I only watch Animal Planet to learn about treehouses. (I would rather see animals in person than on TV.) And I’m not even super into treehouses, but an upcoming episode of Treehouse Masters piqued my interest.

Tonight, Pittsburghers should join me in my new tree house obsession because a special Pittsburgh guest is featured: Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Since the premiere of Treehouse Masters in 2013, the scale and quality of the treehouses built by Pete Nelson have upgraded from treehouses to tree-mansions. In recent seasons, especially the current one, the treehouses on the show are nicer than most people’s homes. Brown’s is no exception.

Think you know everything and anything about CBD and THC? Test yourself with this quiz!
  

The 144th running of the Kentucky Derby is almost upon us. Saturday, May 5th, 29 horses will line up for a chance to win the race that's come to be known as the Run for the Roses. Let's get to better know the mint julep, the official drink of the Derby, shall we?

via GIPHY

I’ve been a sports fan for as long as I can remember.

While I am a Steelers fan, I must admit, my first love was the Pittsburgh Maulers. I didn’t know much about football at the time, all I knew was that everyone super-loved the Steelers and hardly anyone even knew the Maulers existed. My young, compassionate heart hurt for them, so I got a felt flag to hang on my wall and threw my entire being into rooting them on. For the entire year they were in existence.

A post shared by Pittsburgh Maulers (@pittsburgh.maulers) on Feb 28, 2017 at 5:35am PST

The recent alarming confirmation that Vince McMahon is bringing back the XFL did remind me of my Maulers. As I spent some time online reading up on them, I came across a few other odd Pittsburgh sports stories that I didn’t know about.

For instance:

The Pirates played in the first-ever World Series, where they lost to the Boston Americans. This was in 1903. It might feel like that was the last time they played a World Series, but
really, it’s only been since 1979, which they won. Practically yesterday.

Maybe we need to consider bringing back the Green Weenie? This phallic fan-favorite was all the rage until its retirement after the 1974 season. It came back briefly in 1989, only to once more get shown the door. And we haven’t won a championship since. Coincidence? I’ll let you decide.

I was incredibly shocked to find out that we were once on the same team with our cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. Due to the shortage of players during WWII, the Steelers and Eagles joined forces to become the … you guessed it. The Steagles.

But perhaps nothing shocked me more than the fact Plaxico Burress, of sweatpants wearing, club-going, self-thigh shooting fame, used to own a luxury sock company. You would think with his history of making catches, he would have gone into the luxury glove business, but no.

No matter who  you root for, every team has a history of odd facts. If you're ever bored at work, go ahead and look some up. Take those fact-nuggets to happy hour with you. Be your bar trivia team hero. 

via GIPHY

We asked, and you delivered. We wanted you to replace a word
from a romantic movie with a Pittsburgh word, and the results were all our
yinzer hearts could have hoped for. Here are some of our favorites. Thanks for
sharing, sappy little love mongers. *fingerhearts*

Polish Hill #CPRomanceMovies pic.twitter.com/t4RdgdcyzZ

— Rogers. Fred Rogers. (@ISeeAndHearYinz) February 17, 2018

Crazy, Stupid, Tunnels #CPRomanceMovies

— william j. moner (@williamj) February 17, 2018

Four Weddings and a Cookie Table #CPRomanceMovies

— Marla (@marlabanana) February 17, 2018

#CPRomanceMovies The Bridges of Allegheny County. @PGHCityPaper

— Bob Foley (@bobf_vstpgh) February 17, 2018

Yinz Actually #CPRomanceMovies

— V C Superstar (@Mamapajama1955) February 17, 2018

Four Primanti Bros. Sandwiches and a Funeral #CPRomanceMovies pic.twitter.com/VeGsXAhnLJ

— Rogers. Fred Rogers. (@ISeeAndHearYinz) February 17, 2018

We know you like snackable content.  It’s okay – we do, too.  That’s why the Marketing Department here at City Paper put on its thinkin’ cap and decided our readers need a little something extra to get through the day – queue CP Extra. 

We’ve already started creating content for you – lists, quizzes, crazy Pittsburgh conspiracies, stories about what we had for lunch – but we’d love to hear your thoughts, opinions, angry comments, whatever it may be to make sure we deliver the best content just for you.  After all, yinz keep us going – and we want to thank you.

That being said, please take 3-5 minutes to answer a couple questions about what online content you love most, and we’ll get crackin’ on bringing it right to you.

Thank you,

City Paper Marketing Department

Some cities drop pickles, roses and bologna at midnight. But on Highmark First Night, the ball rises as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve.

Now in its 24th year, Highmark First Night, sponsored by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, returns on Dec. 31 with more than 100 events throughout Downtown's 14-block Cultural District. (While some First Night performances and attractions take place outdoors, most are indoors.)

This year’s theme, as announced this morning at a press conference Downtown, is “Love, Peace, Pittsburgh.”

The festivities begin at 6 p.m. with children’s fireworks sponsored by Dollar Bank on the Highmark Stage. Afterward, steelpan band Barrels to Beethoven kicks off the night's musical performances with its energetic tropical sound.

Other attractions include the Allegheny Health Network Parade, with Grand Marshal Randy Gilson, artist and creator of the North Side's Randyland, at 8 p.m.; performances by Arcade Comedy Theater’s Penny Arcade, at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Player One, at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. at its new location at 811 Liberty Ave.; and Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers at the Benedum Center, at 7 p.m.

Outdoor warming and cell-phone charging stations return this year, and are located at the August Wilson Center and Katz Plaza.

Lee Fields & The Expressions headline the night, performing soul and funk anthems from 10:45 p.m. to 12:10 a.m. at the Highmark stage, at Liberty and Stanwix. During the performance, Lee and company will ring in the New Year with the raising of the Future of Pittsburgh Ball and Zambelli fireworks.

Admission buttons for First Night are $10, and are free for children 5 and under. They are available online at www.firstnightpgh.trustarts.org, in person at the box office at Theater Square on 655 Penn Ave.; or by phone at 412-456-6666. They are also available at a $1 discount with an Advantage Card at participating Giant Eagle stores.

For $40, attendees can purchase First Night Friend VIP buttons that grant access to priority seating, parking and a private lounge in the O’Reilly Theater, where they can relax with hot beverages and sweet treats.

For more information and a complete list of events, visit www.firstnightpgh.trustarts.org.

From being the backdrop for films like The Dark Knight Rises and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Pittsburgh is known for its small but mighty role in the film industry. But it all started in 1905, with a small storefront theater begun on Smithfield Street by Harry Davis and John P. Harris.

The Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) is honoring that history in time for Light-Up Night beginning tonight with a pop-up nickelodeon at 811 Liberty Ave., transforming the former Arcade Comedy Theater space into a 20th-century theater with donated banquet chairs from the David Lawrence Convention Center and a fresh coat of paint.

“There isn’t a whole lot of exposure in Pittsburgh about the nickelodeon and Pittsburgh’s role as the birthplace of the commercial movie-theater industry,” says THS executive director Richard Fosbrink. “We thought, ‘What can we do to make the public aware of this?’ so we decided to do a recreated nickelodeon.”

The Nickelodeon will screen classic silent short films, including Edwin S. Porter's "The Great Train Robbery," from 1903, Georges Méliès' groundbreaking 1902 short "A Trip to the Moon" and a 1910 silent version of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol,” plus short films introducing the Theatre Historical Society of America — all for just a nickel.

The Nickelodeon also features an exhibit on Pittsburgh’s role in the film industry, beginning with Harris and Davis’ Nickelodeon.

The pop-up Nickelodeon runs through First Night festivities — Sunday, Dec. 31 — and is open from noon to 7 p.m. every day except Monday, when it is closed.

THS, which recently relocated to Pittsburgh, is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the history of America's theaters, and showcasing their role in American architectural, cultural and social history.

For more information about the pop-up, visit www.historictheatres.org.

Michael Griffin defines death-defying. As a two-time World Magic Award-winner and escape artist, the Pittsburgh local has survived a hanging while on the back of a horse and, in a separate stunt, while being submerged in the ocean trapped in Harry Houdini’s original underwater box. Griffin has been featured on Masters of Illusion, America's Got Talent and Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

On Aug. 12, at 7:30 p.m., Griffin will perform his latest interactive show, 50 Shades of Great, at the Oaks Theater in Oakmont. The program is filled with mind experiments, dangerous stunts and audience participation.

As a special challenge, if 200 tickets or more are sold by Aug. 10, Griffin will be handcuffed and attached with 30 pounds of chains to a cement block and dropped into the Allegheny River at noon on Aug. 11. The location has yet to be specified.

Tickets for 50 Shades of Great range from $17 to $25 for VIP front table seating.

The Oaks Theater is at 310 Allegheny River Blvd., in Oakmont.

SouthSide Works Exposed is back for its 12th year, partnering with I Made It! crafts marketplace to bring nearly 70 local artisans to South 27th Street for a packed three-day weekend. Handmade crafts in all sorts of media will be available for purchase each day. 

Live bands will perform throughout the weekend. Friday will feature Tres Lads and Bastard Bearded Irishmen, while Saturday showcases Shelley Duff, The Delaney’s, Lyndsey Smith & Soul Distribution, Kierra Darshell & Drag Performers and closer No Bad JuJu.

Sunday is Kids Day, with live animals, a magic show, kids' Zumba and a set from Kelsey Friday and the Rest of the Week Band. 

Additionally, about 10 food trucks, with menu items ranging from Japanese cuisine to gourmet meatballs to the timeless pierogie, will be available through the festival.

SouthSide Works Exposed takes place 5-10 p.m. tomorrow; noon-10 p.m. on Sat., July 9; and noon-5 p.m., on Sun., July 10. Admission is free. For more information, including a full schedule, see here. 

The festival is centered at the corner of Sidney and South 27th streets, on the South Side.