OLDEST ROLLER COASTER AT KENNYWOOD: The Jack Rabbit
It's been known to cause a few gray hares - oops! - hairs. The Jack Rabbit isn't just any old roller coaster; it's a wooden wonder designed by coaster pro John Miller in 1921 and built on a natural ravine that still leaves the daring breathless - and wanting more. We could ply you with sundry facts and figures: The tallest vertical height is 40 feet; the maximum speed is 45 miles per hour; there's 2,132 feet of linear track - but we'll simply leave you with this: Be prepared for a wild and wooly ride lasting one minute and 15 seconds, and remember you will double-dip drop 70 feet. Ride, regain your composure and get back in line. And, yes, it's better in the first car!
Above and Below: Images courtesy of Kennywood Park
OLDEST RESTAURANT: The Original Oyster House
We didn't have to do much fishing around for this one. The Original Oyster House is still packing 'em in, just as it did when it opened its doors back in 1870. Yes, it's crowded on weekends, and yes, a fish sandwich costs a lot more than it did yesteryear. (Is anyone, besides Evelyn Kozak, old enough to remember when oysters were a penny and a glass of beer 10 cents, or when, during Prohibition, the bar served buttermilk and soda?) The eatery was moved from Fifth Avenue to Market Square in 1916, the year owner Louis Americus introduced the big breaded fish sandwich made from his wife's recipe. The restaurant may have changed hands again, but the famous fish sandwich is still on the menu, and you can still get oysters there, too.
OLDEST PERFORMANCE SPACE: New Hazlett Theater
Carnegie Hall, the first Carnegie Music Hall in the country, was completed in 1889 along with a library (one of the first Carnegie Free Libraries in the country). The complex was dedicated by President Benjamin Harrison.
In 1967, public outcry saved the complex, now a historic landmark, from the wrecking ball. The hall was given a new interior in 1970 and was renamed in 1980 in honor of Theodore L. Hazlett Jr., a prominent civic leader and enthusiastic supporter of the arts who had worked with Mayor David Lawrence. The space was home to the Pittsburgh Public Theater for 24 seasons, from 1974 to 1999. The nonprofit New Hazlett Theater was founded in 2004 with a mission "to cultivate the arts and provide a venue for world class and neighborhood cultural events." Take your seats, please.
OLDEST FOUR-WHEEL VEHICLE OTHER THAN A CAR: Conestoga Covered Wagon
The Heinz History Center doesn't have a little house on the prairie, but there is a Conestoga covered wagon to remind one and all that our lives today might not be so tough after all. The oxen-pulled wagon dates back to circa 1784, and was used by George Fleck to transport his family and their belongings across the Allegheny Mountains into Western Pennsylvania. Today it might be a bit easier and a lot cheaper to call a moving company.
OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING PERFORMANCE GROUP: Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh
The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh has been hitting all the right notes since July 1908, when a group of men gathered to form the Mendelssohn Male Choir. Conductor Ernest Lunt was at the helm and remained there for the next 42 years. In January 1909, just in time for the 100th birthday of its namesake, the choir debuted at Oakland's Carnegie Music Hall.
Six years later, a Mendelssohn Ladies Choir banded together; a year after that, the sexes came together and the name was changed to Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. In 1979, noted conductor Robert Page took over; for the past two seasons, Betsy Burleigh has been waving the baton. Today, there are 115 members, 20 of whom are paid; the rest are volunteers. The choir has worked with oodles of big names, including Michael Tilson-Thomas, André Previn, Ned Rorem, Leonard Slatkin and Sir Neville Marriner; has made four recordings; and has even published a fundraising cookbook with the inventive title Singing for Our Supper. These guys and dolls certainly have a recipe for success.
Below: Oldest Continuously Running Performance Group! Photo courtesy of Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh
OLDEST GROCERY BUSINESS: Pennsylvania Macaroni Co.
It may be called the Pennsylvania Macaroni Co., but this is a mecca of much more than macaroni. Call it pasta plus, with the emphasis on plus. The idea for the store was imported from Italy, the brainstorm of Augustino, Salvatore and Michaelino Sunseri, three brothers with thoughts of the American Dream topped with a healthy sprinkling of romano.
In 1902, they founded the Pennsylvania Macaroni Co.; although there were some tough times - a fire destroyed the original shop in 1906 - failure was not something they would swallow. The brothers pushed on, and eventually the store's inventory would include every oil, spice and specialty food imaginable. If it's not here, it ain't worth tasting.
The store has stayed in family hands, and the inventory and customer base keep growing. (It's a major attraction in the Strip District; don't even think of visiting on a Saturday morning unless you relish crowds.) The store can also brag about being one of the largest specialty-food operations in the country - the 5,000-plus specialty products include everything from A (anchovies) to Z (Zamorano); the weekly cheese count alone is more than 200,000 pounds each week. Mangia!
Alan W. Petrucelli's work has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Redbook, People, USA Weekend and Family Circle. His column, "A Fresh Look," appears every Monday in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He can be reached at entrpt@aol.com.