BLACK AND GOLD will be on display at Mellon Arena Saturday when the Pittsburgh Penguins play their first game on home ice of the 2008-09 season. The loyalty and spending power of Pens fans has been building. Currently at the height of its popularity, the team has sold out a club-record 67 consecutive games, and another sold-out season is expected. The Penguins have the highest TV rating in the league and also are No. 1 league-wide in the sale of team merchandise, particularly anything bearing the name of captain Sidney Crosby. After the team started the season yesterday in the unusual location of Stockholm, Sweden, it will be fun to watch the flightless birds back on home ice again.

SOMETIMES, even in Pittsburgh, black and gold must give way to other colors. Here and across the nation, more and more construction workers, crossing guards and those who work perilously close to moving vehicles are dumping their day-glo orange signs and clothing for neon yellow-green. Ultraviolet rays from sunlight excite the fluorescent colors, making them more visible than traditional orange, particularly at dawn and dusk. The Federal Highway Administration tested the difference and found that motorists slowed down more when yellow-green was the color of choice at school crossings. The shade may be too bold for a fashion statement, but this one's all about pedestrian safety.

COLOR IS MORE than utilitarian; sometimes it's just fun. The dozen giant sculptures dotting the town square at The Waterfront in Homestead are the latest examples of how art can enliven a public space. The aluminum icons, 2 to 5 feet tall, depict figures including a dancing boy, a curly-haired girl, a cat and a dog, a butterfly and a snake. The work of self-taught Brazilian artist Romero Britto will be on display until Oct. 19. By then, the autumn leaves should be ready to take over with their own vibrant show.