Skippyjon Jones Snow What. Photo by Jeremy Daniel

This January in Pittsburgh, your family will find sporty fun at the Heinz History Center, a messy New Year at the Carnegie Science Center, skating with mascots and more!

Carnegie Science Center
Image courtesy of Carnegie Science Center.

1. MessFest 2018 at the Carnegie Science Center: January 1

Kick off the New Year by getting your hands dirty at the Carnegie Science Center’s 12th annual MessFest. The Science Center turns its four floors of exhibits into a messy playground where visitors of all ages are invited take part in some slimy, sticky, yucky hands-on fun. Play with the gooey-substance-turned-solid-turned-liquid Oobleck, send some breakfast food flying on the Egg Zipline and compete in a pudding “pi”-eating contest. Other activities include finger painting, making prints with bubbles, using polymers to make snow and seeing some explosive reactions. Along with the activity tables, experience high-energy entertainment in the Science Center’s BodyStage, enjoy live demonstrations and planetarium shows and other activities. But please note: you will get messy, so don’t dress up!

MessFest takes place from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. All activities are free with general Science Center admission.

Mascot Skate. Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Parks.

2. Mascot Skate at Schenley Park Skating Rink: January 6

Strap on your blades and hit the ice with some of your favorite costumed characters during Citiparks’ Mascot Skate. The popular event offers an afternoon of winter fun with beloved local mascots, including Kenny the Kennywood Kangaroo, Iceburgh from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Steely McBeam from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mascot Skate takes place from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Schenley Park Skating Rink. Admission is $5, $3 for youth 17 and under and $4 for seniors. Skate rentals and blade sharpening services will also be available.

“Skippyjon Jones Snow What.”Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
“Skippyjon Jones Snow What.”Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

3. “Skippyjon Jones Snow What” at various locations: January 7-14

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust goes to the dogs when it brings the award-winning Theatreworks USA production of “Skippyjon Jones Snow What” to Pittsburgh. Based on the best-selling book by Judy Schachner, the all-ages musical twist on “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” follows a Siamese cat who thinks he’s a Chihuahua. As his dashing alter ego, Skippito Friskito, he goes on an imaginary adventure to rescue the beautiful princess Nieve Qué (Snow What), battle the evil dragon and defeat the Bruja, all with the help of his friends the Seven Chimichangos. This production is presented as part of the Citizens Bank Children’s Theater Series.

“Skippyjon Jones Snow What” performances will take place at the Byham Theater, Greensburg Salem High School, Marshall Middle School, Cornell High School, Mt. Lebanon High School and Seneca Valley Intermediate High School. Tickets are $12 at the door, $10.50 in advance and can be ordered online, by calling 412-456-6666, or in person at the Box Office at Theater Square. Children under 2 are free but require a lap pass.

Sun print. Image courtesy of Carnegie Museum of Art.

4. Sun Print Sundays at Carnegie Museum of Art: every Sunday afternoon in January

Clear a spot on your weekend calendar for Sun Print Sundays, a weekly all-ages workshop inspired by Carnegie Museum of Art’s “William Henry Fox Talbot and the Promise of Photography” exhibition. Learn how to make sun prints — or cyanotypes — a process similar to Talbot’s early experiments with what he called photogenic drawings. The process involves placing small objects on light-sensitive paper and letting the museum’s brand new exposing unit do the rest! The paper is then rinsed with water, leaving an image of the objects behind. Bring small objects of your own or use some provided to create your own photographic composition. Then take what you learn in The Studio to explore the Talbot exhibition with Gallery Ambassadors.

Sun Print Sundays run from 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. every Sunday in January. The workshop is free with museum admission.

“The Sandlot.” Image courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.
“The Sandlot.” Image courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

5. Cereal and Cinema “The Sandlot” at The Hollywood Theater: January 13

Revisit a beloved family classic when Hollywood Theater in Dormont presents Cereal and Cinema. Fill up on complimentary breakfast cereal during a screening of “The Sandlot,” a 1993 coming-of-age dramedy film about a new kid in town who joins a rowdy group of baseball-obsessed boys in the summer of 1962. Proceeds from the movie will go to the Mt. Lebanon Junior Women’s Club Gala which benefits the Foster Love Project. And be ready to get comfy because pajamas are encouraged!

Doors open at 9 a.m. followed by the film at 9:30 a.m. Tickets cost $10 each and must be purchased in advance.

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Amanda Waltz is a freelance journalist and film critic whose work has appeared locally in numerous publications. She writes for The Film Stage and is the founder and editor of Steel Cinema, a blog dedicated to covering Pittsburgh film culture. She currently lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and oversized house cat.