WQED Multimedia: Pittsburgh Magazine

HOLIDAYS A TO Z

Greater Pittsburgh offers a veritable dictionary's worth of fun, entertainment and culture any time of the year -- but during the holidays? Even more! We decided to run down the whole alphabet, letter by letter, to unearth the most unusual festivities of the season.

— Compiled by Betsy Benson, Lou Dattilo, Elizabeth Dice, Aless Hanna, Richard Kelly, Rich Lord, Mike May, Elena Passarello, Jennifer Rignani, David Rohm and Stephen H. Segal.

Photography by Richard Kelly

A is for Attack Theatre. One of our most forward-thinking dance troupes, Attack Theatre has built a new holiday tradition—or, perhaps, an anti-tradition—with its annual show dubbed This Ain’t the Nutcracker, offering more experimental seasonal dance alternatives to classics like the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s classic (and recently reinvented) The Nutcracker. This year, Attack’s artistic directors, Peter Kope and Michele de la Reza, present Ain’t early in the new year, Jan. 13-22, at the Hazlett Theatre on the North Side. (Attack Theatre: 412/371-1624; Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre: 412/281-0360)

B is for Bells. Pittsburgh has been called the city where every street corner is sure to have two things: a bar and a church. Where there’s a church, you can count on there also being church bells. So here’s an idea for families who want an alternative to looking at neighborhood house decorations: Why not trade your eyes for your ears and take a sonic tour of church-bell rings? Start with the Southminster Presbyterian Church in Mount Lebanon, whose recently installed ring of six bells formerly hung at England’s St. John’s Church in Preston. (799 Washington Road)

C is for Cutting Your Own. Your own Christmas tree, that is, which you can personally harvest at Paskorz Berry Farm in West Deer. And while you’re there, make an appointment to come back in the summer to pick strawberries and raspberries—which you can take home, dry out and use in next year’s holiday wreath! (36 Starr Road, 724/265-3073.)

D is for Dave & Andy’s. Pittsburgh’s legendary homemade-ice-cream joint pulls out all the stops for the holiday season, once and for all putting to rest the idea that frozen dairy desserts should be considered a mere summertime treat. Egg-nog ice cream, cranberry ice cream—does it get any better than this? (Oakland: 412/681-9906. Station Square: 412/232-3630.)

Santa
E is for Emmett the Elf. One of Pittsburgh’s quirkiest pseudo-celebrities, Emmett Frisbee—known in various local circles as a filmmaker, photographer and professional musician who plays a better-than-David-Sedaris-quality elf on special holiday occasions—is now one of Pittsburgh’s quirkiest bloggers. Find Emmett’s online Web journal, together with an elfin photo gallery.

F is for Fruitcake. Every once in a while, a cultural phenomenon goes from popularity to cliche to obscurity and back to popularity. So it is with fruitcake: After an era of being used as a punchline, the traditional winter delicacy is enjoying a renaissance as the retro-hip gift of choice to exchange at parties. See “WQED Cooks” chef Chris Fennimore’s personal fruitcake recipe!

G is for Gingerbread. Last year, a team of culinary students from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh won the national “Gingerbread on Broadway” contest with its scale gingerbread model of New York’s Central Park Carousel. Western Pennsylvania denizens don’t have to go all the way to the Big Apple to enjoy such sights, though: The weekend of Dec. 10-12, the annual Bellefonte Victorian Christmas celebration features its own gingerbread-house contest, plus buggy rides, concerts, Santa’s house, a Victorian tea party and more. (Info: 814/355-2917)

Santa
H is for “Hmmm... Him or Her?” It’s a question nightclubbers can answer for themselves at one of the area’s wilder seasonal events: “Kierra Darshell’s Stars of the Millennium Showcase,” a holiday drag show at downtown’s Pegasus Lounge on Fri., Dec. 17. Each gender-bending performer will belt out the carol of his/her choice at the show, which is also hyping a “special surprise gift from Santa” to be unwrapped by one lucky participant. The 11:30 p.m. party is for those 18 and over only! (Info: 412/281-2131)

I is for In-laws. How do you entertain (read: “distract”) them? Simple: I is also for Indiana, Pa., the Christmas tree capital of the world. Check out the foliage on your way to the town’s Jimmy Stewart Museum, where you’ll be reminded that I also stands for It’s a Wonderful Life, still the best Christmas movie ever made, which is shown at the museum Dec. 4, 11 and 18 at 2 p.m. (Info: 724/349-6112)

J is for Judaism.com. That’s a pretty hefty Internet domain name—so you’d think it must belong to some worldwide association of synagogues, right? Nope: Judaism.com is the massively impressive online incarnation of Squirrel Hill’s own Pinsker’s Judaica Center, and it’s the longest-established comprehensive Web store for Jewish books, music, videos and software. Find Hanukkah gifts and supplies, gorgeous artistic menorahs and much, much more. (Pinsker’s: 2028 Murray Ave., 412/421-3033.)

K is for Kaufmann’s. Sometimes, we have to go with the true perennials. Kaufmann’s original department store is the warm-and-fuzzy center of the downtown Pittsburgh holiday experience—not just because of its elaborate, entertaining window displays, which feature an array of lights, mannequins and fashion, but because “Meet me under the Kaufmann’s clock” is still, almost a century later, the most comforting thing one Pittsburgher can say to another. It means “I’ll be there for you”—and that sentiment, always welcome, is even more so at the holidays. (Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street, 412/232-2000)

L is for Lights. And there are lots of them to see. The biggest extravaganza is in nearby Wheeling, W.Va., where the Oglebay Resort annually boasts the nation’s largest holiday light show: 300 acres of displays spread along a six-mile drive. This year, favorite constructs such as the 2,000-light “Polyhedron” Star are joined by first-time pieces including “Christmas Kittens.” (Route 88, 800/624-6988) Closer to home, head to Hartwood Acres for the annual Eckerd Celebration of Lights (Saxonburg Boulevard), or just drive through Munhall and admire the decorated Tudors!

Santa M is for Musical Moments. They begin with another M: the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, which joins the Pittsburgh Symphony for its Holiday Pops concert Dec. 15-19 at Heinz Hall, downtown. The next two nights, Dec. 20-21, the same stage features local legend B.E. Taylor—and the day after that, Heinz Hall hosts “American Idol” star Clay Aiken for his new holiday show. (Info: 412/456-6666) Meanwhile, in East Liberty, the Renaissance City Choirs celebrate their 20th anniversary with the debut of a new commissioned work. (Info: 412/394-3353)

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