Hampton area happenings, week of March 13, 2023

Wildwood Road closed until November

PennDOT has closed Wildwood Road between West Hardies and Hardt roads in Hampton for a project to replace the Wildwood Road Bridge superstructure.

The closure is expected to take approximately 247 days, with the bridge projected to reopen early November.

The designated detour is Hardt Road to Route 910 to Route 8 and then back to Wildwood Road, and vice versa.

Motorists who are familiar with the area and know short cuts are reminded that those are residential streets, and Hampton officials ask that traffic laws and speed limits be followed.

Friday fish fries for Lent

Saints Martha and Mary Parish is hosting a fish fry every Friday during Lent, except Good Friday, from 4 to 7 p.m. at St. Catherine of Sweden Church, 2554 Wildwood Road, Hampton.

Fish dinners offer a choice of baked or fried cod, or steamed or batter baked shrimp, and include two side dishes and dessert. Fish sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, fish and shrimp tacos, and pizza also are available.

The dining room in St. Catherine’s Farmer Hall is open from 4 to 7, and everything on the menu is available for takeout. The complete menu is available at stsmarthaandmaryparish.org. Takeout orders can be placed online or by phone at 412-486-6001

Curbside delivery is available only for orders placed in advance. Please allow 20 minutes for your order to be prepared.

Spaghetti dinner at Hampton Presbyterian

A spaghetti dinner to support youth group mission trips is scheduled from 4:30 to 7 p.m. March 19 at Hampton Presbyterian Church, 2942 E. Hardies Road.

Held in the Fellowship Hall, the dinner features spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread and desserts. Gluten-free dinners and takeout will be available. Freewill donations will be accepted.

Silent auction and raffle baskets also will be featured to help the fundraising. For more information, call the church office, 724-443-3201, or visit hamptonpresbyterian.net.

Museum to host volunteer orientation

A new volunteer orientation is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. March 19 at the Depreciation Lands Museum, 4743 S. Pioneer Road, Hampton.

At the session, prospective volunteers will learn most of what they need to know to volunteer, either in costume or not, on Sunday afternoons. Those who plan to attend can send an email to dlmuseum.volunteers@gmail.com.

The museum also is hosting a spring tea from 2 to 4 p.m. March 26. A “light tea” by definition includes two sandwiches, fruit and desserts. Each course will be paired with teas that complement the course.

Entertainment will be provided by Celtic Spirit, a duet group performing traditional 18th-century music.

Tickets are $30 for non-members and $25 for members. They are available at reg.planetreg.com/E2873020219228.

Programs scheduled at Hampton library

Hampton Community Library programs include:

• It’s A Wonderful World: Drop-in Storytime, 10: 30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. All ages and abilities are welcome. Scheduled are stories and songs at 10:30, Investigate & Create at 10:45, stories and songs at 11, parachute play at 11:30, stories and songs at 11:50, and Stay and Play at noon.

• Card Club, 1 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Participants are welcome to join a game of 500 Bid, teach someone a new game or just enjoy time with friends, new and old.

• Betty’s Book Buzz discussion group, 1 p.m. March 17, with “Blessings” by Anna Quindlen. The group meets inside the library. Please call the library at 412-684-1098 to request a copy of the book. Everyone is invited to join.

• Cooks-N-Books: Meatless Wonders, 6:30-8:00 p.m. March 23 in Great Room A of the Hampton Community Center. Participants are invited to check out a cookbook from the library, prepare a dish and bring it along with a copy of the recipe for the group to sample. There is a $2 fee to cover the cost of supplies.

• Trivia Night is March 24 in Great Rooms A&B of the community center. Doors open at 6:30. Trivia begins at 7, and the program ends by 9:30. Registration is required. Space is limited. No walk-ins are allowed. The cost is $20 per person, with six to 10 people.

Lions to host omelet breakfast

The Elfinwild Lions Club will hold a freewill offering omelet/sausage breakfast from 8 to 10:30 a.m. March 25 at Elfinwild Presbyterian Church, 3200 Mt. Royal Blvd., Shaler.

The breakfast consists of an omelet (cheese or Western), potatoes, sausage, fruit and drink.

Genealogists present forensic program

North Hills Genealogists will host a free online presentation, “Introduction to Forensic Genealogy” by Katharine O’Connell, at 7 p.m. March 20.

Forensic genealogists do family research for legal reasons. Sometimes that involves DNA, but most often relies on firm documentary evidence.

O’Connell will discuss how she uses her people-locating skills as a forensic genealogist, and how genealogy can be used in a legal setting.

She will review a sample case she worked on, which involved an understanding of laws in 12 states and more than 200 documents as evidence.

Using a combination of wills, newspapers, baptismal records and censuses, she provided a court-level report proving who was the current next of kin of a will from 1906.

This will be a virtual meeting via Zoom with a possible in-person component.

Visit northhillsgenealogists.org for full details and online Zoom registration, or to simply listen on the phone and for details of this and other upcoming events.

Environmental council seedling sale

The North Area Environmental Council is holding its annual seedling sale, offering a wide variety of noninvasive plants, trees and wildflower seed mixes to add to the beauty and natural habitat of your back yard and the ecological health of the region.

NAEC is also partnering with North Park’s Latodami Nature Center to distribute Lawn to Nature kits. Visit naecwpa.org to learn more about the sale and the organization, and to place an order. Deadline is April 3.