What’s Happening: Dec. 1
SHOP@USC sets Holiday hours
SHOP@USC will host a special HolidaySHOP to stock up on gifts and cards for your Panther fans, friends and family. Visit SHOP@USC from 8-11 a.m. on Dec. 3, 6, 10, 13 and 17 in the Upper St. Clair High School theater lobby. Items for sale include: specially-designed greeting cards; holiday specialty items and Upper St. Clair spirit gear.
SHOP@USC (Showing How Opportunity Pays @ Upper St. Clair) is a nationally-recognized, fully-inclusive student-run business housed within Upper St. Clair High School’s Innovation Hub. Students in the Life Skills program and their regular education partners design and manufacture USC spirit-wear products while learning how to develop a business plan that includes all aspects such as pricing, marketing, sales and inventory of products. For more information, contact Michelle Zirngibl, SHOP@USC coordinator, at SHOP@USCsd.k12.pa.us.
Holiday vendor/craft show
Christ United Methodist Church in Bethel Park is hosting a holiday vendor/craft show from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 7. Continental breakfast, lunch, refreshments and “cookie bar” will be available. Admission is free. For more information call Mary Ann Weber at 412-835-6661.
S.H. Assembly of God programs
Life Recovery, a confidential Christian recovery group for any addiction, holds an open meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at South Hills Assembly of God, 2725 Bethel Church Road in Bethel Park.
Family Rescue, support and healing for family members and loved ones negatively impacted by addiction, also meets at 7 and then separates into its own small group.
Also at the church, Grief Share meets from 6:30 to 8:30 pm Thursdays through Dec. 5 or from 10 a.m. to noon Fridays through Dec. 6. The class consists of DVD teaching, followed by time for discussion and sharing. Registration is $15, which includes workbook and weekly handouts.
Woman’s Club Holiday Event
The December gathering for the Bethel Woman’s Club will be held Dec. 11 at the South Hills Elks Lodge, 2789 South Park Road, Bethel Park. There will be a social get-together at 11:30 a.m. with lunch served at noon. Information on reservations can be found by calling Pat at 412-831-1861. Checks for the luncheon must be received no later than Dec. 6.
Following lunch, our entertainment will be provided by Sandy Lusco Hoffman, singer, songwriter and guitarist. Come out and enjoy an uplifting afternoon of listening to Sandy’s inspirational and holiday music. All South Hills women are invited to attend. Sarris candy bars will be available (great stocking stuffers) with profits benefiting both Meals on Wheels and SHIM.
Chamber to hold holiday luncheon
The Peters Township Chamber of Commerce will host its annual holiday luncheon, presented by Community Bank, on Dec. 12 at Bella Sera, 414 Morganza Road, Cecil Township.
Registration and networking starts at 11 a.m., and the luncheon and program is at 11:45. Pete Hewlett and Scott Anderson will present musical entertainment, presented by Stahl Sheaffer Engineering. The public is welcome to attend. Reservations are accepted through Dec. 5 at www.peterstownshipchamber.com.
Holy Trinity Cookie Sale
Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Cathedral will be selling cookies by the pound, nut rolls, apricot rolls, poppy seed rolls, nut horns, lady locks and more from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 14. Cookies will be sold at $10 per pound and all nut, apricot or poppyseed rolls will be $15 each.
In addition, the church is taking online pre-orders for the rolls at $15 each for pickup the day of the sale. Pre-order nut horns or lady locks for $10 per dozen. To pre-order online, email htcnutroll@gmail.com with your name and phone number and indicate what it is you wish to pre-order. Pre-orders must be received by Dec. 8. Quantities are limited for pre-ordering.
Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Cathedral is located at 450 Maxwell Drive, Pittsburgh PA 15236, just off of Route 51 in Whitehall.
USC concerts
The Upper St. Clair Performing Arts Department presents a series of concerts and performances by students of all ages. All start at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public:
Dec. 9 – Boyce Orchestra Winter Concert, Boyce Middle School theater;
Dec. 10 – Fort Couch Band Concert, Upper St. Clair High School theater;
Dec. 11 – Boyce Winter Band Concert, Boyce theater;
Dec. 12 – Fort Couch/Boyce Winter Chorus Concert, high school theater;
Dec. 17 – High School Choir Concert, high school theater;
Dec. 18: Fort Couch Orchestra Concert, high school theater;
Dec. 19 – High School Winter Instrumental Concert, high school theater;
Jan. 8: Elementary Combined Choral Concert, high school theater;
Jan. 15: Combined Strings Concert, high school theater.
‘Festival of the Nativity’
Unity Presbyterian Church will hold its “Festival of the Nativity” Dec. 6-8 at 1146 Greentree Road, Green Tree. Hours of the free festival are 6-9 p.m. Dec. 6, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 7, and 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 8.
Women’s Club holiday auction
Dorothy Holden will once again serve as auctioneer at the Ruthfred Acres Woman’s Club Annual Christmas Dinner and Charity Auction on Dec. 11. She will be auctioning off beautiful holiday baskets and food items donated by members. All proceeds this season will be given toward the renovation of the Schoolhouse Arts Center in Bethel Park. The spirit of the season was also evident at the Club’s Nov. 12 meeting when members donated 57 toys and books to Operation Troop Appreciation for their annual holiday drive. The members of the RAWC take seriously their motto, “Better Homes and a Better Community.” For more Club information, please call Pat at 412-833-3034.
Live Nativity in Bethel Park
Community of Christ, 3472 South Park Road, Bethel Park, is hosting a free drive-through live Nativity from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 14. Enjoy eight outdoor scenes with live actors and animals. Volunteers are sought to help set up the scenes on Dec. 7 and during the week before the event to prepare costumes ready, repair scenery and fill luminary jugs. For more information, contact Janet at 412-805-7194 or jmeyer374@gmail.com.
BP holiday concerts
Bethel Park School District will host a series of holiday music concerts, which are free and open to the public:
Neil Armstrong Middle School Choral Concert – 7 p.m. Dec. 4 at Independence Middle School, 2807 Bethel Church Road;
Neil Armstrong Middle School Band Concert – 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at Bethel Park High School, 309 Church Road;
Independence Middle School Seventh Grade Holiday Concert – 7 p.m. Dec. 10;
George Washington Elementary School Holiday Sing-A-Long – 7 p.m. Dec. 11 at Bethel Park High School;
Independence Middle School Eighth Grade Holiday Concert – 7 p.m. Dec. 12
Neil Armstrong Middle School Fifth Grade Strings Concert – 6:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at Neil Armstrong, 5800 Murray Ave.;
Neil Armstrong Middle School Sixth Grade Strings Concert – 7: 30 p.m. Dec. 16;
Bethel Park High School Holiday Concert – 7 p.m. Dec. 18.
Soup, Stroll scheduled
Peters Creek Historical Society will host the annual Soup and Stroll, from noon to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at the historic Enoch Wright House, Museum of Westward Expansion, 815 Venetia Road, Peters Township. A supper with homemade soup and desserts, artisan bread and beverage will be served. An invitation to stroll through the house, mining room, Father Christmas and log cabin is extended to all who visit.
For more information, visit www.peterscreekhistoricalsociety.org, or call 724-746-3203 or 724-348-6406.
USC Light Up For Unity Night
Upper St. Clair residents are invited to join their community members and neighbors at dusk on Dec. 8 for Upper St. Clair’s first annual Light Up For Unity Night. Three community groups – the Community Foundation of Upper St. Clair, the Upper St. Clair/Bethel Park Breakfast Rotary Club, and the Upper St. Clair Band Parents Association, along with sponsor Brentwood Bank – are coming together to host Light Up for Unity Night to celebrate our community and its differences.
To participate, Upper St. Clair residents need only to set out luminaria on Dec. 8 at dusk. Community members are further encouraged to turn on their assembled holiday outdoor light displays to fully engage in this community-inspired opportunity. Luminaria kits can be purchased from all Upper St. Clair High School instrumental students, who will make and deliver the kits on Dec. 7. The kits can also be ordered online at www.uscbpa.org. The deadline to place an order is Dec. 2. For more information, contact Amanda McQuillan at bpaluminaria@gmail.com or call 412-726-5949.
McMurray Lions sale
McMurray Lions Club is selling Koeze Nut products, including cashews, mixed nuts, chocolates, caramel crunch and more. Proceeds go directly to help local Lions charities. For a complete listing of products and pricing, visit www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/mcmurray. Order before Dec. 3.
Holiday cookie sale
St. Gregory Byzantine Catholic Church at 2005 Mohawk Road (Brookside Farms) in Upper St. Clair is inviting the public to its ninth Annual Taste of Heaven Cookie Sale featuring ethnic delicacies, traditional holiday cookies and everyday favorites from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 7. Cash or check only. For additional information call 412-835-7800.
Christmas at Neville House
Celebrate the Christmas holiday season by candlelight at Woodville Plantation as the organization commemorates holiday traditions and music of the early to mid 19th century. Tour the Neville House at 1375 Washington Pike, Bridgeville, and experience holiday music performed in the parlour, and hear of traditions and stories from Christmas past. Candlelight Christmas will take place Dec. 8, with tours starting at 5 p.m., with the last tour departing at 8 p.m. Tickets for “A Candlelight Christmas — Celebrating Christmas Past” are currently on sale, and cost $10 for adults and $5 for children. Reservations are appreciated but not required. For more information, call at 412-221-0348 or email tiffanyatnevillehouse@gmail.com.
Scholarship fundraiser
A fundraiser to benefit the Scott Beynon Memorial Scholarship Fund will be held at 3 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Library Volunteer Fire Hall when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Arizona Cardinals. Tickets are $50 for adults, $60 at the door and $20 for children 10 and under. Includes pre-game snacks, dinner by Cyd West Comfort Catering, beer and mixers. BYOB. Tickets are available at Evey Hardware, Beynon’s Service Center or by calling Ann Henney at 412-576-1932. Tickets will be sold for basket and TV raffles at the event. Funds will be used for a student pursuing continuing education in automotive technology.
Holiday party
The South Hills Women’s Club will have its holiday party on Dec. 9. The group will meet at Houlihan’s at the Galleria at 6:30 p.m. with dinner at 7. For more information on the club, call Susan at 412-257-1057.
Panel discussion
The Youth Steering Committee of Upper St. Clair is hosting a panel discussion, “Vaping … Addictive, Dangerous and Deadly,” at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Community and Recreation Center at Boyce Mayview Park. The program is free and open to the public.
Chanukah Toy Drive
Chabad of the South Hills is conducting its annual Chanukah toy drive for hospitalized and underprivileged children.
New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday until Dec. 20 at 1701 McFarland Road, Mt. Lebanon. For more information, call 412-278-2658.
Christmas Bake Sale
St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, 601 Boone Ave., Canonsburg, is having a Christmas Bake Sale and Cookie Walk from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 14. Advance orders are being taken for nut, poppy and apricot rolls. Please call 724-743-0231 by Dec. 8.
Chanukah Festival
The annual South Hills Lights Community Chanukah Festival is scheduled for 5 p.m. Dec. 22 at Potomac and Belrose avenues, Dormont.
Featured will be a concert with Oneg Shemesh from New York, along with the lighting of a 12-foot Menorah to be dressed in winter gear to be distributed to the needy. Hot latkes, doughnuts and hot drinks will be served, and every child receives chocolate gelt and glow-in-the-dark Chanukah swag.
The event is open to everyone. RSVP at www.chabadsh.com/lights or mussie@chabadsh.com, or by calling 412.344.2424. All advance RSVPs will be entered into a raffle.