Top Ten Things to Do in Pittsburgh in June
This month's best bets in the ’Burgh.
JUNE 9/ In these divided times, enough people like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to qualify them as a unifying force. The band is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an international tour, including a stop at PPG Paints Arena. (1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown; 800/745-3000, ppgpaintsarena.com)
June 17/ Adventure Hunt is a search for treasure in the city. Teams use an app to get adventures and challenges, which lead to maps and clues. Winners come away with GoPros, gear and a trip to Panama. (various; adventurehunt.co)
Photo by Jen Saffron
Various/ Atmosphere can be an underappreciated aspect of dining out. But the right combination of décor and attitude can work like salt to bring out intricacies hidden in more prominent ingredients. The “legacy bar and Hungarian restaurant” Huszar is gaining a reputation not only for the traditional dishes on its menu but also for its old-world vibe. A chief contributor to that homespun ambiance is the band Gypsy Stringz, which stops by the restaurant every other Thursday evening for an informal concert of Eastern European folk music and traditional Hungarian folk music. The gigs have become so popular that the restaurant now recommends reservations for music nights. (627 E. North Ave., North Side; 412/322-8795, huszarpittsburgh.com)
June 10/ Riverview Park Heritage Day is a chance to enjoy one of the most underappreciated parks in the city. The event includes refreshments, games, crafts, pony rides, rock-wall climbing, dance lessons, a bike rodeo and tours of the Allegheny Observatory. (Riverview Park, Perry North; 412/255-2493, pittsburghpa.gov/citiparks)
June 24/ Before the Revolutionary War, Virginia waged war against the Shawnee for control of the Ohio during the conflict known as Dunmore’s War. Patrick Spero tells the story in his book “Frontier Country” and will elaborate in a talk, “When Pittsburgh was Virginia,” at the Fort Pitt Museum. (601 Commonwealth Place, Point State Park; 412/454-6418, heinzhistorycenter.org)
June 9-30/ The Pittsburgh Society of Artists is launching its 2017 season with Da Burgh-Images of Pittsburgh, a month-long exhibit of works with the city as their subject at FrameHouse & Jask Gallery. (100 43rd St., Lawrenceville; 412/586-4559, framehouseonline.com)
photo courtsey katya Malkin
June 25/ One man’s treasure can be another man’s treasure. The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts’ ninth annual yART Sale lets area artists clear their studios of art, tools, supplies and books, and lets everyone else find deals. (6300 Fifth Ave., Point Breeze; 412/361-0873, center.pfpca.org)
June 23-25/ The Pennsylvania Rib Fest at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds — now in its fourth year — is a three-day event celebrating smoked meat and all of its beloved accouterments. Naps not included. (123 Blue Ribbon Lane, Greensburg; 800/747-5599, simoneventmanagement.com)
photo by madison turiczek
June 23-25/ Pickleball is the sort of improvised game you and your buddies might dream up to while away a weekend afternoon. It combines the theme of tennis, the court of badminton, the paddles of Ping-Pong and the ball of a Wiffle Ball. From humble backyard beginnings, it has become an international affair. This year, Pittsburgh is hosting the GAMMA Pickleball Classic, which serves as the 2017 Pennsylvania State Championships for the sport. The weekend tournament at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center includes hundreds of matches designed for ages 14-90; it all benefits the Parkinson Foundation Western Pennsylvania. (1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Downtown; 412/642-3971, pickleballclassic.org)
Andy Warhol, Tarzan and Jane Regained…Sort of, 1963, ©The Andy Warhol Museum
June 18/ While visiting Los Angeles in 1963 for the exhibition of his Elvis prints, Andy Warhol rounded up a bunch of misfits to film “Tarzan and Jane Regained … Sort Of.” In a Double Feature, the Andy Warhol Museum and the Ace Hotel are showing the Warhol film alongside the 1932 pre-Code classic “Tarzan the Ape Man,” starring Johnny Weissmuller. The original is a classic, if outdated, tale of civilization, savagery and extreme masculinity, set in the jungles of Africa. The remake is the same story but with oddballs — including a young Dennis Hopper — goofing around in the parking lots, hotel rooms and other modest locales in southern California. (120 S. Whitfield St., East Liberty; 412/237-8300, warhol.org)
