Local lore has it that the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Beechview was named after the many beech trees that once grew on its hillsides.

The dedication of a 12-foot beech tree planted in the Monument Parklet is one of many events planned to commemorate the celebration of the community's centennial Saturday.

"After all, Beechview will only be 100 years old once," said Audrey Iacone, librarian at the local Carnegie Library branch and chairwoman of the celebration committee.

The more than 20 committee members involved in the planning frequently reminisced about the "good old days" of 40 to 50 years ago, when Beechview's business district included Bard's Dairy Store, Arrigo's market, Morry's five-and-ten, Johns' Drugstore and a movie theater. The swimming pool which closed last year opened in 1954.

"The area holds a lot of memories for me," said committee member Ellen Magnotta, explaining why she still lives there.

"My parents were married at St. Catherine Church. Generations grew up here. The people are always helping each other."

The celebration will kick off with a ceremony at Monument Parklet featuring the dedication of the tree. A town crier will make proclamations, guns will be fired in a salute and a time capsule will be buried.

Items donated for the time capsule, which will be opened in 2055, include a Foodland circular announcing the 100th anniversary; a T-shirt from the Beechview Merchants Association; menus from two local restaurants, Nelle's Place and Lunardi's; and submissions from the local schools.

A parade featuring the Kennywood trolley and Civil War re-enactors begins at the parklet at 10 a.m. and ends at St. Pamphilus Church.

Special attractions include vendors, horse-drawn carriage rides on Broadway Avenue from 10 a.m. to noon, an antique car cruise on Broadway from noon to 4 p.m., a petting zoo and pony rides in Foodland's parking lot from noon to 2 p.m., a presentation from the National Aviary in the parking lot from 1 to 2 p.m., a memorial quilt display and face painting at the Beechview Library from noon to 4 p.m. and children's librarian Patte Kelley telling stories at the library about the early days of Pittsburgh from 2 to 3 p.m.

Live entertainment includes Five Guys Named Moe from noon to 2 p.m., the Vintage Buzz from 2:30 to 5 p.m., a magic show from 5 to 6 p.m. and a Beechview band, Solomon Steel Impressions Steelband, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

A fireworks display will be held at dusk at one of the two ball fields near Beechwood School.

On Sunday, there will be a special ecumenical church service at 3 p.m. at St. Pamphilus.

A 250-recipe cookbook and a history book called "Beechview," part of Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series, will be on sale throughout the business district.

Iacone co-wrote the book with Anna Loney, Nate Marini and Robert Thomas.

She said the celebration was of Beechview's incorporation as a borough, which occurred July 28, 1905. Pittsburgh annexed Beechview and nearby West Liberty borough, which includes parts of present day Beechview, in January 1909.

The Beechwood Improvement Co., which sold land for residential and commercial development, promoted Beechview as an alternative to the congestion and pollution of the city. The same company initiated the construction of a tunnel under Mount Washington for the placement of streetcar tracks; this is the current site of the South Hills Junction.

Some street names, such as Los Angeles, Tropical and Palm Beach avenues, were chosen by the developers to evoke exciting, exotic locales of the day.