Category Archives: Pro-PGH

Pittsburgh Curling Club

So. What are you up to this weekend? Movie? Dinner? Theatre?

Boring! How about pushing granite stones with a broom? ON ICE?

It’s called curling – a sport you’ve probably seen in the Olympics (or at 3am on ESPN). Fun fact: apparently, the Royal Montreal Curling Club, est. in 1807, was the first sports club of any kind in North America. The sport is popular in Canada, Scotland, Japan, Sweden, and Switzerland – and Pittsburgh too!

The Pittsburgh Curling Club is located at Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center, on Neville Island, just off I-79. Curlers meet most Saturday evenings from October to March. There are two game times – the first is at 6:15 until 8:15 and the second is from 8:30 to 10:45.

But … you are in for a treat! This Saturday (Dec. 10) and next (Dec. 17), the Club offers “Learn to Curl” sessions at 6Pm.

From the web site:

“Just show up or ensure your spot by booking in advance – groups welcome! Equipment provided and instructors available – cost is only $10.00. Wear warm, comfortable clothing and rubber soled shoes – tennis shoes work great. If you have any questions, please contact Sandra at president@pittsburghcurlingclub.com.”

I was impressed with the organization’s well-designed and informative web site:

http://www.pittsburghcurlingclub.com/

I am definitely going to try to make it to one of these events. Maybe there’s some latent talent that has yet to emerge here. In fact, I hope someone reading this takes their kids and wins a gold medal for the hometeam someday. You never know until you try. Go Team Blitz!

Local freeform Hip-Hop group… BEAM!

Do you miss the cutting edge days of hip-hop music? Are you looking for refreshing, genre-bending musical artists? Do you think the local music scene consists solely of punk bands and really bad “spoken word” hipsters?

Local jazz/hip-hop band Beam turns conventional hip-hop music on its head at their monthly gigs at the Pittsburgh Deli Company. From 10pm to midnight the first Friday of every month, at PDC in Shadyside, this 5 piece ensemble will blow your mind.

Drummer David Throckmorton (aka Throck Ock) pounds out the classic breakbeats, uptempo jungle beats, spacey jazz rhythms, and funky rock n roll stylings and directs the free flowing improv between all five band members: bass player, “space bass” effects generator, dart-spittin MC, and champion DJ Supa C.

These guys are amazing. They play a variety of composed hip-hop tunes and freeform improvisational psychedelic hip-hop that goes all over the map. Akil Esoon’s rhymes range from narrative gangsta fables to insightful political commentaries to playful party freestyles. Supa C’s DJing, scratching, cutting, and beat juggling skills perfectly compliment the funky rhythm section. As soon as Akil finishes spittin an ill verse, Supa C will start cutting up some classic ’90s vocals. Steve “Lantronics” Landay, orchestrator of the “space bass” rig, adds psychedelic soundscapes that give an extra layer to the music, rarely found in hip-hop.

These guys are definately at THE TOP of the local music scene, producing sounds and styles you can’t hear anywhere else. It’s a hip-hop revolution right before your very eyes.

It’s too bad PDC is such an “alterna-coffeeshop-crowd” and nobody dances! But they have fine beer selections, to be sure….

The Squirrels in Squill

Ever wonder how the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill got its name? According to the Squirrel Hill Historical Society:

“Before the advent of the Europeans, Squirrel Hill was a wilderness area used as an Indian hunting ground. During the 1760’s, Squirrel Hill was a pioneer farming community that also included Indian traders. Its main attraction was that it was a wilderness area where land was free, there was wild game to hunt, etc., but it was nonetheless not too far from the protection of Fort Pitt.

“Squirrel Hill has always been known for its abundance of gray squirrels in the days of the early pioneers, the squirrels were so numerous that their chatter created a din.”

Find more than you ever wanted to know about the pioneer days of this neighborhood from the group’s web site. The site is regularly updated with news and events, and the group meets regularly at the Sixth Presbyterian Church on the corner of Forbes and Murray Avenues.

Your vote can help the Steelers beat Green Bay

Show your support for the STEELERS! It only takes 5 seconds & end world hunger

Go to http://www.chunky.com/clickforcansvote.aspx and vote for the
Pittsburgh Steelers! This year, two NFL teams will earn donations of
Campbell’s soup to the food banks of their choice. For the team with the
most clicks, Campbell’s will get the stats for all the players on the
team’s official roster and donate the team’s total weight in cans! So
far, the Green Bay Packers remain the undefeated Click for Cans champs
will they stay on top, or will they get a run for their money this year?
It’s up to you! Take a moment and click and pass it on to others to
help fight hunger in The Burg.

Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails


LUPEC – Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails is another group that has recieved national attention but origionated right here in Pittsburgh. Look out for a LUPEC event at a bar near you.

From the LUPEC website…

LUPEC Mission Statement
In a post-millenium world of beer and prepackaged Chex Mixâ„¢, LUPEC works tirelessly to breed, raise, and release cocktails that are endangered or even believed to be extinct.

The collecting of anachronistic recipes by women, and the resulting creation of endangered cocktails in an all woman setting is intended to achieve the following goals:

  • o To create a secular “coven-like” atmosphere in which Classy Broads of today can invoke and honor the spirits of their Forebroads
    o To continue the 150 year American tradition of dangerous women calling themselves Ladies and getting together in groups, clubs, and societies to work undercover while they chipped away at the patriarchy.
    o To protect the collective Joie de Vivre of LUPEC members by assuring them at least one good party a month
    o To encourage the accumulation and use of vintage serving and barware.