Monroeville area: Library trivia, gospel performance, Gateway musical, more

Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com.

‘Good as New’ book sale

The 30th annual “Good as New” book sale will be held March 21-23 at Monroeville United Methodist Church, 219 Center Road.

A variety of fiction, nonfiction and children’s books will be available. Gently used puzzles and board games also will be for sale. Cost is $10 per brown bag; bags will be provided.

Hours are 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sunday.

Proceeds from the sale will be used to help fund mission projects.

Trivia night at library

The Monroeville Public Library will host a trivia night March 22 with cash prizes for the top two teams.

Doors open at the library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd., at 6 p.m.; the event begins at 7 p.m. and is open to ages 21 and older.

Tickets go on sale March 1 at the library. They are tiered in cost according to the number of team members. A single player can enter for $20; teams of 2-3 are $60 for the entire team; teams of 3-4 are $75; teams of 5-6 are $100, and teams of 7-8 are $125.

In addition to the competition, there will be a bake sale, raffle baskets and a 50/50 drawing.

Gospel performance

Hillcrest United Presbyterian Church, 1622 James St., Monroeville, will feature a gospel performance by Charelle Unique from 7-8:30 p.m. on March 9.

The event will include a bake sale and gift basket raffles. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. All proceeds will be donated to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for California Wildfires relief efforts.

For more, call 412-824-5600.

Plum Area Ladies Society meeting

The Plum Area Ladies Society’s monthly meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. March 5 at the Plum Community Center, 499 New Texas Road.

The featured speaker will be Liz Mims from Dress for Success, and the monthly service project will be to donate items to the organization. Needed items include personal care products, Black hair care products, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, dental hygiene products, deodorant, body lotion, reader glasses and sunglasses, feminine hygiene products, cosmetics, new underwear, bras socks and gently used fashion scarves, handbags, jewelry, umbrellas, belts or shoes.

The meetings are open to residents of Plum, Penn Hills, Monroeville and nearby communities.

For more, call 724-327-8265.

Gateway musical, ‘fairy tale soiree’

Gateway’s spring musical will be “Once Upon a Mattress.” It will be performed April 3-5 at Gateway High School, 3000 Gateway Campus Blvd. in Monroeville.

Tickets can be purchased once they are available by clicking here.

In advance of the event, Gateway High School musical cast members are hosting a “fairy tale soiree” on March 8 at the Robert A. Read Performing Arts Center, 3000 Gateway Campus Blvd. in Monroeville.

There are two sessions: 10-11:30 a.m. and 3-4:30 p.m. Guests are welcome to attend either session or both; proper “royal attire” is requested.

This exclusive one-day event will include Disney princesses, princes and other characters, courtesy of this year’s “Once Upon a Mattress” cast and crew. Tickets include photo opportunities, singing, dancing and snacks.

The cost is $25 with a “Once Upon a Mattress” T-shirt, or $15 for no T-shirt. Parent/guardian tickets are $10.

Tickets should be purchased in advance at Gatewayk12.org/ghs. Use the Gateway High School Musical link on the left side of the page for details and checkout.

Divine Mercy enrollment

Divine Mercy Academy, 245 Azalea Drive, Monroeville, is accepting enrollment for the 2025-26 school year.

Financial aid is available for eligible families.

For more, see DMApgh.org/admissions.

Convention center events

The following events are scheduled at the Monroeville Convention Center, 209 Mall Plaza Blvd.:

• March 1-2: Monroeville Fire & EMS Show. For more, see MonroevilleFireAndEMSShow.com.

• March 22: The Interactive Psychic’s Magickal Minds Metaphysical Fair. For more, see MMMfair.com.

• March 28-29: The Pittsburgh Arts & Crafts Spring Fever Festival.

For more information, see MonroevilleConventionCenter.com.

Buffet at Cross Roads church

Cross Roads Presbyterian Church will hold its annual Italian buffet from 4 to 7 p.m. on March 8 in Fellowship Hall, 2310 Haymaker Road.

The all-you-can eat buffet will feature a variety of pastas, stuffed shells, salad, desserts and beverages.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $6 for children ages 4 to 12 and children age 3 and younger are free. All proceeds will go to the church’s mission fund.

Tickets can be purchased on Sundays at the church or at the door the night of the buffet.

For more, call 412-372-2226.

Kindergarten registration open

Gateway School District kindergarten registration for the 2025-2026 school year is open at Gatewayk12.org/resources/parent-resources/registration.

Children must be 5 years old on or before Aug. 31, For further information, please call or email Cindy at 412-373-5705 or ccapell@gatewayk12.org.

Student poetry contest open

Ligonier Valley Writers is accepting entries for its 34th annual student poetry contest.

Students in grades four through 12 who live in Western Pennsylvania are welcome to enter. Cash prizes are awarded in each of nine categories for first-, second- and third-place. There are no entry fees.

Submissions must be emailed by March 11. For entry forms and rules, visit LVWonline.org.

Red Cross seeks volunteers

The American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania is in need of volunteers in rural communities.

Volunteers are needed to:

• Respond to disasters. Help families after a home fire or other disaster by providing emotional support, emergency financial assistance and information to help families begin to recover.

• Help donors at blood drives. Engage with blood donors by greeting them at blood drives, helping them to register, answering questions, providing information and assisting them at the refreshments table.

• Support community education and outreach. Attend events and activities to raise awareness around home fire safety and emergency preparedness.

In 2024, more than 3,400 volunteers supported the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania. These volunteers provided care and comfort to families after more than 1,500 local disasters such as home fires and floods. In addition, volunteers supported more than 5,000 local blood drives to help ensure patients had access to lifesaving blood.

To learn more and to volunteer, visit redcross.org/GPAvolunteer.

Hearing aid donations

The White Valley AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary is accepting donations of used and unwanted hearing aids for the John Tracy Clinic.

The clinic is named for the son of actor Spencer Tracy, who was diagnosed with profound hearing loss in 1925. The clinic established programs to educate and offer emotional support to families with preschool age deaf children.

Donations are accepted year-round and can be dropped off at the AMVETS, 2100 Carolina St. in Murrysville’s White Valley neighborhood. To arrange a pick-up, call 724-448-5511 or 724-454-0978.

‘Walk with a Doc’ planned

Forbes Family Medicine staff and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy will host “Walk with a Doc” at 5:30 p.m. March 11 and May 13. The group will meet at Monroeville Community Park West, 2399 Tilbrook Road.

The free wellness program is designed to help promote healthy eating and an active lifestyle.

For information, call 412-357-6079.

Rotary offering scholarships

The Bob Williams Rotary Memorial Scholarship Program is accepting applications from current high school seniors and GED students for 2024-25.

This year, eight need-based scholarships at $5,000 each will be awarded.

The scholarships are open to students in Allegheny and Beaver counties, as well as those attending New Kensington- Arnold, Kiski Area and Burrell Area high schools and The Kiski School in Westmoreland County. Vocational students, GED students and those attending parochial, charter and private schools also are eligible.

Students must have a 2.5 or higher GPA and must complete an essay highlighting their community/school service.

Complete application and criteria materials are available on the website of Rotary District 7305 at rotarydistrict7305.org/scholarships.php or from area high school counselors.

The deadline to apply is Feb. 28. Applications postmarked after that date will not be accepted.

For details, email Dr. Robert Arbuckle, chairperson of the scholarship committee, at rarbuckl@yahoo.com.

Lyme Art Contest open

Pennsylvania is a leading state for Lyme disease, and children are at a higher risk of being bitten.

To promote learning about tick-borne diseases, the Pennsylvania Department of Health is seeking submissions from students in grades 1-6 for its 2025 Lyme Art Contest.

Students can submit a poster or video showing how to avoid exposure to ticks, how to check for them or remove them and what signs of disease to look for using information posted under Tick Diseases on the pa.gov website.

Videos should be under 30 seconds, and posters should be no larger than 11 inches by 17 inches.

Entries will be judged in one of three groups: grades 1-2, grades 3-4 and grades 5-6. Only one entry is allowed per child.

The deadline for submissions is March 14.

Entries can be emailed to radhlymecontest@pa.gov or mailed to Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology, c/o Lyme Poster Contest, 625 Forster St. 9th floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0701.

Finalists will be notified by email by May.

For a complete list of rules, visit Tinyurl.com/rc935ffc.