Category: Events || By

Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day! We mean it!

Frankly, the last thing anyone needs is more rain. Rumor has it that beachfront property is now on sale in White Oak. Wednesday night, Long Run looked like the mighty Mississippi --- in fact, somebody told me that Hartley King was trying to talk Huck Finn into whitewashing his fence. Or maybe not.

Assuming Mother Nature doesn't wash everything down the drain tonight and tomorrow, here are a few activities:

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City Fair Continues: McKeesport City Fair continues tonight and tomorrow at Helen Richey Field, Renziehausen Park, Eden Park Boulevard near Tulip Drive. Ride all night for one price, or enjoy food and games.

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McKeesport Architecture Program: McKeesport Heritage Center, 1832 Arboretum Drive, Renzie Park, presents a free program on McKeesport architecture at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Local historian and photographer John Barna and Heritage Center Executive Director Michelle Wardle will highlight different styles of buildings in the city --- some landmarks that are still here, some that have been demolished.

"Come see images of some of McKeesport's architectural treasures," Wardle says. "We will walk you through the different architectural styles that appeared in this city over the last two hundred years, looking at both residential and commercial buildings. Some of the buildings we will visit are still standing, while others have long since disappeared."

In addition, there will be a very important announcement regarding historic preservation by one of the members of the board of directors of McKeesport Heritage Center. (Hint, hint, hint.)*

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Dance, Dance, Dance: Palisades Ballroom, Fifth Avenue at Water Street, hosts line dancing tonight at 8:30 p.m. (with dance lessons starting at 7 p.m.). Admission is $6. Call (412) 678-6979. (Note: There's no oldies dance this Saturday.)

Elks Lodge No. 11, Buttermilk Hollow Road, Lincoln Place, hosts McKeesport's Mikey Dee Band at 8:30 p.m. tonight. Call (412) 461-3322.

And Harvey Wilner's Village Tavern, 1620 Pennsylvania Ave., West Mifflin, has Monongahela's The Klick tonight and Pittsburgh's Steeltown on Saturday. Both shows start at 9:30. Call (412) 466-1331.

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Race Day Sunday: It's not the biggest spectacle in motorsport, because these cars don't have motors. But the annual Greater Pittsburgh Soapbox Derby gets underway Sunday morning on Eden Park Boulevard.

(Saith the National Weather Service: "Slight chance of showers Sunday." See? "Slight.")

Races begin at 9 a.m., with KDKA-TV's Stephanie Watson facing off against Ross Guidotti, and WKFB (770) radio morning host Frankie Day facing weekend oldies DJ Caveman Ralph.

There are three divisions --- stock, super-stock and master class --- for boys and girls ages 9 through 16, and winners advance to the All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio.

Parking is available in Renzie Park or at McKeesport Area High School, 1960 Eden Park Blvd.

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Free National Park Admission: Finally, admission fees are being waived this weekend at 100 national parks, including:

• Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site near Altoona;


• Johnstown Flood Memorial near Johnstown;


• Fort Necessity National Battlefield near Uniontown; and


• Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Cleveland

There will be two more free weekends this summer, but why not take dad on a road trip for Father's Day? It'll appeal to his frugal side.

And who knows, maybe the rain will stop. Otherwise, I'd steer clear of the Johnstown Flood Memorial, just in case they haven't got all of the bugs worked out.

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* --- A reminder that opinions expressed at Tube City Online are not those of McKeesport Heritage Center, its members or board.