CITY COUNCIL PROCLAIMS: OCTOBER 16, 2025, IS 'OFF THE RECORD DAY' IN PITTSBURGH!
From left, Pittsburgh City Council Member Erika Strassburger, Brian Lysell, Council President R. Daniel Lavelle, Sharon Eberson, R.J. Hufnagel, Christine Laitta, Council Member Bob Charland, Jamie Hudzik, Council Member Anthony Coghill, Council Member Deb Gross, Council Member Theresa Kail-Smith. (Photo by Maria Sciullo)
PITTSBURGH CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ISSUED
THE FOLLOWING PROCLAMATION ON TUESDAY, SEPT. 9, 2025:
WHEREAS, since presenting its inaugural show on Oct. 10, 2001, the musical-comedy stageproduction Off the Record has raised nearly $800,000 to help our neighbors in need through Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank; and,
WHEREAS, for each $1 donation, the Food Bank is able to provide three meals for those with food insecurities in Southwestern Pennsylvania, a region where 10% of the population faces hunger; and,
WHEREAS, the need to support organizations like Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank continues to rise in the face of federal budget cuts and an uncertain economic future; and,
WHEREAS, for the past 24 years, Off the Record has consistently brought laughter and smiles to those attending, and has brought our community closer together to share a much-needed laugh at itself, year after year; and,
WHEREAS, Off the Record is an all-union show, presented through the collaboration of three local labor organizations – SAG-AFTRA Ohio-Pittsburgh, the United Steelworkers and the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh/CWA; and,
WHEREAS, the members of these unions have regularly donated their time and talents each year to live up to the motto that “the show must go on”; and,
WHEREAS, even in 2020 and 2021, during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, Off the Record continued to provide laughter to our community and much-needed funds for the Food Bank by presenting online shows; and,
WHEREAS, the Off the Record show is almost exclusively a volunteer endeavor, the result of countless hours of work and thousands of dollars in donations of money and goods from Pittsburgh-area residents, organizations, businesses, and community groups; and,
WHEREAS, on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, those volunteers and sponsors will present Off the Record XXV at the Byham Theater, the 25th edition of the Off the Record show; and,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the members of Pittsburgh City Council offer their heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all those involved with Off the Record since its inception on their 25th show and for all of their efforts to make Pittsburgh a healthier place to live by providing food for those in need, and by generating laughter and togetherness when we need them the most; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, to be “Off the Record Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.
Sponsored by Councilpersons Bob Charland and Erika StrassburgerCo-sponsored by Councilmembers Bobby Wilson, Theresa Kail-Smith, Anthony Coghill, Barbara Warwick, R. Daniel Lavelle, Deb Gross, and Khari Mosley