A Season Like No Other!

The 2020 series continues as we’re now officially into Fall and six months in since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses have long since reopened but there are conditions and limitations and everything else to worry about. Now more than ever, it’s very imperative to invest in our communities and our small businesses which have been devastated by the pandemic.

I’ve begun the process of pouring my heart into local communities such as Greensburg, as well as Latrobe and Ligonier. A few small businesses I followed opened their doors just before or during the pandemic. Spring was an especially weird time and summer wasn’t much better. Who remembers all the phases of red, yellow, and green?

Despite all of the craziness that is going on in the world, Ligonier still held its annual Fort Ligonier Days celebration on Columbus Day weekend. I attended on the first day and visited a few of the local shops. Masks were most definitely a requirement. The Diamond was really packed. That night, I stopped in downtown Latrobe and checked out a Harry Potter-themed event.

That Fall I made it a habit to shop small and I spent a lot of that time at local gift shops. One of the shops in downtown Latrobe had its grand opening over Labor Day Weekend (it was broken down into four days from Wednesday to Saturday). I attended the event that Friday night, even though I was tired from spending most of the day in DuBois for work. I bought some things from the event that I still have to this day, one of them being a book on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. That Fall, I even bought a Hallmark Christmas Book filled with activities and interviews from actors who starred in many of the holiday movies.

The same place also had a Harry Potter themed gathering called the TriWizard event. It had a lot of cool Harry Potter merchandise (some of which I bought) and references to the movie such as Sirius Black and the Sorting Hat. I didn’t understand any of those things even though I was familiar with some of the characters like Harry, Ron, and Hagrid. Three years later, I would learn what all these things meant as I became a big fan of the series. In August, I began reading the books and earlier this year, watching the movies.

I’ve also bought various Gilmore Girls themed sweatshirts from there (the girl who owned the shop is a big fan of the show). I watched the series during COVID. The shop was called Masterspieces but sadly, it closed down in the Fall of 2021. However when one door closes, another door opens. Threadmasters is doing well.

My fashion journey had just begun, as I bought a bag and a couple of infinity scarves on Amazon. It would heat up as the calendar turned to 2021. I also got to know other bloggers and influncers, thus spending lots of time on Instagram that fall.

My initial feelings in March when everything shut down were no different than before. I thought I was going to be able to make the magic from the year before happening once again in 2020. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t the case. I sold my soul the year before and thus, 2019 was a great year for me despite all the tragedy in my life. As the current year went on, my emotions began to spiral and eventually crashed and burned. I began to feel needy and lonely and hungry for attention, especially as my journey was beginning. I felt like I needed people’s approval and that I wasn’t crazy.

Thanksgiving and Christmas just weren’t the same this year as we weren’t able to get together due to COVID cases spiking over the holidays. The Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend is always Small Business Saturday. Thus, with a renewed focus on small businesses in 2020, I took to the streets and visited all of the local storefronts in Greensburg.

2021 would mark the end of an era in more ways than one. While that year was a lost one, the pieces on the chessboard were set as I tanked at the right time late in 2020. This coming on the heels of previous success which included going to Disney and also, getting my Distinguished Toastmaster award.

My temporary, short-term rebuild has just begun.

Toasting With Style: Indiana and Johnstown Toastmasters

A few weeks ago at the Division C International and Humorous Speech Contest, I made plans to visit a few clubs in April. I spoke to a few of the officers and got their contact information. Last week, I visited Indiana and last night was my Johnstown visit. Both visits were online through Zoom.

Indiana was an early morning meeting, starting at 7am. In person, it looked like it was a full house plus several members and guests online were in attendance. The club welcomed two new members who recently joined. Indiana used to meet downtown at Caffe Amadeus (on Philadelphia Street) on Wednesday mornings at the same time. I’m not sure when they made the change in venue and day of the week but whatever they did worked. The present meeting location is the Indiana Regional Medical Center (IRMC) at the same time.

I was greeted warmly by the President and had the opportunity to hear some excellent speakers. It looks like some of the members also work at the hospital (IRMC). To account for time, Table Topics was shortened. I would like to have given my two cents at the end of the meeting but I will get my feedback to the club president via email.

Friday was a chilly day with snow flurries in the air, so I was grateful to meet online. I made sure not to wear opposing school colors, since Indiana Toastmasters meets near the IUP campus. Their main rival is my alma mater, Slippery Rock University. It was the party school long before Slippery Rock was though.

The meeting began a little bit after 7am but we stayed on task and wrapped it up a little bit after 8am. The club meets on the first and third Friday of the month.

I think a kind gesture for the club is to get a small group together and spend a day at the Jimmy Stewart Museum which is located downtown. Stewart is a famous actor and Indiana is his hometown. Not only is Indiana the home of Jimmy Stewart but at Christmas, the perfect Hallmark Christmas town (in addition to Ligonier, Bedford, Canonsburg, and Strasburg). When the festivities go on, get out there and promote the club. You might just a few guests and prospective members out of it.

Last night I continued toasting with style, visiting the Johnstown Toastmasters club. I’ve visited them before but the meeting location has since changed since I last attended a meeting there in 2019 (pre-COVID). The club used to meet downtown at Somerset Trust Bank but have since moved to Arbutus Church of the Brethren near Richland Township. I attended many meetings there, as well as contests and make-up trainings. The new location is better for winter meetings.

Just like Indiana, I was greeted warmly by the officers. The meeting agenda was plentiful with three speakers scheduled. The club president saw that I had DTM next to my name and explained what that was. The club has two DTMs (Distinguished Toastmaster) and TJ (Johnstown’s current Vice President of Education) is working on his. I’ve met the members before, when I sat with them at Winter TLI and chatted with them at the Division Contest back in March.

Just like Winter TLI, Sandi complimented me on my fashion sense and that made me feel good. I need to get to the point where I don’t need to explain myself when all they tell me is to just be me. No teasing or getting made fun of. I’m better now than I’ve been the last couple of years and I think I’ve beaten those critics for good.

The club will celebrate its 70th anniversary at their next meeting on April 23. While I’d love to be there either via Zoom or in person, I’ll be at Laurel Highlands. Not to fear as I am planning an in person visit this summer to Johnstown and attend a club meeting. It will either be in the summer or early Fall. Rachel and Barb have already made sure to save me a seat for me at the “Girls’ Table).

The Girls’ Table might just be as household to me as “DTM Huddle” was. I picked that one up at my last in-person conference when Cranberry High Noon’s newest Distinguished Toastmasters celebrated the high honor of winning the award.

Can’t leave out the iconic “Pink Cherry Dress” either. Both of those terms made my pre-pandemic life in 2019.

Life after Hogwarts

I’m currently on the fifth book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and plan to finish the book on the last day of the month. I’m already starting to make plans for what I will read next after the series is done. I would like to finish all eight books (including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) by August. This would mark a whole year that I’ve read the books.

On my non-Hogwarts days, I’ve been reading memoirs including one about former president Barack Obama and his first term in office. I also work on blogs and also, playing Nintendo Switch.

In the meantime, I’m trying to find a good series to stream on Netflix or another channel. Since I’m on a roll with British television and the interest runs in my family, I might research Bridgerton, The Crown, or another series. I might even consider the Great British Bakeoff which is one my mom really enjoys. I bought her a book at Christmas related to the Netflix series.

If I want to continue in the fantasy genre, I might look into the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, or Lord of the Rings. Twilight isn’t out of the question but it’s highly doubtful I’ll continue with that. Robert Pattinson portrayed Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. My Gram loved to read and was one of the first people I knew who read Harry Potter, so she was definitely a trendsetter. I might look into Jane Austen’s novels or learn a little Shakespeare (always a favorite of mine). For now, I’m enjoying the ride in Mr. Weasley’s flying car and hoping to make it to Hogwarts safely. I’m looking forward to watching today’s quidditch match vs. Slytherin 🐍.

I’m following in the footsteps of my Gram and my cousins by reading the Harry Potter series. Gram may have gotten as far as the fifth book but, I’m not sure if she started Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which came out in 2005 (a year before she got sick). I may emulate my mother as well and check out some more episodes of the Great British Bake-Off or one of its other specials.

So far, this book in the Harry Potter series has been one of the toughest to read. It’s also one of the longest reads at well over 800 pages. Despite its difficulty, I’m moving right along through it. Watching the films has also inspired me to check out other works from actors that appeared in them. Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawney) is definitely up there, as is Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall) who was in the iconic Downton Abbey on PBS in the early 2010’s.

On my bucket list is a trip to Universal Studios and Harry Potter’s Wizarding World.

In closing, I have a few months and still a few books to go before I graduate from Hogwarts and show off my wizarding skills. So right now, I’m going to sit back and enjoy my trip on the Hogwarts Express and eat some chocolate frogs.

The Spirit of Toastmasters!

The 2020 series continues as we turn the calendar ahead to April. We are now officially into the Fall of 2020, which is now when this series will take place the next few weeks. Restrictions have eased on eating out but everyone is still playing it safe. Malls have opened back up but are on limited hours. Schools are taking the necessary precautions to keep kids and teachers safe in the new school year. The hype from my blog has worn off after a red hot start to the year.

I’m about a year into having received my Distinguished Toastmaster award and coming up soon is the 2020 Fall Symposium. This event replaced the Fall Conference in 2018 when the first one was held in Erie. I would have attended that one; however, I was keeping old traditions alive by attending Homecoming at my alma mater for the umpteenth time. I began to realize that this ritual had truly become stale but it was best that I found out on my own. The inaugural Fall Symposium was a success and there were plans for one next year.

I attended the 2019 event and put SRU Homecoming to rest after 15 years of taking part in the event (including the years I was a student). This one was close to home for me and it was excellent. I knew I’d done well coming here and listening to a World Champion of Public Speaking give his speech and tell us his secrets for delivering a winning topic. It was also one of the last events held at the Ramada in Greensburg, as that hotel would soon be closed and eventually demolished.

The 2019-2020 Toastmaster year was great in the beginning before everything went to hell in March. Our district was growing and we had high hopes for another great year. For me, I was taking part in attending Division contests and visiting other clubs in the District offering my goodwill in 2019 and part of 2020. With the pandemic shutting most in-person events down, we had to resort to attending meetings online. That meant I could visit other clubs I wouldn’t have had the opportunity otherwise.

The 2020 Fall Symposium was held online and while the main part of the event would take place in the afternoon, the morning was reserved for awards. We showed off our DTM medallions when our names were called. The Spirit of Toastmasters awards were next up and three great people were nominated with that honor. One of them led a club back to Distinguished after it came close to being Extinguished due to low membership. That club went from three to thirteen and became the talk of the town.

I was honored with my Spirit of Toastmasters award due to my work being a goodwill ambassador for the District. Also, my enthusiasm for visiting other clubs (Cranberry High Noon and Earlybirds come to mind) and taking part in the meeting really paid off. I had fun sharing my DTM medallion and Spirit of Toastmasters award with my WIS family and making a nice impression on them. We took our Spirit of Toastmasters celebration and would eventually turn it into a panel discussion at the upcoming Winter TLI in December. There, we would answer questions pertaining to Toastmasters and our success in winning the award.

If you had a wedding planned in 2020, chances are it was scrapped or you had a small ceremony. My friend Rick and his bride were able to have theirs at their church that same day that the Fall Symposium was held. I was able to attend and I left right after the awards portion of the event. It was a sunny, but windy day. The music was beautiful and “Theme from St. Elsewhere” was one of the songs played. I congratulated the newlyweds and wished them many happy years together.

While the early days of the Fall season looked nice, we weren’t out of the woods yet when it came to COVID. As the series continues next week, I talk about my experience in supporting small businesses during the pandemic. Looking ahead, my mood began to be affected by the events going on around me related to the pandemic.

An Honest Evaluation

In Toastmasters, we give feedback on a speech that we hear and tell the speaker we’re evaluating what we liked. we then tell them how they can improve and then we challenge them to top that speech or step out of their comfort zone.

In today’s blog, I’m going to evaluate myself and how I did in a recent social situation. Thus, we celebrated Easter last weekend and we had some of my cousins over. Here’s how Sunday went for me.

You see, I live in fear most days. I live in fear despite all the many positive traits that I already have going for me. This past Sunday was Easter and I was lucky enough to get a day off (I had worked the night before so it was a nice change for me). My mom hosted Easter dinner just as she had for many years. We were missing two of our favorite people who usually attend. My aunt and my cousin were at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. Benny was being prepped for a major surgery he was having on Monday (no April Foolin’ there). I’ll be going up there to visit them soon, possibly tomorrow or sometime next week. Back to Sunday and back to me though.

There have been times in the past where I’d be visiting with family and I’d have to leave the room because I felt uncomfortable and overwhelmed. Early on, I’d be in a social situation and would have to talk to myself or resort to a coping mechanism so I wouldn’t freak out. When I say early on, I’m going way back. Like my gender nonconformity and questioning my sexuality, this too goes way back but they’re not intertwined. If you just let me be me, all will be fine.

Fortunately, this has improved greatly, as I show no signs of this when I’m out to dinner with Mr. Clougherty, at a coffee shop, or at my Toastmasters meetings. There are stories I won’t share on this blog as I’d rather share them with a therapist or a close friend (Mr. Clougherty, Paula, or one of my “sisters”). These stories are too private and years later, I feel embarrassed that I acted like this.

I watched a WalMart meltdown video on YouTube and that has brought back some of these memories.

As for this Sunday, I passed my test with flying colors. I didn’t overthink things and I even joined in the conversation when I could. How I could have improved would be not to hide who I truly am. Yes, it was chilly and I was wearing a long cardigan. I was also wearing a sweater tank top and I hid that behind my over-sized cardigan to keep my folks at bay (even though my cousins loved my outfit). Also, I need to quit trying so hard to win everyone’s approval and just be me.

So you see, even though I worry about what may happen and it doesn’t, I still try to live a normal life.

Contest Season: A Look Back at March

March is officially a memory as the calendar has now turned to April. It was a pretty eventful month with everything that it had to offer. The weather was pretty mild for the first half of March with temperatures in the 70s. As I began to up my fitness game, I spent some time outside walking at Hempfield Park and closing my exercise rings. That, for some reason, can be hard to do.

But the weather seemed to always be changing and we had a few days where it snowed. The unsettled conditions outside sent me inside a few days and I made the most of the time I spent at Planet Purple. Most of the time I used the treadmill and got my thirty minutes worth as well as doing back extensions. My time is limited so I do as much as I can.

The month of March is usually associated with March Madness and college basketball brackets. But March Madness took on a different meaning in our district as we held our Division Speech contests. For the first time in my Toastmasters run we had two speech contests (International and Humorous). I attended three out of the four division contests and all three I attended were held at churches. All three competitions also had stellar speakers eager to move on to the District level. Only two from each of the four divisions could advance, but it should make for a great competition the first weekend of May.

Another form of March Madness was the fish sandwich and coffee tour that I embarked on this past month. A local coffee shop called Cutie’s offered its monthly features that were tied into St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. I chose four out of the eight drinks and enjoyed them all but only one could win. For me, it was the Cadbury Egg Latte which I ordered iced and it had a cute heart straw to complement it.

I also went to four different spots to try out a fish sandwich. All four were good but only one could win the title of best fish sandwich. The Whale of a Cod from Eat’n Park was heavily favored in my opinion. However, the Fish Sammie from Sun Dawg in downtown Greensburg was more impressive and really pleased my palate. Surprisingly, I did not attend a local fish fry at a church or fire hall this lenten season.

April takes me to White Rabbit as well as another cafe, a little bit out of the way.

It’s taken me a long time and I still struggle with loving myself but I’m getting there. For my in-person Laurel Highlands meeting (March 12) I wore a pink top and a cheetah sweater and rocked my outfit with confidence. I didn’t worry about anyone’s opinion and, if someone said something I wasn’t letting them win. A few days this month, I walked outside when we had May-like weather and wore no sleeves and no jacket. Maybe this Spring will turn out different than the last two, even if Easter Sunday and Trans Day of Visibility fell on the same day, ruffling some feathers.

To close off the month in review, I finally ordered some new Spring and Summer ‘fits this past weekend. I’m not done yet as I’ll order more with my Super Cash which goes into effect this weekend. I need something for the conference too.

Love that outfit, where’d you get it?

Thanks, it’s Old Navy.

The Health Scare: Three Years Later

Today three years ago was a wake up call for me. It all started at my doctor’s appointment. I was getting a referral to have a bump on my head removed. While there, I found out that my blood pressure was off the charts. My doctor thought it was best that I check to Excela Hospital in Greensburg. That beautiful day turned into a horrible day as I was sitting in the emergency room awaiting word on what was wrong with me. Eventually, I found out that I was going to have to stay overnight or until my numbers became more manageable. That one night turned into four nights before I was released on the day before Easter.

Eventually I was able to see the dermatologist and get my cyst removed and before long, it disappeared. I visited the cardiologist and bought a blood pressure monitor and took a stress test. It came back good. While COVID was the beginning of the end of my employment at my then-present job, the health scare accelerated my pending exit. I’ve been able to manage my blood pressure and get my numbers down. I still drink coffee but only once or twice a day. I still drink soda, but only in moderation. I watch my sodium intake, but sometimes it’s not that easy. Do I always find the time to exercise? It’s not easy but making the effort to get in my car and drive there is more important than the numbers themselves.

Today wrapped up the Division round of contests in Toastmasters. I wasn’t sure I was going to make this one due to my schedule but I was able to catch a break and get Thursday and Friday night off so that I could attend the contest. For me, I attended three out of four competitions in the divisional round. This matches my attendance from two years ago. Last year I only attended one contest and it was the Division A contest which was held at the same venue that it was last year.

I was a part of McKeesport Toastmasters for four years, serving as club coach for an extended period of time there. I’m grateful for Faith Lutheran Church opening up its doors for us and grateful that this club was in the community for so long. I was one of the coaches that led the club to Distinguished during the 2018-2019 Toastmasters year. Thus, it was one of the last goals that I needed to achieve the highest honor in Toastmasters, the Distinguished Toastmaster award. I’m grateful for the friendships I picked up along the way as I belonged to the club.

While the church will remain open for its congregation, McKeesport Toastmasters has ended its run after more than seven decades. Today’s Division Contest was the final event sponsored by the club. The club was a pillar in the community, serving the city of McKeesport and the neighboring communities for 73 years (1951-2024).

On this bittersweet day, nevertheless, we all watched a great contest.

The Dinner Series Returns: A Look Ahead to April

The Cute Coffee and Fish Sammie Tour of March ’24 concludes today with lunch at Pittsburgh institution that serves an amazing fish sandwich. I’ll discuss that more in my March recap blog along with my favorite coffee drink from Cutie’s next week. Today we look ahead to April and what it has to offer. Like me, I hope it has a lot to offer.

The 2020 series (or whatever you want to call it) returns in April after taking a week off for Easter (and this Look Ahead blog post). Next Friday’s blog goes into detail on me winning the Spirit of Toastmasters award at the 2020 Fall Symposium.

I’m planning on visiting a few Toastmaster clubs this coming week and the week after. Next Friday, I will check out the Indiana Toastmasters club. The following Tuesday (April 9), I will be visiting the Johnstown Toastmasters club. Both visits will be online via Zoom. However, I have plans to visit Johnstown in person sometime this Summer. More on that to come at a later date.

April 13 marks two years of learning a new language as I celebrate my Duolingo anniversary. I’ve tried making myself multilingual but I’ve scaled it back a bit and went back to learning Spanish and French for now. Sometimes, I get on the Math portion of the app (which is kind of beyond me but fun to relearn my math skills). On my many trips to Children’s Hospital to visit Benny, I’ve even passed the Duolingo headquarters which is located in East Liberty in Bakery Square.

I’ll return to Hogwarts on April 1 (no foolin’) as I continue Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The plan is to complete the book by April 30, and I actually will read the last chapter on that very day. A few days later I will be leaving for the Spring Conference. I’ll order Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince soon after and start reading that just before Mother’s Day. I plan to watch the movie (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) on May 5 after I’m home from my conference weekend.

The Dinner Series will resume on April 25 as Mr. Clougherty and I usually have dinner on the last Thursday of the month and his swimming season has come to an end. He will have spring training for his swimmers but it’s three days a week and less intense. We plan on having dinner at EDO Hibachi at some point this year. For the June dinner, which is my birthday month, I’d like to go to the Olive Garden. He’s flexible as to where we go and so anywhere is fine for his birthday. I’ll try to find a new spot but wherever we go we always enjoy ourselves.

Time to enjoy the Easter holiday and some good food on Sunday, as well as some good company with my cousins. But before that, tomorrow’s Division A contest. The winners go on to the District finals in May.

Hogwarts Hiatus!

I’m at the halfway point of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. With the Easter holiday here this week, that means it’s a perfect time for a break. Don’t worry as I plan on reopening the book next week when the calendar turns to April. My plan is to have the book done at the end of April (I’ll read the last chapter on April 30) and watch the movie on May 5. In the meantime, what have I been up to on my Hogwwarts Holiday?

For one, watching clips of the Harry Potter movies including the Order of the Phoenix. Also, learning that Wizarding World is a real place (located at Universal Studios) and that I might just put that on my bucket list.

Over the weekend, I put together a speech that I gave last night at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters last night on Century III mall as the iconic mall is getting ready to be demolished after having been abandoned in 2019. parking garages will be the first thing to get torn down. There is a video of drone footage of the mall from YouTuber WallieB26 that went up yesterday. Also, check out Century III Mall Memories on Facebook for more nostalgic posts on the mall. I got some good compliments on my speech and while not all of them are from Pittsburgh, most of the people felt the pain of losing the malls they used to go to.

I’ve spent time catching up on other reading as well. I read a chapter out of two of my books, including Barack Obama’s book (which I want to finish by the end of 2024) as well as my third time reading The History of Jazz. I’ll knock off a few chapters in John Stamos’ book. It may also be a good time to play some Switch and get back into Super Mario Wonder or, even planning that Spring and Summer wardrobe as I’ve been talking about for so long.

I have some plans for this blog in April and that including continuing the 2020 series once a week. No word yet on whether or not I will be doing it in May. I’ve also narrowed my post-conference plans down to two options.

1.) I’m hoping to get a hold of my fashionable sis and make brunch plans at her place, or at Waffles INCaffeinated. I’d love to make my way to Station Square sometime and eat at Tupelo Honey or even the Melting Pot and try some fondue.

2.) I might make a Market District run after the conference. I know of three or four locations in the Pittsburgh area.

We’ll see what my heart desires. Tanger was in the plans but I’ll hold off on that until my birthday week when I’m off. Maybe I’ll do Grove City instead and make a pit stop at Slippery Rock and check out my old campus.

Remembering Century III Mall!

In the old days, you probably shopped downtown at the five and dime stores. Later on, the shopping centers and malls opened up, providing shoppers with a new retail experience. Eventually open air and online shopping took over. The latter is more common now in this digital age.

For my family, they shopped in downtown McKeesport. The Eastland Shopping Center (later Eastland Mall) opened in the 1960s, thus killing downtown McKeesport. Eastland Mall was doing good and then came Century III in 1979, thus killing Eastland. Century III is doing well throughout the 1980s and 1990s, before an open air shopping mecca opens near Kennywood called the Waterfront. Eventually, online shopping becomes a thing and the Great Recession takes over, thus hurting Century III. That’s where we are today, as the mall gets ready to meet the wrecking ball.

As a child of the 80’s and 90’s, I was blessed to grow up with two great malls each within 15 minutes of where I live. Therefore, I don’t have too much to say about the good old days of Century III except for a few visits there in the late 1990’s. It’s sad reading up on how this iconic mall has deteriorated so much and has become an eyesore to anyone living in that area. However, I am grateful that Greengate Mall didn’t suffer the same fate, closing in the early 2000’s and getting razed soon after for the construction of a new shopping center with a Wal-Mart as well as other stores.

For a while, this mall held its own with other shopping destinations in the Pittsburgh area (Ross Park Mall and South Hills Village are good examples). Century III’s best days went up to the late ’90s. Even though I’m sure the Waterfront took some of their business, they were still viable through the 2000s. By the time the Great Recession hit and into the 2010’s was when Century III really went downhill. Therefore, you can’t blame the demise of this mall on the pandemic.

Dick’s Sporting Goods closed in March 2019, the Mexican restaurant moved down to Clairton Blvd. in June 2018, and JcPenney closed in October 2020. JcPenney was the last operating store in the mall and with that, Century III Mall was officially closed for good.

Here’s my six-pack of facts related to the iconic Century III Mall

  1. Century III Mall officially opened on October 24, 1979 with the first phase complete. This included JCPenney and Kaufmann’s as anchors. The second phase was complete on March 12, 1980. Anchors that opened in 1980 included Montgomery Ward, Gimbels, and Sears. Hornes took over Montgomery Wards in 1986. The Gimbels location was replaced multiple times in the 1990s and 2000s.
  2. The mall has been referenced many times by the popular YouTuber Pittsburgh Dad. A few of his videos have even been filmed at or around the iconic mall.
  3. Since becoming endangered and eventually closing in 2019, the mall has been featured in urban exploration videos on YouTube. There have been many acts of vandalism performed around the condemned property and reports of breaking and entering and arson. The mall has been featured on the news a lot since closing because of the sad state it’s in.
  4. While I don’t have many memories of Century III growing up, I was there several times a year as an employee of WIS International. Once a year, we would count the JCPenney in the late Spring or early Summer. Other stores in the mall that I’ve inventoried include American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, New York & Company, and Victoria’s Secret.
  5. One of my memorable experiences at Century III took place long after the mall became depressed. We were counting the JCPenney in May of 2018 and it took place overnight. The store had no air conditioning and took forever to get done. We had two girls start that night at the marathon event and despite the ordeal, stuck around at WIS and became two of my good friends there.
  6. The last one is not mall related, but that Century III Chevrolet commercial still lives rent free in my head. “Century III Chevrolet, Lebanon Church Road, Pittsburgh. Minutes from the mall.”

When the mall finally comes crashing down, I encourage you to remember:

1.) The good times you spent there as a teenager and seeing B-94 broadcast live from the mall in center court.

2.) All the fun back to school shopping and holiday shopping trips you made in August and in December. For the kids, going to see Santa at Christmastime.

3.) That amazing slice of pizza you had from Italian Village Pizza. The chain began at Century III in 1980.

Rest in Peace, Century III Mall, 1979-2024