Plum, Oakmont, Verona area happenings, week of April 10, 2023
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Library hosts poetry program
Oakmont Carnegie Library hosts the Allegheny Valley Poets from 1 to 3 p.m. April 15 as part of National Poetry Month.
Participants can choose their favorite poem to read and hear other poems. Special guests Arthur Erbe and Chuck Erdeljac will be the hosts.
No registration is required. More information about Oakmont Carnegie Library programs is available at oakmontlibrary.org or by calling 412-828-9532.
Tree planting in Plum
Plum Borough will join Penn State Extension for the planting of trees, shrubs and grasses along Plum Creek from 9 a.m. to noon April 15.
Volunteers are sought to help plant vegetation. Meet at the Plum Creek Municipal Ball Fields, 4540 New Texas Road. Bring gloves and a shovel.
For more information, contact llm5621@psu.edu. Your email will be used only to count attendance.
Cleanup volunteers sought
Volunteers are wanted for Plum’s Cleanup Day from 8 to 10 a.m. April 22.
Participants are asked to check in at the borough building starting at 8 a.m. for light refreshments, to pick up supplies and be assigned an area to clean. Scout groups, families, athletic teams, clubs and businesses are encouraged to participate.
More information about the event is available under the BORO Haps section of plumboro.com.
Garden summer storytime
Verona Community Garden, in partnership with Oakmont Carnegie Library, is offering summer storytime from 11:30 a.m. to noon weekly on Wednesday from June 7 through July 26 at 246 W. Railroad Ave.
Stories will be geared toward children ages 1 to 5. Contact veronagardengrows@gmail.com for more information.
Riverview musician earns honor
Riverview High School junior Riley Russell reached the highest level a high school musician can achieve by earning a place in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra Festival on string bass.
The student musicians who qualify will perform at the annual PMEA All-State Festival, scheduled for April 19-22 at the Kalahari Resort in Monroe County. Nationally recognized conductors at the convention direct the groups who rehearse for two days and conclude with a performance.
The honor is one of many that Riley has achieved this year. In January, she participated in PMEA Senior High District Orchestra at South Fayette High School and Heinz Hall, where she placed in the top of her section.
From there, she qualified to participate at PMEA Region Orchestra, held at State College High School in March. She also participated with other Riverview High School Orchestra students at the Strings North Orchestra Festival, held at Shaler Area High School on March 15.
In addition to being a member of the Riverview Select String Ensemble and section leader of the Riverview High School Orchestra, Riley is a member of the high school marching, concert and jazz bands, and is a member of the Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra.
Oakmont-Verona Memorial Day
The 2023 Oakmont-Verona Memorial Day parade and ceremony will take place on May 29.
The parade will line up at 9 a.m. on East Railroad Avenue in Verona and begin at 9:30. Frank Bonaroti is parade marshal.
The route will be Allegheny River Boulevard across the Roger F. Duffy Viaduct to Pennsylvania Avenue and proceed up Pennsylvania Avenue to the Verona Cemetery at Oakmont.
A ceremony immediately following the parade features guest speaker Maj. Dimitri J. Facaros, a 2002 Riverview High School graduate who is assigned as the group judge advocate for 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.
If you know of any veteran who passed away since May 2022 whose arrangements were outside of Oakmont and Verona, please send the name, date of death and branch of service to seantruby@yahoo.com so that the veteran can be recognized.
Vietnam veterans in Verona and Oakmont who would like to be recognized in the program can contact Rich Luciana at 412-969-7191.
Business Blossom Award launched
Verona Chamber of Commerce invites business members to participate in making the business district a walkable garden with the inaugural Business Blossom Award contest.
The contest will start June 1 and the winner announced Sept. 15. Prizes are:
• First place, $300 cash to be donated by Bettis Floral Event Design. Your business name will be engraved on a vase that will be displayed in until the following year.
• Second place, $75 gift certificate to be donated by the Hula Bar.
• Third place, $50 gift certificate donated by Eiler’s Hardware.
All Verona residents can vote. The ballot box will be located at 757 East Railroad Ave. There also will be a panel of judges.
Movies in Railroad Park
The Verona Parks and Recreation Board announces its Movies in the Park series, starting with “The Sandlot” on May 12. The movies start at dusk in Railroad Park, 737 E Railroad Ave.
Also on the schedule are “Aladdin” (1992 version), June 9; “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” July 21; “Ready to Rumble,” Aug. 11; “The Empire Strikes Back,” Sept. 8; and “Hocus Pocus,” a special Halloween drive-in event.