September 13, 2023 - Pittsburgh City Paper

30 years later, action movie classic Striking Distance still hits

BY RACHEL WILKINSON

CELEBRATING 30+ YEARS

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SEPT. 13–20, 2023 // VOL. 32 ISSUE 37

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GENERAL POLICIES: Contents

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COVER PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON / COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES/ SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT

COVER DESIGN: LUCY CHEN

AMANDA WALTZ

A giant puppet comes to Pittsburgh, and, with it, recognition of child refugees

Row House Cinema staff pose in front of the Hollywood Theater in Dormont

CP

PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

PHOTO:TAKU KUMABE/COURTESY OF THE WALK PRODUCTIONS

30 YEARS OF DISTANCE

The people behind Pittsburgh gem Striking Distance look back at the romance between the city and the film.

BY RACHEL WILKINSON // RWILKINSON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T recently watched Striking

Distance the Pittsburgh-based action thriller released 30 years ago this week it’s easy to forget how madcap the action is. In the movie’s first 15 minutes, a serial killer identified as the Polish Hill Strangler dumps a body in a dam, then lures stars Bruce Willis and John Mahoney, playing Pittsburgh police, on a highspeed car chase leading Mahoney to deliver the film’s most iconic line, “Take Bigelow.” Though Pittsburghers might raise an eyebrow at the impossible route, the pursuit that follows shows Willis driving against traffic on a recognizable Bigelow Boulevard, speeding down Mount Washington, through Downtown, and across

the Smithfield Street Bridge. Cars flip, catch fire, and explode in the Armstrong Tunnel, then go airborne at 60 miles per hour as they crest a bumpy cobblestone hill (filmed in Duquesne).

Even the film’s crew was a bit stunned at the time, Striking Distance location scout Steve Parys tells Pittsburgh City Paper

“The cars were flying into the air and bouncing and light bars were flying off of them,” Parys recalls. “It was just nuts. It was berserk. To see these stunt guys go full out and the cars are throwing pieces off themselves. It was just this whackadoo excitement that every day was like, OK, what the hell are we doing now?”

Premiering Sept. 17, 1993, and

starring a then up-and-coming Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore, and Willis whose fame was stratospheric after Die Hard — Striking Distance was slated to be, as Parys put it, “a big frickin’ action movie.” In addition to the land-bound escapades, Willis’ character joins the River Rescue squad, stirring up fights on boats and barges, and action across Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers (the movie’s original title).

But script rewrites and reshoots delayed Striking Distance ’s release, and it ultimately opened to lackluster reviews. Roger Ebert wrote at the time, “It’s a tired, defeated picture, in which no one seems to love what they’re doing, unless maybe it’s a few of the character actors.”

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON/ COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES/SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT Fifth Avenue, Downtown, with the opening car chase scene from Striking Distance overlaid on top.

“IT WAS JUST NUTS. IT WAS BERSERK. TO SEE THESE STUNT GUYS GO FULL OUT AND THE CARS ARE THROWING PIECES OFF THEMSELVES. IT WAS JUST THIS WHACKADOO EXCITEMENT THAT EVERY DAY WAS LIKE, OK, WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING NOW?”

Cop cliches aside, what the movie doubtlessly had going for it was the way it showcased Pittsburgh and made the city a part of the action a goal of writer, director, and Pittsburgh native Rowdy Herrington and one of the reasons it endures as a beloved local classic 30 years later.

Parys, a 33-year industry veteran

“[We] were always looking for scope and drama and big, exciting locations,” Parys tells City Paper . “It was always like … let’s get big vistas and big stretches where you can see [the city] in the distance.”

Pittsburghers themselves embraced the production. A farmer let the crew take over his field for days to flip cars (the end of the opening

got them to agree to leave their lights on so that “the city looked really pretty and lit up.”

WTAE weeknight news anchor, Sally Wiggin.

“My hair was huge and I looked ridiculous,” Wiggin recalls. “[But] I loved the movie … I think it was the first time, other than a horror flick, that someone [did] a film in which Pittsburgh was a character.”

Wiggin appears twice reading newscasts on characters’ televisions

“PITTSBURGHERS WANT TO SHOW OFF PITTSBURGH.”

I thought that was my moment,” Wiggin said.

The cast and crew also took to the city which doesn’t always happen, Parys says with Bruce Willis, thenwife Demi Moore, and their daughters seen riding the Steel Phantom at Kennywood. Willis who’d been performing as his pop singer alter ego Bruno Radolini also made a habit of singing at Donzi’s in the Strip District. (The Boardwalk, the now long-closed, multilevel floating nightclub of which Donzi’s was a part, even resembles the houseboat where Willis’ Striking Distance character lives.)

Parys also recalls that local bars notably Chiodo’s, formerly in Homestead opened their doors to production in the early morning hours after they’d worked through the night shoots. The atmosphere on set was “convivial” and “it was really like an exciting adventure to go out and shoot this stuff,” he says.

Parys speculates that the continued appreciation of the movie 30 YEARS OF DISTANCE, CONTINUES ON PG. 8

Classes + gear swap + inclusivity in a badass community

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON/COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES/SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT overlaid on top.

also relates to its practical effects. He estimates that, now, about 80% of the action scenes would be computergenerated or shot with actors on green screen.

For a shoot-out on Second Avenue, the crew used dust hits for bullets and squibs to blow out glass on cars. Parys remembers a stunt double “went smashing through a fence and crushed a couple cars.” (The number of totaled cars seems to be a point of pride for the whole production; Herrington mentioned wrecking 40 of them when commenting on the movie’s anniversary to KDKA last month.)

In a later scene, Willis pursues the killer again and shoots a flare into his car. “We really did that!” Parys exclaims. “We did that with a real flare gun.”

The loss of practical effects also portended the end of the mid-budget thriller in general, so part of the

nostalgia for Striking Distance could be for a bygone era of film.

“That kind of mid-level, character-based, plot-heavy action movie, it just doesn’t exist anymore,” Parys said.

above a cabin door in the movie. “I was like, son of a bitch, that’s from Striking Distance !” Parys says. Apparently, the sign had changed hands several times: “[it’s] through some weird ‘his sister’s brother’s aunt worked on the movie.’”

Parys, also a Pittsburgher, says, for him, it spoke to the movie’s longevity, an unexpected delight.

When friends and family ask which movies he’s worked on, he’ll often “reel off” a long list and “their faces are blank and their eyes are dead, but then you say Striking Distance , and all of sudden they’re like, ‘Oh God, you worked on that?!’”

For those looking to get their Striking Distance fix, Parys recently spotted part of the set at the Rock Room in Polish Hill. Now an assistant director, he was shooting the second season of American Rust at the bar when he saw a roped off “Detillo’s Roost” sign, which originally hung

“You’re in a bar, and you hear the guy next to you say, ’oh yeah, Bruce Willis was so cool in that movie.’ Or you go into the Rock Room and there’s a sign that makes you think back about it,” he says. “It’s just neat that it’s still in the public consciousness.” •

“THAT KIND OF MIDLEVEL, CHARACTERBASED, PLOT-HEAVY ACTION MOVIE, IT JUST DOESN’T EXIST ANYMORE.”

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON/COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES/SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT Smithfield Street Bridge with the opening car chase scene from Striking Distance overlaid on top.

THEATER A LUSH LIFE

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

FANS OF THE HIT Amazon period series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel may know Darius de Haas, but not by his face — he provided the singing vocals for Shy Baldwin, a fictional gay, Black performer. Soon, de Haas will play a similar, non-fictional role, only this time, audiences will see the entirety of the Broadway actor. Pittsburgh Public Theater will present the world premiere of Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For , a musical described as bringing to life “the remarkable true story of one of the greatest composers of all time.” Under the direction of Kent Gash,

de Haas will play the title role with a major blessing — Pittsburgh native and famed multi-hyphenate star, Billy Porter, serves as the show’s producer, and, in a press release, called de Haas “the perfect person to bring Strayhorn to life.”

“To play the role of Billy Strayhorn, for me, is a once-in-a-lifetime dream,” de Haas said in a statement provided to Pittsburgh City Paper . “I didn’t expect it at all, and so being immersed so fully in this world is an indescribable, emotional, humbling, exciting thrill.”

The stage actor and singer — who

previously performed in Pittsburgh back in the 1990s as part of a national tour of Once On This Island — said he comes from a family of “jazz and music artists,” adding that Strayhorn has “really always been a part of the fabric” of his musical journey.

Set to stage Tue., Sept. 19 through Wed., Oct. 11 at the O’Reilly Theater, the concept promises a rare look into the life of an influential jazz musician with local origins. Born in 1915, Strayhorn spent much of his young life in Pittsburgh, attending Westinghouse High School and studying classical music at the

Pittsburgh Music Institute, according to the Billy Strayhorn Foundation website.

It was while in Pittsburgh, and surrounded by the city’s thenthriving jazz scene, that Strayhorn began seriously composing, going on to produce influential works like “Lush Life,” “Take the ‘A’ Train,” and the show’s title song, which marked the first collaboration between Strayhorn and his famous mentor, bandleader Duke Ellington (played by J.D. Mollison), who took the ambitious young pianist under his wing after the two met in the late 1930s.

PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA

Strayhorn (seated at piano) and (left to right) Duke Ellington, Leonard Feather, and Louis Armstrong in 1947

sional discrimination.

Pittsburgh has made some effort to honor the late musician, the most notable being the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty. Still, despite his accomplishments, many feel that the “Kelly” in the name — Pittsburghborn movie star and dancer Gene Kelly — garners far more attention than the “Strayhorn.” Those involved with Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For see the show as a way to change that.

“People don’t know or appreciate who Billy Strayhorn was. He was an accomplished musical genius and an openly gay Black man back in the day,” said Porter. “This new musical, under the inspired direction of Kent Gash, deserves to have its

origins [SIC] story that not many people are aware of.

“Strayhorn’s life began in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh,” Zellers continued. “His gift for composing, arranging and performing jazz took him from Westinghouse High School to New York City at the pinnacle of American jazz music. Despite his decades-long partnership with Duke Ellington where he wrote music and lyrics for some of the band’s best known work, he never received the recognition he rightly deserved.”

In bringing Strayhorn’s music to life, the production will feature a nine-piece jazz band led by Matthew Whitaker, a blind, 22-year-old “Yamaha-sponsored artist and jazz

PHOTO: UNITED STATES LIBRARY OF CONGRESS’S PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION Billy Strayhorn

for PBS. (Tabakin also joined Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For in a producing role.)

Gash believes the show not only honors Strayhorn, but Pittsburgh’s Black Renaissance, a time between the 1920s and 1950s when Black music, art, and culture bloomed in the city.

“The Black community of Pittsburgh … has nurtured some of our country’s greatest musicians, entertainers and artists, from August Wilson to Lena Horne, Phyllis Hyman, Billy Eckstine and Billy Porter,” said

Renaissance-era New York City.

While his early triumphs and 30-year collaboration with Ellington ensured Strayhorn’s place among the jazz greats, he also devoted his energies to the civil rights movement of the 1960s before dying of cancer in 1967.

For de Haas, the opportunity to play the late musician feels like a calling.

“But really, in a sense, it all feels quite divine and that Billy Strayhorn’s spirit is guiding, pushing, and holding me through this,” he said. •

PUPPET WITH A PURPOSE

BY SEAN BEAUFORD // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

THERE’S AN ART to raising awareness for a cause, which is why some view creative channels as an effective way to call attention to anything of importance. There are times when art meets us where we are and urges us to consider issues that would otherwise go unnoticed in the hustle of everyday life and the ephemeral 24-hour news cycle.

From Wed., Sept. 20 to Thu., Sept. 21, a public performance art project called The Walk meets us in Pittsburgh and asks us to join Little Amal, a 12-foot tall puppet, for a walk across the city in consideration of refugees, immigrants, and human rights.

Little Amal represents a 10-yearold Syrian refugee who lost her

family to the war that has raged in the country for over a decade, and is looking for a safe place to exist. Despite the figure’s colossal stature, there’s a gentleness that invites not only approach, but also care. This can be credited to Little Amal’s designers and fabricators, the Handspring Puppet Company, most known for their life-size horse puppets featured in the Tony Award-winning play War Horse.

The puppet takes four people to operate and is designed to withstand lengthy expeditions over variable terrain in fluctuating weather.

Debuted in July 2021, Little Amal has already traveled more than 6,000 miles across 15 countries and has

been welcomed by millions of people. This year’s journey across the United States makes stops at over 35 cities between Boston and San Diego, and, along the way, includes more than 100 welcome events coordinated with over 1,000 artists and arts organizations.

THE WALK WITH LITTLE AMAL

Event times vary. Wed., Sept. 20–Thu., Sept. 21. Various locations. Free. walkwithamal.org

Included in the Pittsburgh events is a naturalization ceremony for Little Amal at the City-County Building, a

visit to the Carrie Blast Furnaces, and a musical walk through the streets of Downtown, as well as chances for kids to interact with Little Amal in Wilkinsburg and the North Side. People can attend any of the free events or simply walk alongside Little Amal in an act of solidarity.

In a press release, Nizar Zuabi, artistic director for The Walk Productions, which organized the nationwide event, says, “Anyone who has entered a foreign world knows the power of a warm welcome. We’re thankful to our hundreds of cultural partners who have thoughtfully organized events of welcome for Amal, allowing this young girl to learn about her new home and make new friends

PHOTO: DAVID LEVENE/COURTESY OF THE WALK PRODUCTIONS Little Amal with the puppet from War Horse

along the way. We invite Americans from every corner of the country to join us in not only welcoming Amal, but also empathizing with the millions of other migrants who have bravely entered this country in search of a better future.”

A number of local arts and cultural organizations, city officials, and nonprofits, including the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Casey Droege Cultural Productions, the Office for Public Art, and Hello Neighbor helped create welcome events.

Also involved is Jewish Family & Community Services, which runs a program aimed at helping

refugees and immigrants resettle in Pittsburgh. Ivonne Smith-Tapia serves as the director of Refugee & Immigrant Services at JFCS, and says she hopes that, along with awareness, Little Amal changes some of the narrative around the people with which her organization works.

topic and we think of refugees and immigrants, most of the time, it’s from a deficit perspective, from a negative perspective, from a ‘they need more support, they need more help, they are vulnerable, they don’t know the language,’ which, in many cases, that’s true,”

can get together … to celebrate the strength of refugee children, the resiliency of refugee and immigrant children, that have the same hopes and goals of non-refugee and nonimmigrant kids.”

She also sees the Little Amal visit and adjacent events as a “good opportunity for all the immigrant and refugee kids to feel represented and feel visible.”

“For non-immigrants and nonrefugees, when we talk about this

says Smith-Tapia. “But there aren’t that many opportunities where we

“Hopefully it’s going to be a positive experience for many of us, and we see her visit as joyful and hopeful,” she adds. “We can create a community that recognizes and celebrates refugee and immigrant kids and their families.” •

PHOTO:TAKU KUMABE/COURTESY OF THE WALK PRODUCTIONS Little Amal

“HOPEFULLY IT’S GOING TO BE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR MANY OF US, AND WE SEE HER VISIT AS JOYFUL AND HOPEFUL.”

LITERATURE THE REAL STAN LEE

BY MATT PETRAS // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

ASCENE IN TOM SCIOLI’S new book about Stan Lee features the comic book giant cracking a nine-tail whip against the backs of artists before passing it off as a joke.

When asked if it’s real, Scioli tells Pittsburgh City Paper , “Yeah, that’s real.”

“A few different people have talked about it. It seems like there was a period, after the war, where Stan Lee was kind of like the boy king,” he continues. “[The Second World War is] over, he’s young, he’s bursting with energy and maybe some anger, some maliciousness, and lords this position of power over his workers.”

In his new book, I Am Stan: A Graphic Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee , Scioli, a Pittsburgh-based comic book artist and educator, tells an honest, in-depth story of the complicated Marvel Comics icon.

along with an upcoming remaster he did of an early Jack Kirby comic, that's now in the public domain.

Scioli will appear at Phantom of the Attic Comics in Oakland on Sat., Sept. 23 to sign copies of the book,

Scioli, much like his Pittsburgh peers Ed Piskor and Jim Rugg, is regarded for bringing an elevated, alternative approach to nostalgic geek properties. He has produced comic series such as Transformers vs. G.I. Joe and Fantastic Four: Grand Design . He’s also created his own stories, such as the bombastic action comic American Barbarian, and isn’t new to graphic biographies — his book Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics came out in 2020.

Many of the popular superheroes the zeitgeist has credited to

Lee — Spider-Man, Hulk, and Iron Man, to name a few — were actually co-created alongside artists such as Kirby. In cases like the Silver Surfer, many argue Lee contributed much less than half for that “co-creator” credit. Lee has also become known beyond comics for his famous cameo appearances in just about every Marvel movie made when he was still alive (he passed away in 2018).

After completing the Kirby biography, Scioli wanted a break from that type of project. Eventually, aided by walks filled with thoughts about his creative output, he decided to do a Lee biography, and not with an ax to grind or out of fanboy worship. Scioli

PHOTO: COURTESY OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

I Am Stan: A Graphic Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee

wanted to find the truth and put it into a book.

“Largely, I approached it as a documentary more than a graphic biography,” Scioli says. “I was just reporting back, looking at the evidence, and just saying what I saw and trying to keep me out of the equation as much as possible, and just report on what I’m seeing, to the extent that it’s really possible for someone to remove themselves from it.”

Scioli opted for a speculative first-person narration from the perspective of Kirby for the previous biography. For I Am Stan, Scioli knew that wouldn’t work for Lee, someone whose entire public persona is designed to be observed.

“I saw him as very theatrical, very much a character,” Scioli says. “And so, for that, I thought more of

watching him play out the drama of his life on this little stage, almost like this little vaudeville stage, very much in the tradition of a comic strip character.”

bottom in one vertical path. He does play with and subvert this throughout, however. An early, remarkable page with a nine-panel grid shows a progressively aging Lee explaining

his final moments. This includes his schoolboy days as a precocious, gifted student, his time in the military, his time at Marvel Comics, his explosion as a massively popular celebrity, and his troubled final years, in which the public grew increasingly skeptical of his legacy and became concerned he was a victim of elder abuse.

Scioli says he wanted the book to be “light on its feet,” just like Lee himself. It’s fast-paced and easy to read, aided by wide panels that let the readers’ eyes glide from top to

a fact made eerie in retrospect: he had an early job writing obituaries for celebrities who hadn’t yet died.

The book recounts the legend’s entire life, from early childhood to

Scioli explores Lee’s early tenure at Marvel, which brought him on at a young age because of a family connection. Before the success of superheroes like The Fantastic Four, Lee, following guidance from his superiors, haphazardly wrote unsuccessful, uninspired knock-offs of other popular comics and cartoons at the time — his take on Casper the Friendly Ghost , for example, was called Homer the Happy Ghost “Marvel, as it matured, became

“I SAW HIM AS VERY THEATRICAL, VERY MUCH A CHARACTER. AND SO, FOR THAT, I THOUGHT MORE OF WATCHING HIM PLAY OUT THE DRAMA OF HIS LIFE ON THIS LITTLE STAGE, ALMOST LIKE THIS LITTLE VAUDEVILLE STAGE, VERY MUCH IN THE TRADITION OF A COMIC STRIP CHARACTER.”

associated with innovation and creativity and inventiveness, but it really, I think, grew out of this magpie approach to publishing and art,” Scioli says.

Scioli portrays the Marvel Comics offices of decades past as a strictly deadline-focused business, which was more like a newspaper office than a haven for artists. It’s often said that the birth of Marvel’s superhero universe became so successful because of its infusion of colorful action with grounded, relatable storytelling.

As Scioli puts it, Lee found himself in an industry that, for decades, employed the same people making similar stories and took advantage of his position to do something different.

“You reach a point where it’s like, ‘I developed this skill-set, and I can do all kinds of things, but the mindset of the industry is incredibly limited,’” Scioli says. “Stan Lee wasn’t the only one — there were others in

the decade of the ’60s who had this feeling of, ‘I feel like I can do a lot more with this and let me try.’ And there were various attempts and most of them failed for business reasons, for not having access, but Stan was in a position where he had tremendous access.”

After spending so much time researching and making sense of the story of Lee, Scioli finds himself left with a complicated figure that he can’t help but admire.

“For all his faults and his flaws, I like Stan,” Scioli says, laughing. “And maybe part of that is being indoctrinated into it. I feel like I’ve gotten myself free of that indoctrination, but you wonder how far that runs deep. But I do find him to be a genuinely funny, genuinely enjoyable person. I’m very aware of his flaws, and sometimes I’m frustrated with some of the things he says or does.”

He adds, “And just doing a book about him, I feel like I’ll have this connection to him forever.” •

SEPT.MON., 18

THU., SEPT. 14

MUSIC • DOWNTOWN/ SOUTH SIDE

Music acts from all over the world will convene in Pittsburgh for a multi-day event. The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival kicks off at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center with the Uhuru Jazz Series — a live performance featuring composer Nigel Hall and vocalist Madison McFerrin — and Taste of Jazz. The festivities then move to Highmark Stadium, where crowds will experience an impressive roster of talent from Pittsburgh and beyond. Some events have already sold out, so get your tickets while you still can. Continues through Sun., Sept. 17. 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown and 510 W. Station Square Drive, South Side. $33-100. pittsburghjazzfest.org

COMEDY • SEWICKLEY

Nicole Travolta: Doing Alright 7:30 p.m. The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center. 418 Walnut St., Sewickley. $30. thelindsaytheater.org

FRI., SEPT. 15

MUSIC • OAKLAND

Oakland Block Party. 3–11 p.m. Schenley Drive, Oakland. Free. oaklandblockparty.com

MUSIC • NORTH SIDE

Behemoth with Twin Temple and Imperial Triumphant 6 p.m. Stage AE. 400 N. Shore Dr., North Side. $39.50–75. promowestlive.com

ART • NORTH SIDE

Andrea Peña Opening Reception 6–8 p.m. Continues through Dec. 1. Mattress Factory. 509 Jacksonia St., North Side. Free. Registration required. mattress.org

FASHION • DOWNTOWN

Local designers flaunt their sartorial ideas during Pittsburgh Fashion Week at the PPG Place Wintergarden. The catwalk unfolds for models ready to showcase stylish works by several designers, each of whom contributed five to six looks. Select ticket holders can also enjoy VIP perks before the show, and attend an after party featuring opportunities to meet

the talent and collect exclusive swag bags. 6:30-10 p.m. One PPG Place, Downtown. Tickers start at $25. pghfw.com

COMEDY • MUNHALL

Deon Cole: My New Normal Tour. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall. 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. $49.50–99–50. librarymusichall.com

COMEDY • DOWNTOWN

Kathleen Madigan: Boxed Wine & Tiny Banjos 8 p.m. Byham Theater. 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $51.25–71.25. trustarts.org

SAT., SEPT. 16

FESTIVAL • MILLVALE

Millvale Days. 12–5 p.m. and 7–9 p.m. Millvale Community Library. 213 Grant Ave., Millvale. Free. All ages. millvalelibrary.org

PARTY • LAWRENCEVILLE

Arbor Aid. 5–9 p.m. Tree Pittsburgh Heritage Nursery. 32 62nd St., Lawrenceville. $25–75. treepittsburgh.org

MUSIC • GARFIELD

Speedy Ortiz with Poolblood. 7 p.m. Mr. Roboto Project. 5106 Penn Ave., Garfield. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. therobotoproject.com

MUSIC • CHESWICK moe. 7:30 p.m. Doors at 6 p.m. Mountain View Amphitheater. 10 Rich Hill Road, Cheswick. $35–40. mntviewamp.com

FILM • DOWNTOWN

Three Stooges Festival with Sean Collier. 7:30 p.m. Harris Theater. 809 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $15. trustarts.org

SUN., SEPT. 17

FESTIVAL • POLISH HILL

Polish Hill Arts Fest 12–6 p.m. Polish Hill Civic Association. 3060 Brereton St., Polish Hill. Free. facebook.com/phca.pittsburgh

FESTIVAL • NORTH SIDE

A time-honored rural tradition receives an urban twist when two local organizations

PHOTO: COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH Indigenous Cultural Festival in Oakland

present the first-ever Pittsburgh County Fair

Created by Ferment Pittsburgh and Grow Pittsburgh, the fair will bring hands-on demonstrations, workshops, contests, vendors, entertainment, farm animals, and local food, drink, and farmers to Allegheny Commons Park West. Thresh beans to live thrash music, tie-dye with natural ink, and learn how to make a number of food and household goods by hand, plus so much more. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. West North Ave., North Side. Free. growpittsburgh.org

TOUR • NORTH SIDE

Mexican War Streets Home and Garden Tour. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Mexican War Streets. 604 West North Ave., North Side. $30. mexicanwarstreets.org

SPORTS • NORTH SIDE

Pittsburgh Pirates Hispanic Heritage Game 1:35 p.m. PNC Park. 115 Federal St., North Side. $32–42. mlb.com

MON., SEPT. 18

FESTIVAL • OAKLAND

The Indigenous Cultural Festival returns with family-friendly activities described as celebrating “contributions made by Native Americans — past and present — in Pennsylvania and across North America.” Experience special exhibits at the Hillman Library and workshops on Indigenous music and leather working, as well as a “mini pow wow” in Schenley Plaza. The event serves as a precursor to the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center’s annual Pow Wow in Dorseyville, Indiana

Township. Co-presented by the University of Pittsburgh. Times vary. Continues through Wed., Sept. 20. 4100 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. Registration required for workshops. diversity.pitt.edu

ART • EAST LIBERTY

Opening Reception: Eternal Maternal by Fran Flaherty and Meg Foley 6 p.m. Kelly Strayhorn Theater. 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Pay what moves you. Registration required. kelly-strayhorn.org

LIT • OAKLAND

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures presents

Zadie Smith. 7:30 p.m. Carnegie Library Lecture Hall. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $18 online tickets only. Registration required. pittsburghlectures.org

TUE., SEPT. 19

MUSIC • DOWNTOWN

Guster with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. 7:30 p.m. Heinz Hall. 600 Penn Ave., Downtown. $25–76. pittsburghsymphony.org

WED., SEPT. 20

WORKSHOP • BLOOMFIELD

Vogue 101 6-7:30 p.m. True T Studios. 4623 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. $5–20. facebook.com/TrueTpgh

MUSIC • DOWNTOWN

Phat Man Dee’s Jazz Extravaganza. 6–9 p.m. Con Alma. 613 Penn Ave., Downtown. $10. conalmapgh.com

PHOTO: COURTESY OF RESERVOIR MEDIA Madison McFerrin, part of the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival

HELP WANTED MEDICAL TECHNOLOGISTS

West Penn Allegheny Health System, Inc. seeks Medical Technologists to work at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, PA, and perform complex medical laboratory tests for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Apply at: ahn.org/ careers Job Code J231923.

MARKET PLACE

NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-23-008646

FINANCIAL

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NAME CHANGE

FINANCIAL

MASSAGE

M2M

Lee

Man Massage by Damon 412-961-1971

CREDIT REPAIR

MISCELLANEOUS

In re petition of Jennie Elizabeth Hollo for change of name to Jamie Noel Hollo. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 25th day of September, 2023, at 9:30 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-23-009030 In re petition of James Robert Maier and Sidney Ellen Cannon-Bailey for change of name to James Robert Caierley and Sidney Ellen Caierley. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 25th day of September, 2023, at 9:30 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.

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 October 03, 2023, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

PGH. PIONEER

• Aqua Therapy Pool Addition

• General, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical Primes

Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on September 05, 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.

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DENTAL

THINE PRINT

BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY // BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

ACROSS

1.  Talk a big game

5.  Man of the house

10.  Acronym in learning

14.  Operation that sucks, for short

15.  Heady stuff?

16.  G

17.  Reasonable day of laundry?

19.  Decaf containers

20.  Like some wired houses

21.  Go against

23.  Some activity watches

26.  Piece of direction?

27.  “Yoo-hoo!” (waves hand)

28.  One going through the motions?

31.  Some moles, perhaps

32.  ___ throat

33.  King

Charles’s throne

34.  Biz

35.  Flannel pattern

36.  Stage in bread making

37.  Ignoramus

38.  Groups between kingdoms and classes

39.  Believe it!

40.  “All right team!

It’s on!”

42.  Car once called a “tin Lizzie”

43.  Complete fraud

44.  “La Danse” painter

45.  Light in a club

47.  Kitchen gadget

48.  State that hosted the first professional football game

49.  Contemplated ‘bout gold or lead?

54.  Brain fog feeling

55.  Big name in loungewear

56.  Mules carry it

57.  Blown away

58.  At the tippity top

59.  Milk producer

DOWN

let’s say, mammals to evolve

13.  Creative spark

18.  Middle East dignitaries

22.  Character piece?

23.  Relating to money

24.  Foist (upon)

25.  Money won for brewing the Best Quenching Beverage?

26.  Concierge’s rooms

28.  Ever

29.  Canvas holders

30. Community actress ___ Nicole Brown

32.  In a sneaky way

LAST WEEK’S

ANSWERS