Northern Tier Library plans grand opening for Pine branch

The grand opening of Northern Tier Library’s Pine Community Center Branch is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 14.

Featured will be activities, giveaways and a scavenger hunt. Library staff members will be present to talk about all the services the library has to offer. Food trucks will on site as part of the touch-a-truck event the same day.

With the opening of the new branch, the Bookmobile stops at Pine Community Center and Pine Tree Shoppes will be discontinued. The bookmobiles will run through the end of August.

Furnishings and equipment for the branch was funded by a one-time allocation from the Allegheny Regional Asset District.

Love Your Library Month

September marks the eighth annual Love Your Library campaign. All donations made to Northern Tier Library during the month will receive a prorated match from the Buncher Foundation.

As a fundraiser, the library will offer a selection of high quality plants for sale: 8-inch pot of chrysanthemums, six colors available, $7.50; 6-inch pot of kale, purple or white, $5.50; 12-inch bowl of pansies, $15. Deadline for ordering is Aug. 31.

Library programs

• PR Pokemon Club, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 5.

Bring your cards or games and join other Pokémon trainers at the library to trade and play together. Boards will be available for the card game, and a Pokémon-related project will be there to enjoy. This event is self-directed and open to children, teens, and their families. Registration is required.

• Silent Book Club, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 5 and 5:30 to 7 p.m. Aug. 7.

At Silent Book Club, there’s no assigned reading. All readers are welcome: eBooks, audiobooks, textbooks, comics, it’s BYOBook. Gather in the library’s new book area and settle in for an hour of silent, sustained reading. At the end of the hour, attendees can socialize (or not) by sharing what they brought along. Registration is requested.

• Friends of the Northern Tier Library will meet at 10 a.m. Aug. 6. The Friends sponsor the library’s annual used book sale and many other programs. New members are welcome to join.

• Puzzle Swap, 6 to 7 p.m. Aug. 6.

Do you have a puzzle or two you’ve completed and are ready to start something new? Instead of you purchasing one, Pittsburgh Puzzle Exchange is hosting a swap at the library. Bring as many puzzles as you wish to swap and take as many as you brought. Registration is requested.

• Pokemon GO at the Parks, 6 to 7 p.m. Aug. 7 in Pine Community Park.

Pokémon GO trainers of all ages are invited to meet at the gazebo behind the community center for raids, routes or just plain “catching them all.” Registration is required.

• A Great Deal: Game Group, 1 to 3 p.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday on the library’s lower level.

Pinochle on Tuesdays and American Mahjong on Wednesdays are offered currently, but additional games may follow. Registration is requested.

• Tech Help, 2 to 4 p.m. every Wednesday in August.

Register for a 30-minute session to focus on a basic topic like computers, smartphones, eReaders and more.

• American Mahjong, noon to 2 p.m. Aug. 19 at Pine Community Center.

Mahjong is a game of mixing and matching tiles, with three or four players per game. Beginners to expert levels are welcome. Bring your own game board if you have one.

• Nonfiction Book Discussion, 1 p.m. Aug. 20, “Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon” by Melissa L. Sevigny.

The book tells of two pioneering botanists and their historic boat trip down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon, making an unprecedented botanical survey of a defining landscape in the American West at a time when human influences had begun to change it forever. “Brave the Wild River: “ is the winner of the 2023 National Outdoor Book Award for History/Biography.

• Bridget’s Book Club Meets Knit Lit, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 21.

The first-ever crossover event between Bridget’s Book Club and Knit Lit is a potluck picnic. The library will provide the main course, and club members will pitch in with an appetizer, side dish or dessert.

If you have been curious about our book club or knitting group, this is an opportunity to meet some of the members, who will be talking about upcoming choices for the rest of 2024 and the Local Book Club Bonanza in September. If you are interested, please register and say what dish you are bringing.

• Pokemon GO at the Parks, 6 to 7 p.m. Aug. 21 in Richland Community Park

Pokémon GO trainers of all ages are invited to meet at the Family Pavilion, across the street from the barn on top of the hill, for raids, routes or just plain “catching them all.” Registration required.

• Memory Caregivers Support Group, 6 to 7 p.m. Aug. 22.

Northern Tier Library will be joined by memory care adviser Erin McMaster as she hosts a group for all to share their experiences taking care of those with memory loss. Registration is required.

• Coffee and Crime Book Club, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 29: “Murder at Morrington Hall” by Clara McKenna.

Within the first few months of 1905, American heiress Stella Kendrick is plagued by a surprise arranged marriage, culture clashes with her betrothed’s British aristocratic family, a fiendish murder and a beloved prized racehorse stolen at his prime. Can she untangle the web of mysteries while getting to know her possible fiancé?

For more information and to register for programs, visit northerntierlibrary.org.