July 13, 2022 - Pittsburgh City Paper by Pittsburgh City Paper

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Gabriel McMorland The executive director leaving the Thomas Merton Center

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JULY 13-20, 2022

FIRSTSHOT BY JARED WICKERHAM

The Justice for Jayland Walker protest marches throughout Downtown on Fri., July 8.

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JULY 13-20, 2022 VOLUME 31 + ISSUE 28 CELEBRATING 30 YEARS SERVING PITTSBURGH SINCE NOV. 6, 1991

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“There’s room for everyone in the movement, but people have to do it right.”

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Gabriel McMorland

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

NEXT STEPS Executive director Gabriel McMorland on leaving the Thomas Merton Center BY JORDANA ROSENFELD // JORDANA@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JULY13 - 20, 2022

NEXT STEPS, CONTINUED FROM PG. 5

“But whether I talk to people from five years ago or 10 years ago or 30 years ago, everyone has a completely different view of what [the Merton Center] is and what’s going on,” McMorland says. He describes the 50-year fixture of the white progressive activist community in Pittsburgh as “a big story that everyone’s just seen part of.” As a robustly multi-generational group, the Thomas Merton Center offers something unique in the Pittsburgh activist community, McMorland says. “There’s something really beautiful and powerful about having multi-generational friendships where people who are older than you are modeling how to be curious and open and continuing to grow throughout your whole life. That’s what I want to do. And I realize now that I’m going to always need multi-generational, older friends. I’m always going to need some friends in the generation older than me to help me do that,” McMorland says, adding that the center has also offered opportunities to connect with younger people. However, something he’s noticed in progressive spaces, in general, is that multigenerational interpersonal conflicts can often be framed as “a generational thing,” when they are actually about decreasing tolerance for oppressive ideas. He says he can already see the difference between what was acceptable in the 1990s

when he was in high school and today. “A lot of the time,” he suggests, “what we might perceive as intergenerational conflict is actually about racism or homophobia or these things where people actually were bringing up those problems, you know, generations ago and just weren’t being heard.” He says those conflicts can feel new when they emerge today, but they’re not. “I don’t see that as generational conflict. I see that as we’re all, society-wide, part of a pretty big reckoning about some problems that people have been bringing up for generations and other people have been telling them to wait their turn, and there’s not really a lot more time to wait.” In the summer of 2020, as people across the country rallied against police violence and for racial justice, the Merton Center had its own multi-generational reckoning with anti-Black racism. Rush, TMC’s founder and previous board member, posted a meme on Facebook with an image of Martin Luther King Jr. and the text, “Looted nothing, Burned nothing, Attacked no one, Changed the World.” According to Tony Norman’s retelling for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, comments quickly appeared, mostly from younger activists, criticizing Rush for allegedly passing judgment on the behavior of Black communities terrorized by police violence. Rush apologized, but continued to receive criticism. “Molly [Rush], a naive

THOMAS MERTON thomasmertoncenter.org

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Gabriel McMorland

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user of Facebook, saw a meme that, on the spur of the moment, she decided to repost,” wrote Dan Kovalik in his book, The Progressive Case Against Cancel Culture. That wasn’t how McMorland saw Rush’s actions, telling Norman, “After we make mistakes, we have a chance to restore balance and move towards repair. Mobilizing your network to demand that a predominantly white organization you founded takes your side in a public debate you started with Black activists is not a constructive follow-up to a mistake.” For McMorland, it’s important for the Merton Center and other predominantly white community groups to do more “to support Black-led organizations, but also Black-led actions, Black-led uprisings, Black-led movements, Black communities. It doesn’t matter if they have a 501(c) (3) or a website.”

donates the majority of its funding to anti-immigrant groups. Although TMC has recently moved from Penn Avenue in Garfield to Community Forge in Wilkinsburg, McMorland says they will continue to house the community-run East End Community Thrift, affectionately called Thrifty, in their current Penn Avenue location, which TMC owns. They are currently raising funds to repair Thrifty’s building. “We’re gonna hire someone to replace me,” McMorland says, “and they’re gonna do great things. I have a lot of faith in the board and the community of volunteers, staff, and members.” Looking to the future of the fight for collective liberation, McMorland says, “I don’t want to come across as though I have some kind of profound answer” to the political obstacles facing Pittsburgh activists. But McMorland says he’s skep-

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“There's something really beautiful and powerful about having multi-generational friendships ..." “We’re a really segregated city with some of the worst outcomes in the country for Black people in, like, almost any way you assess it,” he notes. McMorland says that while “there’s always been some people of color making really valuable contributions and in leadership” at the Merton Center, the members, including McMorland, have always been majority white. “I think whenever there’s any organization like that, especially when it’s doing community work, or social justice work, you have to look at like, ‘OK, how do we move with self-awareness? How do we stay accountable to people? How do we leverage our privileges in a good way?’” “There’s room for everyone in the movement, but people have to do it right,” McMorland tells City Paper on how the Center can stay accountable. The future of TMC will feature more antiracist work, McMorland says, including an expansion of their white accomplice trainings and the Drop Colcom campaign, which focuses on pressing local groups to stop accepting funding from Colcom, a local foundation that

tical of liberal rhetoric calling for “unity” from progressives. He says we have “to make sure that when we’re saying ‘we need unity’ that that doesn’t really just mean we need silence from people [on our side] who are having real problems.” “I’ve had a lot of conversations with people where they say something like, ‘Oh, if only we on the left were as unified as the right,’ And it’s, like, well, it’s easy for them to be unified when they’re fascist,” he says. “The way to work together and the way to build a movement isn’t going to look like what we’re seeing from the very dangerous and resurgent right-wing,” he says. “[T]here’s not a version of unity that looks like that for people with progressive or humanitarian values, because we’re not trying to create the dominance of one group of people over everyone else.” McMorland adds that a progressive version of unity has to bring growth, balance, and honesty. “We need to figure out something that hasn’t been done before.” He pauses and corrects himself. “Well, something I haven’t seen before, maybe it’s been done before.” •

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NEWS

FITZGERALD'S RICH FRIENDS Bill expanding salary oversight falls short BY JAMIE WIGGAN // JAMIE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

BILL SEEKING TO STRENGTHEN council oversight of Allegheny County salaries fell a vote short of clearing the chamber on July 5. The bill was introduced earlier this year after several councilors raised concerns about a pattern of salary hikes granted to high-level county staffers. According to records first published by the Pittsburgh Independent, Rich Fitzgerald’s chief of staff, Jennifer Liptak,

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County Manager Willy McKain, and Director of Performance and Analytics M. Joanne Foerster, have all seen their salaries boosted by 40% or more since 2019. “The inner circle of the county executive are getting tens of thousands in raises each year with no job description change,” Councilor-at-Large Bethany Hallam (D-North Side) said before the vote was called. “Please explain that.”

The failed bill would have required the county manager to submit a series of reports to council prior to the annual budget adoption, with updates on new positions, anticipated promotions, and salary raises. County budgets do not currently include line items for staff salaries, but show overall payroll expenses for each department. Supporters say the measures spelled out in the bill are necessary to ensure

councilors can adequately review budget provisions before casting their votes. Before voting in support of the measure, Council President Pat Catena (D-Carnegie) accused the administration of frequently delaying the release of important budgetary information. “We find out about things after the fact,” Catena said. “We pass a budget, basically blindly without all of the information given to us. We get blindsided.” But the slim majority who crushed the bill said the measures were unnecessary, and potentially harmful. Councilor Nicholas Futules (D-Cheswick) pointed out that the information requested is covered by open records law, meaning council and the public is already entitled to view it.

see a talent crisis at this institution, not for this administration, but for the next one,” Duerr said. Councilor DeWitt Walton (D-Hill District) suggested the bill was motivated by personal animus toward Fitzgerald and the administration. “I believe that this is part of an ongoing effort to try to humiliate and isolate the administration,” he said. Although the bill fell short, Fitzgerald’s detractors scored a win by passing a related measure by giving council greater input into senior staff hires. The bill, which passed 8-7, adds new language to the county administrative code requiring council confirmation for all new director-level hires. Previously, the code permitted

“We find out about things after the fact ... We pass a budget, basically blindly without all of the information given to us. We get blindsided.”

“If I really want to know, I’ll ask,” Futules said. “And if I want to know, I think I will be told.” Councilor Tom Duerr (D-South Hills) said he opposed the bill because he believes pressure from council to reduce raises could risk sparking departures across the administration. “If we’re making a massive deal out of individuals’ salaries, who are dedicated public servants, not elected officials employees in the county, we will

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council members to review director appointments at their instigation and subsequently “make recommendations” to the county executive. Now, “nominations made pursuant to the terms of this Section shall be deemed approved only upon receiving the affirmative vote of a majority of the seated members of Council at a regular meeting of Council.” Fitzgerald’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment when reached for this story. •

Follow news editor Jamie Wiggan on Twitter @JamieWiggan

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JULY13 - 20, 2022

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VIEWS

AN OPEN LETTER TO MISTER ROGERS TERENEH IDIA // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

EAR MISTER ROGERS, When last we met, I think I was around 5 or 6. You had just given me a kiss on the cheek as a hello and, in my precocious way, I wiped it away. (I’m sorry, but you laughed!) We were at the WQED studios to be photographed for one of the episodes my brother Anire and I appeared. You then went on to mispronounce my name, “Tair-Ron-A” rather than “Tair-An-A,” but, in typical Mister Rogers fashion, I think your version is closer to the original Farsi. I am hedging a bit here because what I have to say isn’t easy. America has become even more horrible since you left. A lot of people are trying to cope

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and figure out what to do next by turning back to early lessons, books, food, music, and media. I turned to you. It got me thinking about what is it like to grow up Black in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and what it is like to be Black now in your ’hood. As a child, the most important lesson I learned from you is that I am special. Sitting on the floor crossed-legged in front of the TV, slowly silently repeating the words you just said to me through the screen, “I am special.” It felt wonderful hearing that for the first time. I took it to mean that everyone is special; we all deserve to be celebrated, cared for, and loved in a special way. But

it didn’t take long to realize others heard the same words and interpreted them very differently than I did. Some of the children around me and their parents felt it meant that their children were special. Period. Full stop. That they were special. Period. Full stop. It wasn’t meant for anyone else. Especially not for a little Black girl. In a hierarchical society, if someone is special that means someone must not be. Or as one of my high school teachers said to me, “Actually no one is special at all, it is a lie.” So you can imagine growing up thinking everyone is significant or beautiful in their own way, while others say, “No, actually only some people are special.”

How do we know who are the special people? TV! Well, that’s where I found you after all. But the TV also told me that the special people, the ones who are the superheroes or the hosts of TV shows, are more than often young and white. The ones who tell us the news, make laws, or break them with impunity; they are mostly old, white, and male. Once I was in high school, I saw it for myself. I saw the difference in the way Black children were talked to or punished. My white friends bragged about shoplifting at fancy stores because “no one would suspect them.” Not me,

though. The people at those stores would follow me hard with their eyes and sometimes just follow me around the store. I would love to say that it doesn’t happen today, but it does. Sometimes it’s just a subtle sign that reads “Leave your bag at the door.” But if the same store in a different neighborhood doesn’t have that sign, are those folks better? Special? It sure seems so. As a child, you also told us to “look for the helpers.” But how do we identify them? I’ve learned that “Officer Friendly” is not friendly after all. Even as you were beginning your TV show, Freedom House Ambulance services began in 1967 in the Hill District, in part because of the still discriminatory medical practices in the region, when Black people died because white-owned ambulances wouldn’t come to Black neighborhoods. And as scary as the news was when I was a child, it is worse now. Even more wars, the climate crisis, loss of human rights in America, and a reduction of our already lacking democracy, to name just a few.

So how does a Black child look to helpers who cause harm? What happens when you see children who look like you being hurt by those sworn to help? I understand, Mister Rogers, that, as an adult, I am the helper now. It is my job to be a helper, and I try my best. But the load is a heavy one when so many adults are looking for someone else to fill that role. When on the verge of total democratic collapse, people are arguing about whether it is worth helping someone live, if it may mean they get arrested or worse. We grew up wanting to be Jedi rebels but now many of us are being fitted for StormTrooper uniforms. Mister Rogers, I wish there were other supporting systems and examples of what you talked about. The sad thing is that many people in Pittsburgh think they live in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, a loving city full of special people, and they do not listen to anyone who says otherwise. Mister Rogers, I wish the neighborhood you envisioned was a real one, not a Neighborhood of Make-Believe. •

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JULY13 - 20, 2022 4/18/22

2:28 PM

COMEDY

TASTY COMEDY BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

ICKLESBURGH has become a destination for food fans across the country, featuring pickle-flavored beer and desserts, pickle juice drinking contests, and other ways of celebrating the brined delight. After several years, you would think the event would have covered everything you can do with pickles. But Picklesburgh organizer, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, has added something completely new and, frankly, unexpected to the festival — a comedy show. On Thu., July 14, Picklesburgh will present the Pickles and Giggles Comedy Showcase at the Byham Theater, described as spotlighting “four risingstar comedians” who have been featured on Comedy Central, Netflix, and various late-night talk shows. The event will also include three local comedians from Pittsburgh’s Arcade Comedy Theater.

to fame on the iconic 1950’s TV show I Love Lucy. (As the museum notes, Jamestown is also Ball’s hometown.) This is the first time the center has worked an event in Pittsburgh, and executive director Journey Gunderson believes the choice to book performers in the Steel City makes a lot of sense. “Pittsburgh has always seemed, to me, to fight above its weight when it comes to comedy,” says Gunderson. “It seems to be a city with a great appreciation for comedy, with its finger on the pulse of comedy. It produces a lot of great comedic artists. And then, it also has this festival, Picklesburgh, that you can’t even say the name without smiling.” Russell Howard, vice president of special events and development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, agrees that, given how rough the last two years have been due to the pandemic, which

PHOTO: COURTESY OF NATIONAL COMEDY

Steven Rogers and Jackie Fabulous

“Pickles are just kinda funny, and we’ve been giggling and groaning with bad pickle puns ever since launching Picklesburgh." The comedy program adds to a long list of events presented as part of the 2022 festival, taking place from Fri. July 15-Sat., July 17 on the Rachel Carson Bridge. Besides the main weekend, the PDP also launched Taste of Picklesburgh, another new addition that, from July 8-14, features 15 Downtown restaurants serving picklethemed food and beverages. The showcase came about through a partnership with The National Comedy Center, a nonprofit cultural institution and museum in Jamestown, N.Y. with the stated mission of “presenting the vital story of comedy and preserving its heritage for future generations, as formally designated by the U.S. Congress.” Opened in 2018, the center also serves as a museum dedicated to the lives and work of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the socalled “First Couple of Comedy” who rose

included Picklesburgh shutting down at one point, festival-goers are in need of a chuckle. “Pickles are just kinda funny, and we’ve been giggling and groaning with bad pickle puns ever since launching Picklesburgh,” explains Russell Howard, vice president of special events and development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. “We could all use a good laugh nowadays, so we wanted to bring Picklesburgh’s lighthearted spirit further into Downtown. And partnering with the nation’s premier institution dedicated to comedy brings some bona fide comic street cred into the mix.” Included in the Pickles and Giggles lineup is Jackie Fabulous, a semi-finalist on the NBC competition show America’s Got Talent; Sammy Obeid, a LebanesePalestinian comedian and current host CONTINUES ON PG. 14 CP ILLUSTRATION-: LUCY CHEN

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JULY13 - 20, 2022

TASTY COMEDY, CONTINUED FROM PG. 12

PHOTO: COURTESY OF NATIONAL COMEDY

Rojo Perez and Sammy Obeid

of the Netflix show 100 Humans; Rojo Perez, the first Puerto Rican comic to debut on the TBS late-night show CONAN; and, Steven Rogers, a podcast host and comedian who has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late Late Show with James Corden. Gunderson says the national comedians were selected for the way they all work together. “We try to present a show that is diverse,” she says, “and that has something really for everyone so that everybody leaves the show happy and goes, ‘Oh my gosh, that was a great blend and variety of voices in comedy.’”

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PICKLES AND GIGGLES COMEDY SHOWCASE Thu., July 14. 8 p.m. 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $21.25-61.25. picklesburgh.com

Also performing are Samantha Bentley, Collin Chamberlin, and Chrissy Costa, three local comedians recommended for the show by Arcade Comedy Theater. On Fri., July 15 and Sat., July 16, the Downtown venue will contribute more comedy to the festival with two nights of pickled-themed stand-up and improv. When asked if the Pickles & Giggles show humor will be pickled-based, Gunderson lets out a laugh.

“I think what you’re going to see is, like any good comedians will, there will be some custom pickle and Pittsburgh humor because it’s just too fun to stay away from,” says Gunderson. “But then you’re also going to see some jokes and bits that they’ve honed through a pretty iterative process on stages big and small all over the country. So it’s gonna be an awesome mix that way.” Gunderson sees the partnership with PDP and Picklesburgh as allowing the center, which hosts an annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival and works with comedians throughout the country, to expand its reach. She also sees it as an opportunity to promote the center, located only two and a half hours north of Pittsburgh. Pickles and Giggles attendees will even receive half-off admission to the center with their tickets. She adds that the center has been recognized as one of the “World’s Greatest Places” by TIME magazine and as the “Best New Museum” in the country by USA Today, a publication that has also awarded Picklesburgh with the distinction of “Best Specialty Food Festival.” “What the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame] is to music and what [Cooperstown, N.Y.] is to baseball, Jamestown is now to comedy,” says Gunderson. “And people who live in Pittsburgh are fortunate to be pretty close to that.” •

Follow a&e editor Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JULY13 - 20, 2022

MUSIC

IN THE HOUSE BY DANI JANAE DANIJANAE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HE LEGACY OF the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in Pittsburgh cannot be overstated. Standing for decades in the East Liberty community, the theater has brought music, dance, conversation, and poetry to residents from the neighborhood and beyond, exposing Pittsburghers to new and exciting works from local and national artists. After moving its annual fundraiser online because of COVID-19, which resulted in the popular Hotline Ring events, this year’s fundraiser returns in-person. House Party will take place on Sat., July 16 from 7 p.m.-12 a.m. with an immersive VIP reception occurring from 7-9 p.m. “We knew we wanted to bring back in-person fundraiser following our two years of the virtual collective fundraiser Hotline Ring with six other organizations, and we knew this was our opportunity to kind of freshen up Full Bloom, our in-person fundraiser,” says Joseph Hall, executive director of the Kelly Strayhorn Theater. Reviving the in-person fundraiser comes with new and old faces. A new face that has been brought on as the codirector of the series is Ariel Xiu, who first collaborated with KST as part of their Freshworks program, and then was asked to participate in House Party as a performer. “A big part of our work is born out of the question: ‘What happens when people are given different tools that they wouldn’t normally have access to with the opportunity to then perform?’” says Xiu. House Party is part performance, part dance party, described as “The Met Gala meets Studio 54.” Guests will bring the Met Gala element with their own eclectic fashion and looks, while the theater will focus on bringing the unique experience of the popular discotheques of the 1970s. Both Xiu and Justin Kelly will serve as performers and directors of the event, which includes seven other performers: AJ Liebert, Merisa Skinner, Tanzim Syedd, Billy/Bree aka Bb, Samira Mendoza, Marcus Shutrump, and Luis Zul. CP PHOTO: RAYNI SHIRING

Justin Kelly

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF KELLY STRAYHORN THEATER

Kelly Strayhorn Theater

“In a way, as the performers, we are kind of acting like hosts or guides for the event. And at the same time, we are working with KST’s vision and finding connections within it through our own practices,” says Xiu. “I can personally say, I love the theme of House Party and resonate with the radical and simultaneously homey space it alludes to.” Kelly, Xiu’s collaborator, is originally from Maryland but came to Pittsburgh for an undergraduate degree at Carnegie Mellon University in 2013. Kelly also serves as a percussion teacher and event producer in the city. Kelly fell in love with the orchestra in the 10th grade and went on to study music at graduate school in New York. Upon moving back to Pittsburgh, Kelly realized that the studying he did up until then was based on an idea of perfection he didn’t want to associate with any longer and began to focus more on the art of improvisation. “During my first solo performance, I remember being horrified. It’s a recital, right? It’s this very rigid ‘you prepared a piece of music and you will get on stage and then perform it perfectly,’ this idea of perfection is always present,” says Kelly. “So, if I remember correctly, I had a memory slip, which is, you forget what notes are next. And I just stopped for three to four seconds, panicked, and then kept going.”

Kelly says that just because something is improvised doesn’t mean no preparation went into the act. This is a philosophy he takes into his work and will bring to House Party. “The net of what is considered preparation is expanding when you’re improvising because it kind of opens up any moment and the possibility space, right? Like, what is possible in your performance is much, much, much broader than what might be possible in that kind of perfection model, and it opens up the whole of your life experience,” says Kelly. Kelly and Xiu performed together for the KST Freshworks program in May, and were asked to come back to perform and help curate performances for House Party. The two have a strong creative bond, and their Freshworks collaboration Bad Form: A Scratch Symphony, asked questions about who makes the rules in performance spaces and how we can move beyond the rigidity of form. In addition to Kelly and Xiu and the other performers, House Party has a host committee stacked with big Pittsburgh names like Kendra Janelle Ross, Alecia Dawn Young, Damon Young, Marita Garrett, and Brian Broome. “I think attendees can expect to be immersed in a strange and yet familiar world,” says Kelly. “They can expect to be to be brought into the present moment. It’s going to be a party.” •

Follow arts & culture writer Dani Janae on Twitter @figwidow

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A new movie soundtrack, "Jazz Crimes," and more BY MIKE CANTON // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HERE’S SOMETHING about special Crescent City music projects. A memorable one is Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast, assembled in 2005 to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims. It kicked off with a rousing “Yes We Can Can” by Allen Toussaint, and continued at about the same level throughout. Take Me to the River: New Orleans is a 2022 documentary that received at least one notable mediocre review, but we’re talking about music here, right? The soundtrack is another story. How do you go wrong with the personnel? Irma Thomas, a Meters co-founder in George Porter, Jr., one first-gen Neville in Cyril, and two second-gens in Ian and Ivan of Dumpstaphunk … the list is long. A favorite track is the very funky “Knockin’,” with Ledisi serving up lead vocals. I thought she was an out-of-town guest, but it turns out that the California-raised

singer was born in the Big Easy. There’s also a pair of projects on the horizon worth getting excited about. Vocalist Laranah Phipps Ray has just released the first single from her upcoming album, Game Changer. She calls it “Afrofuturistic jazz/funk/R&B.” She scats and soars with a five-octave range, accompanied by a talented ensemble called La Funkalicious. I played “Jazz Crimes,” penned by the great sax man Joshua Redman, for the first time on The Soul Show last Saturday. Having only a weekly broadcast, I don’t like to lock in on a track for very long. This one is excellent enough to ruin the plan. The other project is an upcoming James “Biscuit” Rouse tribute to the late drummer Buddy Miles. I had a sneak listen 2-3 years ago, but its release was delayed pending a European distribution deal. The first single is planned for release shortly. Stay tuned. •

Mike Canton is the longtime host and producer of The Soul Show on WYEP 91.3FM. He recently launched a syndicated edition of the program, now airing in four markets. Both are produced in his Electric Basement Studios. Canton is also a Pittsburgh-area voice artist.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JULY13 - 20, 2022

WED., JULY 20

SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH

IRL / IN REAL LIFE EVENT VIRTUAL / STREAMING OR ONLINE-ONLY EVENT HYBRID / MIX OF IN REAL LIFE AND ONLINE EVENT

PHOTO: H. HAWKLINE

^ Sound Series: Cate Le Bon

THU., JULY 14

FRI., JULY 15

EVENT • IRL

ART • IRL

Have a new song or comedy routine you want to try out on a crowd? Head to Bottlerocket Social Hall for its Open Stage, where performers of all kinds can show off in the new venue’s retro stage area. Hosted by Zach Funk, the event is touted as the “wildest open mic in Pittsburgh,” welcoming anything from improv to videos. 7 p.m. 1226 Arlington Ave., Allentown. Free. bottlerocketpgh.com

MUSIC • IRL Hop Farm Brewing Company opens its warehouse for another round of Third Thursday Bluegrass. The monthly event features The Shameless Hex, a Pittsburgh band described on its website as playing “a fusion of bluegrass, rock and folk, all done in an Appalachian string band style.” Grab a beer and enjoy some local music in a fun environment with plenty of room to social distance. 8 p.m. 5601 Butler St., Lawrenceville. Free. facebook.com/HopFarmBrewing

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Fresh out of Carnegie Mellon Univeristy, Shori Sims has already made an impression as a local artist, starting with their first solo exhibition Little Girl Urn at 707 Penn Gallery. Pittsburgh Creative Corps, an initiative of the Office for Public Art, will present their new show Dream of a Black Planet, a collection of paintings that imagine “Black people in a futuristic paradise of their own conception.” The opening reception includes a Q&A with Sims and the exhibition will be available to view in the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Backyard pop-up park. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Continues through Aug. 6. Eighth Street and Penn Avenue., Downtown. Free. opapgh.org

SAT., JULY 16 MARKET • IRL Support a local nonprofit dedicated to helping refugees when Hello Neighbor

presents a Neighborhood Pop-up Market at Commonplace Coffee. The event will feature stickers, prints, and other gifts from Dragonflies & Lavender, treats by Valkyrie Donuts, totes by MF Bag, and bouquets by Greater Pittsburgh Flower Collective. In addition, 25% of proceeds from the sale of Commonplace Coffee’s special Hello Neighbor Blend will go towards the group’s efforts. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 5827 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. Free. commonplacecoffee.com/squirrel-hill

EVENT • IRL Liberty Avenue will become a destination for free fun, food, and more when the August Wilson African American Cultural Center presents its AWCommunity Day: S.T.E.A.M. Family Day. Enjoy activities presented by the Carnegie Science Center, YWCA STEAM Program, and others, as well as lawn games, face painting, and performances by Palenique Dance, the Anyah Nancy band, ROYCE, and more. There will also be a farmers’ market by Black Urban Gardeners, treats by Cobbler World, and coffee by ADDA. Kids will

receive a free S.T.E.A.M.-themed book while supplies last. 12-4 p.m. 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Free. awaacc.org

EVENT • IRL Preen for one of the biggest parties in Pittsburgh when the National Aviary presents Night in the Tropics: Vintage Vacation. Celebrate the aviary’s 70th anniversary with a night of unlimited food and drinks from local restaurants, live music acts, auctions, and more. See a live speed painting by Maria DeSimone Prascak or view penguins and other birds after-hours in the aviary’s various habitats. 7-11 p.m. 700 Arch St., North Side. $95-155. aviary.org

COMEDY • IRL Josh Dweh makes his Arcade Comedy Theater debut with Joke and Mirrors, a showcase hosted by Joey Purse and featuring Brittany Alexis and Elyssa Penson. Dweh has performed stand-up all over the country and opened for established comedians like Sean Finnerty, Eliot Chang, and Tony Woods. He will record his first live album in New York City

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this September. 8 p.m. 943 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $10-15. 16 and up. arcadecomedytheater.com

TUE., JULY 19

SUN., JULY 17

Step by step, oooh baby, gonna get to PPG Paints Arena for the New Kids on the Block: Mixtape Tour. The famous boy band will bring a few friends from its early-’90s heyday in pop artist Rick Astley, and the iconic allwomen, hip-hop/R&B groups En Vogue and Salt-N-Pepa. Dance to hits like “Never Gonna Give You Up,” “Push It,” “Free Your Mind,” and many more. 7:30 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. $21-224. ppgpaintsarena.com

ART • IRL UnSmoke Systems Artspace examines the Lone Star State with Bag Lunch. The group show, organized by Helen Jones, is described as featuring “eight nonTexan artists recently or currently residing in Texas who, with some awkwardness, traversed solitary habits to get to know each other’s work over the last two restless years.” See works spanning sculpture, painting, photography, video, and papermaking, all of which explore various themes that “trouble and inspire” the artists’ respective practices. 2-5 p.m. Continues through Sat., July 30. 1137 Braddock Ave., Braddock. Free. Additional hours upon request. unsmokeartspace.com

MON., JULY 18 TOUR • IRL Learn about one of Pittsburgh’s beloved sports legends during a docent-led public tour of the Clemente Museum. The 90-minute tour will cover the extraordinary life and career of late Pittsburgh Pirates player Roberto Clemente through the various pieces showcased in the space, including archival photos, sports memorabilia, art, and more. Learn about Clemente’s achievements on and off the field, from transcending racial and economic barriers to his philanthropic efforts. 2 p.m. 3339 Penn Ave., Lawrenceville. $21. clementemuseum.com

MUSIC • IRL

WED., JULY 20 MUSIC • IRL The Andy Warhol Museum will showcase a visionary musician during Sound Series: Cate Le Bon. With six solo studio albums and three EPs under her belt, the Welsh musician has become a unique voice respected by fans and peers alike. Her latest work, the 2022 album Pompeii, has been described by Pitchfork as a “heady harmonic mix of psychedelia and pop” defined by saxophones and bass grooves. 8 p.m. Doors at 7:30 p.m. 117 Sandusky St., North Side. $15-20. warhol.org

STAGE • IRL Fans of 1980s sitcoms will want to see Love Letters, the latest show at the O’Reilly Theater. The Pittsburgh Public Theater production of A.R. Gurney’s play stars Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross, who played the parents on the hit NBC show Family Ties. The work depicts a 50-year relationship between two childhood friends as they write to each other over the decades. 8 p.m. Continues through Sun., July 24. 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. $32-80. ppt.org

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Why you need dental insurance in retirement.

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Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coverage for their entire working life, through employer-provided benefits. When those benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to put off or even go without care. Simply put — without dental insurance, there may be an important gap in your healthcare coverage.

When you’re comparing plans ... f Look for coverage that helps pay for major services. Some plans may limit the number of procedures — or pay for preventive care only. f Look for coverage with no deductibles. Some plans may require you to pay hundreds out of pocket before benefits are paid. f Shop for coverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits. Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.

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1 “Medicare & You,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2021. 2 “How might my oral and dental health change as I age?”, www. usnews.com, 11/30/2018. 3 American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute, 2018 Survey of Dental Fees, Copyright 2018, American Dental Association.

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ACROSS 1. Cobra’s poison 6. Cool as a cucumber, religiously 9. Orders of toast, in diner slang 14. Tour de France stage 15. Chance to answer questions online, briefly 16. Yellow woodland bloomer 17. Calm and comfortable 19. Teeny-___ 20. Mouthwatering 21. Aware of, as dirty tricks 22. Nylon coat? 23. “O’er there” 24. Its last 4 digits are used more than the first 5: Abbr. 25. Where St. Francis performed miracles 29. Univision journalist Ramos 31. Colorful duck 32. Hospital section that may have a helipad 37. Letters from HR 39. “... ?” 40. Full of suds 41. Setting for the 2013 movie Gravity 44. Hacky Sack joint 45. Currency used in 19 countries 46. Transports with batteries

48. First hoopster to dunk from the free-throw line, for short 51. Spot for bingeing 52. ___ Bolin (Chinese contemporary concealment artist ... look him up, mindblowing stuff) 53. Device that gets rid of dust bunnies 55. Australian cowgirl 60. ___-Technica (headphone brand) 61. Beefeater, e.g. 62. Nationwide rival 63. On the money 64. Barely beat 65. Move around undetected 66. [fist pump] 67. Marshall knobs

DOWN 1. ___ scallopini 2. Accusatory question at the Forum 3. Quick breaks 4. Org. with a blue flag 5. Pirate’s crew, in the pirate’s own words 6. Dr. in Planet of the Apes 7. Pros in ambulances 8. “Uninterested” 9. Where crews convene 10. Sharp projectiles in some bars 11. Leaves the scene

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38. Breeder’s resource 42. Surface space 43. Song Sung Blue singer 47. Showed a muffin top, say 48. Puffs on a blunt 49. City where Joan of Arc was put on trial 50. Actress Comer 52. Jaunty rhythms 54. Silicate used in drywall 55. Make fun of 56. Carmaker with a 4-ring logo 57. Pattern of notes to jam on in Indian music 58. Pitcher Hershiser 59. Bookie’s figures 61. Lay down some bucks LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JULY13 - 20, 2022