Home Care In Oakmont, PA

OAKMONT, Pa. (KDKA) -- The U.S. Open coming back to the Pittsburgh area may still be over a year away, but that doesn't mean you can't get merchandise for the tournament now.

The USGA announced that Oakmont Country Club has opened a gift shop that's offering U.S. Open merchandise ahead of hosting what's known for being golf's toughest test.

The gift shop is located at the former Oakmont East golf shop down the road from Oakmont Country Club along Coxcomb Hill Road.

The shop will be open from Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The U.S. Open and Oakmont

Oakmont Country Club has hosted the U.S. Open a record nine times and next year will be the tenth.

The U.S. Open was last held at Oakmont nearly a decade ago when Dustin Johnson won the tournament, his first major championship of his career.

In addition to nine U.S. Open tournaments, Oakmont has hosted numerous other golf championships including the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women's Open.

Two years ago, the USGA announced that Oakmont was named a U.S. Open anchor site meaning that it would host a championship event every five to six years.

Oakmont Country Club had previously been designated as the site for next year's U.S. Open, but the tournament will also be returning to the historic venue in 2034, 2042, and 2049.

It hasn't yet been announced when tickets for next year's U.S. Open will go on sale.

Mike Darnay

Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at KDKA-TV/CBS News Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent. He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and high school sports.

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Locally made craft beer will soon come to 531 Allegheny Ave in Oakmont, PA as Local Remedy Brewing was recently awarded a conditional-use permit to open in the space. The location was formerly the home of Oakmont Bakery after the bakery moved to a new location in Oakmont.

For those who have followed the Pennsylvania Homebrew Invitational, the name Local Remedy should sound familiar. The brewery competed in the 2023 competition placing first overall in the Pittsburgh region. Local Remedy is lead by Matt Synan, along with his team which includes Dan Silianoff, Joe Vickless, Sean Williamson, Brian “BJ” Swartzlander and Sean Rogan.

We reached out to Synan about the future space as well as the team. “We’ve all been separately passionate about beer and brewing for more than a decade, eventually coming together to brew as a group a few years ago. As we got more serious about brewing we found ourselves falling in love with the creative process, but even more so with sharing our beer with people outside of our group” Synan said about the team behind the brand.

In a recent TribLive article Synan was quoted as discussing why this location was so important to him. “I grew up not too far from Oakmont. And when I moved back here from training, I lived in Oakmont for many years,” Synan said. “I know this community fairly well and the strong sense of community here. That’s one of the things that brought us here. It’s the perfect environment for us.”

However, according to the initial report, not everyone is in favor of the pending brewery. During a public hearing on the vote of the permit, two local business representatives voiced concern over a brewery opening in the location. The report goes on to say…

Brian Leri, general manager and executive chef at Hoffstot’s in Oakmont, spoke about his concerns for parking. Hoffstot’s is next door to the brewery’s intended location, and he said there wouldn’t be enough space to accommodate the business that the brewery would bring in.

“There’s no way this won’t affect the parking,” Leri said. “They’re saying there’s going to be a lot of walk-up traffic — there won’t. A lot of the letters are saying they’re going to bring people to town, and those people are going to be driving in. The empty building is a major issue. Something needs to go there, but the right business needs to go there. This isn’t the right business.”

John Keefe echoed Leri’s concerns. Keefe is the owner of Hoffstot’s and Chelsea Grille; both restaurants are located on either side of the brewery. Aside from his concerns about parking, he brought up the possibility of his business getting damaged if the brewery were to be put in that location.

“Have you people researched anything about the dangers of operating a brewpub?” Keefe said. “I’m sure you probably haven’t, but AmTrust Financial did. Breweries have different exposures than restaurants. Breweries use compressed gas cylinders, which can explode if not handled properly. These things matter to my business, which basically shares a wall with them.”

Despite the concerns the vote passed unanimously, 6 to 0, with many local residents not only supportive of the passage, but writing letters to express their support.

The Local Remedy team has been competing in many local events serving their beer to the community for the past handful of years. It’s through the development of their brand that they have worked hard to become a strong value add to Oakmont and the surrounding area; one of the primary reasons they received so much support during the vote process.

Synan confirmed that when Local Remedy opens they plan to brew their beer on a 10 barrel brewhouse “that will allow us to offer 6-8 beers on tap year-round, as well as seltzers and other local products. We will also have cans available for takeout sales” he confirmed about the space.

He went on to share more about what type of beers the local community can expect when Local Remedy launches. “Like much of our community, we enjoy hop-forward beers, so count on them being taproom staples. But we also love other styles, namely Märzen, Weissbier and barrel-aged stouts. For us, it’s more about a love of beer and the art of brewing than it is specializing in one particular style. You’ll see a variety of beer at Local Remedy, each with the same commitment to the craft and we can’t wait to start pouring them later in 2024!”

According to Synan, the brewery has an anticipated opening of late summer or early fall of 2024. Synan said about the current state of the building that it “essentially a shell, so it will need a complete build-out inside with some exterior updates as well. And that the building will require some cosmetic changes to its exterior before they can launch.” For now you can follow the brewery on Instagram to keep up with all updates on the pending opening.

Linda Merle of Arnold visits Oakmont often for medical appointments with her dogs, Mopsy and Nixon, in tow.

Within the borough, dogs must be leashed and are not permitted to run at large.

A proposed outdoor dog recreation site called Chateau Beach Dog Park would provide an unleashed area for dogs to roam and play, if Oakmont officials approve the 1-acre park along Allegheny Avenue.

For Merle, having a dog park would provide more room to roam for her pets.

“That would be really wonderful. It would allow my dogs to socialize with other dogs, and we’d get them off-leash,” Merle said. “I don’t have a dog park in Arnold.”

Borough Manager Scot Fodi explained Tuesday that the land originally was slated to be a kayak park, with preliminary drawings created and $200,000 in state grant money secured.

Estimates on the kayak park, however, proved to greatly exceed the grant award.

“The first bids came in and phase one of the kayak park was over $500,000, and it was completely cost prohibitive,” Fodi said.

Former Councilwoman Tracey Holz inquired about utilizing the property in a different way, and the recreation board aims to preserve and protect the natural flora of the area with the dog park.

The property, which is near the riverfront, is owned by the borough.

Joyce Hanz | TribLive

The amount of work required to transform the space into a dog park will be minimal. The park will require very little change to the property, other than to add a fence around the uppermost portion, borough officials said.

Once completed, dogs will be permitted to play off-leash inside the park. A 6-foot-high chain link fence will surround the park, and the facility will be locked each night.

The park will include separate areas for small and large dogs. A gravel lot will be available for parking.

In total, the cost of the dog park is estimated at just over $200,000.

“The state authorized us to reconceptualize the project based solely on fiscal needs,” Fodi said.

Council is expected to review the design concept during its Feb. 6 meeting and vote on the park in late spring.

The contract is expected to offer a 90-day timeframe for the work to be done. It is expected that the park would be completed over the summer.

The bulk of the work involves grading for the parking area.

“The topography there is pretty straightforward,” Fodi said.

Future borough plans include securing a location closer to the Allegheny River to create an affordable kayak launch.

Categories: Local | Oakmont | Valley News Dispatch

No one was injured but traffic had to be detoured when a tractor-trailer cab caught on fire Tuesday afternoon on Allegheny Avenue near the Riverside Community Church in Oakmont.

Oakmont firefighters responded to the blaze just before 5 p.m., according to fire Chief Joe Flanick. The fire occurred as the truck was hauling an empty flatbed trailer south on the avenue, he said.

“Somebody banged on the door and told (the driver) to get out,” Flanick said. “Once he got out, the whole thing became engulfed in flames.”

Megan Law, who works at a nearby gas station, said a customer came into the business to report the fire, and she provided him with a fire extinguisher. But, she said, “The flames were too big to do anything.”

Flanick said his department’s quick response kept the flames from spreading to overhead utility lines.

“The cab is definitely totaled,” he said. “The trailer is probably fine.”

Traffic was detoured around the section of Allegheny Avenue as firefighters doused the flames and crews came in to mop up and contain spilled diesel fuel and worked to haul away the damaged rig.

The road remained closed at about 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Jay Newland, pastor at Riverside Community Church, spent time with the truck driver after he escaped from the fire. Newland said many people from Oakmont stopped to check on the welfare of the driver, who hailed from Cleveland and “was pretty shook up.”

Newland said he took the man to a nearby restaurant, The Pub at 333, to offer him a meal, but the servers all chipped in to cover the check when they learned about his ordeal.

“It was really neat to see,” Newland said.

Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at [email protected].

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Categories: Local | Oakmont | Valley News Dispatch

Fresh produce, honey and who knows what else is available every weekend in Oakmont through September as part of a nonprofit’s program to build up the borough and its neighbor.

The Twin Boro Experience, a volunteer group dedicated to promoting Oakmont and Verona, presents its Oakmont Farmer’s Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 28.

The market is in the parking lot of a former dry cleaner at 600 Allegheny River Blvd. It has a mix of vendors such as PA Mushroom Co., I&I Coffee Co., Paws in the Sand Pet Treats, Rootspring Farm and Begonia House Bakery. Some of the vendors rotate every week or every month.

Haffey Family Farm in Ohioville, Beaver County, is its staple. The farm is owned by Jeremy and Kim Haffey, and Kim is the market’s coordinator.

“We got all our regulars back,” she said. “People are excited for fresh produce again. We have almost every sector represented this time. We have the mushroom (company). We have flowers. We have eggs and honey (makers), micro greens, coffee, produce. This is the third year for the market. We have a lot of new vendors.”

Jeremy Haffey said raising awareness of the market has been key to its success. Opening day was June 10.

“It seems like this year, everybody remembered that it’s every week and not once a month,” he said. “We struggled with that last year. They kept forgetting that we were here every week.

“People who come, if they know you’re going to be there (at the market) will purposely not buy something at the grocery store so they can buy it from here. That’s a nice way the community supports the market.”

Leslie Edwards of Penn Hills was at the market with her grandson, Kai, of Aspinwall on June 17.

“I love farmers markets,” Edwards said. “I love fresh stuff.”

Donna Murphy of Oakmont echoed those comments. She left the market that day with a variety of goods.

“I’ll be here every week getting everything fresh,” she said.

On-street parking and admission are free. There are also special market promotions such as a Family Day with children’s activities and story time July 15, Customer Appreciation Day Aug. 12, and Bring Your Pet to the Market Day Sept. 16.

Not only a market

The market is one of several Twin Boro Experience programs.

It also organizes Sip & Shop 5-7 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month from May through September along Allegheny River Boulevard in Oakmont.

The event is designed to raise awareness of the later Thursday hours in the business district. Officials said at least a dozen businesses participate and offer adult and nonalcoholic beverages.

Twin Boro Experience helps promote other activities such as the Verona Farmers Market, which is Thursday afternoons in Railroad Park by the borough building and coordinated by Stefani Garibay, Verona Chamber of Commerce president.

More information is about the Experience is available at thetwinboros.com.

Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at [email protected].

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Categories: Oakmont | Valley News Dispatch