The 13th Wings Across Westmoreland, to be revealed in New Kensington, will be the first to have color.
The wings will show up in a park at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Eighth Street during a ceremony on March 23, just before New Kensington’s third yearly Restaurant Ramble.
The color comes from the flags of 17 nations in the tips of the wings’ feathers, meant to represent the city’s mix of ethnicities, as stated by Ari Burke, event and program specialist for the Westmoreland Cultural Trust, which has placed 12 other sets of wings around the county.
Olde Towne Overhaul, a company focused on improving and leasing commercial buildings to local business owners, and the New Kensington Downtown Partnership financed the city’s wings, a project that began in 2021., and the New Kensington Downtown Partnership funded the city’s wings, an effort that has been underway since 2021.
The New Kensington Arts Center helped select the images of buildings, businesses, organizations, and individuals that artists Patrick and Riley Mahoney included in the design.
Besides being the first with color, New Kensington’s pair will be the third of the 13 to be freestanding, according to Burke. They will be located next to a gazebo in the park, where the Liberty Theater once stood, and in front of a faded Coca-Cola sign on the side of a building.
“It’s a lovely ghost mural backdrop,” said Daniel Stainer, director of marketing for the Westmoreland Cultural Trust. “It provides a great photo opportunity for anyone.”
The most recent wings installation was revealed on Feb. 21 at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg in Hempfield.
Other locations of wings include Greensburg, Art in the Alley; Mt. Pleasant Township, Overly’s Country Christmas; Irwin, Lamp Theatre; Jeannette, Sobel’s Obscure Brewing; Ligonier Town Hall; Mt. Pleasant Public Library; Trafford Municipal Building; Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre; Youngwood’s Five Star Trail; Smithton Borough Building; and the West Newton Municipal Building.
Restaurant Ramble follows
Eleven restaurants are participating in the Restaurant Ramble, sponsored by Shop Small Shop New Ken, which will follow the wings unveiling. A VIP experience starts at 11 a.m. with the general event beginning at noon. It ends at 3 p.m.
Tickets are available online, with sales ending at midnight March 17, and at Voodoo Brewing on Fifth Avenue in New Kensington during regular business hours. No tickets will be sold the day of the event.
Tickets for the VIP experience cost $58, while general tickets are $38.
The participating restaurants offering small bites and beverages range from Farm House Fresh, in its second year, to Eazer’s Restaurant & Deli, a mainstay in New Kensington for more than 100 years. Many are in their third or fourth years in business.
“If you look at the stats, I think 50% of restaurants fold within the first year and most don’t make it to five years,” said Michelle Thom, operations manager of Olde Towne Overhaul and Voodoo Brewing in New Kensington. “This is a really difficult business to be in, and this event is geared toward the small restaurants downtown coming together to help each other out during a difficult time of year, and getting people familiarized with the food that is downtown and hopefully coming back after the event to eat at the restaurants.”
Kimi’s Konfections has been added to this year’s event, and their desserts can be found at Ashley’s Kitchen, according to Thom.
Participating restaurants and their offerings:
• Ashley’s Kitchen — Various types of mini filled breads and a drink
• Eazer’s — Greek salad along with grilled chicken
• Farm House Fresh — Small cheesecakes
• Fat Cat’s Fundraiser Subs — Hoagies and homemade wedding soup
• Fox’s Pizza Den — Buffalo chicken pizza, deluxe pizza and plain cheese pizza
• Kimi’s Konfections — Assortment of cupcakes
• Panda Chinese — Crab Rangoon
• Steel Cup Coffee — Regular 8-ounce coffee
• Sweet Alchemy — Various kinds of soups
• Sweet Tillies — Chocolate peanut butter baklava
• Voodoo — Lamb and sweet potato wontons with lime crema and a drink
