November 29, 2023 - Pittsburgh City Paper by Pittsburgh City Paper

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LieMAX You might not know it, but COVID killed Pittsburgh’s last true IMAX. BY RACHEL WILKINSON

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COMMUNITY PROFILE

12 Move over Pittsburgh Dad,

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Highwoods wants the Soul Food Festival out of PPG Place. Organizers say that’s discrimination BY MATT PETRAS

“Cig Mom” is here BY KATE OCZYPOK

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Local org SisterFriend wants you to have menstrual period parties this holiday season BY INDIA KRUG

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FILM

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IMAX at The Waterfront

LieMAX You might not know it, but COVID killed Pittsburgh’s last true IMAX. BY RACHEL WILKINSON // RWILKINSON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

he last weekend of April 2018, along with millions of other Americans, I piled into an IMAX theater to see Avengers: Infinity War. Though I consider myself to be a cinephile, I am not a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan — just a long-suffering MCU bride. But some of my favorite experiences have been at the movies (cue the Nicole Kidman AMC ad) and back then, with the MCU at the peak of its powers, I was swayed.

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The theater at Pittsburgh Mills was packed for opening weekend, fans cheering and clapping when Iron Man or Star-Lord appeared and with every gratuitous needle drop, enthralled for the movie’s entire two-and-a-half-hour runtime. Infinity War was also the first Hollywood film shot entirely with IMAX cameras, and it was presented in an expanded aspect ratio, offering viewers an even larger image projected on the 52-by-72-foot IMAX screen. Today, you can’t recreate my Infinity War experience. This is not only because of the MCU’s decline, but because Pittsburgh no longer has an actual IMAX theater. The last one, located at GQT Pittsburgh Mills Cinemas in Tarentum, sits hidden behind black pipe-and-drape curtains, non-operational and off limits to everyone but the theater’s employees. Five years later, IMAX is still in the public conversation, most recently with Oppenheimer approaching a billion-dollar box office. But you wouldn’t know it in Pittsburgh, our dead IMAX seemingly serving as a microcosm for the uncertain future of post-pandemic moviegoing in general. So what happened to Pittsburgh’s IMAX? If there’s no IMAX, why is the brand plastered everywhere, including at the Waterfront AMC? Aren’t these distinctions just for film snobs? I submit that, even for the uninitiated, not all film formats are created equal. Particularly in the era of streaming, we are losing something — beyond simple nostalgia — by phasing out our most spectacular theater experience, still championed by some of our most celebrated filmmakers. To get to the bottom of it (or process my grief: R.I.P. Old Pittsburgh), I looked into the history of the format and the fates of the region’s last three IMAX theaters.

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THE RANGOS GIANT CINEMA AT CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER Since its founding, IMAX has been tied to science centers. Incorporated in 1967 by a group of Canadian filmmakers, the name IMAX is not an acronym but rather an inversion of the phrase “maximum image,” coined so that it could be copyrighted. IMAX refers not only to the size of the projection surface but a proprietary system — encompassing the large screen, high-resolution cameras, film, and projectors, as well as the theater’s construction with stadium seating to allow audiences to view the larger images. IMAX Corporation’s cofounders envisioned the new film format expanding the medium’s possibility for visual impact, and it easily lent itself to sweeping vistas, wildlife films, and nature documentaries. Thus, some of the earliest IMAX installations were in science centers and planetariums. Key to creating that visual impact is also the size of the film stock itself. IMAX uses a 70-millimeter film strip rather than the standard 35mm, producing taller aspect ratios and a visual area more than eight times larger. The actual film negative is so large that it must be run through IMAX projectors horizontally, assembled and placed onto a platter by a projectionist. Famously, director Christopher Nolan — IMAX’s biggest evangelist — shot Oppenheimer entirely on IMAX film, even working with Kodak to custom-engineer blackand-white IMAX film stock. “If you see for the first time an IMAX pure-contact print from a negative projected on the screen, it’s like somebody is slapping you in the face,” Hoyte Van Hoytema, Oppenheimer’s cinematographer, told NPR. Asked if he was guilty of a kind of elitism about IMAX film, he replied, “In a way, yes, I’m very

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snobby, but I also think that … the proof is in the pudding. You know, you’re not doing it just for self-indulgence[‘s] sake. You’re doing it because you’re trying to create the best experience possible to see it.” At three hours, Oppenheimer was the longest-ever movie made for IMAX, and the resulting supersized film reel weighed 600 pounds and was 11 miles long. Images of the film’s sheer bulk were incorporated into its marketing as staff at the world’s IMAX theaters — many of them housed in science centers and museums — were shown pushing projectors to their breaking points.

“IF THERE’S NO IMAX, WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE BIG BLUE LETTERS ON THE SIDE OF THE WATERFRONT AMC?” Alas, there was no viral video of a gargantuan film strip being carted around at the Carnegie Science Center this summer. The Center renovated its Omnimax Theater — which projects onto a dome-shaped screen — in 2017 after 25 years. To send off the Omnimax, they held a 31-hour farewell movie marathon (though there’s still seemingly a lot of nostalgia among Pittsburghers about the dome itself, despite the Buhl Planetarium & Observatory remaining domed.) The updated Rangos Cinema now has a 71-by 39-foot Certified Giant Screen

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 6, 2023

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— still a premium large format, and, the Center says, the largest screen in Western Pennsylvania — but not IMAX. Along with switching to a flat screen, the theater also underwent a full film-to-digital conversion. Increasingly, moving to digital video rather than film, though hotly debated among film fans, is the direction of the industry, including for IMAX itself. In other words, the Science Center likely couldn’t have shown a film like Oppenheimer, in IMAX or on film. Remembering the golden age, on the wall of Marcus Harshaw’s office hangs a film reel in a tin from the old Omnimax. Harshaw, the Science Center’s Senior Director of Museum Experiences, explains that their digital system allows them to operate more efficiently, sometimes inputting a full day of Rangos programming in advance, no projectionist needed. As for showing first-run Hollywood movies in general (which the Center did initially), Harshaw says that, unlike a multiplex, the nonprofit museum has to consider how to best use its single screen to serve patrons. Aside from the higher costs, financial risk, and steeper contractual obligations of showing new releases, the films also don’t necessarily align as neatly with the Science Center’s goals. “What we’ve done is we’ve focused on [our] mission. We’ve focused on connecting people and science,” Harshaw tells Pittsburgh City Paper. The vision is rather an “integrated experience,” says Harshaw. “What we have that the other theaters don’t have is we make the experience a full day. You come in here, you have a great time in the exhibits. You grab lunch in the

cafe … go over [and] see the Titanic [exhibit], and then finish up with a Titanic film … You can build a whole day here with the whole family.” Showing the more traditional fare of educational films and nature documentaries also serves the mission to get kids excited about science, and the films shown are often not available anywhere else. The Center also adds Hollywood classics to its line-up, which filmgoers seem to love — on the Saturday before Thanksgiving (also Light Up Night), an older audience was in stitches at a showing of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Harshaw and Senior Manager of Marketing Megan McKenzie also advise film fans not to count out what’s still the biggest screen in the region — though not IMAX, you’re getting a premium experience at the Rangos Giant Cinema, they say. “Going to Ireland, that’s not the type of documentary you will find on Netflix,” says McKenzie, referring to one recently screened film.

IMAX WITH LASER (OR LIEMAX) AT AMC WATERFRONT 22 If there’s no IMAX, what’s going on with the big blue letters on the side of the Waterfront AMC? Like much in the entertainment industry, it comes down to free market logic. As IMAX has gone digital, it’s expanded its brand beyond custom-built theaters into traditional multiplexes, leading to some confusion — or, some would say, deception. In 2008, the company introduced Digital IMAX, a lower-cost system using

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 6, 2023

LIEMAX, CONTINUED FROM PG. 8

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 AT 2:30 P.M. & 7:00 P.M. HEINZ HALL The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will present Disney’s The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert featuring a screening of the complete film with the musical score performed live to the film.

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lower-resolution projectors. Theaters not wanting to be saddled with the cost of building the standard seven-story IMAX screen — or not wanting the loss of image quality to be as evident — retrofitted existing theaters or built smaller screens. However, the IMAX branding remained, with the company not distinguishing between the old-school IMAX experience and the new digital one in its marketing or ticket prices. Drawing ire from film buffs, the new theaters were labeled “LieMAX.” The Waterfront AMC first retrofitted its LieMAX in 2009, in time to screen a rerelease of The Dark Knight. It’s recently been upgraded to IMAX with Laser, switching from a xenon to a laser projector (part of a larger AMC partnership). Though it’s still probably the best theater in the region to see an IMAX movie (or merely the only game left in town), the LieMAX screen is noticeably smaller and the image quality worse. If you’ve been to a true IMAX, it’s hard to shake the feeling of being cheated. To further complicate matters, AMC also houses a Dolby Cinema, another premium theater with a larger screen and proprietary Dolby sound (Rangos also uses Dolby surround sound). The emergence of Dolby is part of what’s been called an arms race for every theater chain or audio/visual company to create its own premium experience — diluting IMAX market share after a nearly 60-year streak. Cinemark has XD, Regal Entertainment has RPX (Regal Premium Experience), and so on, with theater owners betting that following the advent of LieMAX, and theater goers largely wanting to stick to our local cinemas, we won’t be that discriminating.

GQT PITTSBURGH MILLS CINEMAS This brings us back to Pittsburgh Mills, the lost IMAX. In early 2021, GQT (Goodrich Quality Theaters), a Michigan-based theater chain, bought the theater from Cinemark in a rumored fire sale during pandemic closures. Cinemark departed with the IMAX equipment from Pittsburgh Mills, including the 72-foot IMAX screen, leaving only scaffolding and the once-full stadium seating. When asked if the IMAX theater will ever return, GQT management told City Paper: “While we would love to have the IMAX back in operation and talks with the IMAX corporation have been ongoing, we have not yet come to an agreement that makes financial sense given the current economic climate coupled with the recent actors and writers strikes. Currently, we do not have an expected reopen date or plan in place for IMAX at the Pittsburgh Mills Cinemas … that said we are exploring all avenues to offer more screens in the future to be able to accommodate movies and special events such as Dune and various concerts.” The company also confirmed they’re in discussions to build out a theater with their own premium large format, GDX. When I started on my IMAX odyssey (spurred by the release of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert documentary, which as it turns out, wasn’t even filmed for IMAX), I assumed the answer I sought would arise from one of those perennial Pittsburgh questions: are we a big city or a small town? The metro area can support three professional sport teams and stadium tours, but not an IMAX? But the truth is more prosaic: markets shift, brands change, and, as with most of our experiences, we still don’t know which way the collective winds are blowing after the onset of COVID. The continued upheaval of the film industry makes it that much more difficult to discern if a billion-dollar success like Oppenheimer is repeatable. For now, if you want to make the trek to see Dune: Part Two in true IMAX format next year, the closest theaters are in Columbus, Ohio and Chantilly, Va. Otherwise, you’ll have to settle for the Waterfront — and its slightly inferior screen. •

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 6, 2023

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NEW MEDIA

Kim Rhoades

PITTSBURGH MOM Move over, Pittsburgh Dad — “Cig Mom” is here BY KATE OCZYPOK // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

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magine: a red-headed woman with a ‘70s-inspired haircut barges into your room as you’re getting ready for school. She’s got a cigarette hanging out of the side of her mouth, and she’s yelling your name and that you’re going to be late for school. She then starts ranting about your gutchies (aka underwear for all you younger yinzers out there) and why do they say PINK on them? She certainly didn’t take you to “Victorian Secret” (ah, the Gen X and Boomer Pittsburgher mispronunciation of everything!). A gigantic Subway soft drink jingle-jangles in her hand. She continues to rant about how you’re just “in middle skewl” and shouldn’t be wearing that stuff. This is the most popular character, Cig Mom, that Murrysville native Kim Rhoades plays on TikTok. Cig Mom is a brash, chain-smoking, Steelersloving, Stevie Nicks-listening mom based on Kim’s own mother. Rhoades started making TikToks in 2018 for fun, but soon after, she started taking her sketches on the app more seriously, and just five years later, the 25-year-old has 2.6 million followers and 44.1 million likes and counting. Cig Mom is meant to be funny, but for Rhoades, the humor is also a way to deal with trauma from her childhood. Her parents (who are both deceased) abused her, and each other, growing up. Rhoades has filmed herself responding to comments that say things like: “How does it feel to mock your mother after her death?”

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Kim Rhoades

“I COULD STILL MAKE MYSELF HAPPY, TOO.”

“I wasn’t going to reply,” Rhoades says in a video, “but I’m going to reply, because who are you to tell me how I can talk about my mother? Who cares if she died? She abused me. So did my father; he’s also dead, but I talk about him … You don’t get to tell me how I talk about my parents … This is how I deal with my trauma, and it brings joy to other people. It’s comedy, it’s dark comedy, but it’s comedy.” Rhoades was 19 years old when her dad passed away and 23 when her mother died. “I’ve been watching comedians since I was young, my father would put in old VHS tapes of SNL,” Rhoades tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “I have to thank my father for my comedic timing — my father was a really funny person.” She watched the great comedians of the 90s, like Chris Farley and Adam Sandler, with her dad. “Carol Burnett is a huge inspiration for me,” Rhoades adds, citing the sketch in which Burnett makes fun of Gone with the Wind with a gigantic dress

made of curtains. Rhoades also loves Vicki Lawrence from Mama’s Family. Rhoades’ most popular characters, Cig Mom and Beer Dad (based on her father), often touch on dark comedy, with one of her highest performing sketches being “POV: Back to School Shopping with Your Cig Mom,” earning 2.9 million likes. Rhoades does not want to focus solely on dark comedy though. She wants to eventually release music, as she’s been singing for years. Rhoades went to school with Brooke Hyland (of Dance Moms fame). Long ago, the two talked about releasing songs someday. “We both did choir together and were talking, saying we should release covers and [original] songs,” Rhoades says. Rhoades also is an advocate for POTS syndrome, which she suffers from. The condition causes symptoms like a fast heart rate, dizziness, fainting and fatigue when moving from lying down to standing up. There is no cure, but treatments and lifestyle

changes can help manage POTS. “When I was bedridden for a short time, TikTok allowed me to still work on comedy and make people happy,” Rhoades says. “I could still make myself happy, too.” Rhoades says she needs to be creative to stay happy, whether that’s comedy, music, or even poetry. She was an English major and hopes to write a book of poetry one day. She has a year of school left, but because of her newfound TikTok fame, and for her own mental health, she is taking a step back for the moment. Rhoades also recently got married. “The sun came out right before [my wife and I] were supposed to get married,” she says. “My cousin looks at me and goes ‘your dad opened the clouds up for you. It was really sweet, and everything was just amazing.” When filming in public, Rhoades gets her wife to help with filming sometimes. “She does a phenomenal job, she’s very patient, knows the angles and

what to do,” she says. At home, Rhoades usually uses a ring light. To film and edit a video to its completion, it typically takes about three to four hours. Rhoades usually aims to release an average of five new videos each week. “The world can be a nasty place, and we must fight evil with good,” Rhoades says. “I’m reclaiming the evil that was done to me in my life and making good out of it, and I encourage others to do the same.” “If my videos help them do that, that is wonderful. We need to have more laughter in this world,” she adds. Yo u ’ l l b e ca tch i n g m o re o f Rhoades soon, as the Hard Rock Café in Pittsburgh recently asked her to do stand-up there. She hopes to go on tour soon, and her ultimate dream would be to become a cast member on Saturday Night Live. “SNL would be the dream,” she says. “Like I said, I’ve been watching since I was very young.” •

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 6, 2023

MARKET

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SMALL SHOPPING, BIG MISSION THE BLACK MARKET CONTINUES ITS MISSION OF SUPPORTING BLACK PITTSBURGH BUSINESS OWNERS BY KAHMEELA ADAMS-FRIEDSON // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

The Black Market

BLACK MARKET: HOLIDAY EDITION. 10 A.M.-6 P.M. FRI., DEC 2-SAT., DEC. 3. 413 WOOD ST., DOWNTOWN. FREE.

downtownpittsburghholidays.com/blackmarket

ith the help of actress and entertainer Keke Palmer, Google promoted its fourth annual Black Owned Friday as a “shoppable way to 100% support Black-owned businesses.” The effort sought to highlight independent Black-owned businesses that often don’t get as much recognition as their white counterparts. One local entrepreneur also decided it was time to make a onestop shopping space for Black-owned businesses. Around 2020, Shayla Hawkins, founder and principal planner of Shayla Hawkins Events,

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was tagged in a call to action on Instagram, looking for local Blackowned businesses. “I saw the same people getting tagged, and I was one of them, and I’m like, there has to be more Black-owned businesses than this,” Hawkins tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “So I kind of felt a little bit of social responsibility to dig into the community and see who else is out here.” She found numerous vendors, and in June 2020, the first Black Market event was born. Hawkins held the event at Slate Studio, her now-closed Strip District venue. Je re my Wa l d ru p, p re s i d e n t

and CEO of Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, attended the first Black Market and was thrilled by what he saw. He then invited Hawkins to bring The Black Market to Downtown Pittsburgh for the holiday season. Jack Dougherty, who serves as PDP’s senior director of constituent services, believes the move to Downtown helped bring the event to a larger audience. “It allows a high traffic location for these local Black entrepreneurs to promote their products and hopefully engage with new customers and make connections that they wouldn’t otherwise,” Dougherty tells City Paper.

The fourth annual Black Market: Holiday Edition will take place from Fri., Dec 2-Sat., Dec. 3 at 413 Wood St. Over the weekend, there will be 15-18 vendors, with a different lineup daily. Businesses included in the market vary from first-time sellers to vending veterans. Customers will find diverse products to purchase, sample, and discover, from cosmetics and coffee to apparel and jewelry. When making the shift from corporate to entrepreneur, Hawkins found her community to be a great asset. “Honestly, it was a leap of faith,” Hawkins recalls. “I had always planned things in high school and all

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The Black Market

the social events. I kind of just started asking myself … what do you love?” After alerting her network that she was looking to switch to event planning, Hawkins found an old high school friend who wanted help planning her wedding. Hawkins planned a few more weddings pro bono for the experience and soon had a business model she was ready to launch. Over 14 years later, Hawkins and her team of four now produce over 30 events per year. “I think it’s a Godgiven gift that I love to design, coordinate, and plan. And it’s worked out for me really well,” Hawkins says. Haw ki n s u n d e r s t a n d s t h a t engagement and connections are essential when one is trying to grow a business. Many of the Black Market vendors operate year-round without a storefront, and while there are benefits to running an online business, it’s also easy to get lost in the noise of the internet. The Black Market not

only gives small business owners a chance to interact with potential customers in person but also provides a community. “The energy is so good to see other people who look like you and that are experiencing the same entrepreneurial ups and downs as you,” says Hawkins. Though the opportunity for reward is great, an entrepreneur’s life can be uncertain. Being in a room full of people who look like you and are traveling along that same road can make a world of difference. The Black Market community offers a chance for collaboration, learning from one another, and, most of all, support. Hawkins believes the market also provides an opportunity for sellers to finesse their elevator pitch and customer service skills. “Being able to talk about your product, that’s an art,” Hawkins says.•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 6, 2023

SOCIAL JUSTICE

MAKING NOISE FOR SOUL FOOD

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

Margo and William Marshall, organizers of the Soul Food Festival, pose for a portrait in PPG Plaza on Nov. 20, 2023.

The owner of PPG Place says an annual celebration of Black cuisine and culture is too loud. Organizers are pushing back. BY MATT PETRAS // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

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CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

William Marshall, organizer of the Soul Food Festival, stands in the center of PPG Plaza. The event has been held in the plaza since 2019, PPG Plaza landlords want Marshall to take the festival elsewhere.

n the late 1700s, Black-owned business thrived in what’s now Downtown’s PPG Place Plaza. Benjamin Richards, a Black man who helped petition for the creation of Allegheny County, ran a successful butchery on Third Avenue and once had more wealth than anyone else in Pittsburgh. Because of this history, Pittsburgh City Council issued a proclamation in August 2021 declaring Third Avenue Pittsburgh’s “Black Wall Street.” PPG Plaza, since 2019, has also been a venue for the annual Pittsburgh Soul Food Festival, a celebration of Black culture that draws tens of thousands of people. However, PPG Plaza’s owners, Highwoods Properties, have told the festival’s organizer William “B” Marshall that they’re not welcome next year, primarily citing noise complaints from tenants, according to Marshall. Marshall isn’t backing down from what he sees as a racist double standard not applied to similar events such as Picklesburgh and has lawyered up in response. “It is really not about the noise,” Marshall tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “It is really about who’s making the noise … Noise is down there all the time, but you just don’t see a variety of Black people down there all the time, in those numbers.” Marshall, a prominent local figure who started the group Stop the Violence Pittsburgh, organizes Pittsburgh’s largest Juneteenth celebration. Four years ago, he started

the Pittsburgh Soul Food Festival, an event with music and food from Black artists and cooks. Citing data prepared by Bynum Marketing and Communications, his organization estimates the September 2023 festival drew about 22,000 people and generated more than half a million dollars, which amounted to more than $200,000 in profit for small businesses. The tumultuous relationship between Highwoods Properties and the festival has come to a head after brewing for years. In a screenshot of email correspondence with Highwoods Properties from March 2022, provided by Marshall, the senior vice president wrote, “[t]he disruptions to our office customers were substantial and I believe a different location would be in everybody’s best interest.” For the 2022 festival, Marshall still opted for PPG Plaza but agreed to not feature music until after business hours on a Friday in response. Now, according to Marshall, Highwoods Properties told him it won’t host the festival in 2024 because of noise complaints, logistical concerns such as parking, and an incident involving an arrest at a previous festival. Marshall views this as racist and hypocritical, noting that Picklesburgh, a similar event in about the same area that draws several times more attendees, is not receiving the same treatment. Highwoods Properties has not responded to City Paper phone and MAKING NOISE FOR SOUL FOOD, CONTINUES ON PG. 18

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 6, 2023

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MAKING NOISE FOR SOUL FOOD, CONTINUED FROM PG. 17

email requests for comment. The City of Pittsburgh has been largely supportive of the festival throughout the years – in 2019, former Mayor Bill Peduto signed a proclamation declaring Sept. 1 “A Soulful Taste of the ’Burgh Day.” Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration did not comment on the current dispute. “The City of Pittsburgh is not a sponsor of the Soul Food Festival. This is a situation between two private entities,” a spokesperson wrote to City Paper.

“IT IS REALLY NOT ABOUT THE NOISE. IT IS REALLY ABOUT WHO’S MAKING THE NOISE.” Marshall said he’s been hoping some City of Pittsburgh official would publicly support him. “What the city has a habit of doing is trying to portray Downtown as welcoming and diverse and supportive and stuff, but I haven’t heard anybody speak up about, ‘Hey, this is something that’s wrong,’” Marshall says. Marshall, believing this could be a case of discrimination, has enlisted th e h elp of two local attorneys: civil rights attorney Alexa Gervasi and Turahn Jenkins, former Assistant District Attorney for Allegheny County and a founding member of Allegheny Lawyers Initiative for Justice. “It doesn’t seem to me, based upon what I’ve heard and what I’ve read, that other events are encountering

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these types of impediments,” Jenkins says. “And he’s been very, very reasonable in accommodating their requests. It gets to the point where we gotta say enough is enough. He’s gotta be treated equally as everybody else. I don’t think that’s a whole lot to ask.” At the time of publication, Gervasi told CP she plans to soon send Highwoods Properties, who she emphasizes is a federal contractor, a notice threatening litigation. Both attorneys hope the situation can be

resolved without going to court. “The purpose of the letter is just to say, ‘Listen, what you’re doing here is wrong, it’s discriminatory, you know it’s wrong and discriminatory, knock it off, or we’ll have to elevate this,’” Gervasi says. Marshall hopes to continue the festival the same way it’s been done because he believes it does a lot of good for the community, not just financially. “Everybody enjoys the Soul Food Festival. It’s not really a Black-white issue,” Marshall says. “We get all type of people who come down to Market Square and buy food. We’re hopeful that somebody will eventually realize that it’s very important to have these kinds of events in Downtown Pittsburgh.” •

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 6, 2023

NEIGHBORHOOD

SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH BY CP STAFF

., MON 4 . DEC

PHOTO: COURTESY OF SEAN EATON

The Milton and Sheila Fine Collection at Carnegie Museum of Art

THU., NOV. 30 LIT • OAKLAND

Explore the galaxy with a young person in your life when Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris bring their graphic novel to Carnegie Library Lecture Hall for Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures. The duo will discuss The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom, the second installment in their series about an adventurous feline and his friends. Written for readers between the ages of 8-12, the book is described by HarperCollins as taking unlikely heroes into a world of “villainous cowboys, high-speed chases, and falling pianos.” 6 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. Registration required. Virtual option available. pittsburghlectures.org

Center. 418 Walnut St., Sewickley. Free. Registration required. thelindsaytheater.org

., THUR30 . NOV

MARKET • SEWICKLEY

Holiday Market Preview Party. 7-9 p.m. Market continues through Sun., Dec. 3. Sweetwater Center for the Arts. 200 Broad St., Sewickley. $35-40. sweetwaterartcenter.org

MUSIC • LAWRENCEVILLE

Bumpin Uglies with Joe Samba and Howi Spangler. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Thunderbird Music Hall. 4053 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $23. thunderbirdmusichall.com

FRI., DEC. THEATER • DOWNTOWN

MUSIC • NORTH SIDE

Ashley McBryde: The Devil I Know Tour. 7 p.m. Stage AE. 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side. $23.50-65. promowestlive.com

FILM • SEWICKLEY

Emerging Filmmakers Showcase: Picture Proof. 7 p.m. Lindsay Theater and Cultural

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF ERIK FRALICK

Joe Samba at Thunderbird Music Hall

The talents of award-winning actor Alan Cumming and famed NPR contributor Ari Shapiro combine for Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret at the Byham Theater. An event description for the show promises “tunes and tall tales,” with both performers exploring their own lives and careers to find out they are not so different after all. See what

a Scottish film and television star has in common with an American Jewish journalist during a show that Broadway World calls “a sheer delight, from start to finish.” 7:30 p.m. Byham Theater. 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $66.25-76.25. trustarts.org

THEATER • OAKMONT

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Oaks Theater. 310 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. $20-90. theoakstheater.com

COMEDY • MUNHALL

Nikki Glaser: The Good Girl Tour. 7 p.m. Doors at 6 p.m. Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall. 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. $52.75-100. librarymusichall.com

THEATER • DOWNTOWN

Pittsburgh CLO presents Who’s Holiday. 8 p.m. Continues through Sun., Dec. 31. Greer Cabaret Theater. 655 Penn Ave., Downtown. $25-55. pittsburghclo.org

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Kongero at City Winery

SAT., DEC. 2

MON., DEC. 4

OUTDOORS • ALLISON PARK

ART • OAKLAND

Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run 5K. 9:15 a.m. North Park Boathouse. 10301 Pearce Mill Road, Allison Park. $25-50. All ages. Runners must register. events.arthritis.org

WORKSHOP • BLOOMFIELD

Dah Dah Creative Play presents Sip and Sensory Adult Class: Dough. 10:30 a.m. Trace Brewing. 4312 Main St., Bloomfield. $15. Registration required. 18 and over. dahdahpgh.com

ART • OAKLAND

Feast your eyes on what the Oakland Business Improvement District describes as two square miles of “glowing wonderland.” Spherical Saturdays invites observers to check out GLOWLAND, an outdoor collection of interactive light displays and other installations providing the “ultimate fusion of art, music, and play.” Enjoy lawn games and other “winter fun” at this dynamic show that’s open to everyone. 12-8 p.m. Continues through Jan. 2, 2024. Schenley Plaza. 4100 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. All ages. pittsburghparks.org

THEATER • MCKEES ROCKS

Gemini Theater Company presents A Special Toy. 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Continues through Sun., Dec. 17. Ryan Arts & Culture Center. 420 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks. $5-15. All ages. geminitheater.org

MUSIC • STRIP DISTRICT

Calliope presents Kongero. 6:30 p.m. Doors at 5 p.m. City Winery. 1627 Smallman St., Strip District. $45. calliopehouse.org

SUN., DEC. 3 MUSIC • MILLVALE

The Milton and Sheila Fine Collection. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Continues through March 17, 2024. Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Included with regular admission. carnegieart.org

MUSIC • NORTH SIDE

Spotlight on Ukrainian Culture with Taras Filenko. 7-8:30 p.m. City of Asylum-Alphabet City. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. Registration required. Livestream available. cityofasylum.org

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TUE., DEC. 5 MUSIC • UPTOWN

One of the last true divas will grace Pittsburgh when Mariah Carey brings her big holiday show to PPG Paints Arena. If the spirit has not yet grabbed you, the songstress behind one of the season’s biggest bangers will have you overflowing with cheer when she take the stage during her annual Merry Christmas One And All! tour. A press release from Live Nation describes the “must-attend” event as celebrating the “global superstar’s timeless collection of holiday classics,” including the staple “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” 7:30 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. Tickets start at $95. livenation.com

WED., DEC. 6 MAGIC • DOWNTOWN

Michael Misko in I Laugh in the Face of Magic. 7:30 p.m. Continues through Jan. 14, 2024. Liberty Magic. 811 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $40. trustarts.org

Cosmic Convergence Tour with Blackout Rose, Phat Man Dee, and Sundae Service. 7:30 p.m. Doors at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Smalls. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. mrsmalls.com PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 6, 2023

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FINANCIAL

ESTATE NOTICE

Struggling With Your Private Student Loan Payment? New relief programs can reduce your payments. Learn your options. Good credit not necessary. Call the Helpline 888-670-5631 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Eastern) (AAN CAN)

SAVE YOUR HOME! Are you behind paying your MORTGAGE? Denied a Loan Modification? Is the bank threatening foreclosure? CALL Homeowners Relief Line NOW for Help 1-855-4395853 Mon-Fri : 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Sat: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm(all times Pacific) (AAN CAN)

ESTATE OF KNORR, HOWARD, J., DECEASED OF WEST MIFFLIN, PA

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED SCHOOL BUS DRIVER

TECHNOLOGY

Philips RS North America LLC (formerly Respironics, Inc.) is accepting resumes for the position of Software Project Manager in Pittsburgh, PA (Ref. #AHCK). Responsible for formulating the project plan in consultation with management and other parties concerned on base of the requirements of the customer/end user. Telecommuting permitted. Mail resume to Philips North America LLC, Legal Department, Barbara Bickford, 222 Jacobs Street, Third Floor, Cambridge, MA 02141. Resume must include Ref. #AHCK, full name, email address & mailing address. No phone calls. Must be legally authorized to work in U.S. without sponsorship. EOE.

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ESTATE NOTICE

ESTATE OF GREEN, CONSTANCE, L., DECEASED OF PITTSBURGH, PA

ESTATE NOTICE

ESTATE OF KNAPP, JAKE R., DECEASED OF PITTSBURGH, PA

CREDIT REPAIR Denied Credit?? Work to Repair Your Credit Report With The Trusted Leader in Credit Repair. Call Lexington Law for a FREE credit report summary & credit repair consultation. 855-620-9426. John C. Heath, Attorney at Law, PLLC, dba Lexington Law Firm. (AAN CAN)

Howard J. Knorr, deceased, of West Mifflin, PA. No. 022307174 of 2023. Diane L. Griffin, Ext., 2913 John Street, Munhall, PA 15120

Constance L. Green, deceased, of Pittsburgh, PA. No. 022307648 of 2023. Raychelle Green, Adm., 100 Jamal Place, Apartment 204, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Or to Jacob Murphy Landau of Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. 707 Grant Street, Suite 125, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

ESTATE NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

Stanislav Boyko, deceased, of Pittsburgh, PA. No. 022307637of 2023. Igor Boyko, Adm., 120 West Manilla Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15220. Or to Jacob Murphy Landau of Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. 707 Grant Street, Suite 125, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

NOTICE is hereby given that a Certificate of Limited Partnership was filed with the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for a limited liability partnership formed under the Pennsylvania Partnership Act. The name of the partnership is: Riverz Contracting, LLC. D Scott Lautner, Esq. 68 Old Clairton Rd. Pittsburgh PA, 15236. Phone: 412-650-8820

NOTICE is hereby given that a Certificate of Limited Partnership was filed with the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for a limited liability partnership formed under the Pennsylvania Partnership Act. The name of the partnership is: Raven Howell Property Management, LLC. D Scott Lautner, Esq. 68 Old Clairton Rd. Pittsburgh PA, 15236. Phone: 412-650-8820

ESTATE OF MAKAR, JOSEPH, JR., DECEASED OF WHITE OAK, PA Joseph Makar, Jr., deceased, of White Oak, PA. No. 022305922 of 2023. Laura Massie, Adm., 13989 Valley View Drive, White Oak, PA 15131, Or to D. Scott Lautner, Attorney. 68 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236.

ESTATE OF BOYKO, STANISLAV, DECEASED OF PITTSBURGH, PA

Jake R. Knapp, deceased, of Pittsburgh, PA. No. 022307937 of 2023. Robert Knapp & Dana Knapp, Adm., 928 Holly Lynn Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15236. Or to Jacob Murphy Landau of Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. 707 Grant Street, Suite 125, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

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IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-23-010809, In re petition of Kevin Thaddeus Coleman, parent and legal guardian of Keira Elizabeth Coleman for change of name to Sergei Thaddeus Coleman. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 13th day of December 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 December 12, 2023, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

PERRY HIGH SCHOOL • Replace EM Generator • Plumbing and Electrical Primes Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on November 20, 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 nonrefundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual. We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

SZA

BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY // BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

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ACROSS

1. Australian Dame Everage 5. “The Merry Widow” composer Franz 10. Pasta, beer, or bread, for short 14. Vittles 15. Madder than mad 16. River to the Caspian Sea 17. Storage unit on a floppy 18. Yanks an award out from a tight spot? 20. Blue stater: Abbr. 21. Horn sound 22. “Get back to me in a bit” 23. Loosens an architectural band? 26. Skill helpful when asked “do you know what I’m thinking?” 27. Steffi who won Wimbledon seven times 28. What a pollster accounts for 30. Victory ___ 32. Space Race goal 34. IVF egg 38. With 40-Across, deer sleep? 39. Evening things 40. See 38-Across 41. Eliciting a slap across the face 42. One on your side 43. Actor Firth 44. Story with too many characters to keep track of

46. “Please excuse my dear ___ Sally” (order of operations mnemonic) 47. Slightly damage 50. Pleasant smell of cheeses wafting by? 55. Hasty glance 57. What collection agencies collect 58. Hottie 59. Drab aliens with enlarged bald heads nibble a bit? 61. Sharpshooter Calamity 62. Four laps, often 63. Unwashed and unshaven 64. HP rival 65. Poor collection 66. Approvals 67. Blue ribbon

DOWN

1. Notes on a staff 2. Appliance next to a washer 3. Kicked a ball through a defender’s legs in soccer 4. Wolf Like Me creator Forsythe 5. Give an attitude 6. Math problem? 7. Island nation whose anthem is “La Dessalinienne” 8. Polished off 9. Adjusting, as some images 10. Dumbbell exercise 11. Get up 12. Knocks down

13. Get the “fuck” out 19. Court claim 21. Title where if you switch the first two letters you get a Christmas decoration 24. Rubs one out? 25. Dense black hardwood 29. “Totes through with this” 30. “Mixtape” from the ‘90s 31. “Let me get you next time” 32. Vietnamese village in 1969 headlines 33. Big source of energy 35. U-turn 36. Shoot-em-up weapon 37. Goes in

some video games 39. Game with tackle-free scrums 43. To the point 45. Picture book subject 46. Places where brothers live 47. “The Floor Is Lava” “substance” 48. World Autism Awareness Month 49. Kingdom 51. Some Dutch exports 52. “I told ya so!” 53. Designates for development 54. Put forth 56. Healthy bread choices 60. Herb used in some grappas 61. Quick punch LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 6, 2023

Drive yourself to a new career. Pittsburgh Regional Transit is proud to be recognized

Consider a career as a PRT driver. asbus a 2024 Military Friendly® Employer for its Join us for our upcoming hiring event. to supporting veterans in continued commitment

their transition from the military to civilian life.

December 15, 2023 This marks the third consecutive year PRT has received this 9:00 AM-3:00 PMand we remain committed to hiring, retaining and distinguished honor Heinzcareer Building promoting advancement in the workplace for active military employees 345and Sixth Avenue, Floor military families in other capacities. veterans, as well7th as, assisting More than 200 active military employees and Pre-register by calling 412.566.5162 veterans are currently employed at PRT and we look forward to growing that number in the future. Learn more about a career with Pittsburgh Regional Transit.