😌 Happy Friday! Find a sunny spot to lounge this weekend.

🌫️ Today's weather: Showers and patchy fog, high near 82.

🎧 Sounds like: "Paint The Town Red" by Doja Cat.

Today's newsletter is 936 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Brighton Heights cats will have their day in the sun at Pittsburgh’s inaugural cat walk.

The big picture: Inspired by Minneapolis' popular Wedge Live! Cat Tour, organizers Heather Costello and Carlin Christy will lead a 90-minute stroll designed for prime cat-spotting while raising money for local cat rescues.

How it works: Meet at Legion Memorial Park in Brighton Heights at noon Aug. 22 for a 12:30-2pm guided walk to about 20 pre-registered homes over 2.5 miles.

• North Side cats of all ages, makes and models will be waiting in windows, doorways and on porches.

What to expect: CATS, from a 20-year-old Bengal named Sausage to other A-listers like Pippin, Penny, Ember and Zoey.

• Plus: Giant cat puppets, a catio from Frankie’s Friends, snacks for purchase and raffles for handmade items, including a quilt.
• There will be painted cat rocks hidden along the route and homemade signs cheering on the toe-beaned talent. Visitors are encouraged to make their own signs and dress on theme.
• Cat nonprofits will be on hand with volunteer opportunities.

What they’re saying: "It’ll almost be like a cat parade through the city," Christy tells Axios. "People can bring their cats in strollers or backpacks. It's family-friendly, we can take pictures and maybe we'll have some bonus cat sightings if the feral strays in the neighborhood cross our paths."

• They hope to grow it into an annual event, Christy adds.

Zoom in: The route is mostly flat with an optional hill, Costello says, and walkers can join or leave any time. Wear comfortable shoes, bring water and check social media for the final route.

• No tickets required; a $10-$20 donation per person is suggested, with all proceeds benefiting Pittsburgh Paw Project and Frankie’s Friends. Donate at the raffle table.

Context: Organizers say they tapped into the "crazy cat lady network" and other neighborhood connections, often built through petsitting and Brighton Heights porch parties, to recruit neighbors to feature their cats on the tour.

What’s next: The two-person operation still needs volunteers. Message Pittsburgh Cat Walk on Instagram or Facebook to see how you can help.

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Finally, you can hoist a cone into your mouth.

The intrigue: The Pirates have gone viral this season for their "Hoist The Cone" celebration. Fans can now receive a limited-edition, PNC-branded traffic cone holder free with their ice cream purchase at select PNC Park locations in for the last remaining Sunday games this season.

• That's this Sunday against the Red Sox, and then on Sept 6. and Sept. 20. Tickets

Pro tip: Get to the game early, while supplies last.

Context: "Hoist The Cone" started with a T-shirt that mistakenly printed "hoist the cone," likely instead of "hoist the colors."

• The error was posted by a third party online, per a PNC press release.
• Pirates fans embraced it anyway, and players started to hoist traffic cones after big hits.
• Fans across Pittsburgh even started stealing real traffic cones and posting on social media.

What they're saying

👷 Wegmans broke ground yesterday on its first Pittsburgh-area store. The 115,000-square-foot Cranberry location is set to open in fall 2027. (KDKA)

🌴 Point Park University is in talks to open a campus in Bradenton, Florida, with early plans focused on its Conservatory of Performing Arts.

• Bradenton already has ties to Pittsburgh as the Pirates' spring training home for nearly 60 years. (TribLive)

🚂 Watch this video of a slow freight train derailment Tuesday on the Horseshoe Curve outside of Altoona. No injuries or spills of hazardous materials were reported. The train was rerailed and site cleaned by Wednesday morning. (WJAC)

🛒 The former Rite Aid at the corner of Forbes and Murray avenues in Squirrel Hill is set to become a 12,000-square-foot kosher grocery store called Murray Avenue Market. (WTAE)

🦢 Grey Swan, an AI security company, is expanding into a 19,000-square-foot office in Bakery Square, more than quadrupling its footprint in the city's growing AI Avenue. (Press release)

Grab a kind bud and head over to Allegheny Commons Park East this Sunday for the free Pittsburgh Cannabis Fest.

State of play: Recreational cannabis is still illegal in Pennsylvania. The festival is about connecting medical-marijuana users and new potential patients to operators, vendors and advocacy groups that can elaborate on the legal world of cannabis.

• Reminder: You can’t actually partake in marijuana products at the festival.

Pro tip: A medical-marijuana card is not required to attend.

If you go: Allegheny Commons Park East, near the corner of East Ohio Street and Cedar Avenue.

• 11am-5pm.
• Learn more here.

The big picture

Add another reopened bridge to Pittsburgh's summer construction season.

The big picture: The Panther Hollow Bridge reopens this morning at 8am, reconnecting Phipps to the Schenley Park pool after a nearly two-year closure.

Context: The 130-year-old bridge was closed to traffic in October 2024.

• Crews repaired dozens of truss joints and bearings, repaired curbs and sidewalks, installed a protective coating and gave the whole bridge a new coat of white paint.

By the numbers: Before the closure, it carried over 5,300 vehicles and hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists daily, per the city.

🐾 Chrissy manifested this moment and she can’t wait to see Sausage the geriatric cat.

😬 Ryan enjoys cats, but is more of a dog person.

• "BOOOO" — Chrissy

Thanks to Tyler Buchanan for editing this newsletter.