Tag Archives: Laurel Highlands

This Weekend in Pgh: Fall Fests, Classic Movies, Food Trucks & Free Kayaking

Hello Pittsburgh, wipe those post Steelers game tears of your face – because there is a whole weekend of perfect fall events to take your mind off last nights losses. From fall festivals to classic movies (Singing in the Rain, Office Space & Friday the 13th) to a Food Truck Rally – there are plenty of ways to enjoy what looks to be a perfect fall weekend.

Even if you can’t make to the Food Truck Rally on Sunday – please keep an eye on PghMobileFood.com and follow @PGHMobileFood on Twitter. A group of Pittsburgh businesses owners is working very hard to make the local laws much more friendly to more food trucks. You can read more about the Austin Food Truck Trailer Park and why I think food trucks would be good for Pittsburgh here. But you don’t have to take my word for it – the Institute for Justice has been working on food truck laws across the country. They have put together an awesome booklet – Streets of Dreams – which details some of the opportunities and benefits of food trucks which can be downloaded here.

Fort Ligonier Days Friday-Sunday, October 12-14, 2012 Ligonier is a small town about 30 miles west of Pittsburgh in the Laurel Highlands area Saturday Morning Parade Reenactments of the Battle of Fort Ligonier Amazing street food and so much more
CineBrunch – Singing in the Rain Saturday, October 13, 2012 Brunch 10am and a Movie 11am The Oaks Theater in Oakmont Tickets available online here
Pittsburgh Zombie Fest Saturday, October 13, 2012 @ West End Village Live bands – Weird Paul, Invader, The Graveyard Rockers, The Bloody Seamen, PLUS a surprise guest from beyond the grave! Contests: The Zombie Olympics, Brain Eating Contest, Ugly Pageant, and Best Scream Contest. Vendors, food, beer, oddities, games, and more. The first annual ZOMBIE MOTORCYCLE RUN The Walk of the Dead. This year Pittsburgh will attempt to once again claim the Guinness world record for “Largest Gathering of Zombies” Facebook events link
Free Screening of Office Space Saturday, October 13, 2012 8pm The Rex Theater, Carson Street
Vintage Horror Series – Friday the 13th Every Saturday in October – Midnight showings of horror films Manor Theater in Sq. Hill Saturday, October 13, 2012 – Midnight
Gear & Beer Fest Sunday, October 14, 2012 @Brady’s Run Park proceeds will go toward bike trail development connecting the Montour Trail in Coraopolis to the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway trail. Activities include a mountain bike ride, 15-mile, 35-mile or 50-mile road bike ride, 5K run/walk, kayaking and canoeing, Calland Arboretum Trail Tour, auctions, raffles, children’s bike rodeo & live music Food, drink and free wine and craft beer tasting with proper registration!
Free Kayaking at Kayak Pgh North Park Sunday, October 14, 2012 1pm-5pm Free Kayaking – North Park Kayak Pittsburgh location only
Food Truck Rally Sunday, October 14, 2012 1-3pm 5859 Penn Ave in East Liberty Join the folks from Franktuary and PGHMobile Food to rally support for the food truck community in Pittsburgh
Pumpkin Beer Take Over & Bacon Night Tuesday, October 16, 2012 16 Pumpkin beers on tap AND Tuesday is always bacon night at the Harris Grill

Ways to Enjoy Winter this Weekend (Radio Round Up)

Well, the snow has finally arrived in Pittsburgh! Here is a round up of the events we shared on the DVE morning show today. And don’t forget the Snow Shovel Riding Championships we talked about last week were rescheduled for Sat. Jan 21.

Seth Meyers @ The Byham

Friday, January 20, 2012, 8pm @ The Byham

Corporate Hockey Day

Saturday, January 21, 2012 @Consol Energy Center
Free admission and parking
First game starts at 2pm
Corportate hockey teams will compete to raise money for Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the United Way

Ligonier Ice Fest

21st Annual Festival
Sat & Sun @ the Ligonier Diamond
Food, kids activities, sidewalks sales and more
6 carvers will create, 40+ sculptures

Image via Wikipedia

Fun in the Snow

Venture Outdoors has snowshoe events and hikes for all ages and abilities – check out their calender here (sign up by 5pm Fri.)
Moraine Winterfest – Chili Cook Off, Hikes, Snow shoeing and more

Pittsburgh Restaurants Week Through 1/22

Lots of great deals on meals in Pittsburgh
Specials include tasting menus for $20-$30/person

Waffle Shop Reopens

now featuring pie on Friday and Saturday Nights
Waffle Brunch on Sat and Sun mornings
Project is an actual waffle shop run by Carnegie Mellon students at the corner of Baum and Highland in East Liberty

Soup N’At

Sunday, January 22, 2012
6-8pm @ tHe Brew House
$10 gets you a bowl of soup, some bread and a ballot
The audience votes for their favorite project and the winning project receives the funds collected at the door from that evening.
Facebook Event – http://www.facebook.com/events/345127508832468/

Bicycle Dreams at South Side Works Cinemas

Wednesday, January 25, 2012
documentary about the Race Across America – a cross country bicycle race
Facebook Event – http://www.facebook.com/events/243856179017348/
Trailer –http://www.bicycledreamsmovie.com/

Ice Is Nice – 21st Annual Ligonier Ice Fest

Image via Wikipedia

The laurel highlands is not just pretty in the fall. If skiing and snowboarding aren’t your thing – maybe ice sculptures is up your alley. Head to downtown Ligonier this weekend for the 21st Annual Ice Fest on Saturday and Sunday.

DiMartino Ice Co. of Jeannette will have 6 carvers on hand and there will be more than 40 sculptures on display throughout the weekend.

The fire department is hosting a spaghetti dinner and local businesses will have indoor sidewalk sales.

Read more about the weekends activities here.

21st Annual Ligonier Ice Festival
Ligonier, PA – Around the Diamond, East and West Main streets, North and South Market streets.
Saturday and Sunday. January 21-22, 2012
Information: (724) 238-4200.

Ice sculptors kick off London festival (independent.co.uk)
VIDEO: Ice sculpture made from river water (bbc.co.uk)
Snow & Ice Sculpture Gardens in Frankenmuth, Michigan (travelwithjp.wordpress.com)
The Ice Hotel (scramblerworld.wordpress.com)

Scottish and Scutching in the Laurel Highlands This Weekend

Image by AlxTheRed via Flickr

History lovers, hold on to your hats and pack up your wagons (station wagons) and head out route 30 east to the laurel highlands this weekend – it is a double header of cultural festivals. We are often asked about what are the must-do events around Pittsburgh. Both of these festivals are on our list of favorites. And they happen to be on the same weekend so you can catch a double header of history celebration just outside of Pittsburgh this weekend.

First stop – break out your bag pipes and kilt for the Ligonier Highland Games – a day long celebration of Scottish hertiage. There will be athletic events such as tossing the caber (throwing a big tree trunk) and the Scottish hammer throw.

Then steer your wagon (or mini van) down 711 south to Stahlstown – time to celebrate the important fiber of flax. Flax is what linen fabric is made out of. The Stahlstown Flax Scutching Festival is the 2nd oldest Scutching festival in the United States. They have been celebrating the scutching every year since 1907. Yep, 1907 – so join them for the 105th annual Flax Scutching festival to learn about how the flax plant is turned into linen cloth and snack on some buckweat pancakes too.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IRMvC1eDxo&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Ligonier Highland Games – Saturday, September 10, 2011 @ Idelwild Park

Flax Scutching Festival – Saturday & Sunday, September 10 & 11, 2011 @ Stahlstown Flax Scutching Festival Fairgrounds

Here is a map that includes both festivals and 2 other places that you should consider stopping – Joe’s Bar in Ligonier has the largest collection of taxidermy in North America and the Pie Shoppe in Laughlintown has good sandwiches and pumpkin cookies. The Google location for the Pie Shoppe is not correct – the Pie Shoppe is right on Route 30 – directly across from the Ligonier Country Inn.

Hit the road, n'at

Wanting to wake up in wine country ready to get to some serious tasting, me and the almost-husband (AH) decided to head down to the Laurel Highlands after work on Friday. With our reservation confirmed at the gloriously historic Summit Inn Resort and armed with the news that the dining room closed at 9pm, we planned to hit the road by 7. This gave me enough time to properly pack. For a weekend devoted to wine tasting I reasoned I really only needed five things: sundresses, sunglasses, sunhat, and sunscreen. Oh, and a swimsuit for the indoor and outdoor pools and jacuzzi at the Summit. Fortunately, I decided to throw in some jeans and a sweater at the last minute because sadly the weather did not cooperate with my packing plan. Leaving by 7 allowed me to attend my Friday workout class to prepare for a weekend devoted mostly to eating and drinking.