deck the house

Get a head start on the holiday season with the 20th Annual Howard Hanna House Tour. The tour, which benefits the Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund, is from 9:30 to noon on Saturday, November 15, with a luncheon from 11 to 2, Chinese and silent auctions.

Luncheon will be at Bower Hill Community Church, with offerings from Pennsylvania Macaroni Co., Bado’s, Giovanni’s, Breadworks and Donte’s (with maybe more to come). Houses on this year’s tour are:

1031 Washington Road
19 Woodhaven Drive
747 Sommerville Drive
40 Longuevue Drive
260 Arden Road
841 Eisenhower Drive

splendor in the shade

Terrace Drive resident Millie Ryan is heading up a spectacular walking tour of six Shadyside Gilded Age mansions for Shadyside Splendor, a walking tour on Sunday, November 23, from noon to 5 p.m. to benefit the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The historic mansions will be beautifully decked out for the holidays with a classical music ensemble playing in each home.

Tax-deductible tickets are available for $55 in advance or $65 at the door. On-street parking is free and parking is also available in the nearby Rodef Shalom parking lot.

To get tickets, go to www.showclix.com or call 1-888-718-4253.

The event kicks off with a holiday brunch from 10:30 to 2 at the Mansions on Fifth, for $25 for ticket holders. A special menu will be offered until 6 p.m. Brunch reservations are required at 412-381-5105.

war to end wars

In observation of Veterans Day and the centennial of World War I, Historian Todd DePastino will present “The Origins of the Great War, 1914” at 7 p.m., Wednesday, November 5, at Mt. Lebanon Library. The war killed 10 million people, swept away four empires and sparked revolutions from the western border of France to the Sea of Japan. Yet, precisely how and why it happened is still something of a mystery. Come hear the story and learn why, after a century, the Great War still haunts us.

benefit breakfast

Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services’ South Hills office is hosting a holiday breakfast and Chinese auction at Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South, 164 Fort Couch Road, Friday, December 5, to benefit Make-A-Wish and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Doors open at 8:30 and breakfast is served from 9:45 to noon. Tickets are $20. Please bring non-perishable food items for the food bank. For more information call Lisa Davis at 412-833-5405, ext. 200.