By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor

The Northside is saddened by the death of one of its most prominent citizens, as Gus & Yiayia’s owner Gus Kalaris passed away on June 28, at the age of 92.

Such was Kalaris’ prominence that his death was announced by the City of Pittsburgh Facebook page. The post in question, at time of writing, has nearly 3,000 likes and more than 450 comments on it, as well as more than 4,500 shares.

Gus & Yiayia’s was first opened in 1934 by Gus’ father. Yiayia, a Greek term for grandmother, originally referred to Gus’ mother.

Gus took over the stand when he was 18 years old in 1951, with his wife Stella Kalaris later becoming the new Yiayia. The orange cart, which can be found in Allegheny Commons Park, proudly announced its history with the iconic quote “On The Northside Since Your Dad Was A Lad.” It is most famous for its ice balls, but also features popcorn and peanuts.

In the wake of Gus’ passing, many fans of the cart have turned out to pay their respects. The Gus & Yiayia’s Facebook page has been inundated with memorial posts, while flowers and a memorial sign have been placed near the stand.

At a memorial held on July 20, Mayor Ed Gainey and Councilman Bobby Wilson announced their intention to rename a section of West Ohio Street — where Gus & Yiayia’s is located — after Gus.

“Us at Gus & Yiayia’s, we can’t thank the community enough,” said Michael Spanos, the cart’s manager. “There’s not enough words to express how gracious they’ve been with their condolences and kind words. We don’t know what we can say.”

Lynne Weber and Doug Sterling, both residents of the Mexican War Streets, were two such members of the public who visited the cart in the week after Gus’ death in part to pay tribute to the longtime owner. The married couple learned of Gus’ passing when a prayer was given to him at their church.

The two had started going to the cart more than 40 years ago, and have fond memories of visiting. Weber said she particularly loved Gus’ “big smile” whenever someone visited the cart, while Sterling enjoyed the funny anecdotes Gus would share.

“I just remember I came down here one time and said ‘Gus, you must have the strongest wrists in Pittsburgh from all those icy balls,’” Sterling said. “And he said ‘I’ve got carpal tunnel in both!’” The couple had brought their grandson, who was visiting from out of town, to the cart with them to enjoy an ice ball in Gus’ memory.

Christina Avlon, one of Gus’s daughters, told The Chronicle about her dad’s love for Allegheny Commons Park.

“It was his life,” she said. “It was totally his life here (in Allegheny Commons), and I’m so glad they’ve done all these improvements.”

In fact, the family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy in support of Allegheny Commons in Gus’ memory.

“That’s why we picked that (organization),” Avlon said. “Because we want everything to go to the beautification of the Allegheny Commons area.”

While many people know about the Gus & Yiayia’s cart, Avlon said one thing only older fans remember is the concession trailer Gus used to have before the expansion of the National Aviary. Gus would serve cotton candy and other snacks at the trailer, which was located near a bandstand which would see local performances.

Raymond Meyer, a neighbor of Gus’, recalled visiting Gus & Yiayia’s as early as 5 years old.

“If you played Little League and your team won, your coach took you over for an ice ball,” Meyer said.

Meyer said Gus “treated everyone with respect,” regardless of their backgrounds, and that the stand served as a place Northsiders could come together.

“It didn’t matter what race you were, what age you were, what value you had,” he said. “When you were standing in line, everyone was talking about how great Gus was and how great Gus’ ice balls were.”

“It was one of those things all Northsiders were proud of,” he added.

A memorial poster covered in signatures by customers was set up on a fence near Gus & Yiayia’s shortly after Kalaris’ passing. Photo by Sean P. Ray

Many prominent Northsiders have their own fond memories of Gus and shared their experiences with The Chronicle. Former Northside Leadership Conference Executive Director Mark Fatla said he passed by Gus just about daily when leaving his Beech Avenue home, and made it a tradition to visit the stand whenever summer started.

“You knew the summer was beginning because the kids got to go see Gus,” he said.

Fatla recalled an incident where Gus had acquired a box of old photographs, many from around the Northside, and gave one with significant meaning to Fatla: one depicting the front of Fatla’s house.

“Gus saw that picture, recognized that it was my house and pulled it out of the pile to give to me,” he said.

Fatla called Gus & Yiayia’s “quintessentially Northside,” and described visiting the cart as a shared tradition among all Northsiders. He also praised Gus for his establishment of a memorial scholarship fund with the Leadership Conference after Stella died.

“That was typical of Gus,” Fatla said. “He lost his wife and he took that as an opportunity to help kids on the Northside.”

Former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, who lives on the Northside, described Gus as “sort of the center of the party,” and “always incredibly joyful.”

“He was a rare individual in today’s world,” Murphy said. “Black, white, rich, poor, didn’t matter. He was a unifier.”

Murphy said he’s been going to Gus & Yiayia’s for around 50 years, and kept it up even when he became mayor. In fact, right after he was elected, he visited the stand to get his favorite ice ball flavor, rootbeer, which led to a humorous interaction.

“Gus made me an extra-big rootbeer and he didn’t want me to pay for it,” Murphy said. “And I said ‘Gus, I can’t come here if I can’t pay for it.’ And he said ‘You’re the man now, you don’t pay for it.’”

The cart’s future

In the wake of Gus’ passing, rumors have arisen regarding the cart’s future. Spanos wishes to assure the Northside that the cart isn’t going anywhere.

He said the cart will remain open for the rest of the summer on a schedule of Friday through Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Once winter time hits, we’re going to sit down, evaluate and see what days of the week we can do for next year,” he said.

Above all, however, he had one message made clear.

“No matter what anybody says, it’s staying,” he said.