September Events: Festival of the Bands [1], Indoor Tennis 50th Anniversary [2], Community Food Bank’s Flyaway Bash [3], Uptown Block Party [4], Benjamin Franklin Presentation [5], Northern Appalachian Folk Festival [6], ’40s & ’50s Reunion [7], Pittsburgh Irish Festival [8], Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival [9], Glass Auction [10], Outreach Golf Outing [11], Hall of Champions [12], Hollywood Poster Auction [13], Serve2Cure [14], The Denis on Tap [15], Opioid Epidemic Symposium [16] and Baptist Homes’ Call for Volunteers [17].
FESTIVAL OF BANDS
If the marching band is one of your favorite things at the high school football games, you won’t want to miss the Mt. Lebanon Festival of Bands on Saturday, September 23, at 7 p.m. It’s all halftime show with no football game! Area high school bands will join the Blue Devils at the high school football field for an evening of fun musical entertainment. www.LeboBand.com [18]
A HALF CENTURY OF INDOOR TENNIS
Indoor Tennis for Mt. Lebanon caps off its 50th anniversary celebration on Saturday, September 16. At 12:30 p.m., many of the original founders will be on hand for the dedication of a bench at the Tennis Center, followed by an open house in the Founders’ Room, and open court play from 1 to 5. www.MtLeboTennis.com [19]
COME FLY AWAY
Bring a suitcase to this fundraiser, because you could be on a spur-of-the-moment vacation by the end of the evening! The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s Flyaway Bash, 6:30 p.m., Friday, September 8, at the Food Bank’s cool LEED-certified headquarters, on N. Linden Street, Duquesne, features a VIP reception, strolling dinner, dancing and three trip giveaways—Omni William Penn, Omni Bedford Springs and the grand prize, New York City—which include luxury transportation.
www.PittsburghFoodBank.org [20]
PARTY UPTOWN
The Uptown Block Party is Saturday, September 16, from 6 to 10 p.m. on Washington Road, which will be closed to traffic. There is no admission fee, but since the event is a fundraiser for Accessible Lebo, people who are 21 and older can buy a wristband for $5 that permits them to buy beer. Headlining the outdoor concert is Radio Tokyo. Food trucks, games, a Commonwealth Press skate jam and other activities will keep the action moving. For details: www.MtLeboPartnership.org. [21]
THE FIRST AMERICAN
Benjamin Franklin, the first American to achieve worldwide renown, is the subject of the Historical Society of Mount Lebanon’s Speaker Series on Wednesday, September 13. Local historian Jack Puglisi will lead the discussion beginning at 7 p.m. at Mt. Lebanon Public Library. www.MtLebanonLibrary.org [22]
FOLK FESTIVAL
Only a little more than an hour away, Indiana, Pa., can be a fun weekend getaway, especially during the Northern Appalachian Folk Festival on September 9 and 10. The festival offers performances, workshops, exhibits, vendors, kids’ activities and more to celebrate the art and culture of the region. Admission is free. www.NorthernAppFolkFest.org [23]
CALLING 1940S AND EARLY ’50S GRADS
The Mt. Lebanon High School class of 1947 (which is celebrating its 70th reunion September 7 to 9) is having an all-class get-together at 5:30 p.m., Friday, September 8, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Organizer Jerry Scherer and his committee promise a fun cocktail hour and lots of stories, some of which may be true! Questions, call Jerry at 412-298-2507.
PITTSBURGH IRISH FESTIVAL
You don’t have to be Irish to have a good time at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, September 8 to 10 at the Riverplex in Homestead. The festival will feature music and dance performaances, Irish merchandise and genealogy activities, Irish food, Irish dogs and plenty of drink. New this year is an emphasis on Irish and local craft beer, an inflatable pop-up pub and an Irish wedding display. www.PghIrishFest.org [24]
PIEROGIES IN PITTSBURGH
For one special day, Pittsburgh becomes the City of Dumplings in celebration of a favorite local Polish dish—the pierogi. This year, the Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival is at Kennywood Park on Sunday, September 24, from 1 to 6 p.m. Try every variety of pierogi you can imagine, hop on some classic rides, shop pierogi-themed merchandise, enjoy live bands, an open beer garden and participate in pierogi-themed activities. www.pittsburghpierogifestival.com [25]
GLASS AUCTION
Pittsburgh Glass Center’s annual Art on Fire celebration & auction is a chance to bid on more than 100 pieces of fine glass art while enjoying some outstanding views of the city. The auction will be held in the Coterie in the penthouse of the historic Frick Building downtown on Friday, September 15, at 6 p.m. www.PittsburghGlassCenter.org [26]
OUTREACH GOLF OUTING
This year’s Outreach Teen & Family Services Golf Outing is Wednesday, September 13, at Lindenwood Golf Club in Canonsburg. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., shotgun start at 9, and lunch and a short program follow at 2. Cost is $150 for singles, $600 for foursomes and $50 for meal only. Packages and sponsorship opportunities are also available. Learn more at www.outreachteen.org [27], under the “Events” tab.
LEBO SPORTS LOVERS, SAVE THE DATE:
Mt. Lebanon athletes, current and former, as well as Lebo sports lovers will gather at the Circuit Center and Ballroom on Pittsburgh’s South Side at 7 p.m., Saturday, November 25, (Thanksgiving weekend) to celebrate Mt. Lebanon High School’s decades of athletic excellence. Sponsored by the Blue Devil Club in cooperation with the school district’s capital campaign, the event will call attention to the athletic department’s new Hall of Champions (which replaces the wall that once lined the South Gym in the old school) and raise funds for further improvements at the athletic department and for the sports programs. The evening will feature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, entertainment and the chance to meet and reconnect with athletes and sports lovers from the ’40s to the present. More information, including pricing and where to get tickets, will follow in our October issue and on Facebook.
MOVIE ART
Movie geeks and lovers of great graphic art will find something to love at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont’s Great Hollywood Poster Auction, on Saturday, September 9. Doors will open at 8 a.m. for registration and poster browsing, with the auction beginning at 10. A pre-auction event the night before will include a first look at the collection, as well as a showing of the documentary 24×36: A Movie About Movie Posters.
Among the collection are original posters advertising High Noon with Gary Cooper, The Blues Brothers, and Charles Bronson’s Death Wish. The posters are from the collection of Allen Seich, owner of the Lamarca Barber Shop in Brentwood, who passed away in 2011. Seich’s family is donating 20 percent of the proceeds to the Hollywood. Auction admittance is free; tickets for the Friday night preview and screening are $10. www.thehollywooddormont.org [28], or 412- 563-0368.
SERVE2CURE
A Rally to Ace Cancer will take place Friday, September 15 and Sunday, September 17, at the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center. Over the past six years, Serve2Cure has raised more than $90,000 for local cancer charities. This year’s tournament will benefit Mt. Lebanon-based charity Matt’s Maker Space. Matt’s furnishes science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) education to help suffering kids feel more comfortable while in Children’s Hospital. It also sponsors Matt’s playrooms and teen rooms at Children’s Hospital and Our Clubhouse so that children with cancer and their siblings have a place to connect with peers. Matt’s Maker programs will begin this year in Mt. Lebanon elementary schools and continue in the public library. Matt’s Maker Space keeps the memory of Matt Conover alive, a Mt. Lebanon boy who lost his battle with cancer at age 13.
Players may participate in up to two events including Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles and cardio tennis. Registration forms are available at the Mt. Lebanon Tennis center and www.Serve2Cure.org [29].
In addition to the tennis tournament, Serve2Cure features cardio tennis classes, clock your serve speed, themed raffle baskets and silent auction items. 412-260-1064 or izzo11@verizon.net [30].
EXTRA, EXTRA!
DENIS ON TAP Mindful Brewing in Castle Shannon will host a fundraiser for the Denis Theatre on Thursday, September 14, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The event is on the second floor of the brewery, and all proceeds will support The Denis Theatre’s film programs. Tickets are $50 or $75 for VIP. www.DenisTheatre.org [31]
STOP THE EPIDEMIC A symposium on the western Pennsylvania opioid crisis is scheduled for 6 P.M., Tuesday, September 19, at Christ United Methodist Church in Bethel Park. For more information email kellilwall@outlook.com [32].
VOLUNTEER FOR BAPTIST HOMES Baptist Homes, 489 Castle Shannon Boulevard, is always in need of volunteers. Current weekday volunteer positions include morning coffee host/hostess and chime choir assistant, though other volunteer opportunities are available. Please call 412-563-6550 for more information.