Morning! It’s gonna be a hot one this week, so make sure to check out your neighborhood pool or splash pad. The city has a great directory if you want to find the one nearest you. Don’t forget to stay hydrated!

Parades, history, festivals, fireworks, the city has it all this week. We wrangled up the top 4th of July things to do this Saturday, so find your favorite!

Firecracker 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run - 8 am for the 1 mile; 8:20 am for the 5k
Kick off the Fourth of July in Zelienople with a family-friendly 5K or 1-mile run at Zelienople Community Park, with strollers, dogs, and walkers all welcome.

Monroeville Independence Day Parade - 9 am
Watch hundreds of marchers, vehicles, and local organizations parade through Downtown. Stick around after for the Pittsburgh BBQ & Band Fest at the Convention Center, where four award-winning BBQ vendors and national tribute bands keep the celebration going until the fireworks.

Zelienople America250 Fourth of July Parade - 10 am to 4 pm
After getting in a nice run, you can check out the Zelienople 4th of July parade down Main Street.

Independence Day Celebration at Meadowcroft - 10 am to 4 pm
Step into Meadowcroft's 18th and 19th-century frontier village for hands-on historical demonstrations, traditional games, and a look at how early Americans celebrated. While you're there, explore the Meadowcroft Rockshelter, North America's oldest known site of human habitation.

July 4th Explosive Science! - 10 am to 11 pm
Snag a reserved viewing spot for the largest fireworks show in Pittsburgh history, plus a full day of science demonstrations, planetarium shows, and a 2D screening of "America's Musical Journey" in the Rangos Giant Cinema. Admission includes guaranteed parking, live entertainment, and RiverView Café access all day long.

Fourth at the Fort - 11 am to 4 pm
Celebrate America's 250th birthday at Point State Park with a ceremonial 36-foot flag raising at the historic Fort Pitt Block House, followed by cannon firings, living history demonstrations, and family activities. Step inside the Fort Pitt Museum to see the new exhibit "Pittsburgh's Revolution," featuring rare artifacts from Western PA's role in the fight for independence.

America 250 Festival/World Cup Watch Party - 11 am to 10 pm
Spend July 4th at the Pittsburgh Fan Zone for World Cup watch parties, youth soccer clinics, Ferris wheel rides, and a free Brett Young concert, capped off with great viewing for the downtown firework display. The festival runs both inside and outside the stadium, with food, drinks, and family activities all day long.

Independence Day Celebration on the North Shore Great Lawn - 4 pm to 10 pm
Live music starts the festivities at 4 pm with 5 different stages to check out leading up to the fireworks show at 9:35 pm. There will be food trucks, activities, a market, and plenty of music.

Moonshine Vagabonds - 12 pm to 2 pm
Catch them and their acoustic blues sound in Market Square.

The Dushane Band - 2:30 pm to 4 pm
Known for their down-home anthems and modern country sound. See them in Market Square.

July 4th Free Concert with the PSO - 6 pm
Catch the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra outdoors for a Fourth of July evening with PSO violinist Ilkhom Mukhiddinov as soloist. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy great music at Arts Landing.

Mt. Lebanon 4th of July Fireworks - 9 pm
They’ll have festivities all day starting at 12 pm with the fireworks show starting at 9 pm. Mt. Lebanon park.

Monroeville Independence Day Fireworks - 9:30 pm
The fireworks are outside of the Monroeville Mall with the best viewing area being the parking lot near the Mall Annex.

South Fayette 4th of July Fireworks - 9:30 pm
Parking starts at 7 pm with 450 spaces available so get to Fairview Park or Boyce-Mayview Park.

Kennywood 4th of July Fireworks - 9:45 pm
Celebrate America's 250th birthday with Kennywood's annual fireworks show lighting up the sky above the Racer at 9:45 PM. Grab a spot around the Lagoon for the best view.

After the Revolutionary War ended, what was Fort Pitt renamed to?

Last Week’s Answer: 1898

What first grabbed my attention was the tree-lined front walkway. Once you get inside, the details are far more ornate than I was expecting. Overall the house needs some love but someone with a restoration lens could do some amazing work with what’s still in place.

See the listing here.

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🆓 Living History in Harmony - Get a live sense of what life would’ve been like in Harmony and Zelienople 250 years ago. Live performances, re-enactments, and food. 3 pm to 5 pm in Harmony. See more.

💲Family Pride Night - Celebrate Pride at the Zoo with over a dozen local organizations, entertainers, and musicians. 6 pm to 9 pm at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Purchase tickets.

💲Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire - 7:30 pm at PPG Paints Arena. Buy tickets.

🆓 Adam’s Township Celebrating America’s 250th - Covering over 9 acres at Adams Township Community Park, there will be live music, food, games, and activities. All with a firework finale. 5 pm. More info.

🆓 Dollar Bank Cinema in the Park - Come watch Hamilton at Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park. The show starts at sunset. Details.

🆓 Strawberry Pretzel Salad Eating Contest - The first ever strawberry pretzel salad eating contest is happening at Market Square! 12:15 pm during the Market Square Farmer’s Market. Learn more.

🆓 Buffalo Rose - They’ll be performing at Market Square as part of the downtown America 250 festivities. 4 to 6 pm. Learn more.

🆓 5th Annual Zelienople Bed Derby in Memory of Jason Sarver - Watch teams race their custom beds through a crazy obstacle course. There will also be live music and food. 6:30 pm at Zelienople Community Park. Free to watch, $30 to be a participant. More info.

🆓 Americana Concert - Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the US with Americana classics performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. 6 pm at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall. Reserve your seats.

🆓 Concert in the Park - Enjoy a performance by Butler County Symphony Orchestra celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary. 7:30 pm at Cranberry Community Park. See details.

🆓 Opening Ceremony for the Traveling Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Visit the memorial from 10 am to 4 pm at Four Corners Park in Zelienople. More info.

🆓 Summer Concert Series: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - See a patriotic performance at South Park Ampitheater starting at 6:30 pm. See the program.

💲Noah Kahan with Gigi Perez and Annabelle Dinda - 6:30 pm at PNC Park. Buy tickets.

🆓 Schenley Plaza Flea - Find great handmade goods, vintage items, good food, and more from 11 am to 4 pm at Schenley Plaza. More info.

🆓 World Cup Fan Zone - 2 Round of 16 World Cup matches (1 pm and 5 pm) and then a free Brett Young concert at 8 pm with fireworks. 11 am to 10 pm at Acrisure (Heinz 😉) Stadium. Register here.

🆓 Monroeville Community Day - There will be live music, food trucks, games, a car show, and a foam party. More info.

Recover from 4th of July weekend!

Remember to tag us @steelcityledger on Instagram if you check out any of these events!

Cork and Crust Tiramisu Tuesdays - Every week they’re doing a unique take on tiramisu. Check in to see what the latest flavor is.

Sheetz x Paul Skenes The Big Glizzy - Sheetz is a guilty pleasure of mine when I’m craving junk food. They just did a collab with Paul Skenes and Nathan’s Hot Dogs. It’s a massive hot dog.

Winston’s Custard Birthday Cake Dip - Vanilla custard soft serve dipped in a birthday cake-flavored shell.

Scoops In Bellevue Hoist The Cone Sundae - This one isn’t so new but I just learned about it and it was too local to not share. Bucco Batter ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, black and gold sprinkles, topped with a traffic cone shaped waffle cone.

Sometimes I see photos that I like to take in and then close my eyes to imagine what it would’ve looked like 300 years ago. I swear we have some of the prettiest landscapes in the country.

Check out more of their photos here.

Elisabeth Ridenour is a local who is an expert in ink and watercolor painting. The combination isn’t something that I had seen before I learned about her art and classes. It’s beautiful. If you’re interested in learning how to work with both, she has a couple of workshops coming up. The first is on July 7th and the deadline to register is July 6th. She’s having a second session on July 21st as well if you can’t make this one. If you’re more interested in ink only, she’s hosting an Ink Fundamentals workshop on July 28th.

Second Story is close to opening up their small-batch liquer distillery in Lawrenceville. They’ve been doing pop-ups recently to get the products that they’ve been working on out to the public. The 2 flavors they’ve been making cocktails with are Nam Hom Coconut and Chilaca Chocolate. If you want to get a taste, they’re doing a pop-up today at Two Frays Brewery with 2 cocktails The first is a Chilaca Old Fashioned made with bourbon, chilaca, piloncillo syrup, bitters, and orange peel. The other is a non-alcoholic mocktail made with Nam Hom Coconut, fresh lime, simple syrup, and coconut milk.

I recently learned about Leah Giovengo-Northrop who is a local Therapist who specializes in pediatric neuropsychology. They have 2 practices already but they’re opening a 3rd on July 6th in Squirrel Hill. Adding more offices means that they’re able to get kids the evaluations, diagnoses, and treatment they need for complex illnesses. It’s great to see the continued evolution in mental health medicine and even cooler that a local is leading the way.

Meet Praline here.

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