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MYTHBUSTING
PITTSBURGH
Pittsburgh's great — but if you've heard we're the greatest, check your sources.
IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: COMMUNITY PROFILE 04 Mythbusting Pittsburgh: where
we’re first and where we’re not
COMEDY 10 Scott Thompson brings Buddy Cole
back for another riotous ride
BY AMANDA WALTZ
CELEBRATING 30+ YEARS SERVING PITTSBURGH SINCE NOV. 6, 1991
BY COLIN WILLIAMS
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& DRINK 14 5FOOD of the best winter beers to enjoy in CP ILLUSTRATION: JEFF SCHRECKENGOST
OPINION
08 For better or worse, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh BY OWEN GABBY
is defined by its fireworks BY RACHEL WILKINSON
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12 EVENTS
Pittsburgh’s top events this week BY CP STAFF
15 Classifieds and Crossword CHECK OUT THESE STORIES ONLINE: COMMUNITY
An informal “census” shows growing gaps among Pittsburgh childcare centers BY JACK TROY
SPORTS
Pittsburgh’s duckpin bowling bars offer bite-sized fun BY COLIN WILLIAMS
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 3 - 10, 2024
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COMMUNITY PROFILE
CP ILLUSTRATION: JEFF SCHRECKENGOST
MYTHBUSTING PITTSBURGH
Pittsburgh's great — but if you've heard we're the greatest, check your sources. BY COLIN WILLIAMS // COLIN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
P
ittsburgh is a city that loves to celebrate itself. We’re the Steel City, the heart of American industry! We’re the City of Bridges, with more than anywhere in the universe! We’re the City of Champions, home to the winningest sports franchises around! Yet — as in the above statements — there are lots of not-quite-true factoids about the ’Burgh in heavy circulation, as well as other “Did you know…” statements that contain outright misinformation. Such claims include having the largest community of this or that ethnicity anywhere in the country, the oldest and biggest such-and-such tradition, or the strongest tie to certain foods. According to numerous publications of varying levels of credibility, the most livable city or the best city for X, Y, or Z.
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I have my personal theories about why this is, many of them related to Pittsburgh’s attempts to redefine itself after decades of steel-centric economic planning and subsequent population plunge. Anecdotally, many people also have deep roots in the region (very different from places like New York, D.C., or L.A.), owed to both long histories and our more modest socioeconomic indicators. That’s led many Pittsburghers to a sort of knee-jerk, navel-gazing praise of the city that both misrepresents and obscures our actual strengths.
THE “FIRST” AND “BEST” Right off the bat, the “most bridges” claim is likely wrong. It’s true that Pittsburgh is a city of hundreds of bridges, some of them one-of-a-kind
masterpiece spans (here’s to looking at you, Smithfield St.) and three-of-a-kind icons that define the local cityscape. But we don’t have the most in the Commonwealth, let alone the world. According to the federal Department of Transportation, we actually have almost 300 fewer than Philadelphia. We have a lot for a city of our size regardless of how you define a proper “bridge,” but it takes clever math to get us to the top of the heap. Though Pittsburgh did once have the largest steelmaking capacity in the U.S., it’s hardly news that we’ve tumbled on that front. Texas now has more steel jobs than Pennsylvania, and Nucor, the country’s largest steel company by output, is headquartered in North Carolina, where they use newer minimill technology that’s more efficient than U.S. Steel’s legacy plants in the Mon Valley. At just under 4,000 workers, U.S. Steel’s workforce in the region is far smaller than it once was, and Nippon Steel’s controversial acquisition of the company in December leaves even that total hanging in uncertainty.
“WE DO HAVE ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT FILM AND TECH INDUSTRIES, BUT THE IDEA THAT WE’RE NEXT IN LINE BEHIND THE HEAVYWEIGHTS DOESN’T STAND UP TO MUCH SCRUTINY.” As for the “most livable” claim, a variety of outlets ranging from Forbes to WalletHub continue to rank us highly on such lists (Forbes kicked off a furor with their initial accolade in 2010, such that the “most livable” phrase now appears on some city trash cans). The veracity of such claims surely depends on whom you ask. Black mothers, for example, who face infant mortality rates and healthcare disparities comparable to countries such as the Philippines, probably don’t see things quite the same as white tech managers moving here from elsewhere.
Which brings us to…
THE “SECOND-MOST” Over the years, I’ve heard a variety of dubious claims related to demographics, including that we have the second-largest Jewish community, second-largest Italian community, largest Ukrainian community, et cetera in the country. Most of these claims are false. According to Wikipedia, our Jewish population ranks No. 21 between Tampa and Houston. Italian Americans, though a major presence in several neighborhoods, make up a smaller percentage of the regional population than they do in places such as New Jersey and New England (one ranking has us at fifth nationwide). Ukrainian Americans are a notable presence, but Eastern Pa. boasts more, as does Chicago. Pittsburgh does have a notable Croatian American population, who occupied a North Side enclave now mostly covered by Route 28; and one of the world’s largest concentrations of Rusyn people, whose descendents include the likes of Andy Warhol and Bret Michaels. Greater Pittsburgh can, by some accounts, also claim the second-highest percentage of Irish ancestry after Boston, and the Beaver County Times claimed us as the country’s “most Irish city” despite somewhat shaky data. However, the claim that we have the second-largest St. Paddy’s Day celebration in the country is also false (the Chicago Tribune puts us at No. 11). Lastly, there have been concerted efforts to sell Pittsburgh as the Hollywood of the East or the next Silicon Valley. It’s true; we do have economically important film and tech industries, but the idea that we’re next in line behind the heavyweights doesn’t stand up to much scrutiny. One list has us in the No. 10 spot for filmmakers nationwide, behind other cities such as New York and Atlanta, while our tech sector appears to be in retreat — Pittsburgh tumbled four spots to No. 30 and continues to hemorrhage young STEM talent despite our strong education sector.
CP ILLUSTRATION: JEFF SCHRECKENGOST
MYTHBUSTING PITTSBURGH, CONTINUES ON PG. 6
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 3 - 10, 2024
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MYTHBUSTING PITTSBURGH, CONTINUED FROM PG. 5
THE “HOME OF” This is the section where I’m probably really going to get in trouble. That’s because I’m about to make a shocking claim — Pittsburgh didn’t actually invent colorful rally towels at sports games. It’s true: that honor goes to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers and their coach E.A. Diddle. Diddle’s red towel accessory became so popular after its introduction in the ’40s that it eventually became the school’s logo in 1971, four years before Myron Cope would forever change the Pittsburgh landscape with his own eye-catching gimmick. The Terrible Towel almost certainly inspired the modern-day wave of rally towels, and has been waved as far afield as Outer Space, but Diddle and the Toppers (incidentally an awesome punk band name) beat Cope by decades. Other “home of” claims include the Klondike Bar and chipped ham. Though Isaly’s Dairy had a major presence in Pittsburgh, the company originated in Ohio and invented those Pittsburgh favorites at their Mansfield headquarters. It also hardly needs mentioning that our city loves pierogies, going so far as to feature anthropomorphic ones at Pirates games. Though the humble pierogi might be the “quintessential Pittsburgh food,” it was apparently first served stateside in our rival city of Cleveland in 1922 and remains popular in other cities with prominent Eastern European populations. Mrs. T’s, the country’s largest pierogi maker, calls Eastern Pa. its home.
WHERE WE TOP THE LIST So where does little old Pittsburgh top the rankings? First, the (arguably) bad: Pittsburgh does top one demographic list, namely the list of whitest metro areas in the United States. At 84.9% white people, we’re whiter than the average rural census tract, nationwide even though Greater Pittsburgh has a larger population than metro Las Vegas, Austin, and San Jose. This is, of course, in mild contrast to the city itself, which, though still overwhelmingly white, is seeing a slow decline in Black residents but
Now, if all this debunking makes you want a beer, I do have some good news: this hard-drinking town actually does have, by one metric, the most bars per capita and the second-most pizza shops to boot. One site also has us listed as the nation’s top beer city by breweries per capita and price. There’s also a litany of actual firsts to fall back on. There’s the polio vaccine. The first heart and liver transplant. The first commercial radio station and first public TV station. The first World Series. The first Big Mac. We also gave the world the inventor of the Ferris wheel; artists including Mary Cassatt, Gertrude Stein, and Andy Warhol; the greatest baseball team of all time in the Homestead Grays; and countless other changemakers. We’re greener than most; we’re more progressive than most; we’re super creative. We have a dizzying array of acclaimed festivals, and our contemporary pro sports teams have historically been among the best in the world. I could go on, but the point here is this: Pittsburgh has plenty to be proud of without hearsay and false bravado. The Steel City has many selling points, and acknowledging and addressing our shortcomings will give us even more. We might not be Valedictorian or Homecoming Queen, but we damn sure aren’t last in the class. Besides, just look at that skyline! Never stop being you, Pittsburgh — just maybe double-check those “secondbiggest” numbers the next time you talk up the city to jagoffs from ahtta tahn. •
“PITTSBURGH DOES TOP ONE DEMOGRAPHIC LIST, NAMELY THE LIST OF WHITEST METRO AREAS IN THE UNITED STATES. AT 84.9% WHITE PEOPLE, WE’RE WHITER THAN THE AVERAGE RURAL CENSUS TRACT.” steady growth among Hispanic and Asian populations. We do also, according to one recent study, have the most affordable housing market in the world, with prices well below the American median. For longtime residents, however, that might not matter. Our average wages lag compared to other cities, and that cheap housing is correlated with one of the country’s oldest populations and the slowest post-COVID labor force recovery of any major U.S. city.
CP ILLUSTRATION: JEFF SCHRECKENGOST
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ENJOY THE NEW YEAR WITH A NEW PATRON Radiantly smooth, NATURALLY SWEET.
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 3 - 10, 2024
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OPINION
FOR BETTER OR WORSE, PITTSBURGH IS DEFINED BY ITS FIREWORKS BY RACHEL WILKINSON // RWILKINSON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
A
few nights ago, tens of th o u s a n d s o f p e o p l e packed Downtown Pittsburgh for Highmark First Night. The region’s largest New Year’s Eve celebration marked its 30th anniversary with a milestone event spanning the 14 blocks of the Cultural District. Pittsburghers rang in 2024 with a burning 24-foot-tall tree sculpture, puppet-filled parade, and ribbon-cutting to reopen the Roberto Clemente Bridge. But the grand finale, of course, was the fireworks show — the last of many in
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Pittsburgh for the year. When Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor spoke to Pittsburgh City Paper about the Greenfield Holiday Parade — which also celebrated its 30th anniversary last year — he stressed the importance of the fireworks. He and his late father, former Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor, had gone to great lengths to fund them each year, obtaining a special permit to launch from Greenfield’s Magee Field within city limits. “Pittsburghers love their fireworks,” he said matter-of-factly.
This raised the question — are Pittsburghers nuts about fireworks? Once you start to tally it up, there are fireworks everywhere: Light Up Night celebrated its 62nd anniversary (its fireworks were originally launched over Point State Park and are now shot off barges on the Allegheny River). The Pirates hosted at least six scheduled fireworks nights at PNC Park last season, and there’s similar fervor at Acrisure Stadium, including pregame and halftime displays, and, of course, there's our Fourth of July celebration.
The stadium even lit up for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour last June, igniting orange and purple fireworks as she sang her hit “Lavender Haze.” Then there are the many neighborhood fireworks displays, seemingly in every borough and township. According to a recent report by WalletHub, Pittsburgh is the number-one city in the nation for “legality of fireworks,” meaning, presumably, that we’re highly permissive of them. The city also ranks 13th overall for best New Year’s Eve celebration, an impressive spot given that ahead
of us are bigger cities like New York and Chicago, and taking the top spot is Orlando, the amusement capital of the world. At this point, I’ll confess — I’m tepid about fireworks. They’re loud; they’re dangerous, causing injuries and deaths; and they can be distressing for people and pets (Pitt Homecoming — yet another instance of fireworks in the city — drives my cat under the couch every fall). They’re also harmful to the environment, deteriorating Pittsburgh’s already abysmal air quality in the short amount of time they take to launch. At the risk of coming off as even more of a killjoy, I wonder if fireworks are even that cool. Recent additions of laser and drone shows suggest the spectacle doesn’t command the attention it once did. Aren’t we talking about a technology that hasn’t evolved much in thousands of years? This last question is where I might be underselling matters. In a 2015 article titled “Pittsburgh’s
long-lasting love affair with fireworks,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette delved into the city’s storied history with fireworks, noting that American pyrotechnic celebrations date further back than the country itself, before the Revolutionary War was even won. “Not surprisingly, the fireworks of yore were a far cry from today’s elaborate displays,” Post-Gazette writer Meredith Carroll explained. “Early Americans delighted in raised platforms on which fireworks were arranged to create patriotic images. Gravity-defying rockets and vivid colors alike were few and far between.” Part of pyrotechnic “innovation” — and Pittsburgh’s seeming obsession with fireworks — centers around Zambelli Fireworks. The fireworks company’s former headquarters in New Castle, Pa. earned the town a U.S.-patented designation as the “Fireworks Capital of America” (Zambelli moved its base to Cranberry in 2018). Family run for three generations,
Zambelli Fireworks began when, in 1893, Antonio Zambelli immigrated from Italy to the United States, carrying a legendary black book containing fireworks “recipes.” Gianni DeVincent Hayes wrote in her 2003 book Zambelli: The First Family of Fireworks that, at least up until 20 years ago, most of the fireworks recipes in the country were highly guarded trade secrets “usually written in black books that remain in the possession of the family patriarch… [where] generally no backup copies exist.” Zambelli’s recipes were written in Italian and locked in a safe. Since its founding, the company has put on fireworks displays large and small around Pittsburgh, including at the old Three Rivers Regatta and the well-known Pirates postgame Zambelli Fireworks show. The company even set a world record for altitude when it shot fireworks from the top of the U.S. Steel Tower. But Zambelli has, over the decades, cast a wide net, launching fireworks
at presidential inaugurations (the company history highlights John F. Kennedy’s) and White House state dinners, as well as at the the 1981 wedding of then Prince Charles and Lady Diana, the Times Square Ball Drop on New Year’s Eve, Mount Rushmore, and the Kentucky Derby. A large chunk of the company’s business still occurs across two days, July 3rd and 4th, with Zambelli fireworks appearing at an estimated 800 celebrations taking place around the country. Throw 130 years of history and a name like “Fireworks Capital of America” at me and the Pittsburgh pride kicks in. In her book, DeVincent Hayes makes her case for fireworks, writing, “There’s something special about shooting fire across a black background.” A review of the book praises fireworks as “jewelry for the sky.” On the whole, I remain ambivalent, but I’ll always support Pittsburgh’s capacity for unchecked enthusiasm, however irrational. •
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 3 - 10, 2024
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COMEDY
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PHOTO: JACKIE BROWN/AMAZON STUDIOS
Scott Thompson on Kids in the Hall
CLEARLY CANADIAN BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM 10
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ho is Buddy Cole? In the past, he’s been a club owner, a B-movie actor, a coach for an all-lesbian softball team, and a murderer. Like his creator, actor and comedian Scott Thompson, he’s definitely Canadian and definitely gay. But in the beginning, he was a 7,000-yearold vampire. This is according to Thompson, who made Buddy a fixture on Kids in the Hall, the cult sketch comedy show that debuted in 1989 and ran on Canadian and American television stations. “Buddy Cole was born in front of Paul Bellini’s video camera,” Thompson tells Pittsburgh City Paper, referring to his longtime friend, collaborator, and sometimes KITH co-star. While Thompson dropped the vampire angle, he kept other aspects of Buddy, mainly his “overtly gay voice,” despite some reservations at the time. “I was afraid that, oh my god, if I do this all day, that’s what I’ll become, I’ll become Buddy Cole,” Thompson explains. “And at the time, I was so full of self-loathing, I thought, that’s the last thing I want to be, because I was always fighting to hide.” Thompson returns as Buddy for a tour that promises all-new material about the life, times, and candid thoughts of the proudly gay gadfly. The show debuts on Tue., Jan. 9 in Pittsburgh, where audiences at City Winery will be among the first to hear Buddy’s latest signature monologues. The tour continues Buddy’s legacy as a controversial gay character who, over the past few decades, has managed to rile both right-leaning and liberal audiences. Known for delivering unabashed opinions while sipping martinis, Buddy, as Thompson explains, has drawn ire from his LGBTQ peers for being what they view as too stereotypically effeminate, for “not being the right kind of gay,” and for giving away the community’s secrets. Despite criticism, a devoted KITH fanbase embraced Buddy’s outrageous antics, including claims of being friends with the now late Queen Elizabeth II, who Thompson also played in various episodes.
Thompson says Buddy not only gave him an outlet to express himself as a gay man, but to address some of the issues he saw in his own community. He views Buddy — who, not coincidentally, was brought into existence at the height of the 1980s AIDS crisis — as being a brave, outspoken figure at a time when being openly gay was difficult at best and dangerous at worst. Thompson recalls the homophobic rhetoric he endured in his early days as a stand-up act, which ended after he confronted an audience member for calling him a gay slur. After joining KITH — a group that includes fellow members Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, and Mark McKinney — Thompson saw a mission in performing as Buddy. “Gay men were dying like flies,” says Thompson. “We were in the middle of a plague and we were demonized everywhere. I thought it was something I had to do. I gave Buddy the courage and then I kind of borrowed the courage from him … I just decided to jump off the cliff and see what happens.” Thompson says much of the new material — which he performed and developed into a show at various Toronto clubs “very stealthily over the last year and a half” — was originally written for the KITH reunion show that released last year on Amazon Prime, but that the streaming service rejected them (an event description even deems the new monologues “TOO HOT FOR AMAZON”). “There was so much censorship, particularly towards me and Buddy Cole,” Thompson says of his experience with Amazon. “And so I went back to the stage. I thought, they can’t really stop you on stage. You can be angry, you can yell at me, you could say boo, you can even complain, but
you can’t really stop me.” The tour will also coincide with the filming of a Buddy Cole documentary executive produced by McCulloch, who Thompson says “couldn’t believe that Buddy was being silenced” at Amazon. “So Bruce said, ‘I don’t want Buddy to be silenced anymore, I’m gonna make a documentary about him,’” Thompson continues. In terms of what to expect, Thompson says the show offers 10 monologues that “lead Buddy Cole, inexorably, to a staggering conclusion.” He teases that the ending made previous audiences “freak out” and “leap to their feet.” “It’s probably got more jokes per square inch than I’ve ever written,” says Thompson. “I can’t leave any air in the show for people to really think about where they are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going.” The tour also marks a last hurrah for Buddy, as Thompson plans to retire the character for the foreseeable future. “I’m very excited about this tour, because I’m gonna put [Buddy] away for a while because I don’t really need them the same way I did,” says Thompson. “I mean, I need him for this show. But there are lots of Buddy Coles today. But they’re not as funny as Buddy.” •
SCOTT THOMPSON AS BUDDY COLE IN KING. 8 p.m. Doors at 6:30 p.m. City Winery. 1627 Smallman St., Strip District. $20-39. Waitlist only. citywinery.com/pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 3 - 10, 2024
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NEIGHBORHOOD
SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH BY CP STAFF
Sun., Jan. 7. 209 Mall Blvd., Monroeville. $11-12, free for kids 11 and under. monroevilleconventioncenter.com
CONVENTION • DOWNTOWN
Pittsburgh RV Show. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. David L. Lawrence Convention Center. 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Downtown. $5-12, free for kids 5 and under. pittsburghcc.com
MUSIC • DOWNTOWN
That Girl Lay Lay. 6 p.m. Benedum Center. Seventh St. and Penn Ave., Downtown. $41.25-81.25. trustarts.org
MUSIC • MILLVALE
moontown with Back Alley Sounds, No Sleep For Zombies, and Paging Doctor Moon. 7:30 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Mr. Smalls Theatre. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. mrsmalls.com
SUN., JAN. 7 LIT • NORTH SIDE
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Free Association Reading Series: Inga Schmidt, Romella Kitchens, Derek Maiolo, and Chauna Craig. 3:30-5 p.m. Alphabet City at City of Asylum. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. Registration required. Livestream available. cityofasylum.org
MUSIC • SOUTH SIDE
Asher Roth with Midnight Lights. 8 p.m. Hard Rock Cafe. 230 W. Station Square Dr., South Side. $20-150. mainfactormerch.com
MON., JAN. 8 PHOTO: COURTESY OF AUDIBLE TREATS
Asher Roth at Hard Rock Cafe
THU., JAN. 4 ART • DOWNTOWN
The complex history, political climate, and culture of Serbia come to light during a new group exhibition at 937 Liberty. The Wind Got Up in the Night and Took Our Plans Away features works highlighting life before and after Serbia’s independence from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The exhibition showcases several Serbian photographers and photography collectives, and includes a public art installation by the collective Belgrade Raw, located in Tito Way. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Continues through March 17. 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Free. trustarts.org
FRI., JAN. 5 LIT • BLOOMFIELD
Michael Cunningham with Stewart O’Nan. 7-8 p.m. White Whale Bookstore. 4754 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. $5-28. whitewhalebookstore.com
COMEDY • HOMESTEAD
D.L. Hughley. 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
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MUSIC • MCKEES ROCKS
Story of the Year with We the Kings and Youth Fountain. 7:30 p.m. Doors at 6:30 p.m. Roxian Theatre. 425 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks. Tickets start at $24. roxiantheatre.com
Continues through Sat., Jan. 6. Pittsburgh Improv. 166 East Bridge St., Homestead. improv.com/pittsburgh
MUSIC • SOUTH SIDE
Magic Tray Day presents The Abominable Snow Jam featuring Guides, Josh Jams, DNAPPS, and Jamuel L. Smackson. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Club Cafe. 56-58 South 12th St., South Side. $10. opusoneproductions.com
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SAT., JAN. 6 CONVENTION • MONROEVILLE
Model train enthusiasts should lay tracks to Monroeville Convention Center for a big celebration of tiny transportation. Greenberg’s Great Train & Toy Show offers over 80 exhibitors from around the country, as well as workshops, demonstrations, and vendors selling everything needed for the perfect model train set. Find fun for the whole family at what’s being touted as the “largest and longest-running train and toy show” in the Northeast. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Continues through
PHOTO: COURTESY OF EVAN ZIMMERMAN FOR MURPHYMADE
Girl From the North Country at the Benedum Center
DOUBLE O AGENT
BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY // BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM
TU JAN E., .9
PHOTO: COURTESY OF EVAN ZIMMERMAN FOR MURPHYMADE
Girl From the North Country at the Benedum Center
TUE., JAN. 9 FILM/MUSIC • DOWNTOWN
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. 7 p.m. Row House Cinema. 4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $14.46. rowhousecinemas.com
THEATER • DOWNTOWN
PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh kicks off 2024 with a Tony-award winning musical inspired by folk legend Bob Dylan. The touring production of Girl From The North Country — set to stage at the Benedum Center — follows a group of strangers who take salvation in a rundown
boarding house in the midst of the Great Depression. The show features 20 iconic Dylan songs, including “Forever Young,” “All Along The Watchtower,” “Hurricane,” and “Like A Rolling Stone.” 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sun., Jan. 14. Seventh St. and Penn Ave., Downtown. $35-115. trustarts.org
WED., JAN. 10 PODCAST • STRIP DISTRICT
Don’t Call Me White Girl Podcast. 7:30 p.m. Doors at 6 p.m. City Winery. 1627 Smallman St., Strip District. $25-60. citywinery.com
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Row House Cinema
ACROSS
1. Bits of garnish 7. Pest control target 10. Hesitant to join in 14. Readies a baseball for a young batter 15. “Not again” 16. “Light dawns on Marblehead” 17. Compliment the double reed wind instrument? 19. Baby shower attendee 20. Fenders are often attached to them 21. Bloop single’s outcome, at times 22. “Gimme Shelter” singer 24. Object often cut in office pranks 25. Black cat, maybe? 27. Car seat piece 29. Some lactation consultants: Abbr. 30. Compete 31. Cellphone set-up cost 33. Right triangle’s side 34. Raise interest, maybe? 35. R&B singer Norwood forgoing the band? 39. Dutch South African colonist 40. Diploma alt. 41. One of a sheepdog’s watch
42. Young-___ (small fry) 43. Go this-a-way 44. Stage direction word 48. Steph Curry, vis-à-vis the NBA All-Star Ballot? 53. Mathematician Lovelace 54. Making minor adjustments 55. A pair of 56. Heartbreak House playwright 57. David Bowie’s wife 58. When the curtain goes up for a Verdi opera? 61. Laundry room fixture 62. Zelenskyy’s nat. 63. Makes happy 64. Baseball team with a skyline in its logo 65. “___ soon” 66. Like some pigs
9. Upton Sinclair masterwork 10. “Band on the Run” band 11. How undisputed facts are taken 12. Bridge no-no 13. Wanted badly 18. Kimono accessory 23. Crack house? 25. Ready for business 26. Peanut Butter Cakesters cookie 28. Somewhere overseas, say 32. Beating in a photo finish 33. Drop it 34. Debt security 35. Congeniality 36. Booming 37. One who works
with a stethoscope 38. To be paid 39. “Strategery,” e.g. 43. Cab alternative 45. Polynesian island formerly known as Otaheite 46. “When the Snow Is on the Roses” singer 47. Least polished 49. Slopping sounds 50. In ___ (unborn) 51. Leather puncher 52. Listing in a filmography 56. Memphis record label whose logo is snapping fingers 59. It’s a bout finished: Abbr. 60. Cheer for Lionel Messi LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS
DOWN
1. NYC cathedral, familiarly 2. Gun-owner’s paper 3. Combining figure 4. Ancient Egyptian goddess 5. The Theatre Cat in Cats 6. Issue in porn? 7. Gloat over annoyingly 8. Back in the good old days
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 3 - 10, 2024
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FOOD & DRINK TYSON’S GRANDMA
ASLIN BEER COMPANY aslinbeer.com
A new addition to the Pittsburgh scene in 2023, Aslin made their name nationally in part due to their willingness to try creative recipes pushing the boundaries of craft beer. A winter beer is right up their alley, and Tyson’s Grandma delivers. A 6.5% IPA doesn’t necessarily sound like a beer worthy of making the list, until you check the adjuncts and see the pecan, cinnamon, maple, and vanilla that also go into the mix. The result is a beer where you can still definitely taste the hops that make it an IPA, while also getting a blast of winter spices that make it feel like a kitchen around the holidays. It all rounds into a beer that tastes like really nothing else in Pittsburgh right now.
ONE MORE SLEEP IMPERIAL GINGERBREAD STOUT CINDERLANDS BEER CO. cinderlands.com
Photo: Courtesy of Aslin Beer Company Tyson’s Grandma IPA by Aslin Beer Company
COLD WEATHER
COLD ONES BY OWEN GABBEY // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
Sometimes, the description of the beer tells you almost all you need to know. This is an 8% stout brewed with ginger, cinnamon, graham cracker, vanilla bean, and milk sugar — aka gingerbread. Stouts are a natural fit for a winter beer list, their roasty, rich qualities providing a perfect antidote to the cold weather outside. But One More Sleep is a particularly natural choice. “Rich” would be the operative word here, the gingerbread taste not overwhelming the dark chocolate notes that come with a well-brewed stout. This is a sweet beer without being cloying, and makes for a great nightcap.
ST. NIKOLAUS BOCK PENN BREWERY pennbrew.com
t gets dark early in the wintertime, so before you know it, it's time for a beer or two. Winter beers are generally defined by something dark, rich and warm — stouts, bocks, and porters are a natural fit here, but so are lighter beers brewed differently than they may be otherwise. Luckily, Pittsburgh breweries provide no shortage of options.
I
I need to acknowledge a classic of winter beer, Penn’s St. Nikolaus Bock. A style dating back to the 14th century, bocks are essentially dark lagers, brewed to be malty, toasty, and warm. When done right, they give off a caramel, chocolate feel without being dark like stouts and porters generally are. And Penn’s version is done well. One of the most well-known iterations of the style in the U.S., the St. Nikolaus Bock is malted with chocolate and caramel to give it a specific taste. Only available November through January, this 6.5% bock is a perfect treat for this time of year because of its ability to be rich in flavor while still feeling light.
Pittsburgh City Paper has five local and statewide options to try this winter.
WINTER SOLSTICE
MAD ELF ALE
ALLEGHENY CITY BREWING + FERMATA BREWING COMPANY alleghenycitybrewing.com/fermatabrewing.beer
Listen, I’m cheating right off the bat. Tröegs is not a Pittsburgh brewery , instead operating out of Hershey, Pa. But ask anyone what they think of when it comes to winter beers, and there’s a good chance Mad Elf is one of the first that comes to mind. This classic is winter beer. A strong ale in name and spirit, as it clocks in at 11% ABV, Mad Elf has everything you’d want for this season, with chocolate malt, local honey, and Belgian yeast. Five different kinds of cherries round out the beer, and give it the feel of a festive and boozy dessert around a warm fire.
We’ve covered some of the more traditional beer styles here — stouts, ales, IPAs. But if you want to seek out something more unique this season, stop by Allegheny City for Winter Solstice, a Cascadian Dark ale done in collaboration with Fermata, an Ambridge-based brewery. Otherwise known as a Black IPA, a Cascadian Dark is defined by the pine-y, resinous qualities of a West Coast IPA mixed with the rich, smoky textures of a much darker beer. With Winter Solstice, Allegheny and Fermata take it a step further with spruce tips added to both the kettle and the fermenter. The result is an earthy and beautifully scented beer that mixes the warmth of the season with the hoppy qualities of a great IPA. •
TRÖEGS INDEPENDENT BREWING troegs.com
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OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION of the SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on January 09, 2023, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:
PGH. CONROY
• Finish Floor Replacement and Miscellaneous Work • General and Asbestos Abatement Primes
PGH. FULTON, SPRING HILL, BANKSVILLE, AND CRESCENT ECC • Replace EM Generator • General, Electrical, and Asbestos Abatement Primes
Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on December 06, 2023, at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual. We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.
ESTATE NOTICE
ESTATE OF TUREK, JR., DONALD, J., DECEASED OF BUNOLA, PA
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ESTATE OF LAUTNER, MARY, G., DECEASED OF PLEASANT HILLS, PA
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Donald J. Turek Jr., deceased, of Bunola, PA. No. 022308164 of 2023. Sarah Turek, Adm., 2955 Cherylane Blvd. Columbus, OH 43235. Or to D. Scott Lautner, Attorney. 68 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236.
Mary G. Lautner, deceased, of Pleasant Hills, PA. No. 022306962 of 2023. D. Scott Lautner, Esquire, Ext. 68 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236. Or to D. Scott Lautner, Attorney. 68 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236.
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Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 902 Brinton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15221 on January 17, 2024 at 11:30 AM. 2013 Carmella Locke, 1152 Brandi Morrow. The auction will be listed and advertised on www. storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
ESTATE NOTICE
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PUBLIC AUCTION
Luis Hernandez, deceased, of Pittsburgh, PA. No. 022308516 of 2023. Evelyn Hernandez and Nilda Roque, Adms., 2117 Park Hill Drive, Apt. C., Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Or to Jacob Murphy Landau of Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. 707 Grant Street, Suite 125, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 6400 Hamilton Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 on January 17, 2024 at 1:45pm. 1025 Sadie Moore, 2117 Rena Parrotte. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
ESTATE OF LONGMORE, WILLIAM, F., DECEASED OF PLEASANT HILLS, PA
William F. Longmore, deceased, of Pleasant Hills, PA. No. 022305923 of 2023. Kami Gavran, Ext., 335 Meadow Street, Ford City, PA 16226. Or to D. Scott Lautner, Attorney. 68 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236.
ESTATE OF FLAHERTY, JOHN S., DECEASED OF PITTSBURGH, PA John S. Flaherty., deceased, of Pittsburgh, PA. No. 07314 of 2023. Virginia Flaherty, Ext., 356 Lehigh Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232.
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PUBLIC AUCTION
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Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 880 Saw Mill Run Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15226, January 17, 2024, at 1:15 PM. Rachel Carpenter 2055, Latonya Anthony 4217. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 700 E. Carson St. on 01/17/2024 at 12:15pm. David W McCracken unit 1111, Infinite - Creations Where There Are Infinite Possibilities LLC unit 2008, Phillip Devers unit 2134, Kellee Hutchison unit 2170, Roxanne Thompson unit 3163, and Latroya Corbin unit 3212. The auction will be listed and advertised on www. storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 3 - 10, 2024
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Thursday, January 11, 2024 10:00 am at the Kingsley Center 6435 Frankstown Avenue Pittsburgh, Pa 15206 and virtually at rideprt.org/king2024 Pittsburgh Regional Transit is proud to be recognized as a 2024achievement Military Friendly® Employer for its This annual award honors lifetime continued commitment to supporting veterans in in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. their transition from the military to civilian life. This marks the third consecutive year PRT has received this Pittsburgh Regional distinguished honor and weTransit, remain committed to hiring, retaining and promoting career advancement the workplace for active military employees The Kingsley Association and the inNew Pittsburgh Courier and veterans, as well as, assisting military families in other capacities.
are proud to present
More than 200 active military employees and veterans are currently employed at PRT and we look Dr. Rex L. Crawley and forward toJames growing F. thatHenry, numberJr. in the future. Learn more about a career with Pittsburgh Regional Transit. as the
2024 Spirit of King honorees.