In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of March 18, 2024
Share this post:
Priority registration for tree giveaway ends soon
Penn Hills Shade Tree Commission is partnering with Tree Pittsburgh to give away 200 trees to residents and businesses. Pick-up is April 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Penn Hills Community Park.
Each registrant can get one to three trees at no cost along with fencing to protect it from animals. Advance registration is required and can be completed by visiting Tree Pittsburgh’s website at treepittsburgh.org/penn-hills-sp24. A $10 donation per tree is encouraged.
Registration is limited to Penn Hills residents until March 25 before opening to anyone in Allegheny County.
Library plans egg hunts, STEAM activity
Penn Hills Library is planning two egg hunts for children from 11 a.m. to noon March 23.
• Ages 6-11: Young scientists are invited to complete a 45-minute STEAM activity on the library’s lower-level outdoor patio area, followed by an outdoor egg hunt with take-home prizes.
• Preschoolers, birth through age 5: An interactive storytime featuring songs, books and rhymes will be followed by an egg hunt in the Children’s Department. The children will receive a small basket for the hunt. Children and their caregivers will hunt for eight unfilled eggs in assigned zones: Zone 1, crawlers; Zone 2, early walkers; and Zone 3, fast on your feet. They will sort the eggs by color with members of the library staff. After the egg-sorting activity, children will be able to pick treats for their baskets.
Registration of individual children is required for both events and can be made by visiting the events calendar online at pennhills.librarycalendar.com. Parents and guardians of children 5 and younger must include the child’s age.
For details, call the library at 412-775-4700.
Events for adults to mark Women’s History Month
Penn Hills Library is wrapping up Women’s History Month with a few special activities for adults.
• Icons of Woman’s History Screenprinting: (two time slots available) 1 to 3 p.m. March 21 and 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 23. Participants will make their own stencil featuring an iconic woman and screenprint a bag to take home. Registration is required.
• “A Woman’s Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh”: 6 to 7 p.m. March 27. This illustrated lecture, based on a new exhibit opening March 23 at the Heinz History Center, will offer a look at the lives and achievements of history-making women from Western Pennsylvania. Attendees will journey through women’s history from the early 1800s to modern day, learning along the way how women’s fortitude and resolve helped to pave the way for future generations. Featured history makers include journalist Nellie Bly, Pittsburghers who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, civil rights activist Daisy Lampkin, groundbreaking filmmaker Lois Weber and more.
Registration can be made by visiting the events calendar online at pennhills.library calendar.com.
For details, call the library at 412-775-4700.
Trinity Tower UMC plans Holy Week services
Pastor Greg Spencer of Trinity Tower United Methodist Church, 6729 Saltsburg Road, announces Holy Week worship services. The services also will be livestreamed on YouTube and can be accessed from the church’s website at trinitytowerchurch.com. For details, call the church at 412-793-9000.
March 24: Palm Sunday — 9 a.m., contemporary worship; 10:30 a.m., traditional worship
March 28: Maundy Thursday — 7 p.m.
March 29: Good Friday — 7:30 p.m.
March 30: Easter Egg Hunt — 10 a.m. to noon
March 31: Easter Sunday — 9 a.m., contemporary worship; 10:30 a.m., traditional worship
Workshop to explore centering prayer
Christ the Divine Shepherd Parish is sponsoring a Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon April 20.
The workshop will include a continental breakfast from 8:30 to 9 a.m., centering prayer experiences, discussion of the book “Open Heart, Open Mind” by Father Thomas Keating and follow-up sessions.
Registration is $20 and is payable in advance or at the door. Reservations are required by April 17.
Checks should be made payable to Christ the Divine Shepherd Parish, in care of Irene Swackhammer, 200 Stotler Road, Penn Hills, PA 15235.
For details or to make a reservation, call 412-977-2721 or email irenes_2001@yahoo.com.
Open Registration Day set for PA Pre-K Counts
PA Pre-K Counts, a program of the Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette Inc., will begin taking applications in March for its locations throughout Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette and Westmoreland counties for the 2023-24 school year.
PA Pre-K Counts, offered at no cost to qualifying families, provides high-quality pre-kindergarten education for 3- and 4-year-olds living in Pennsylvania funded by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning.
An Open Registration Day is planned from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 22 at Penn Hills High School, 309 Collins Drive.
This will be an opportunity to meet teachers and other staff, tour the classrooms and playgrounds, ask questions and fill out an application. Classes are five days a week for six hours each day, and children are served healthy and nutritious meals and snacks through the Child and Adult Care Food Program while attending class.
To participate in the program, children must be at risk of school failure because of income, cultural or special-needs issues. Children also must meet the income eligibility guidelines of at or below 300% of the federal poverty level for their family size.
Volunteer opportunities in the classroom and family engagement events allow parents to learn more about how to be involved in their child’s learning and development.
To complete an application, call the PA Pre-K Counts office at 724-437-2590 or go online at www.privateindustrycouncil.com.
Household chemical collection scheduled
The Pennsylvania Resource Council will hold a household chemical collection from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 17 at Boyce Park in Plum.
Individuals can drop off automotive fluids, household cleaners, pesticides, paints and other household chemicals. A $20 fee covers disposal of up to 10 gallons or 50 pounds of material per vehicle. Loads exceeding 10 gallons and 50 pounds will be subject to additional fees.
Participants must register in advance at prc.org/collectionevents or by calling 412-488-7490.
Venue changed for Class of 1974 reunion
The Penn Hills High School Class of 1974 will have its 50th reunion at 6 p.m. June 8 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Downtown Pittsburgh.
The venue changed from the Monroeville DoubleTree, which recently announced its closure.
The cost is $65. The gathering will include appetizers, food stations, dessert, nonalcoholic beverages, a photo booth and a DJ. There will be a cash bar.
To make a reservation, visit Penn Hills Class of 1974 on Facebook, email PHHS74Reunion@gmail.com or contact Deborah (Tedesco) Gathagan at dgathagan@verizon.net.
Stamp/postcard show on tap
The Wilkinsburg Stamp Club will hold its 74th annual stamp and postcard show in April at the Holiday Park Fire Hall in Plum.
The show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 12 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 13.
Dealers will provide a variety of items and will be available to appraise collections.
Admission and parking are free.
For details, visit wilkinsburgstampbluc.com.
Take Off Pounds Sensibly meets Tuesday evenings
The local chapter of TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), a support group to help those struggling with weight loss, meets Tuesday evenings at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1261 Pennsylvania Ave., in Oakmont. Meetings begin with a private weigh-in between 5:45 and 6:10 p.m.
Anyone interested in joining can attend a meeting and decide if TOPS is right for them. For details, call 412-828-3854 or email jmjkwj@gmail.com.
Car show benefit set for April
The Steel City Chapter of the Heavy Hitters Car Club will host an April 21 car show.
It will be from noon to 5 p.m. at the CCAC Boyce Campus, 595 Beatty Road in Monroeville, with special guest host and former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Louis Lipps.
The entry fee is $10 and the event will include food, music, a 50-50 and basket raffles along with awards in seven categories.
Proceeds will benefit Tiny Cause, a nonprofit dog rescue shelter in Vandergrift. For details, visit SCheavyhitters.com.
Utility customers report scam calls
Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority is warning customers about an uptick in calls and texts from scammers impersonating the utility provider.
Scammers are asking customers to call a phone number to pay their bills and avoid delinquency or shut-offs. This false number shares an area code with the authority’s payment provider, which accepts payments over the phone, making these scams more difficult to detect, a WPJWA spokesperson said.
But there is one surefire way to detect a scam: WPJWA does not text or call to inform customers about unpaid bills. Instead, notices are sent by letter or, for customers who have opted in, by email.
WPJWA became aware of the issue after customers called them directly. Customers who encounter scams are encouraged to contact customer service at 412-243-62000 or custserv@wpjwa.com.