In brief: Herald area events for the week of Dec. 9, 2024
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The Herald welcomes submissions of community news and events for its briefs pages.
Please submit items for consideration at least two weeks before the event — the earlier, the better.
Email events to Marje Horvath at mhorvath@triblive.com or mail them to Marje Horvath, Herald editor, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084.
We also are looking to stir memories for the Then & Now feature, which showcases an old photo and shares the history behind it and what stands in its place today.
To submit a photo for the Then & Now feature, email reporter Tawnya Panizzi at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
Sharpsburg plans holiday carnival with Santa
Sharpsburg Holidays on Main Street is organizing a carnival and holiday celebration from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Linden Gym, 205 N. Canal St.
There will be games and prizes from 3 to 4 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded for the Ugly Holiday Sweater contest, as well as the holiday karaoke contest from 3:15 to 4 p.m.
Singer Cat Tedder will perform from 4 to 4:45 p.m. An even more special guest, Santa, will cap the evening by distributing toys to children 8 and younger.
Anyone interested in participating in the karaoke contest must preregister because spots might not be available on the day of the event. To sign up, visit https://tinyurl.com/mwjn9m4p.
Sharpsburg collecting new toys to distribute to kids
Sharpsburg is collecting new, unopened toys for ages 3 to 10 through Dec. 13 at Gino Bros. Pizzeria & Bar, 713 Main St., and the borough building, 1611 Main St.
The toys should be valued at $5 to $10.
Santa will distribute the gifts to children 8 and younger at the end of the Holiday Carnival and Celebration, which runs from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Linden Gym, 205 N. Canal St.
For details about the carnival, visit eventcreate.com/e/sharpsburg.
Choral department to present holiday concert
The Fox Chapel Area High School Choral Music Department will present its annual Sounds of the Season concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at the high school, 611 Field Club Road in O’Hara. Special guest artists include the Carnegie Brass Quintet, which will present a preconcert recital at 6:30 p.m.
The concert will include performances by the choral ensembles (the Concert Choir, Madrigal Singers, Vulpes Cantantes, and the Tenor Bass Ensemble). Members of the Dorseyville Middle School Honors Choir also will perform.
The choral department’s singers and alumni will perform the program’s traditional finale, Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”
The Fox Chapel Choral Family Association will honor all of the performers at a reception immediately following the concert. Everyone is invited to attend.
Tickets are $5. Tickets can be purchased online at fcahsmusicdepartment.ludus.com and will include a convenience fee. Tickets only will be sold at the door pending availability.
District’s students gearing up for 35th telethon Dec. 20
Students throughout the Fox Chapel Area School District are preparing for their 35th annual telethon at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 20.
The telethon raises money for Backpack for Hunger, which provides weekend food for students in need.
All six of the district’s schools are participating — Fairview, Hartwood, Kerr and O’Hara elementaries; Dorseyville Middle School; and Fox Chapel Area High School.
Student, teacher, parent and community representatives will make donations during the event. The public is invited to contribute online at https://backpackforhunger.org/donate/.
The telethon will be broadcast on the Swift Fox Media YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/@SwiftFoxMedia. Anyone can watch the telethon any time after it airs live. A telethon kickoff video now is available on the Swift Fox Media YouTube site.
The annual telethon is coordinated by the Fox Chapel Area High School Fox Leadership Council and the video production students of the high school who plan and produce the event.
Aspinwall residents invited to share ideas, issues with mayor
Aspinwall Mayor Joseph Noro will host a Meet the Mayor from 6 to 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at the borough building, 217 Commercial Ave.
Noro provides the meetings the third Wednesday of every month.
Residents are invited to stop by and discuss any issues or ideas they have for the borough.
SAVES selling Cash Bash tickets
Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services is planning its annual Cash Bash on Jan. 25 to give away $11,200 in prize money.
The event will be held at a new location: Cherry City Volunteer Fire Company’s hall, 309 Davis Ave., in Shaler.
Only 500 tickets are available, but each ticket includes two numbers. Tickets are $50 each.
Food and refreshments will be served; no other refreshments are allowed.
Doors will open at 5 p.m., and tickets must be presented for admission. You do not have to be present to win.
To purchase a ticket, ask a SAVES member or go online at https://southern-allegheny-valley-emergency-services.square.site.
When you purchase online, you can choose to pick up your ticket or have it mailed to you for an additional $1. If you choose to pick up your ticket, you will receive an email notification when it is ready.
In the lead-up to the annual bash, SAVES is conducting a variety of smaller raffles to benefit the big event.
The first raffle, posted on Dec. 3, was for a $500 Amazon gift card; only 75 tickets were sold at $10 per ticket. Once a raffle’s chances are sold, SAVES will do a Facebook Live to reveal the winner. Tickets for the smaller raffles also can be purchased online at the above square.site link. To follow these raffles, visit Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services on Facebook.
Parish plans vespers service
Christ the King Parish is offering an Advent Choral Vespers Service at 4 p.m. Dec. 15 at St. Scholastica Church, 309 Brilliant Ave. in Aspinwall.
The parish Schola Cantorum, choir and instrumentalists will perform traditional carols and Advent hymns during the ancient Vespers prayer service.
The service provides a way to pause and reflect on the meaning of Christmas.
Everyone is invited to join us for an inspirational and prayerful time of reflection.
Snow angels sought for annual winter programs
Blawnox and Aspinwall are looking for volunteers to help their neighbors during the winter months.
The Best of Blawnox’s Snow Angels program pairs older residents and residents with disabilities with nearby neighbors who volunteer to assist with snow and ice removal on their sidewalks and walkways.
To volunteer or apply for assistance, call 412-295-1638 or email TheBestOfBlawnox@gmail.com.
The Aspinwall Neighbors Snow Angel program also connects volunteers with residents. The volunteer opportunity is open to residents 13 and older. High school students are encouraged to participate, and a certification of volunteer hours will be available.
To request a snow angel, Aspinwall residents must be 60 or older or have a physical disability. Anyone who is temporarily unable to handle snow removal because of illness or injury also may request a snow angel. To volunteer or request help, visit https://aspinwallneighbors.org/snow and click on the respective tab.
O’Hara organizing a ‘Spread Cheer’ food collection
O’Hara Township is sponsoring a Spread Cheer Food Drive from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 14 in the municipal parking lot to support St. Vincent de Paul in Sharpsburg.
Nonperishable items that can be used as side dishes for the holidays and paper products are needed.
Toys, games and sports items also are needed for its annual distribution.
In addition to the Dec. 14 drive, items can be dropped off in the lobby of the township building, 325 Fox Chapel Road, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Dec. 13.
Second Harvest wishlist available online
Second Harvest Community Thrift Store, 624 Clay St. in Sharpsburg, regulary curates and updates an Amazon Wishlist for items that are most often needed at its Community Free Fridge, which is open 24 hours a day, year round.
To access the list, visit secondharvestthrift.com/community-fridge and scroll down to the wishlist mention in the lower right corner. Items can be shipped directly to the store.
Items currently needed include Campbell’s Chunky Soup, peanut butter and jelly, Jergens moisturizer, toothbrushes and toothpaste, feminine products, diapers and toilet paper.
Blawnox pantry changes distribution date ahead of holiday
To better serve the needs of the community ahead of the Christmas holiday, the Blawnox Community Food Pantry will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 16 instead of its regular last Friday of the month.
The pantry is located in the borough building, 376 Freeport Road. Donations to the pantry, including cash and gift cards, are welcome and can be dropped off at the office during normal operating hours.
The pantry also is available for emergencies during regular borough hours by appointment. To schedule an appointment, call the office at 412-828-4141.
Girl Scouts selling luminaria kits
Fox Chapel Girl Scout Troop 36333 is selling luminaria kits for neighborhoods to light up their yards, walkways and driveways on Dec. 24.
Each kit is $6 and includes five paper bags, five flameless battery-operated candles and enough sand to assemble the luminaria.
The deadline to order is Dec. 20, and all proceeds benefit the troop’s camping trips, activities and a weekend at ACE Adventure Resort in West Virginia.
The Girl Scouts will prepare the kits and deliver them to your home by Dec. 23. All you have to do is set them out at dusk on Dec. 24 to transform the community into a festive wonderland.
Here are some details to keep in mind:
• Homes must be within the Fox Chapel Area School District.
• Once an order is paid for, no refunds will be given because the troop members will need to purchase supplies and start assembling the kits.
• If you are ordering the service for a house that is not yours, please have the homeowner’s permission.
To place an order, visit https://tinyurl.com/mryc8knb.
O’Hara collecting old holiday lights to help Project Bundle-Up
O’Hara Township once again is partnering with Michael Brothers to be an official drop-off location to recycle holiday lights — all for a good cause.
Michael Brothers donates the funds generated by recycling the lights to WTAE-TV’s project Bundle-Up.
Project Bundle-Up, a joint program implemented by the Salvation Army Western PA Division and WTAE, provides new winter outerwear — including coats, hats, gloves and boots — for children and senior citizens from low-income households throughout Western Pennsylvania.
Since 1986, Project Bundle-Up has raised more than $17 million and provided winter gear for nearly 305,000 individuals.
Lights can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays in the lobby of the township building, 325 Fox Chapel Road.
Any type of holidays lights is eligible.
For details, call the township at 412-782-1400.
Support group open to anyone who has lost loved one to overdose
Addiction Recovery Ministry hosts a grief support group at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays through the month of January at the John Paul I Center, 201 Ninth St., in Sharpsburg.
The group is open to anyone who has lost a loved one to an overdose. Attendees are welcome to share their experience, grief and healing.
Blood donors sought
The American Red Cross and Vitalant are encouraging prospective blood donors to step up now that colder weather is here.
Donations of all blood types are crucial year-round, especially type O, the most frequently transfused blood type. O-negative blood can be given to patients of any blood type, while O-positive can help most patients.
To find a Red Cross location near you and to learn more about blood donation, including eligibility information, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Vitalant, which operates about 115 donation centers nationwide, is thanking donors who give blood, platelets or plasma through Dec. 20 with a $10 gift card as part of its Donor Rewards Program. Donors also will be entered for a chance to win one of five $5,000 gift cards.
Vitalant has several local collections in the works:
• 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 11 in the conference room at Jennmar, 258 Kappa Drive, O’Hara;
• 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 18 in the cafe dining rooms A and B at UPMC St. Margaret, 815 Freeport Road, near Aspinwall.
• Vitalant’s Pittsburgh Fox Chapel Donation Center at One Alexander Center, Suite 207, 2585 Freeport Road, also has several collection dates: 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 6-8, 13-15, 17 and 20 and noon to 7 p.m. Dec. 10 and 17. To check for times, find other locations and make an appointment, visit vitalant.org, download and use the Vitalant app or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825).
To prepare before donating blood, experts recommend getting a good night’s sleep; eating iron-rich foods such as eggs, meat and spinach; and hydrating by drinking an extra 16 ounces of water.
Heating assistance available to low-income households
Thousands of eligible customers miss out on bill assistance by not applying for federal grants. With the winter season approaching, many income-eligible customers remain unaware of programs that can significantly reduce their energy bill.
Peoples Natural Gas, an essential utilities company, encourages its customers to take advantage of available resources to help offset winter heating costs.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), is now open for the 2024-25 heating season. LIHEAP is a federally funded assistance program that provides grants to eligible low-income households to help pay for heating costs. Grants start at $200 and may be higher based on income and the number of people living in the home.
To qualify for a LIHEAP grant, customers must have a total gross household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. Customers do not have to be on public assistance or have an unpaid heating bill. LIHEAP is open to renters and homeowners. To learn more about the income limits and to apply, visit https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/dhs.html, click on Services in the menu and search for LIHEAP.
In addition to LIHEAP, Peoples offers programs to help make energy-saving home improvements that reduce long-term costs. If you or someone you know needs assistance, call 1-800-400-WARM (9276) or visit peoples-gas.com/help to learn more.
Food, hygiene products sought for community fridge
Second Harvest is always in need of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, milk and cheese, canned goods, cereals and personal hygiene products for its Community Free Fridge in Sharpsburg.
The Community Free Fridge is an outdoor, full-size refrigerator, freezer and pantry area, stocked with perishable and nonperishable donated food items available to anyone who needs them. It is open 24/7 every day and is located in the parking lot area of Second Harvest, at 624 Clay St.
Lauri Ann West Community Center, as a proud sponsor of the initiative, serves as a drop-off location for goods. People can bring their donations to the center at 1220 Powers Run Road in O’Hara during normal operating hours, and staff members will deliver the items to Second Harvest.
American Legion scholarships open to students in grades 6-12
The Pennsylvania American Legion is taking entries for its annual essay contest. Winners will receive $3,500, $3,000 or $2,500 scholarships.
The contest is open to students in multiple categories: grades 6-12. Students can be from public, private, parochial, cyber/charter or homeschooled.
Students must submit their essay by mail or hand delivery to their local American Legion post by Jan. 8 for those in grades 9-12, and by Feb. 5 for those in grades 6-8. Complete rules and regulations are available at PA-legion.com/programs/student-and-youth/essay-program or by emailing wareagles79@hotmail.com.
The Legion also hosts an oratorical contest with scholarships offering $7,500, $5,000 and $4,000. That contest is open to those in grades 9-12. More information is available at legion.org/oratorical or by emailing jgdrnjevich@aol.com.
Anti-litter award program offered for kids
Environmental nonprofit Keep America Beautiful is seeking entries from children in kindergarten through sixth grade for its Litter Hawk Youth Award Program.
Children are asked to complete a project sharing their hope, optimism and concerns about litter and inspire others through art, words or video.
The theme for the contest is “Join the Greatest American Cleanup! Show us how you can keep your community litter-free for America’s 250th birthday.”
Children in kindergarten through grade 4 can create a poster; those in grade 5 are asked to write an essay; and those in grade 6 can create a video.
The deadline to participate is Jan. 31. Winners will be announced in April as part of an awards ceremony at the state Capitol building in Harrisburg.
For an entry form, go to KeepPABeautiful.org/grants-awards/awards/litter-hawk, email slarson@keeppabeautiful.org or call 724-836-4121, ext. 104.
AAUW meets monthly on second Tuesday
The Fox Chapel area branch of American Association of University Women meets at 9:30 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month from September through May at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, 384 Fox Chapel Road.
The group advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, philanthropy, education and research.
Meetings are free and open to anyone interested in joining.
In addition to the monthly meetings, the branch offers members a variety of interest groups as well as numerous opportunities for community service involvement.
AAUW, founded in 1881, is open to all graduates who hold an associate or equivalent, baccalaureate or higher degree from a qualified college or university. Those enrolled in an associate or a bachelor’s degree program can join AAUW as Student Affiliate Members.
For details about the organization, including annual dues and grants, visit aauwfoxchapelareapa.wordpress.com.
Pantry items wanted
Sharpsburg Community Library needs items for its Little Free Pantry at 1212 Main St.
Items needed include tomato sauce, pasta, tuna, cereal, mac and cheese, fruit snacks, peanut butter, snack packs and shelf-stable milk.
Items not needed include applesauce, pretzels, fruit cups, pudding, canned soup, canned beans and toiletry products.
Donations can be made during library hours from 1 to 7 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
The pantry is stocked three times weekly and is completely supported through donations.
For details, call the library at 412-781-0783.
Sharpsburg seeks volunteers for bicentennial events
Sharpsburg will celebrate its 200th birthday in 2026.
Residents interested in planning or volunteering to help with any events are invited to sign up for the borough’s Bicentennial Committee.
To access the signup form, visit sharpsburgborough.com and scanning the QR code under the header “Want to help plan the bicentennial events?”
The borough anticipates having multiple events throughout the anniversary year and will need lots of help.
Group offers support for weight loss
All are welcome to join the men and women at Oakmont TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) who are learning how to lose weight.
With in-person meetings, rewards, support and encouragement, we gain knowledge of healthy eating and exercise.
You may visit with no obligation Tuesdays at 5:45 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1261 Pennsylvania Ave. in Oakmont. Weigh-in is private followed by a brief business meeting, sharing time, and educational program all ending by 7:15.
There is well-lit parking, wheelchair accessibility and security. For details, call 412-828-3854 or e-mail jmjkwj@gmail.com.
To have your event or information listed in the Herald’s briefs section, email Marje Horvath at mhorvath@triblive.com.