Article published October 5, 2007

Strand plans annual Taste of New North
Eateries offer menu items

MARSHALL TWP, Allegheny County — The Strand Theater Initiative will sponsor the sixth annual Taste of the New North from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Four Points Sheraton.

The event, which will feature menu items from restaurants around the area, will raise money for the initiative, which is restoring the historic Main Street theater in Zelienople.

The restaurants will include Bravo!, Beecher's, Hereford &Hops, John Marshall Catering, Kaufman House, North Country Brewing Co., Shakespeare's, Smokey Bones, the Stone Mansion, Treamont House, and the Zelie Pizza and Sub Shop.

The event will also include entertainment by violinist Ron Molinaro; the Golden Strolling Strings of North Allegheny High School; Josh Smith, a member of Seneca Valley High School's senior choir, and a Chinese auction.
Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. For information or to order tickets, call the Strand Theater Initiative at 724-742-0400 or visit the Web site, www.thestrandtheater.org.

Tickets also are available at Andrea's Country Shop, Huckestein's Printing, and Debbie's Hallmark, all in Zelienople. In Cranberry Township, tickets can be bought at Mathew Jewelers in the Streets of Cranberry.
In addition, the Strand Theater Initiative will once again host the Northern Nightmares Halloween Festival; a month-long, family-friendly event that focuses more on fun than fright, although a few scares are in the works. Proceeds will benefit the group's "Drive to Revive" the Strand Theater.

Northern Nightmares runs every Friday and Saturday night in October, starting tonight.
The Nightmare Tour, which costs $8 per person, is a motor coach trolley that will take guest to visit spooky locales between Zelienople and Harmony. The ghoulish tour guide will spin unnerving yarns centered around the various stops along the way. The final stop will be at The Strand, where riders come face to face with the "Ghost of The Strand."

Scheduled departures are Friday and Saturday nights at 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Each tour lasts about 45 minutes. The ticket booth and Trolley Station will be at the Kiwanis Club gazebo next to Park Presbyterian Church at the corner of Main Street and Grandview Avenue.

The Solid "Mold" Dancers, dance schools and performance artists, will perform from about 6:15 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in the park area at Main Street and Grandview Avenue.

The Un-beauty Pageant for children and youths ages 3 to 18 will take place Oct. 20 under The Solid Mold Dancers Tent in the community park. Entry fee is $5.

Chiller Theater, with free admission, is planned for 7 and 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at Beecher's Gelato & Gourmet Coffee, 204 S. Main St, Zelienople. The creature double-features will be projected from the cafe's balcony level.

For more information, call 724-742-0400 or send e-mail to thestrand@zoominternet.net, www.thestrandtheater.org, or www.northernnightmares.com.