Cool Picks Monday August 13, 2012

August 13, 2012/matthackney

1) Take your family and friends out for the 2012 Pittsburgh Restaurant Week, which begins today. This is a week-long celebration of Pittsburgh’s vast and delicious variety of foods, focusing this year on fine dining, fresh harvests and outdoor seating. Promotional menus differ according to each restaurant some pre-fixed, with others offering a flat discount for for lunch, dinner and in some cases, both. Participating restaurants include Abay Ethiopian Cuisine, East Liberty; Six Penn Kitchen and Bigelow Grille, Downtown; and Donato’s in Fox Chapel. Make your reservations early, and be sure to mention Pittsburgh Restaurant Week.

2) The annual Lawrence County Fair , one of Western PA’s largest agricultural fairs, commences at 9:00 a.m. Throughout the week, the fair will host games and prizes for kids, wonderful exhibitions of showmanship and well-trained animals of all kinds, with a featured event for grandstand ticket holders each day. Today’s grandstand event is an Antique and Farm Stock Tractor Pull at 7:00 p.m. Midway Road, New Castle.

3) UPMC Senior Communities introduces The Legacy Lineup, a group that sponsors entertainment, movies and education for seniors. A series of Monday matinees at Cumberland Woods Village’s cozy, state-of-the-art 247-seat theater is showing Fried Green Tomatoes today. The comedy-drama depicts a warm friendship that develops between two women during the Great Depression. 2 p.m. Allison Park. Free.

4) The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to start their four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the right foot tonight with a win at PNC Park. 7:05 p.m.

5) The 132nd Dayton Fair begins today, a week long event jam packed with summer fun, including harness racing, midway rides, concerts, acrobatic performances, puppet shows, a mud bog and myriad other forms of entertainment, including a featured event for each day. A Mini Van/Compact Car Demolition Derby is today’s feature, 7:30 p.m. Dayton, Armstrong County.