the almanac A P R I L 14, 2024
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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Energized by eclipse
COURTESY OF NATALIE LACEK
Bethel Bakery encouraged people to tag the bakery in their solar eclipse photos on social media for a chance to be featured, as a way to carry on the fun ahead of the eclipse.
Galactic goodies PHOTOS: ELEANOR BAILEY/THE ALMANAC
Washington Elementary students glimpse the solar eclipse with speciality glasses during a viewing party held at Mt. Lebanon Public Library. From left are: (front row) Isla Bannon, Emily Larsen, Mayra Khanna, Micah Ciccarrelli; second row: Sven Kodzic, Zach Bober, Ted Miller, Maya Bandhu, Uros Cvetkovic; third row: Kim Robbins, Bennett Plug, Yasaman Azizi, Niki Simovski, Declan Gettemy, and Kristen Mackey.
Mt. Lebanon experiences once-in-a-lifetime event By Eleanor Bailey
spectroscopes that split the sunlight into a rainbow. They also enjoyed launching dry ice rockets. “The event went great,” said Nicole Saltzman from the Science Lab. “We had a huge turnout. This was more people than I could ever
mansfield@observer-reporter.com
SEE ECLIPSE PAGE A2
SEE GOODIES PAGE A2
Jonathan Menzietti views the solar eclipse. He said it looked like a crescent sun.
set up by the Science Lab to educate and inform. Participants used Oreo cookies to follow the phases of the eclipse. They created pinhole and box projectors to view the event without safety glasses. They constructed
Staff writer
expect. It was a really cool thing to share with the community and to be able to share our expertise, our glasses and our experiments and activities with the community. “An eclipse is a big, big thing in the science community. Anyone in the whole world can enjoy and take part in the fun science of it and experience it. See it occur and see what it does to everything around us,” she added. Saltzman was over the moon after witnessing the eclipse. When the celestial event occurred in 2017, she was a student at Thomas Jefferson High School. “I never got my hands on a pair of glasses to experience it,” she said regrettably, “but I did get to view it this time. It was awesome.”
ebailey@thealmanac.net
Hannah Lasus, 10, tries out the pinhole projector she made to view the solar eclipse during the Mt. Lebanon Public Library viewing party.
By Katherine Mansfield
One doesn’t need special sunglasses to look directly at Bethel Bakery’s latest culinary confection. The bakery, with locations in Bethel Park and along Route 19 in North Strabane, is “totality” leaning into the hype surrounding the April 8 solar eclipse, with limited edition solar eclipse cookies. “It was kind of last minute,” said Natalie Lacek, marketing coordinator at Bethel Bakery. “We noticed the solar eclipse was getting a lot of traction on news outlets. We started experimenting with some designs a couple weeks ago.” When held to the sky, the winning cookie design looks uncannily like a real solar eclipse, only it’s soft and sweet and 100% edible. Bethel Bakery decorates its iced shortbread cookies with an edible image, airbrushes the edges black, to resemble outer space, Lacek said, and tops the entire cookie in edible glitter for a far-out look. The cookies were announced the last weekend of March, and folks were encouraged to preorder the galactic goodie. Since that announcement, the cookies have totally eclipsed the hearts of locals with sweet tooths. “We wanted just to do something fun for the eclipse. It’s a once-in-alifetime thing,” Lacek said. “Our expectations have been blown away.”
Almanac Sports Editor
Connie Mathews remembers viewing her first solar eclipse. She was living in Mexico City and driving to see the Popocatépetl volcano on July 11, 1991, when the moon passed between the earth and the sun, totally obscuring its view. “I got to see the roosters crowing and animals responding. The people in the country were actually hiding away in their houses because folks were afraid of what was happening. We were in a very remote region,” she noted. “It was an incredible experience.” Although at 97% totality, the solar eclipse that occurred April 8 impressed Mathews even more. That is because the senior children’s librarian, in conjunction with the Citizen Science Lab, helped host a watch party attended by an estimated 270 guests at the Mt. Lebanon Public Library. “This was so much fun. The energy was so good, and I was so happy the clouds cooperated. We knew the sun would,” she said. Around 2 p.m. when the watch party started, the dark clouds occluding the sun began to dissipate to the cheers of the gathering crowd. While waiting for totality to occur at 3:17 p.m., families, children and friends occupied themselves by visiting several stations
Bethel Bakery makes cookies in honor of total solar eclipse
Glad to be plaid Tartan Day a celebration of all things Scottish By Eleanor Bailey Almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.net
Brittany Maniet and her mother, Pam, have never been to Scotland, but their country of origin is on their bucket list to visit. Until that day, they cherish the times they spend together at Pittsburgh Tartan Day. In its 26th year, the event held the first Saturday in April at Bethel Presbyterian Church and hosted by The St. Andrew’s Society of Pittsburgh, celebrates Scottish heritage with bagpipes, Highland danc-
The Balmoral Pipes & Drums were among the entertainers during Tartan Day festivities on April 6 in Bethel Park.
ing, folk songs, fiddlers, foods, workshops, exhibitors and vendors selling authentic kilts, jewelry and clan apparel.
BETHEL PARK Six high school musicians to be honored at conference PAGE A3 What’s happening, B3
“If you are excited about PHOTOS: ELEANOR BAILEY/THE ALMANAC anything Scottish, this is the Susan Stoker of Bridgeville listens intently as Jim Harland explains the uses of some place to be,” said Maniet, 28. of the weaponry, including a 1750s Murdoch steel pistol, used by soldiers in the 42nd SEE TARTAN PAGE A4 Highland Regiment, during demonstrations and activities at Tartan Day.
SPORTS USC’s Robbins named Almanac MVP for boys basketball PAGE B1 Real estate transactions, A4
SIGHTS & SOUNDS Videotapes retain magic for some users PAGE B3 Classifieds, B4-6