⚾ Honoring the legendary Pirates usher, Mr. Phil Coyne

Plus, photos of Frick Park through the seasons.

By Francesca Dabecco

Welcome to Tuesday!

We lost a Pittsburgh legend over the weekend. Beloved Pirates usher Phil Coyne passed away on Friday at 102. Phil seated fans at more than 6,000 games since he started working as an usher at Forbes Field when he was 16. He loved the game and the community, and oftentimes, he got more star recognition than the players.

Everyone loved Phil for his positive attitude and affection for our city. While I had never met him personally, I’ve heard stories over the years from my dad who also started his work at the ballpark at the spry age of 16. He was a part of the grounds crew for many years at Three Rivers Stadium and then at PNC Park.

So the one thing I am familiar with is the pride that comes with years of watching Pittsburghers gather to cheer on their home team. Phil sure did have it. Now, his memory is honored by baseball fans everywhere with his uniform and ID badge on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. Our deepest condolences go out to Phil’s family and all who loved him.

Do you have a memory of Phil or a picture you snapped with him at the ballpark? Hit reply and send them our way. We’d love to share it in honor of the legendary Mr. Coyne. Please provide your name and the year the photo was taken.

Now, onto today’s news: The mayoral debate airs tonight, COVID-19 vaccination eligibility is expanding, the inside info on that giant snake in Frick Park, and swoon-worthy seasonal park photographs.

What Pittsburgh is talking about

3 things to know today

📺 Don’t forget to watch the mayoral debate hosted by 90.5 WESA and the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation tonight at 7 p.m. Candidates include state Rep. Ed Gainey, retired police officer Tony Moreno, incumbent Mayor William Peduto, and south Oakland resident Mike Thompson.

💉 Starting today, all Pennsylvania adults are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, nearly a week ahead of schedule. “We need to maintain acceleration of the vaccine rollout, especially as case counts and hospitalization rates have increased,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement. (90.5 WESA)

✏️ Pennsylvania is headed for a redistricting battle, a once-in-a-decade process where a select group decides where to draw new boundaries for the state’s Legislative districts. Redistricting, which has been done in secret over the years, is becoming more open to the public with proposed maps, hearings, and now — a fifth commission member from the public.

3 things to make you smile

⛰️ There ain’t no mountain high enough for these clean-up climbers. On Saturday, the Explorers Club of Pittsburgh and the Mountain Rescue Group took to Mount Washington for the 28th annual Emerald View Park cleanup, rapelling down the hillside to pick up trash along the way. (Pittsburgh City Paper)

🐍 The giant rat snake in Frick Park that took over the internet this weekend is just another tale, er uhm… tail, to add to Pittsburghers’ close encounters with wild critters (like the black bear recently seen wandering around Mt. Washington). (TribLIVE) 

• Related: Don’t be ssscared. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy posted everything you need to know about these rat snakes in case you ever encounter one. (Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy)

🌳 Speaking of Frick Park… Dave DiCello posted this beautiful photo series of the park throughout the seasons. He said that he has made the trip to the Reynolds Street entrance nearly every day for two weeks, patiently waiting for the leaves to come in. (Dave DiCello on Twitter)

Things to do

Submit your events to our calendar.

Today

🗣️ Engage in important dialogue with your neighbors at "Let’s Talk About…Public Safety and Police Reform," with CivicCLP and The Art of Democracy (Online)

📺 Watch the Pittsburgh mayoral debate between four Democratic candidates, presented by 90.5 WESA and the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation (Online)

📿 Learn how to make jewelry using concrete, mold-making techniques, 3-D printing, and colorful dyes at a virtual workshop with Michael Nashef of Touchstone Center For Crafts (Online)

Tomorrow

🧘 Join an introduction to Hatha yoga practice at Frick Environmental Center. (Point Breeze)

♻️ Learn how "recycle right" at a webinar with Pennsylvania Resources Council that includes resources for blue bin recycling, as well as electronics, chemicals, tires, yard debris and other materials (Online)

Thursday

🚰 Learn about the historic Herron Hill Pumping Station in Oakland and little-know architect William S. Fraser at Preservation Pittsburgh's Virtual Lecture Series (Online)

🎭 Catch Pittsburgh Public Theater's virtual benefit reading of The Bergerac Simulation, Mora V. Harris’ imaginative update to Edmond Rostand’s French farce Cyrano de Bergerac (Online)

🎞️ Watch a virtual screening of the award-winning international film “Sama" at CMU’s global cinema fest (Online)

Friday

📽️ Drive-in at the Carrie Blast Furnaces for a screening of the locally filmed movie “Fences,” the kickoff of the Rivers of Steel Carrie Carpool Cinema series (Homestead)

😋 Watch some cool cooking demos at the Taste for Pace 2021 Virtual Cooking Competition (Online)

🎭 Catch Pittsburgh Public Theater's virtual benefit reading of The Bergerac Simulation, Mora V. Harris’ imaginative update to Edmond Rostand’s French farce Cyrano de Bergerac (Online)

🍄 Hike for spring mushrooms with the President of the Western PA Mushroom Club and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (Highland Park)

🎷 Get jazzed up with Pittsburgh Opera's free livestream of Charlie Parker's Yardbird (Online)

One more thing …

I hope you had a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather we had over the weekend! I had one of the first “normal” feeling weekends in awhile. On Friday, my pals and I masked up for a walk through Allegheny Commons and scored some wood-fired pizza and drinks from Wood Stoked Oven at Allegheny City Brewing in Deutschtown.