Feb 9, 2020 9 min read

Genealogy society meets

The Mt. Lebanon Genealogy Society will meet at 1 p.m. Feb. 17 at Mt. Lebanon Public Library, 16 Castle Shannon Blvd.

The speaker will be Elissa Scalise Powell, certified genealogist and certified genealogical lecturer. The subject of her presentation will be “Sailing into the Sunset: Finding Ancestors on Passenger Lists.” The meeting is free and open to the public.

Woman’s club guest speaker

The Woman’s Club of Upper St. Clair will present guest speaker Gisele Fetterman for a program and lunch starting at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 18, 44 Highland Road, Bethel Park.

Gisele, wife of Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, will speak about the Braddock Free Store, which receives surplus and donated goods and redistributes them to neighbors in need. What began as a Braddock project grew to serve residents all of Allegheny County.

The public is welcome. Admission is $15. Reservations are required by Feb. 14. Call 412-833-1262.

Chabad seniors lunch

A presentation on “Seven Steps to a Healthier Heart” will be featured at the seniors lunch scheduled for noon Feb. 19 at Chabad of the South Hills, 1701 McFarland Road, Mt. Lebanon.

A $5 donation is suggested. The venue is wheelchair-accessible.

RSVP to barb@chabadsh.com or call 412-278-2658.

Bethel Park Women’s Club

The monthly meeting for the Bethel Women’s Club will be held Feb. 19 at the South Hills Elks Lodge, 2789 South Park Road, Bethel Park. A social gathering at 11:30 a.m. is followed by lunch at noon. For reservations, call Pat at 412-831-1861. Checks for the luncheon must be received no later than Feb. 14.

The program will be presented by Kim Geyer of Sarris Candies Inc., sharing the story and the history of the company. All South Hills women are invited to attend. Sarris candy bars will be available, with profits benefiting Meals on Wheels and South Hills Interfaith Movement.

Applications for the Bethel Women’s Club scholarship will be available in the Bethel Park High School counseling office beginning March 1. The applications are due by April 15. The theme for the 100-word essay is “Do Unto Others.” For more information, call Pat Griffith, club president, at 412-854-2010.

Blood drive at Spencer Family Y

A blood drive is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 22 at Spencer Family YMCA, 305 Church Road, Bethel Park.

Schedule an appointment by visiting vitalant.org and search with group code C4030033 or call Kathy from Vitalant at 412-209-7622.

Bethel Park flea market

Bethel Park Historical Society will host an indoor flea market from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Schoolhouse Arts and History Center, 2600 South Park Road.

Vendor tables are available for $25. All items must be contained on an 8-foot table provided by the historical society. No furniture or bulky items may be brought into the schoolhouse.

The historical society is also accepting donations for the sale. Items may be dropped off at the center between 6 and 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Proceeds from the sale will be used to fund ongoing restoration efforts at the center.

For more information or to reserve a table, please call Lisa at 412-400-9192 or e-mail LisaJ515@comcast.

Suicide prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2017, more than 47,000 people died from suicide, resulting in about one death every 11 minutes. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for ages 15 to 34.

To educate the community about suicide prevention, the Peters Township Public Library will partner with Prevent Suicide PA to host “Question. Persuade. Refer: Suicide Prevention” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 24. At the training session, a certified QPR trainer will explain the three simple steps that anyone can learn to decrease suicidal behaviors and save lives. The session will discuss how to recognize risk factors and the tools available to help prevent suicide.

Register to attend online at ptlibrary.org/events or call 724.941.9430, ext. 1. For more information, visit preventsuicidepa.org.

Pancake dinners

• A Fat Tuesday pancake dinner will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb 25 at Center Presbyterian Church, 255 Center Church Road, Peters Township.

Good, old-fashioned plain pancakes will be complemented by varieties including chocolate chip, blueberry and gluten-free. Also on the menu are sausages and fruit.

Proceeds benefit mission partners of Center Presbyterian, including Family Promise, Greater Washington Food Bank and Pine Springs Camp. For more information, call 724-941-9050.

• The youth group at Bethel Presbyterian Church is hosting a Fat Tuesday pancake dinner from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Feb. 25.

The dinner includes three pancakes, two pieces of sausage, applesauce, juice, milk and coffee. Cost is is $5 for children 5 and under and for seniors 60 and older and $8 for adults. Proceeds will benefit youth programs and mission work.

The church is at 2999 Bethel Church Road, Bethel Park. For more information, call the church office at 412-835-0405.

Church pyrohy, haluska sale

St. Pius X Byzantine Catholic Church, 2336 Brownsville Road, Carrick, will hold its annual pyrohy and haluska sale from noon to 5 p.m. Feb. 28.

Varieties include potato and cheese, sauerkraut and cottage cheese. For more information or to place an order in advance, call the church at 412-881-8344.

Bethel Art Guild meeting

Bethel Art Guild will meet at 12:30 p.m. March 5 at the Bethel Park Community Center, 5151 Park Ave.

The speaker is David Wadsworth, who discovered his passion for painting in 2007, and he has been painting almost every day since. His paintings feature cityscapes and landscapes, many from the surrounding communities of Pittsburgh. He uses bold contrasts and simplification with his impressionistic style of oil painting.

His art is also influenced and inspired by his full-time job. He works at a local ministry for those seeking recovery from homelessness and addiction.

The guild’s juried Spring Show is scheduled for March 6-15 at the Galleria of Mt. Lebanon.

Chabad hosts Purim lunch

Purim seniors lunch is scheduled for noon March 3 at at Chabad of the South Hills, 1701 McFarland Road, Mt. Lebanon.

Featured will be a holiday program and chair exercises presented by Club Pilates. Suggested donation is $5. The venue is wheelchair-accessible. Call 412-278-2658 to register.

Benefit Cash and Prize Bash

A Cash and Prize Bash sponsored by the Bethel Park Lions Club is scheduled for 6 to 10 p.m. March 7 at the Bethel Park Community Center, 5151 Park Ave. The price is $55 per person, and only 200 tickets will be sold.

The ticket includes hors d’oeuvres, dinner, dessert and drinks, plus the opportunity to win cash prizes. There are also raffle baskets, a 50/50 raffle, door prizes and games.

All proceeds go to Lions charities and Bethel Park community organizations. Please bring your unwanted eyeglasses to be donated to the needy.

To purchase tickets or for information, call Sandi Demas at 412-854-2740.

Purim In the Air

Chabad of South Hills presents Purim In the Air at 5 p.m. March 10 at the South Hills Jewish Community Center, 345 Kane Blvd., Scott Township.

Featured will be a SkyBar, “in-flight” entertainment and a meal served airplane-style. Costumes are welcome.

The event celebrates the holiday of Purim, which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an Achaemenid Persian Empire official who was planning to kill them, as recounted in the Book of Esther.

For reservations or more information, visit www.chabadsh.com or call 412-344-2424.

Children’s choir ‘Bridges of Song’

South Hills Children’s Choir hosts the annual “Bridges of Song” from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 21 at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 905 E. McMurray Road, Peters Township, with teaching artist Joy Hirokawa, director of the Bel Canto Youth Choir.

Joined by the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus, Pittsburgh Girls Choir, and Giovani Voci, South Hills Children’s Choir shares a day of choral singing and camaraderie open to all local youth. A healthy lunch will be provided by Heisler’s Market, Trader Joes, Eat’n Park, Starbucks – McMurray, Chick-fil-A and local bakeries.

The day concludes with a free performance conducted by Hirokawa. Choristers will learn American sign language in “Can You Hear Me?” by Bob Chilcott, recount WWII memories in “Homeland” by Randall Stroope, and enjoy a new work by Hirokawa.

South Hills Children’s Choir is a nonprofit choir dedicated to offering quality musical education for children from all walks of life in the surrounding community and celebrating diversity both in music and in Southwestern Pennsylvania’s youth.

End of an era

The final Friends of South Park oldies dance is scheduled for 7 to 11 p.m. March 28 at the Home Economics Building in South Park, behind the Allegheny County Police station.

The cost is $30 per person and includes a fully catered dinner by Cyd West. DJs will be Candy and Mike from WEDO-AM.

For tickets, contact Sharon Adams at sadams6528@verizon.net or 412-897-2403.

Photo Salon in Mt. Lebanon

A Photo Salon open house is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. March 29 on the upper floor of the Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center.

The best images submitted this year by the members of the Photo Section, Academy of Science and Art of Pittsburgh, will be on display. Judges will award prizes to the top photographs in 12 categories.

Club members will be on hand to answer questions about their photographs and the club. For more information, visit www.Pghphoto.org.

Show and Sell

Show and Sell: A Spring Pop-up Market, presented by Handmade Arcade, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 25 at Construction Junction, 214 N. Lexington St., Point Breeze.

As part of its 16th anniversary as Pittsburgh’s first and largest independent craft fair, Handmade Arcade is presenting 30 aspiring crafters right where it all began in 2004.

Handmade products, goods and wares for sale will include jewelry and accessories, home decor, fashion and clothing, bath and body products, posters and prints, original artwork in a variety of media, and children’s products.

For more information, visit www.handmadearcade.org.

Kids in the Kitchen

Chabad of the South Hills, 1701 McFarland Road, Mt. Lebanon, will host Kids in the Kitchen for children ages 4 to 11 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on April 23 and 30, and May 7 and 14. Cost is $40.

Children will learn to cook Jewish holiday favorites, plus they will have one-on-one instruction on Hebrew Alef-Bet and reading.

To register, visit www.chabadsh.com/cooking, email mussie@chabadsh.com or call 412-344-2424.

Lions benefit sale

The Bethel Park Lions are selling the following merchandise, with proceeds benefiting Lions Park:

Lioness broom (corn bristle), $12; child’s or hearth broom, $6; snow/heavy-duty broom, $12; 18-inch push broom, $12, whisk broom, $5; garbage bags, 33-gallon roll of 100, $20; kitchen trash bags, roll of 100, $16.

Contact Judy Willison at 412-835-0718 or 412-418-0627.

Keystone Oaks 50th reunion

Graduates of the Keystone Oaks High School Class of 1970 who are interested in attending the 50th class reunion in August are asked to contact KOHSClassof1970@gmail.com for information and updates.