South Hills Living

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September-October 2025 $2

Jazzmania brings the wider community together

Oliver Miller Homestead's golden anniversary

Jazzmania brings the wider communtity together through music

golden anniversary

from the editor

Sweet surprises

Sometimes I plan for stories to complement one another, but more often than not, it happens all on its own. This time around, it happened organically. One of our new writers, Michael Walsh, came to me and proposed two stories for this edition: one on the Jazzmania concert series in South Park and another highlighting the Oliver Miller Homestead. Now, if you're familiar with the area, you'll know that these share a location. But even more surreptitious, the final Jazzmania event and Oliver Miller's 50th celebration are on the same day, at the same spot in South Park, separated by a handful of hours. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried!

Our cover story features a local institution: Bethel Bakery. Learn a little more about the iconic sweet spot's history and how deep its roots go.

I hope the stories in this edition surprise and delight you as much as they have me! Thank you so much for reading. If ever you have a story suggestion, comment or question, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to send me an email, give me a call or even drop me a note in the mail! Seeing as I work for a newspaper, I still love physical media in all forms.

Take care, stay safe and see you in the next edition.

Advertising Director Carole DeAngelo

Contributors Kristin Emery Michael Walsh

Photo courtesy of Bethel Bakery Stephen Walsh, Morris Walsh and John Walsh.

Oliver Miller Homestead's

Bethel Bakery: Seventy is oh, so sweet!

CONCERTS AT THE CASCADES

‘JAZZMANIA’ BRINGS THE WIDER COMMUNITY TOGETHER THROUGH MUSIC

By Michael Walsh

Photos courtesy of Jazzmania

Though the summer of 2025 is closing, for some, it will not go out with a bang, but with soft jazz, heard in the Cascades of South Park. With two more concerts scheduled for this September, Arthur Crivella, managing director of Jazzmania, hopes to pack the venue with hundreds of listeners of all backgrounds.

Crivella began Jazzmania with a handful of musicians in the fall of 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With many professional musicians in the area looking to perform, Jazzmania’s first purpose was partly to form a super-group. Crivella specified, “The band's concept is to create a show band, not a cocktail band. Jazzmania is about development, helping individuals reach out and help one another, to be better.” Through this mutual assistance, he and other band members added that they grew beyond the standard four to five players in a standard jazz cocktail lounge set, to over a dozen, as there are currently eleven instru-

mentalists and four vocalists regularly performing, with more rotating in each performance and at the band’s weekly practices in Shadyside.

Two early adopters of the Jazzmania model are Kaitlyn Van Vleet, the band’s regular saxophonist and Clement Payne, who sings the group’s jazz standards under the stage name ‘C-Payne.’

Van Vleet, a former Washington state resident, moved into the area for work and was invited to sit in and perform a piece with Jazzmania. She said, “I sat in on what was supposed to be one tune and ended up playing the whole time.” For almost three years now, Van Vleet has practiced and taught with the band. Together, members work on improvisation, coordination, ear training and more, all meant to improve the band and each musician as an individual.

Payne, for his part, is not new to singing. As an R&B musician before Jazzmania, he brought his special talents to the group early on. Payne asserts, Jazzmania has provided even

him, an experienced vocalist, a chance to develop: "I’ve gone from learning jazz to performing with the largest group of jazz musicians in the city… I’m a living witness to how we can grow.”

That combination of experiences is what Crivella looks to foster and enjoys most at performances, and has seen this spirit alive and well at the Cascades. In particular, the band’s unique blend of backgrounds and experiences is equally reflected in the audience. While playing at the Cascades, Crivella can see “To the left, kids playing… and on my right, I can see the older folks sitting and smiling.” Seeing these concert-goers and a community come together has been an exceptional experience for Crivella, something he has been “quite proud of” for the duration of Jazzmania’s run.

Though this current residency, which has run twice a month since June 1, is coming to a close, the crowds and the music seem never to end. When asked, Bob Palmer, the sound engineer for Jazzmania, mentioned the rapid growth of their concerts over

Audience overlooking The Cascades

the years, from a couple of dozen, “maybe forty to fifty … to closer to four or five hundred,” this last July at the Cascades.

Palmer adds, “We are looking forward to ending our shows with two, maybe three times that,” hoping that “If we can grow that big, the whole park can dance along.”

This unique concert series, with final dates set for Sept. 7 and Sept. 21, is expected to draw crowds, based on the success of past jazz shows. No matter how big the crowds or how many musicians are on stage, Jazzmania will continue to be a source of community education and entertainment. From those looking to improve their musical skills and kids and adults looking to dance, Jazzmania at the Cascades will continue to bring people and song together, long after the summer shifts to fall.

Readers are invited to attend concerts at the Cascades, located at 1 Stone Manse Drive, South Park, with performances starting at 6 p.m.

Young and old enjoy the jazzy tunes at South Park’s Cascades at Jazzmania

A wide shot of the band

OLIVER MILLER HOMESTEAD’S GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

Fifty years of history and community education in South Park

Story and photos by

Michael Walsh

The Oliver Miller Homestead, a major historical attraction in the South Hills and the Southwestern Pennsylvania region, has long been a point of pride for community members. Still, this site, occupied for over two hundred fifty years and owned by Allegheny County for nearly a century, will be celebrating its youngest, but perhaps most crucial anniversary to date: fifty years of the Oliver Miller Homestead Association.

Though Allegheny County, according to OMHA records, bought the property in 1927, it took decades for public interest in the old stone house in South Park to grow to critical mass. Intrigued by the British, Native American and early American history intertwined in the ‘Stone Manse’, the official name for the Miller’s home, Ann Connor led a group of four South Hills residents in establishing a volunteer group of amateur historians to take care of the site and teach its importance. On September 21, 1975, this became the Oliver Miller Homestead Association.

In the intervening fifty years, the squad of volunteers has grown to over one hundred members. Mary Oleski, one of the more seasoned volunteers, discussed the different roles and areas OMHA members fill. “We grow period-accurate

vegetables in our garden and greenhouse, as well as operate our forge. We’ve got musket-makers, woodworkers and of course, cooks.” At the time of her statement, Oleski was discussing the roles of volunteers while making a meal over a fireplace, in 90-degree heat, all while wearing roughly six layers of 18th-century dress and accompanying clothes.

Oleski is not the only volunteer; she brought her family into the OMHA, too. A common theme among volunteers is that spouses and children often join or are voluntold. No bigger family can be found in the OMHA than the Smith Family. Christine Smith initially learned about the homestead, its settlement and the Miller family’s role in the American Revolution, the Whiskey Rebellion, Native American and colonial relations, all while touring the grounds. Hooked on the history, she volunteered, then brought along her husband, and by 2025, all nine of her children. Smith, who has lived in the South Hills her whole life, found that her work with the OMHA has helped her connect to her community, and that overall, reenacting and teaching “is a good thing to do any Sunday” as their are OMHA members present to live and teach the lifestyle of the Miller family every Sunday, from the first of May to until December.

Of course, membership is not the only measure of growth. The grounds have

expanded as volunteers built a log house accurate to the late 1700s and a demonstration shelter. In the intervening years, blacksmithing facilities and a barn have been built. As well, in 2025, the OMHA has ramped up involvement to host ten special events, including bringing back “Liberty Day” on July 6, replicating the festivities of the summer of 1776 when frontier Pennsylvanians heard news of the Declaration of Independence. In these ways, both physically by improving the grounds, and by expanding reinactments for the community, the OMHA has reinforced its role as a source of education and community in the South Hills.

Mary Pat Swauger, president of the OMH, and a twenty-six-year member, said that through school tours, teacher-education events, scout involvement and many more activities, the volunteers of the OMHA “feel more like a family” than just a group of amateur historians. No wonder, since through living the history of the Oliver Miller Homestead, they have found a home with each other, one that community members in the South Hills have learned from year after year, for half a century.

Readers are invited to attend the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary at Oliver Miller Homestead, located at 1 Stone Manse Drive, South Park, PA 15129, on Sept. 21.

The Smith Family with eight of their youngest children

BETHEL BAKERY: SEVENTY IS OH, SO SWEET!

By Kristin Emery

Photos courtesy of Bethel Bakery

Families around Southwestern Pennsylvania and especially in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh have been celebrating with Bethel Bakery cakes for decades. In fact, the bakery is now marking three generations of ownership in the business that they call, “Baking Life Sweeter!”

Morris Walsh began the bakery back in 1955 on South Park Road with only enough parking for two cars. Walsh had started working at another bakery in Mt.

Lebanon, learned the craft of baking and started dreaming of opening his own business. After serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, Walsh opened the doors to Bethel Bakery on August 1, 1955. He worked six days a week from 2 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and the hard work allowed him to relocate to 5200 Brightwood Road — still Bethel Bakery’s current location.

Morris and wife Anna grew their family to seven children (John, Tom, Karen, Susanne, Marianne, Kathleen and Christine), and each child found their place within the bakery and contributed to

its growth and success. That second generation took over in 1991 when Morris and Anna sold the bakery to their oldest son, John, and his wife, Chris. A second location opened in 2016 at 2500 Washington Road in North Strabane Township, and 2023 brought ownership of the bakery to the third generation of the Walsh family as John’s son, Stephen, and wife Kate bought the business from his parents. “Being in business for 70 years, we've had lots of different people work for our company and definitely have made amazing relationships throughout the last seventy years with staff and customers in the community,” says Beth-

Stephen Walsh, Morris Walsh and John Walsh.

el Bakery marketing coordinator Natalie Lacek. One of them is Victoria Killosky, affectionately known as Vi. She works at Bethel as a cake decorator and is the only current employee who has worked for each of the three generations of owners. Vi is one of more than 100 employees in the business now, with both locations thriving and thrilling loyal customers with their sweet treats and baked creations.

Throughout the past 70 years, the business has not only passed from generation to generation but has also undergone other changes, including technological advances. Yes, even the bakery business can benefit from high tech, and the advent of a website and online ordering was a huge boost for Bethel. “We have

websites, social media and ordering online, so our e-commerce allows customers to place orders online and then just come and pick it up,” says Lacek. Not only can you browse through page after page of wonderful wedding cake design ideas, but there are also hundreds of cake designs for other celebrations. “On our website, we have over 450 different designs that you can choose from for birthday celebrations,” Lacek adds. “We have kids, retirement, so many different themes. We have a whole decorating team that comes up with the designs, and we try and stay on trend with what people are asking about.” One high-tech change that was forced by the COVID-19 pandemic actually delighted customers. “COVID really did impact our wedding process,” Lacek says. “People used to come in and sit down with our consultants and try their cake in front of them and discuss. When we

couldn't

come person to person, we did it with Zoom, and we found that our customers like that better. It's very convenient, it's comfortable. You can just try it at home and make a big event out of it with friends and family, if you'd like.”

The focus at Bethel Bakery was always on the cakes and celebrations. What sets them apart is their signature buttercream recipe. “That’s what Bethel Bakery is known for, our signature French buttercream, and we ice all our cakes in it,” says Lacek. “We have buttercream donuts. We have other products with our buttercream. When people think of Bethel Bakery, they think of our signature French buttercream that they grew up on, and they're passing the tradition on to their kids and grandkids and

Bethel Bakery storefront in 1955 on South Park Road

wedding celebrations.” That tradition also extends to the Pittsburgh cookie table, which Bethel Bakery proudly can provide alongside their gorgeous and delectable wedding cake creations. “That's definitely a staple here in Pittsburgh,” laughs Lacek. “You can't have a wedding without a Pittsburgh cookie table! People get their Bethel Bakery cake, and then they'll get cookies to surround their cake, and it's just such a fun time, such a rich tradition.” On average, Bethel Bakery delivers between 20 and 30 cakes and even more during high celebration seasons like summer weddings and graduations.

To celebrate their 70th anniversary, Bethel Bakery hosted a special event on Aug. 9 featuring unique desserts like a buttercream icing tart flight featuring all 12 flavors, along with family activities. “We're just celebrating with the community and to thank them,” says Lacek. “We wouldn't be here without our customers at all.”

Bethel Bakery on Brightwood Road

Bethel Bakery storefront in 1955 on Brightwood Road

The current generation owner and immediate family celebrating the 70th anniversary

HBG FOR BETHEL PARK SCHOOL BOARD

MEET YOUR CANDIDATES

Eric Garland: Non incumbent

I am a lifelong resident of Bethel Park and a proud graduate of the Class of 2002. I studied Computer Programming and Business Management at CCAC and currently own and operate e2 Lawn Services, LLC. As a small business owner, I bring a practical, result oriented approach to problem-solving and decision-making. For 18 years, I participated in the community as a Boy Scout leader and counselor for Troop 225. I currently serve as a parishioner and volunteer at St. Catherine Labouré Parish. My deep roots in Bethel Park and long-standing commitment to service reflect my dedication to supporting the success and well-being of our students and families. I am running for the Bethel Park School Board Director to help ensure Bethel Park continues to offer high-quality education, strong core values, and the resources every student needs to thrive.

Christina Headley: Incumbent

I am a lifelong resident of Bethel Park and a proud graduate of the Class of 1998. I earned my Associate Degree in Nursing from California University of Pennsylvania, followed by a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). I have over 20 years of experience in the nursing field and currently work as an Occupational Health Nurse Administrator. My background as both a healthcare professional and a mother has allowed me to bring a thoughtful, informed, and compassionate perspective to the school board. My husband and I have two daughters—our oldest is a 2024 graduate of Bethel Park High School and our youngest is a 7th grader at Independence Middle School. Over the years, I’ve been actively involved in organizations such as the PTO, Girl Scouts, St. Valentine Church, and the school board. I am seeking re-election to the Bethel Park School Board because I believe in the power of education to lay a solid foundation for lifelong success. I am committed to ensuring our students have access to a high-quality, forward-thinking curriculum that prepares them for the future.

Karleen Bileck: Non incumbent I was born and raised in London, England. I chose to move to the United States to be with my husband and settled in Bethel Park. We have been fortunate enough to call Bethel Park our home for the last 21 years. We have 2 wonderful sons who attend Bethel Park High School and Independence Middle School. I have a BA (Hons) degree from the University of Greenwich, London in Elementary Teaching specializing in Physical Education and Science. I attended Slippery Rock University for my Masters Degree in Math and Sciences Curriculum K-8, and am currently an elementary school teacher in a neighboring district. I am a strong candidate because of my deep roots in the community and experience as an educator. My extensive background in writing and elementary curriculum positions me to make meaningful contributions as we prepare to open the new elementary school. My expertise will help ensure we implement a robust curriculum for our youngest learners. My top priority is improving math proficiency across the district, with a focus on

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