AROUND THE NORTH
Schools salute veterans
Many schools will hold programs to commemorate Veterans Day, which is Monday. Here is a sampling of events at schools in the North:
* North Hills Middle School -- 10 to 20 local veterans will visit seventh-grade Tuesday for roundtable discussions during social studies classes. The veterans will share stories and answer questions. Their visit will kick off a donation drive to provide supplies for a nonprofit organization that supports disabled veterans.
* Portersville Christian School -- Elementary students have invited veterans to a program today that will begin in Portersville Alliance Church and continue in classrooms, where the veterans will talk about their military experiences and show pictures, medals and other memorabilia to students. Veterans will be treated to a free lunch with the students.
* Osborne Elementary School -- Veterans and those currently serving in the military will be honored with a breakfast at 9 a.m. Friday followed by a patriotic program.
* Edgeworth Elementary School -- A welcoming reception will begin at 9:15 a.m. Monday followed by a program at 10. Information: 412-749-3608 or kolodzieje@qvsd.org. The school is accepting donations to support Boulder Crest Retreat, a sanctuary for wounded military veterans and their families in Bluemont, Va. The Dollar for Their Duty project asks each student to contribute $1 that the student earned by completing a chore at home.
* Quaker Valley Middle School -- Veterans from the Sewickley area American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War posts will be honored with a breakfast prepared by sixth-grade students and their teachers at 8 a.m. Tuesday in the cafeteria. An all-school assembly will follow featuring the video, "I Fought For You," and including the playing of taps, the presentation of colors and suggestions of how students can honor and serve veterans. Information: longr@qvsd.org.
* Quaker Valley High School -- A moment of silence will be observed Monday in addition to cross-curricular activities in various classes, including writings, class discussions and video presentations.
* Shaler Area Middle School -- Veterans from throughout the region were honored Wednesday with a breakfast and show that was school's 15th annual Celebration of Veterans. This year's program focused on veterans of the Korean War. Several students presented family members to be honored, and the guests were given tokens of appreciation. The school band, chorus, cheerleaders and teachers presented a program in honor of the veterans.
HARMONY
German-style Christmas market
The Harmony Museum's WeihnachtsMarkt, a German-style Christmas market, will feature artisans, quilters, merchants and holiday goods from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in the Harmony National Historic Landmark District.
The event, which is the museum's prime annual fundraiser, celebrates the heritage of a community founded in 1804 by immigrants from southwest Germany.
The market will include 50 artisans and vendors offering German and other European imported goods and antiques, wine and beer tastings, museum quilters and weavers, and musical groups.
Children's activities will be at a log house, the museum's model railroad displays will be open, and horse-drawn wagon rides will be offered through the Harmony National Historic Landmark District.
Visitors are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items for local food bank donations.
Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and $3 for students.
It includes all-day market, museum and entertainment access, and unlimited wagon rides through town.
Musical performers will include Alpen Schuhplattlers of the Pittsburgh Teutonia Mannerchor, Burke's Bavarian Brass, Pittsburgh Swiss Singers, Augsburg German Band and the Mad Bavarian. The Acme Tunes hammered dulcimer ensemble will play Saturday in the museum's Stewart Hall.
Crafts will be demonstrated by artisans selling items such as wood ware and boxes; jewelry; wood carvings; furniture; ornaments; fraktur, paintings, drawings, and other artwork. Other items offered will include German-style tatting; pottery and glassware; books and historical maps; punched tin; clocks and clock repairs; soaps and lotions; candles; locally forged ironware; baskets; and wreaths and garlands.
Food will include German roasted nuts, olive oils, vinegars, teas, Amish baked goods, flavored butters and mustards, and chocolate caramel apples.
German carols will be sung late Saturday when the museum's Christmas Giving Tree will be lighted for the season.
Parking is free. Shuttle bus service will be available.
BULL CREEK ROAD
Median work restricts traffic
Concrete median repairs on Bull Creek Road between the Route 28 interchange and Pleasant Avenue will mean single-lane closures in each direction from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Dec. 6.
No westbound restrictions will occur between 6 and 9 a.m. No eastbound restrictions will occur between 3 and 5 p.m. All ramps at the Route 28 interchange will remain open.
The $7.7 million project includes removing the asphalt overlay and resurfacing with a bituminous material on the Tarentum Bridge.
Other bridge work involves gusset plate and downspout repairs, spot painting, concrete reconstruction, drainage, concrete curb ramps and mountable curb, sidewalks, guide rail upgrades, side road adjustments or reconstruction, signs and other enhancements on about 1.6 miles of Route 366 from the New Kensington side of the Tarentum Bridge to the two-lane section of Bull Creek west of the Route 28 interchange.
The prime contractor is Golden Triangle Construction Co. Inc.
AROUND THE NORTH
Community outreach to give away car
North Hills Community Outreach will award a 2005 Toyota Corolla four-door sedan to a low-income family on Dec. 24 in the fifth annual "Too Big for The Stocking" car giveaway through its Community Auto program.
The program is open to Allegheny County residents who are working at least 25 hours per week or have a letter saying they have been hired, have dependent children in their household, and need a vehicle to get to work, do grocery shopping and transport children to school, day care and medical appointments.
The giveaway package is valued at more than $10,500. The vehicle comes with new inspection and emissions stickers, fresh detailing, an oil change, a one-year warranty, one-year AAA-Plus membership, child car seats (if needed), monthly gas cards and holiday presents for the children.
Applications will be accepted through Dec. 12 and must be hand-delivered or mailed to 11490 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA 15090.
A selection panel will review applications and select a winner.
Community Auto accepts vehicle donations and offers donors the chance to get a maximum tax deduction.
This past year, 125 vehicles were donated and 51 low-income workers purchased a car through the program.
Applications and guidelines: 724-443-8300 or www.communityauto.org.
All driver's license and photo centers, including the one in the Duncan Manor Shopping Center, will be closed Saturday through Monday in observance of Veterans Day.
MCCANDLESS
Driver’s license centers closed
Customers may still access driver and vehicle services such as registration renewals and changes of address online through the state Department of Transportation driver and vehicle services website, www.dmv.state.pa.us.
First Published: November 7, 2013, 11:01 a.m.