Are you ready for summer? Looking for things to do in the Foxburg Area this summer? We have a full schedule of summer events and happenings for you, so to be ready Save the Dates. Allegheny Riverstone Center for the Arts will be holding their first Wulitzer Organ Concert of the 2012 season at Lincoln Hall on Saturday, May 19, featuring Ken Double and honoring a special member of the theatre organ community Paul Mckissick, whose tireless efforts saved and restored the Lincoln Hall Wulitzer. The concert starts at 7:00pm and price is $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for members and $5.00 for students. For ticket information, call 412-867-1816.

 Would you enjoy a night full of laughs and good food? The Allegheny Grille is hosting its second Comedy Night of the year on Saturday, May 26, 2012. Starting at 6:30pm this includes a buffet dinner, salad, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages. The comedy show starts at 7:30pm and features three performers, Trina Hess, Bill Boronkay and Doc Dixon. Price for this show is $30.00 per person in advance and $35.00 per person at the door. Call 724-659-5701 today to make your reservations.

Also don’t forget that the Foxburg Wine Cellars has live entertainment every Saturday and Sunday from 2pm-5pm throughout the summer. Enjoy free wine tasting and local talent.

Love to hear music from local entertainers? The Allegheny Grille will be featuring music from The River Nymphs on Tuesday May 22 from 6:00pm until 9:00pm. They will also have music from The Two of us on Tuesday May 15, Friday May 18(and open mic) and Tuesday May 29 6:00pm-9:00pm.

Want to enjoy all of this fun, a few drinks and not have to drive home? Call the Foxburg Inn Hotel 724-659-3116 to reserve your room. With beautiful views and a peaceful ambience, the Foxburg Inn Hotel is where charm and chance meet.

Expectations are heightened for another such experience Sunday afternoon May 6th at 2:00 PM at Lincoln Hall in Foxburg. The Pittsburgh Symphony Chamber Players return for their 2012 Spring Concert. Past performances have captivated the audience and transformed Lincoln Hall to the world stage. Their appeal transcends age and social demographics. Young people and students all the way to card-carrying members of AARP are linked by sweet sound of strings, piano, and for this concert clarinet. The Chamber Players led by Mikhail Istomin have set a spring theme for Sunday’s concert, “Romantics Inspired by Woman”. According to Mr. Istomin, “At this special interactive concert performed by members of the world famous Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the audience will be treated to heartwarming masterworks of classical music composed by two of the greatest composers of the romantic era, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms, inspired by their muses, the woman they loved. Also on the program to celebrate the spring season will be the melodic and airy ‘Lark’ string quartet by the great Austrian composer Joseph Haydn .” . . .“And we are absolutely enthusiastic about playing in the intimate space of Lincoln Hall”.

Indeed live classical music can thrive, bridge generations, and win new friends when brought to life by the likes of the Chamber Players, and Ms. Henry, truly gifted and dedicated musicians. Such is the moment when the listener sits enthralled, bedazzled and beguiled. There is no gadgetry, or electronic enhancement. There is just the connection between the listener and the performer, something energetic and a transforming, sound entwined with emotion. This is the essence of ARCA’s mission to offer to its members and friends such moments that touch the heart and soul.

How marvelous are these musical moments that embrace those who find their way across hill and valley to this intimate space called Lincoln Hall. Both performer and listener are better for it. Yes, being present at such a moment is so worth one’s time. We the audience can participate and appreciate the artistry of musicians, the genius of the composers across the years, continents and oceans. For all, it is a grand convergence on a Sunday afternoon in the village of Foxburg.

Seats are limited, call for tickets, at 412-867-1816, Adults $25 Members $20 and Students $10. Also for more information visit www.alleghenyriverstone.org. Checkout the event flyer here!

Summer is almost here!! There are many exciting things to do here in Foxburg this summer, starting off with a Cinco de Mayo Celebration under the tent at The Allegheny Grille. Enjoy live music from The River Nymphs and The Two of Us.

Saturday May 5 12 noon -4:00pm

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican Holiday that celebrates the battle of Puebla in 1862. A small army of Mexicans, about 4500 men were able to stop the French invasion. This boosted morale for the Mexicans and created a feeling of national unity.

Come join in the fun, there will be beer vendors, live music and authentic Mexican Cuisine.

Jerome Wincek, Folk music performer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter will be entertaining festival goers at the Foxburg Wine Cellars from 2:30 to 3:00 on Saturday April 28, 2012. Located in Oil City, Pennsylvania, Jerome performs music in the genres of Folk/Electro acoustic/ Country Rock. Some of his songs include; When the mornin breaks, From the eyes of a star, Party in the back, She thought to run and When the lights go out.

Jerome has performed in various locations in Venango County and the surrounding areas, including The Shamrock Bar, the Impromptu Room, and the Oil Country Blue Grass Festival all in Oil City, PA. He is also scheduled to play at the Oil Region Indie Music Festival June 15 on Seneca Street in Oil City, but don’t wait until then to enjoy the sounds of Jerome’s unique style. Join Jerome at the Foxburg Wine Cellars during the Maple Syrup Festival and sample some of Foxburg’s original wine while you are there. With over 30 wines to choose from you will be sure to find something you like.

To learn more about Jerome or to listen to some of his music go to his website http://Jeromewincek.com.

Gayle Martin Henry

Sunday, April 1st, 2:00 PM

Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the performance on Sunday April 1st of indeed another recognized world class musician, the pianist Gayle Martin Henry. She comes to Foxburg and Lincoln Hall at 2:00 PM in the midst of a mid-western tour. ARCA appreciates the significance of the quality and beauty of sound she brings to the Allegheny Clarion Valley and is enthusiastic about her appearance as part of ARCA’s upcoming Spring concerts.

Gayle Martin Henry has had a distinguished career as a concert pianist, achieving international prominence as the sole American laureate of the sixth International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, and only the third American woman ever to reach the finals.

In reviewing her solo Alice Tully Hall concert at Lincoln Center, The New York Concert Review reported that she created “a truly magical atmosphere… and made this listener smile with pleasure.” Following her performance last October of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with the Ridgefield Symphony, the critic Courtenay Cauble wrote, “Gayle Martin Henry has it all. The depth of feeling is always there…because she makes the music her own and then communicates it, as any real artist must learn to do. Her performance was both brilliant and moving, and always beautiful.”

She on occasion performs with the exciting concert oboist, Gerard Reuter, playing transcriptions of opera and songs ranging from Mozart to Sondheim to Wagner, and has toured with the Dorian Wind Quintet.

A native Texan, Gayle Martin Henry was one of the very last students of the famous pedagogue Mme. Rosina Lhevinne at the Juilliard School, where she was awarded the prestigious Josef Lhevinne Prize. She holds the M.A. degree from New York University.

Her lyrical and engaging program will include compositions of Debussy, Beethoven, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Chopin, and Villa-Lobos. Her spirited and subtle interpretation is expected to captivate all. Plan to attend for a refreshing Spring moment of the heart and soul.

Tickets are Adults $20.00, Members $ 15.00 and Students $10.00. Call 412-867-1816 to reserve tickets and assure a seat. For more ARCA news visit www.alleghenyriverstone.org.

Pittsburgh Symphony Brass

Allegheny Riverstone Center for the Arts enthusiastically welcomes the return of Pittsburgh Symphony Brass to Foxburg. At 2:00 PM on Sunday afternoon December 11th the sound of trumpets and horns will fill the air, as the Pittsburgh Symphony Brass perform their second annual concert in the beautiful and historic Episcopal Memorial Church of Our Father, overlooking the Allegheny River Valley.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Brass players will provide a marvelous mix of sacred and festive music in the wonderful vaulted wood and stone structure now nearly one hundred and thirty years old. It was given to the Foxburg community by the Fox family, in loving memory of deceased members of their family including Sarah Lindley Fox who was only twenty-six.

Church Interior

The church built and dedicated in 1882, has gained national recognition as one of the finest examples of architectural design in the region, with its incorporation of native ash wood and sandstone from Pennsylvania and Ohio. It is reported that Mrs. Samuel M. Fox sketched the lines of the church from memory of a church she saw in England. The wooden ceiling is shaped like a nave of a ship with curved rafters descending down to the stone walls. The beautiful stained glass windows created in this country were replicated from the windows in the church in England.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Brass was organized in 1994 by George Vosburgh to feature some of the world’s finest orchestral brass musicians playing in a chamber ensemble. With all the players, members of the Pittsburgh Symphony, the result has been, according to the American Record Guide in reference to their first CD as, “Magnificent, an extended example of first rate playing, with beautiful tone qualities, impeccable intonation, and polished execution.”
The ensembles second release, A Christmas Concert, was described by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as “Holiday cheer delivered with virtuoso flair”.  After a concert for the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society the Pittsburgh Tribune- Review reported, “Full of brilliance and power, but also stunning in subtle artistic qualities made possible only by masterful control. Three of their recent CD’s are created around Christmas themes. Both The Spirit of Christmas and A Song of Christmas again received great reviews and all their recordings can be found on i-Tunes. The ensemble includes George Vosburgh and Neal Berntsen on trumpet, William Caballero, horn, Peter Sullivan, trombone, Murray Crewe, bass trombone, Craig Knox on tuba. They have performed in Italy, Canada, throughout the United States and now again in Foxburg. The ARCA Board wishes to thank Reverend Canon Edward Lowery and the congregation for their support of this special event.
The church is located on Route 58 just up the hill from the Foxburg Bridge and downtown Foxburg. Over-flow parking will be at the Allegheny Clarion Valley Medical Center with a shuttle service back to the church. Seating is limited. Tickets for the concert can be reserved by calling 412-867-1816. Adults $20.00 and Students $10.00.

Episcopal Memorial Church of Our Father

The festival’s fun will start with some events on the night of Saturday October 10th, while on Sunday, beginning at 11 AM and lasting until 6 PM, the Festival provides a day filled with fun, food, and entertainment. Main Street Foxburg will be closed to vehicle traffic; visitors should park “up on the hill” at the AC Valley Medical Center or at the AC Valley Elementary School, and shuttles will transport visitors to and from the festivities. Locals and visitors from afar will enjoy listening to the live entertainment, eating any of the wide variety of tasty treats, viewing or purchasing craft items, participating in the Chinese Auction and engaging in all the other goings-on.

For more information, visit the Festival’s website.

Paul and Sally McKissick, formerly of Mercer, are the forces behind the rejuvenation of what is commonly known as “The Bank” building. After purchasing the structure in April, the two, with the help of others, toiled day by day to bring the building back to life for the public to enjoy once more. After passing months of challenges with heating, plumbing, and general aesthetic refinishing, they were able to accommodate a number of unique businesses within the space and reopen the doors in late August. Among the features are leather goods for motorcyclists by Leather Connexion of Chicora,  Rustic Roots hand-crafted wood furniture and crafts, ladies apparel by Amy’s Closet of Emlenton, as well as antiques and collectibles by Dale Wilson of Franklin, and “Wants Again” reusable merchandise; an added touch by Paul McKissick himself.

Paul was employed with Joy Manufacturing prior to moving to the Foxburg area with his Mighty Wurlitzer Organ three years ago. Paul, being both an enthusiastic woodworker and accomplished musician, restored the instrument to it’s potential glory and after many years and many private concerts, sold it to Dr. Arthur Steffee, one of the pioneers of Allegheny Riverstone Center for the Arts (ARCA). It now resides at Lincoln Hall where one may hear Paul play on various occasions. Sally McKissick was a banker at the Northwest Savings Bank in Franklin before trading one bank for another and joining her husband in the venture of occupying Foxburg’s “Bank” building.

The couple welcomes new vendors to join them in making The Bank another point of interest in Foxburg, seeking those who deal in handmade artisan crafts and unique, quality merchandise.  They are looking forward to the big Foxburg Festival coming in October and hope to have added beautifully crafted quilts to their offerings, just in time for winter. Currently the hours of operation for the store are Friday and Sunday 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM and Saturday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Stop by to meet Paul and Sally and find “a little something” at The Bank in Foxburg!

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To do full justice to this story, let’s step back to the evening before the festival, when the celebrations actually began. Friday night, the festival commenced with ‘Ceilidh’, a Gaelic term meaning “a social gathering with traditional music, dancing, and storytelling” at 7pm. Johnathan Shegog played the bagpipes to welcome visitors to downtown Foxburg for the event held in the grassy nook between Foxburg Free Library and Foxburg Wine Cellars. Throughout Ceilidh, Carl Peterson and Robert Murdoch sang folk songs joined by Melinda Crawford on the fiddle and her husband Dan Crawford accompanying on piano. It was a joyous open air concert interlaced with the sounds of the bagpipes up and down the valley.

Saturday’s events started with the opening ceremony by MacDonald Pipe Band from Pittsburgh and was followed by various events including athletic performances wherein athletes displayed their strength and skills with the Caber Toss and Stone Put, sheepdog herding demonstrations by Tom Conn & Pam Gardner, and a variety of live music by the MacDonald Pipe Band and other performers. There were many craft vendors selling their wares ranging from pottery to kilts to hand pulled wool. Foods of the Highland included traditional Scottish delights such as meat pies, sausages, homemade cookies or folks could even have a slice of pizza by Foxburg Pizza. Other businesses in Foxburg also joined in the festivities with wine from Foxburg Wine Cellars, and Chocolates by Divani Chocolate Boutique to give the visitors a taste of the town. Inside the Events Center, kids enjoyed stories and songs by John Mickle and also had an opportunity to learn some Gaelic from Harry Webb. Popcorn, chocolate and ice cream were some of the tasty treats readily available for snacking… a kid’s dream come true! Visitors awaited horse carriage rides given by the Hovis family of Emlenton and Segway Tours promoted a new kind of “leisure sport” with a team of Segways, giving demonstrations and trials. Other attractions included various Scottish clan organizations who lined their tent along the roadway near the Galloway and Highland cattle. There, they shared their history and offered genealogy study and memberships.
The festival was interluded with announcements from the management, one of which was for the band to play the surprise ‘Happy Birthday’ tune for Dr Arthur Steffee, the owner of Riverstone Farm, who hosted the festival on his premises. Incidentally, during the closing ceremony, Dr. Steffee announced that he discovered at the festival that he is about a quarter Scottish.

A special “Moran taing!” goes out to all of the volunteers for ARCA in making this wonderful event such a success, after all it was a great day for Scotland and Foxburg!

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