Flogging Molly and Social Distortion at Stage AE; Summer Fun at Ohiopyle (Tues., 8/20/19)

1) Sharing equal billing at Stage AE are Flogging Molly and Social Distortion. Dave King fronts the Celtic-punk band Flogging Molly. He sings of exile, drink, and his father’s death when he was only 10 years old. 2008’s “Float” was a commercial peak for the group. Their latest album is 2017’s Life Is Good. Mike Ness started Social Distortion with Dennis Danell in high school. “Ball and Chain” and “Story of My Life,” two hits from the band’s 1990 self-titled third album, remain popular today. Danell died in 2000, and Ness remains the group’s sole original member. Their latest album is 2011’s Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes. The Devil Makes Three and Le Butcherettes open. Doors open 5 p.m. 400 North Shore Dr., North Shore. (CM)

OHIOPYLE STATE PARK (green nature, white water, more)

Do not try what this looks like. It’s a stop-action composite of one guy, at four stages of a deft ride down the falls at Ohiopyle State Park—which also offers many outdoor thrills for visitors who aren’t kayak ninjas. (Photo: ‘Wwkayaker22’ via Wikipedia)

2) Ohiopyle State Park, southeast of Pittsburgh, is wild and scenic. In the 1800s the area drew city dwellers who’d come just to stroll and enjoy the beauties of nature. That pastime is still popular, along with more activities today—notably, white water boating on the Youghiogheny River, which snakes through valleys and gorges here. Within the parkland, two stretches of river offer different experiences. The so-called Middle Yough, from upstream into the town of Ohiopyle, is the gentler ride: a mix of fast-moving flat water and moderate (“Class I and II”) rapids. Kayakers and standup paddleboarders who first have mastered steering on calm water often use this stretch to learn the game of zipping through chutes and dips without mucho upsets. The Lower Yough, from Ohiopyle down, has the bigger, bouncier rapids. Expert kayakers love it, as do visitors who take the guided raft trips, paddling in (relatively) stable soft rafts with guides who know the way. Major outfitters, alphabetically, are: Laurel Highlands River Tours, Ohiopyle Trading Post, White Water Adventurers, and Wilderness Voyageurs.

Other attractions include tours of the nearby Frank Lloyd Wright house, Fallingwater… plus good mountain bike trails right in the state park, the Great Allegheny Passage trail for hybrid and road bikers, and the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. Park office is 124 Main St., Ohiopyle. (MV)

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