Stephanie Kalina Metzger

/Living
If you have children, chances are they are familiar with Laurie Berkner. Recognized as “the Queen of Kids’ Music” by People magazine, Berkner is a songwriter, performer, author and singer, whose total streams have exceeded 1 billion.
Just watch one of her videos on YouTube to witness the exuberance of the children who attend her shows. Kids, giddy with excitement, sing, jump and dance in the aisles.
Berkner will be bringing that energy to McKees Rocks on Jan. 19 for a “Greatest Hits S...

When people hear the term “etching,” they may think of the process of carving a design into a surface. For State-College based Chemcut, etching takes on a bit of a different meaning. The company uses a technique called “wet processing,” where chemicals treat materials to shape them with exceptional precision. Instead of carving or cutting metal parts, Chemcut’s equipment use chemical solutions to etch away unwanted material, enabling the production of highly detailed and precise designs.
Indu...

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Features
Leaders statewide implement helpful change in their communities.
The Oxford dictionary defines the word visionary as “thinking about or planning the future with imagination or wisdom.” So it makes sense that to be considered a visionary city, the nominated region would have community leaders who are intelligent, thoughtful and creative, consistently looking for ways to make their community a better place to live and work, for residents and future generations. These ...

Fayette County and what makes it a "Visionary City."

By Stephanie Kalina-Metzger
Snowy destinations are especially popular this time of year, and ski resorts are evolving to provide exceptional experiences while staying competitive in a challenging industry. Local resorts share their strategies for attracting and retaining customers and staff while the unpredictability of Mother Nature.
A ski instructor helps a child across the snow at Montage Mountain Resorts in Scranton. (FILE PHOTO)
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Elk Mountain
Elk Mountain Ski Resort, located on Elk...

Revisiting the Roanoke Region
Stephanie shares some of her favorite activities from her visit to Roanoke, Virginia
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Food, Drink and DIY around Roanoke
November 28, 2024
Stephanie shares details of some of the interesting places she visited in Roanoke
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Local Treasures in Sandwich, Massachusetts
September 26, 2024
Stephanie visits Sandwich, Massachusetts, the oldest town on Cape Cod, and explores two educational treasures: the Sandwich Glass Museum and the Heritage Museums and...

/Entertainment
A young visitor to the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh gazes at the wonder of fireflies.
Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Today’s children often wonder what adults did to occupy themselves before the internet.
Answers such as reading, hiking and jumping rope readily come to mind, but another activity that may have been long forgotten is the joy of catching fireflies. The winged creatures, also known as lightning bugs, were a summer highlight for many enthusiastic you...

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Why this longtime Spartanburg brewery is moving to a new location
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Spartanburg has experienced a craft brewing boom in recent years and the Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery is playing a significant role in transforming the area into a destination for beer enthusiasts. Since its opening in 2015, Ciclops has been one of the early pioneers recognizing Spartanburg’s potential.
“We’re Spartanburg’s second brewery and South Carolina’s second cidery,” said...

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Here’s what’s replacing The Velo Fellow in downtown Greenville
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When one door closes, another one one opens. At least that’s the case in Greenville’s West End.
Shortly after the owners of Velo Fellow announced the closing of their gastropub after a 14-year run, Jonathan Sanchez arrived on the scene, saw its potential and began making plans to open El Vago Mexican Kitchen there. If that name rings a bell, you may be familiar with the eatery w...

Jason Rounds worked in finance and accounting, but then COVID-19 hit, and he lost his job.
Sometimes, though, these twists of fate are, as painter Bob Ross would say, “happy accidents.” Rounds decided, rather than wallowing in self-pity, or applying for another position in the same field, to pursue his dream.
“I’d been thinking about it for a decade,” said Rounds, who, in his younger years, had also worked as a barista.
The dream brought Rounds to Lemoyne, via The Real Estate Exchange.
“I fou...

Ask any gardener and they’ll tell you that plants have a way of soothing the soul-a service that is even more appreciated during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. This is just one of the reasons why Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is pairing up with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School (PBT) to whisk visitors away to a wonderland known as Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes.
The friendly event features a preview of “The Nutcracker,” performed by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Sch...

By Stephanie Kalina-Metzger
When a business lasts 127 years, it’s got to be doing something right and that’s certainly the case when it comes to Gardners Candies.
The story begins in 1897, when 16-year-old James “Pike” Gardner opened a small candy store in downtown Tyrone. The budding entrepreneur started by selling popcorn, candy and peanuts and using a horse-drawn wagon to transport his products to fairs and carnivals. Today that small local business has burgeoned to become the sixth-larg...

A take-home meals startup has found success in the Upstate.
What started out as a side hustle eventually ended up in a full-time career, according to Cameron Kendrick, owner, Good to Go. Kendrick’s first location opened on West Antrim Drive in Greenville in 2021 followed by another she opened at 330 Scuffletown Road in Simpsonville approximately one month ago.
Kendrick began her business by making casseroles in her home kitchen in Atlanta in 2011.
“I had a standup freez...

On Sept. 28, the air will be bristling with history when costumed characters from the Prime Stage Theatre take to the Homewood Cemetery grounds to share the stories of prominent people who have gone on before. The walks will begin at noon with groups of 20 and continue through 3:40 p.m.
Pulling Back the Veil
Sueanne Zoratto, Prime Stage Theatre board member and chair of the event, comments on the sheer size of the 200-acre lawn cemetery, which dates to 1878 and is located in the Point Breeze ...

By Stephanie Kalina-Metzger
Timothy Kretchman, Founder, Educational Strategist, Action Driven Education.
Timothy Kretchman, founder and educational strategist at Action Driven Education in Meyersdale, spent 24 years in the education sector, starting out as a special education teacher, then taking on a role as a K-12 principal, before moving on to director of curriculum and instruction, and finally taking on the role of director of special education. During these two decades, Kretchman was a...