Great Gardens Tour scheduled for July
Mark your calendars: The 17th annual Shaler Garden Club’s Great Gardens Tour will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 13.
Proceeds from the tour will benefit the Shaler North Hills Library.
The tour offers an opportunity to walk through five spectacular gardens bursting with dazzling blooms, ponds, pathways and design ideas. It will be held rain or shine.
The cost is $20 in advance or $25 the day of the tour.
Tickets can be purchased at the library, 1822 Mt. Royal Blvd., Shaler, or online on the library’s website at shalerlibrary.org.
Each ticket includes hosted visits to the five beautiful gardens and a chance to win a gift basket.
For details, visit shalergardenclub.com or shalerlibrary.org or call 412-486-0211.
The Shaler Garden Club is celebrating 104 years of serving the Shaler community.
Local gardens sought for contest
Do your neighbors compliment you on your beautiful garden? Does your neighbor have a beautiful garden? Why not celebrate these gardens and hard work by entering them in the Shaler Great Local Gardens Contest?
Everyone in Shaler and the surrounding areas are welcome to join this fun, casual contest.
To enter, submit five photos of your garden along with a description of what makes your garden special. We love a good story!
All types of gardens, such as flower, vegetable, herb and container, will be considered.
July 1 is the deadline to drop off entries at the Shaler North Hills Library, 1822 Mt. Royal Blvd., Shaler. Photos will not be returned.
Winners of the contest will be announced at the Shaler Garden Club’s 6:30 p.m. July 22 meeting at the library. The public is welcome to attend meeting, which will feature a program by Patricia Milliken, a certified Pennsylvania Master Naturalist, titled “Plants Warn, ‘Stay Away!’ “
Winners of the contest also have the opportunity to be a part of a future Great Gardens Tour.
For details, stop by the library or visit shalerlibrary.org or shalergardenclub.com.
Community Day blowout on July 4 to include fireworks
Shaler is hosting its annual Community Day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 4 at Kiwanis Park, 1 Meyer Road.
Please note that dogs are not permitted in Kiwanis Park during events.
Here is the schedule:
• Crawford Pool: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• DJ at the pool: 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
• Shaler Shack: Opens at 11 a.m.
• Food vendors: Starting at noon and running throughout the day
• Face painting: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
• Fire truck rides: 2 to 4 p.m.
• Community tents: 3 p.m. to dusk
• Uptown Rhythm & Brass Band: 7 p.m.
• Military recognition ceremony: 8 p.m.
• Fireworks by Pyrotechnic at dark; rain date will be Saturday, July 5
Picnic open to all
Cap off your Independence Day celebrations with picnic fare at a free Community Meal from 5 to 7 p.m. July 7 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1719 Mt. Royal Blvd., Shaler.
There will be fun, fellowship and a festive menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and ice cream sundaes.
Free meals are served at Bethlehem on the first Monday of each month. The next meal after July’s will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 4.
For details, visit belc.org. For questions, call the church’s office at 412-486-0550.
Food resources available in Millvale
Here are some free food resources in Millvale for residents in need:
• North Hills Community Outreach, 416 Lincoln Ave.: Distribution is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month. If you need emergency food assistance, call 412-487-6316.
• Millvale Library Free Fridge and Pantry: Located behind the community library, 213 Grant Ave. Help yourself to fresh, frozen and nonperishable items.
• Free Little Food Pantries: Located at Gardens of Millvale, 22 Butler St., and on the North Avenue side of Christ Lutheran Church, 917 Evergreen Ave. A variety of nonperishable items are available.
• Christ Lutheran Church Food Pantry, 917 Evergreen Ave.: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays and Fridays and 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays.
Free lunches for kids available over summer
Free lunches are being served throughout the summer at the Etna Playground, 2 Pine St.
The meals will be distributed from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays to children 18 and younger.
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For more information or to volunteer, email megan@etnacommunity.org.
Fundraiser to benefit pet-owning veterans extended to July 4
Animal Friends is encouraging the community to help it reach its goal of raising $45,000 to support its Animal Friends for Veterans program.
Benefactors Robert Fragasso and Bill and Susan Follansbee have extended their Memorial Day matching gift challenge to help pet-owning veterans through July 4.
For every dollar donated, an additional 50 cents will be added, up to $15,000.
Animal Friends for Veterans, funded by the Major Ben Follansbee Memorial Fund, helps rescue pets become loyal companions to veterans facing PTSD, isolation and the transition to civilian life.
The program offers pet matchmaking services, pet food assistance, veterinary care, emergency boarding support and more for veterans in need.
For details about the program and to donate, visit ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org/programs-services/animal-friends-for-veterans.
Applications open for home repairs program
Allegheny County’s Whole-Home Repairs Program will close for applications on June 30.
This is a competitive program. While not everyone will receive funding, residents are strongly encouraged to apply in case there are additional rounds of funding in the future.
Each applicant may be awarded up to $50,000 to address habitability and sustainability concerns in their home. The funding aims to help keep people in their homes to stabilize communities throughout the county.
Homeowners can apply online at https://actionhousing.org/our-services/allegheny-county-whole-home-repairs-program/ or apply over the phone by calling 412-248-0021.
For questions, call the Allegheny Housing Stabilization Collaborative, led by Action Housing, at 412-248-0021.
Participants, sponsors sought for 5K/walk
The North Boroughs 5K and Walk benefiting North Hills Community Outreach and the Northgate Cross Country Team is scheduled for 8 a.m. Aug. 9 at Greenstone United Methodist Church, 939 California Ave., Avalon.
The 1-mile walk will start at 8 a.m. and runners in the 5K will start at 8:15.
The cost is $35 for the 5K and $20 for the walk, plus a small transaction fee.
Registration opens at 7 a.m. on the day of the race for those who need to sign up or pick up their bib.
Participants are encouraged to stick around after the race for door prizes and giveaways.
This is a pet friendly event.
To view and download a course map and for details on how to become a sponsor, visit nhco.org/north-boroughs-5k.
For questions, email Angie at amspess@nhco.org.
School supplies sought to help children in need
North Hills Community Outreach is seeking donations of school supplies through Aug. 10 for its Back to School project.
Last year, supplies were distributed to nearly 890 students, an increase compared to previous years.
Donations can be dropped off at any of its three offices from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of each month at its Allison Park site at 1975 Ferguson Road, Hampton.
Other locations are NHCO Millvale on the second floor of the Millvale Community Center, 416 Lincoln Ave., and at NHCO North Boroughs at Greenstone Methodist Church, 939 California Ave., Avalon.
Items being collected include new backpacks, colored pencils, 24-pack crayons, erasers, glue sticks, highlighters and markers, loose-leaf paper, notebooks, binders, pens and pencils including mechanical ones, pencil boxes and sharpeners, pocket folders, rulers, scissors and Texas Instruments graphing calculators in working order for advanced high school science and math.
Donations also can be ordered from NHCO’s Amazon wishlist and sent directly to its office.
Summer market set for July 26 in Millvale
The Millvale Community Development Corporation will host its Summer Market Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 26.
More than 40 local artists, makers and bakers will be set up throughout Millvale’s parks and businesses.
Local businesses also will be offering special deals and promotions.
For details, visit millvalecdc.org.
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