. is a non-profit production company in Pittsburgh producing quality music and theater events to raise money for local charities. Our audiences have the pleasure of seeing great shows and the satisfaction of helping those in need simply by attending our shows.

For further information:
www.QMproductionsinc.com
Nancy Gordon Galluzzo, President and founder - 412 576 0898

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)