Fox Chapel Herald category, Page 149

Fox Chapel and O’Hara voters won’t have a contested council race in either community during this month’s primary election, according to the Allegheny County Elections Bureau. In O’Hara, there are two Republican candidates vying for two open seats. The terms each run four years and represent the township at-large. •...

Members of Fox Chapel Area Girl Scout Troop 52751 earned one of the highest honors doled out by the organization, the Bronze Award, after hosting a bike rodeo on April 27 for other children. The troop includes Olivia Ferguson, Adele Grady, Nadia Grady, Lexi King, Emily Korczynski, Julie Patterson, Elyse...

Gardenfest, the popular showcase of fresh blooms and quality seedlings, returns to O’Hara on May 11. The event will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lauri Ann West Community Center, 1220 Powers Run Road. “There’s no better way to celebrate spring,” Jamie Rhoades, director of development, said. Gardenfest is...

Sharpsburg voters will see four Democratic candidates vying for their party’s nomination in the May 21 primary election. There are no Republicans on the ballot. Four residents are competing for three, four-year seats on council, according to the Allegheny County Elections Bureau. Barring a strong write-in campaign, the winners of...

Dorseyville Middle School musicians came away from a weekend festival in Ohio with some top honors. Seventh-grader Mia Costello won the Outstanding Instrumental Soloist Award at the Music in the Parks Festival held April 26-27 at King’s Island, near Cincinnati. The teen violinist was selected from among the eight middle...

The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania will open its Native Plant Nursery at Beechwood Farms in Fox Chapel with sales and special bundles of plants to attract butterflies and hummingbirds from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The nursery will remain open throughout the planting season. For opening day on...

The public will have a chance to receive a free skin cancer screening in May at the UPMC St. Margaret Dermatology office in Harmar. The screenings take less than five minutes and, if anything is detected, patients will be given a further exam by the physician. The event will be...

The fitness center at Lauri Ann West Community Center in O’Hara will close tonight for equipment upgrades. The closure, which is expected to last three days, also effects the indoor track. The fitness center is a paid gym inside the community center at 1220 Powers Run Road. It is expected...

Fox Chapel Area High School students will compete in a statewide environmental competition after claiming first place at the local level. District students won first and third places at an April 26 Allegheny County event, Envirothon, hosted at Boyce Park. The winning team includes junior Sina Shaik and seniors Megan...

The countdown is on for H.J. “Jim” Michaels. In just a few weeks, the event chairman of the Rotary Club of Fox Chapel Area 2019 Charity Golf Classic will be winding down his to-do list and hoping for an above-par fundraiser turnout. The May 20 event will see 100 golfers...

Fox Chapel Area High School students Luis Fernandez and Grace Stasolla took home a victory by performing “Story of My Life” during the district’s annual talent show. They were up against peers who sang, recited poetry and performed magic during “Fox Chapel’s Got Talent” on April 25. Fernandez and Stasolla...

Fox Chapel Area Lead Principal Michael Hower described senior Justin Breen as charismatic and hard-working. It doesn’t seem to have been a stretch. Breen, 18, earned a full-ride scholarship to attend Texas A&M University in the fall. “I’m very thankful to have earned this great honor that will change my...

A California-based real estate company focused on the cannabis industry has acquired property in O’Hara’s RIDC Park to help launch a licensed medical-use marijuana growing and processing facility. Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (IIP) paid $6.3 million for the industrial space at 575 Epsilon Drive. The company has an agreement with...

About $2.4 million worth of once-weathered art will be installed at Hartwood Acres to create a new sculpture garden, Allegheny County officials announced this week. The outdoor exhibition space will include 12 pieces of art acquired by county parks nearly 40 years ago, and will also feature one new piece....

Shady Side Academy boys’ lacrosse captain Ronan O’Connor lost his older brother to suicide in 2013 and is working to prevent others from feeling his family’s pain. He’s spearheaded an all-day fundraiser on May 4 called The Face-Off Against Suicide. It will bring a full-day of Shady Side Academy boys’...

Kerr Elementary teacher Carrie Ferguson hopes to use her induction in the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame as platform to motivate her students. The basketball standout said the achievement should serve to motivate youngsters to maintain a balance between athletics and academics. “It brings great pride as it serves as...

Blawnox voters won’t see a contested race for council in the May primary, according to the Allegheny County Elections Bureau. There are three candidates, all Democrats, vying for three open seats. Each term runs four years. The primary election is May 21. Candidates for council include: • John Simmons, of...

Herb enthusiasts, or “herbies,” should mark their calendars for the annual plant sale at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve. The event is a week earlier than usual this year. Hosted by the Western PA Unit of the Herb Society of America, it will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11...

Shady Side Academy senior Koji Shimada is feeling opening-night jitters prior to the Senior School’s Original Works Theatre Festival, despite having performed countless times on stage. The festival will be Shimada’s premiere as a writer, director and actor in his own musical, and the teen is feeling the pressure, he...

A community garden is coming to Blawnox, at long last. The initiative by I Heart Blawnox has been in the works at least four years, with volunteers from the religious outreach searching for a proper venue. They’ve joined with borough council to bring a garden to the Blawnox Community Park...

A $5.2 million donation to Shady Side Academy will create a scholarship fund that annually pays for seven students to attend the Fox Chapel-based Middle School and Senior School campuses. It is the second-largest gift in the Academy’s 136-year history, officials announced Wednesday. The donation was made in honor of...

Lower Valley pickleball enthusiasts had a chance last week to receive instruction from professional player Sarah Ansboury, a four-time medalist at the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) National Tournament. Ansboury, 35, a former tennis instructor from Portland, Oregon, is the pickleball pro at Palmetto Dunes in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Her...

More than 30 volunteers turned out to Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel for an Earth Day cleanup on April 20. Volunteers of all ages helped to remove invasive species from the 5 miles of trails at the 134-acre sanctuary. They also planted native varieties, spread aster and wildflower...

A new walking tour of Sharpsburg gives a nod to the borough’s past while showcasing its steps toward future growth. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the University of Pittsburgh, “WalkWorks” takes people past Heinz Memorial Plaza and the Chief Guyasuta statue, St. Mary Church and the James...