Last Stretch Of Allegheny Hike/Bike Trail To Be Completed

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The last missing segment of the Great Allegheny Passage Hike/Bike Trail will be completed with a $750,000 state grant announced today.  The grant will be matched with $500,000 from Allegheny County and $1 Million from private donors.  When opened, the trail will run continuously from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.  The missing segment is an .85-mile piece that passes by Sandcastle Water Park in Homestead.

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Gift of Eden Hall Keeps Growing

Eden Hall Farm

With no heirs upon his death in 1938, Heinz Sr VP Sebastian Mueller bequeathed his 450-acre Richland Township farm as a vacation home where "working girls and women of proper character could go from time to time for rest and recreation."  Mueller was a chemist who, as head of operations at the Heinz plant, focused his energy on food safety and the working conditions of the women and young ladies who worked there.

Eden Hall has now become part of Chatham University's Richland campus and many of the barns will be converted into facilities and classrooms to accommodate Chatham's new School of Sustainability.  Sustaining local agriculture and preserving the environment will be important areas of focus for the new school.  Programs such as an environmental learning lab, food studies and landscape architecture will be offered.

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Wilkinsburg Development Group Receives Grant

Model of Wilkinsburg Business District

Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp. said Tuesday it received a $289,500 grant from TriState Capital Bank to assist in the revitalization of Wilkinsburg's business district. The money is the second installment of the Downtown bank's 2009 pledge to contribute $1.8 million over six years. Half of the money will be used in a collaboration with Landmarks Community Capital Corp., a division of Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.

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Artworks Connellsville Gallery Opens

 

ArtWorks Connellsville, a project of the Connellsville Cultural Trust, is a gallery that houses works of local and regional artists.  Located at 139 W. Crawford Ave., passers-by can see some of the stained glass pieces prominently displayed in the windows.

"The mission of the gallery and learning center is to inspire artistic growth, enhance technical skills and provide a marketing outlet for our regional artists in a unique arts environment, while offering the public opportunities to see, enjoy and purchase the artwork created by professional artists," said CCT Vice President Daniel Cock.

More than a dozen artists in various mediums are presently featured and more are being added each day.  They include Helen Alt and Madelyn Cindric, watercolors; Barbara Bailey, clay; Sheree Cockrell, oils; Bob Dulik and Daniel Cocks, stained glass; Marianne Filiaggi and Angie Tressler, jewelry; Chris McClanahan, metal; Carol Wingert, photography; Nadine Reposkey, hand-cut cards for all occasions, Susan Brimo Cox, William Cox and Richard Newill, still-life paintings.

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Community Library of Allegheny Valley Hosts Winter Quilt Show

Natrona Heights will host their 13th Annual Winter Quilt Show which will run Jan 17th through Feb 19th.  Quilt entries (there is no charge) will be accepted starting Jan 3rd in three categories: hand-quilted, machine-quilted and wall hangings. All entries must be homemade, but they do not have to be created by the owner.

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Saxonburg Landmark Restaurant Re-Opens

Customer Judy Ferree loved Hotel Saxonburg so much she decided to buy the Butler County landmark herself to save it from disappearing into the past.  After the former owner died, his widow realized she just couldn't keep it open.  That's when Judy Ferree and her husband Bob thought bringing new life to the historic restaurant would be a great project.

They re-opened after a five week renovation that saw all of the kitchen equipment replaced, repair of the original tin ceiling in the dining room, and an overal eye to keeping as much of the old-fashioned charm as possible.  The checkered black-and-white tile is still intact, the 19th century copper-topped bar still gleams, and Ferree points out that Woodrow Wilson once stayed in one of the five "sleeping rooms" upstairs.

The new menu is "American", returning to the classics but keeping up with new trends.  Everything from the menu is made from scratch, bought fresh and local:   Crab cakes, lobster bisque, chicken gorgenzola, sauteed black sea bass, and the yummy menu just goes on and on.

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Aldo Coffee Raises The Bar

 

Rich and Melanie Westerfield opened Aldo Coffee in Mt Lebanon six years ago.  In order to take the shop to the next level, they decided on a bold move ......... Stop relying on the name-brand Chicago & Seattle roasters and roast their own coffee instead.  If that wasn't bold enough, they also announced they would begin focusing retail efforts on their own brand instead of the Chicago/Seattle brands.

After much trial and effort, successes and failures, they've mastered what dedicated coffee drinkers look for:  Local, sustainable and high quality.  An extra perk is being able to lower their prices because they have removed the middleman.  Aldo Coffees typically cost one or two dollars per bag less than their national competitors.

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