Happy Friday! It’s looking like another amazing weekend in Pittsburgh.  Here are the weekend events we talked about on WDVE this morning.  Per Randy’s request – we have dug up some info on Dracula-Con as well. If anyone has been to DraculaCon please let us know!  Scroll down for our listing of events around Pittsburgh this weekend.

If you are are looking for a darker festival in Windber, PA

The Grand Midway Hotel

Dracula-Con IV, Saurday, May 19, 2012

• The Grand Midway Hotel
• $6 at the door
• Bands include: Devilz in the Detailz (coming in from Pittsburgh), Damien Youth (coming in from New Orleans),The Cadillac Creeps (coming in from Florida)
• There will be Tarot Card Readings and Go Go Dancing Cage Girls as well

Wed May 16 – Sun May 20	Pittsburgh Internation Children’s Festival Schenley Plaza and Pitt theaters Lots of free events for kids of all ages
Fri May 18	BikePGH Celebrates National Bike to Work Day 14 Hydration Stations set up around Pittsburgh Free Swag bag full of goodies for all who bike to work Happy hours
Sat May 1911am-6pm	Venture Outdoors Festival Free outdoors festival at Point State Park Climbing walls, kayaking, fishing and more Suggested Parking – Mon Warf $5/Car Facebook Event
Sat May 1911:30am – 3:30pm	Taste of Oakland $5 gets you discounts and samples at a ton of Oakland restaurants you also get Facebook Event
Sat May 192pm-5pm	We Do (Take Too) Pop Up Pittsburgh This year’s PopUp Pittsburgh heads to upper Lawrenceville for a wedding celebration (Lawrenceville Goodwill Parking Lot, 52nd Street) Vow Renewal Ceremony Rumor has it there will be a cookie table Concert by Slim Forsythe and his New Payday Loners
Sat May 198pm – 12am	Dirty Ball Annual benefit for Attack Theater Food, Music, Dancing and performances 2401 Penn Ave in the Strip District
Sun May 201pm – 5pm	Bellevue Classic Car Cruise Classic, Vintage, Muscle Cars, Show Bikes welcome Cars will be lined up along Lincoln Ave
Sun May 20	Pittsburgh Dumpling Experiment  Mr. Smalls Pierogi Cook-off You can sign up to compete or you can attend to watch the competition

Looking for more events in May? Click here to see our list of May events.

(Beautiful pictures by Iva. Words by Sarah and Ray)

In order to bring you info on the best croissants in the city, the I Heart PGH gang went on a croissant tour, sampling four bakeries. (Eating delicious croissants all day was an enormous burden, but you’re welcome.) We chatted with the staff and rated each croissant by buttery-ness, flaky-ness and rip-ability.

La Gourmandine, Lawrenceville

This authentically French bakery has unique pastries and crazy buttery croissants. It’s owned and operated by a French couple who bring their recipes straight from the cafe of Paris. They make their own dough and bake each piece of buttery goodness fresh. They have a few different types of croissants, including a chocolate flavored morsel that perfectly blends cocoa, butter, and bread.

There’s a variety of pastries filled with the likes of pistachio and hazelnut cream and a basket of baguettes. But the real piece de resistance here is the croissants. Make sure the get there early if you want an almond croissant, they tend to sell out.

The space at La Gourmandine is also limited. There’s room to stand and eat your goodies at two tables, but if you’re with a big group, it’s maybe not the best hang-out space.

• Price: $1.90
• Buttery-ness: 8.5 (made with European butter)
• Flaky-ness: 6
• Rip-ability: 4

Crepes Parisiennes, Oakland

The croissants at Crepes Parisiennes are a delish, but a little more bread-y and dense. Their flaky and crisp outside are a nice contrast to some of the other croissants we tasted, especially when paired with a chocolate filing.

Crepes Parisiennes is a perfect place to meet a friend or two in Oakland. Its service was quite fast and its atmosphere was surprisingly relaxing for a busy cafe in the city. Anyone preparing for a French exam would be wise to study in Crepes Parisiennes for a few hours, so long as the delicious crepes don’t distract you.

• Price: $1.75
• Buttery-ness: 5
• Flaky-ness: 6.5
• Rip-ability: 6

Allegro Hearth Bakery, Squirrel Hill

Four words: bigger than your face. That’s how big these mega-croissants are at Allegro bakery. In addition to the lovely breads and pastries, there’s a small cheese case if you want to slap a savory topping onto your croissant.

Allegro is nicely situated in the heart of Squirrel Hill on Murray Ave next to the Pinskers Jewish book store. The staff is really friendly and the open space gives you a great view into the bakery. Anyone passing through Squirrel Hill should stop in to Allegro, even if its just to see the biggest Croissants in Pittsburgh.

Take your goodies to go though, this place doesn’t have anywhere to sit.

• Price: $1.89
• Buttery-ness: 8
• Flaky-ness: 9
• Rip-ability: 6

Paris 66, East Liberty

We all agreed that this was by far the best croissant that we tried all day. Although, we will admit, Paris 66 might have a slightly unfair advantage since they bake your croissants when your order them. Regardless, these babies are good. They’re aesthetically pleasing, in addition to having the most flaky crust and gooey inside we encountered all day.

Inside, the restaurant smells like heaven. Between the fresh bread baking filling the air, the authentic french cuisine, or the beautifully decorated walls, Paris 66 brings the full french cafe experience right to Shady side.  It’s more of a sit-down place, so it might be easier to plan on eating a meal rather than just a cup of coffee and croissant.

• Price: $2.00
• Buttery-ness: 7
• Flaky-ness: 10
• Rip-ability: 3 (it’s soo gooey)

It’s looking like another beautiful spring weekend in Pittsburgh – perfect for outdoor activities and to celebrate Mother’s Day!  Here are the links for the events we shared on WDVE Radio this morning.  Randy also mention that the Beach Boys will be in Pittsburgh this evening at the Benedum.  Tickets are still available here.

St. Nicks Greek Food Festival – Last 2 days

• 51st Annual Greek Food Festival of deliciousness – located at St. Nicks (the very large church directly across from the museum.)
• Friday May 11 & Saturday May 12 – 11am-9pm

Learn to Row and Paddle – FREE

• Part of Great Outdoors Week 2012, the Three Rivers Rowing Association is offering free courses in rowing and kaying on Friday, May 11, 2012
• Sessions at 6pm and 7:30pm at the Millvale Boathouse

Kayak Pittsburgh is open for the season

• Downtown location (under the Roberto Clemente Brige) is open weekend in May
• North Park and Millvale open May 26, 2012

Mud on the Mountain @ Seven Springs

• Now that you have survived the Marathon, whose ready for an adventure race?
• A 7 mile course, with 20 obstacles on the mountain at Seven Springs
• Saturday, May 12, 2012

Mother’s Day

• Free Admission for Mom to Clayton and the Pittsburgh Zoo
• May Market @ Phipps Conservatory
• Children’s Museum – record an audio card for Mom
• Wigle Whiskey has a special Mother’s Day Cocktail Class
• Lawrenceville Blossom Tour

Pittsburgh Party for a Purpose – Tree PGH

• Saturday, May 12, 2012
• 9pm @ Ryan’s Pub – corner of Forbes and Braddock
• Facebook Event - http://www.facebook.com/events/406944455992536/

Compu-Mother's Day Card by Alternative Histories

Mother’s day is Sunday May 12.  You didn’t forget about that did you?  There are a ton of great ways to celebrate mom this weekend around Pittsburgh (fortunately for y’all my mom doesn’t read this blog so I can share these tips with you and she”ll still have no idea whats up – just a heads up that for Father’s day you are on your own – my dad – hi dad! – is one of IheartPGH most loyal readers.)

Great Gift Idea - Head over to the Children’s Museum – for about $15 the Saturday Light Brigade will help you record an audio CD card for your mom.

Martini Mama? Do you need a cocktail to survive quality time with mom? Then Wigle Whiskey has you covered. Take your mom to Wigle Whiskey for their Mother’s Day cocktail class.

Some shopping ideas for the weekend.  Looking for a way to spend the afternoon with mom? Or looking to pick up a unique gift? here are some ideas.

• May Market at Phipps
• Lawrenceville Blossom Tour
• Friendship Folk and Flower Festival

Moms get in free this weekend.

• Pittsburgh Zoo – Moms get in free on Sunday when accompanied by a kid
• The Clayton – Moms get in free on Saturday and Sunday

A huge thanks to Living Pittsburgh for the post on affordable Mother’s Day in Pittsburgh.

Image:  Compu-Mother’s Day Card by Alternative Histories available here.

Pittsburgh’s Sharon Needles was crowned winner of season four of the Drag Race amongst gales of cheers and slopped beers.  She distinguishes herself with her flair for horror and sharp wit.

Hooray, Sharon!  We’re so proud.  Can’t wait to see her back in Pittsburgh, a long summer of touring.

Read more about the big win…

• Sharon Needles: The winner of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ (popbytes.com)
• Socialite Life’s Interview With Sharon Needles – RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4 Winner! (socialitelife.com)
• Sharon Needles Wins RuPaul’s Drag Race (people.com)
• Look At ‘Drag Race’ Winner Sharon Needles’ Beer Mug Gown (sfist.com)

Cyclists love getting together and riding in absurdly large groups.  I believe we’re entertained by the idea of being a spectacle — children shout “Wow! Bicycles!”, people stand on stoops taking video with flip cameras, traffic patterns react to the bikes and not the other way around.  And, in my experience, cyclists LOVE beer.  Why else would Pittsburgh have a bicycle bar on the South Side and maybe the most popular cycling jersey in town is the Big Hop jersey.

East End Brewing has it’s finger on that pulse.  The 8th annual Pedal Pale keg ride sold out 600 registrations — after adding an extra hundred registration slots four days before ride.  Proceeds from registration fees went to ABOARD’s autism connection and BikePGH.   Someone even donated $250 to pull a keg!

Part of the magic of the Pedal keg ride is that the destination is kept a secret, right up until the kegs pull over.  Beginning at the brewery’s new location on Frankstown Avenue   The procession mostly meandered through the beautiful neighborhood of Highland Park, making a full loop around the reservoir.  Then, 600 cyclists descended upon Station Street Hot Dogs, tapped some tasty kegs and destroyed hot dogs like it was our job.

Check out more photos at BikePGH’s public Flickr group!

Every April, the Pittsburgh Pirates pack their bags and leave Bradenton, FL for the friendly confines of PNC Park.  A new season always brings hope for the fans, much like myself, who have suffered through 19 consecutive losing seasons.  Manager Clint Hurdle, all-star outfielder Andrew McCutchen, and our beloved Buccos began their quest for 81 wins and beyond on April 5th.  A record crowd of nearly 40,000 watched the cross-state rival Philadelphia Phillies defeat the Pirates, 1-0.  However, the Pirates took the next two games to win the series, both in dramatic fashion!

PNC Park (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After a tough road trip out west (to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Arizona), the team returned home to host the 2011 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals and Hurdle’s former team, the Colorado Rockies.  The Rockies are led currently by former Pirates manager Jim Tracy.  After losing two of three to St. Louis over the weekend, the first game of the series with Colorado was rained out for Monday evening.  After a Tuesday win, the ensuing doubleheader was split, resulting in a big home series win for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates finished April with a four-game series split in Atlanta and entered May on the road in St. Louis.  They set a major league record…one that is a tribute to the pitching staff and the defense, but perhaps a detriment to the offense.  For the first 18 games of the season, they did not allow more than five runs and, subsequently, did not score more than five runs…in any game!  It was the longest streak of its kind in baseball history.

The Pirates are currently 10-14 and in fifth place in the NL Central division.

Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District

• Friday, April 27, 2012.   5:30-9pm. The Cutlural District, Downtown.
• Galleries stay open late with free events for the evening.  This month the Cultural District is hosting a Dutch Festival.
• Full Schedule is available here.

Urban Hike Visits Beechview

• Saturday, April 28, 2012. 10 am.
• Meet at Brew on Broadway.
• Free 2-3 hour hike around the neighborhood.
• Facebook event - http://www.facebook.com/events/307091442695650/

Art All Night 2012

• 15th Annual Art All Night gallery exhibit – anyone and everyone is invited to display their art work.
• Saturday, April 28, 4pm til Sunday, April 29, 2pm
• Live music and performances.  Get all of the details about submitting your art work here.
• Facebook Event - http://www.facebook.com/events/373931675971454/

Carp All Night 10th Anniversary Fish-In

• 10th Annual Carp All Night
• Saturday, April 28, 8pm
• Meet under the 40th Street Bridge
• Just as important as the art, is the carp – this is a group of folks that have been hosting an all-night carp fishing event during art all night
• Facebook Event - http://www.facebook.com/events/279210828832707/

This is such a cool idea from the folks at Saturday Light Brigade.  If you aren’t familiar with SLB – it is a a public radio show that has been on the air since 1978 with acoustic music and family friendly fun.  A few years ago the SLB started broadcasting from the Children’s Museum.

For mothers day they will help you record a cd with an audio message for mom from their recording studio.

DATES: April 28–May 13 (for Mother’s Day) and June 2–June 17 (for Father’s Day)
TIME: 1–4 p.m.
LOCATION: SLB Radio Productions, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
COST: $12 for a card/CD kit from the museum shop

Let your own voice be the unique message and special one-of-a-kind gift you give this year for Mother’s Day and/or Father’s Day!

During the hands-on program, children and youth ages 5 and up will record a personal message, poem, song, or story for their mother, father, grandparent, or special caregiver. SLB staff will conduct welcoming interviews about the person receiving the card, and will record greetings and messages live onto an audio CD in its award-winning broadcast studios.

After the recording session, the professional-quality cards will be edited on site. The audio CD will be affixed to a special card, which children and youth will decorate and personalize using a variety of art materials. Ready for delivery in just a short time, audio cards will be brought home that very day as a Mother’s Day/Father’s Day gift that will be cherished for a lifetime.

Creation of personalized audio cards is available for recording in May and June each year at SLB. No appointment is necessary. Purchase of a CD Creation Card Kit is required in the Children’s Museum gift shop prior to recording. The cost is $12, which includes a CD, card kit, decorating supplies, studio time, and editing. All proceeds benefit programs for children and youth at SLB Radio.

You can follow the Saturday Light Brigade on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/slbradio and Twitter @SLBradio.