The Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, completed last year after three years of planning and construction, opened permanently last month. Adjacent to Settler’s Cabin, the 452-acre garden features a lotus pond, three miles of trails, including a one-mile ADA-accessible trail, an historic farmstead, and education and play stations for children and families.
Activities for May include a plant sale on Saturday, May 16, from 8:30 a.m., to 2 p.m., and a presentation on Monarch butterflies on Friday, May 31, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (registration is required). Garden hours are 9 to 5 every day except Thursday, when the garden is open until 8 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and student and $6 for children 3 to 18. There is a $1 discount for Allegheny County residents and for active duty military. To learn more about events and programs, visit www.pittsburghbotanicgarden.org/ [1].
Giving2Grow, a women’s giving circle dedicated to improving nutrition and food security for the children of southwestern Pennsylvania, will be celebrating the start of its second year at 7 p.m., on Monday, May 18, at Southminster House, 799 Washington Road. To learn more about Giving2Grow and the giving circle concept, check out giving2grow.org [2] or info@giving2grow.org [3].
Baptist Homes is looking for volunteers to escort residents and assist staff. Volunteers receive a free lunch and have access to Baptist Homes’ wellness center. For more information, call Dionne Rose, 412-572-8254, or email drose@baptisthomes.org [4].
[5]On May 1, Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park will be transformed into an auction house where plant lovers can bid on trees, shrubs and perennials, as well as unique garden accessories for the home. Benefiting Phipps’ dynamic education programs, this lively annual sale is supported by local garden centers, businesses and specialty mail-order nurseries. Reservations are required. Call 412-441-4442, ext. 3925. The cost is $25 for Phipps members and $30 for nonmembers, and includes wine and hors d’oeuvres. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Chabad of the South Hills is hosting its annual Women’s Spring Dinner, 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 12, 1701 McFarland Road. Guest speaker will be Allison Josephs, who is the creator of the blog Jew in the City. Silent auction and raffle prizes. For more information or reservations, call 412-344-2424 or www.chabadsh.com [6].
[7]Metal Art Show Mt. Lebanon artist Kim Fox was a finalist in Martha Stewart’s 2014 American Made Awards. A group of nine judges selected her “tin quilts” as the winner in the crafts category. Fox creates the tin quilts using deconstructed tin that she nails into intricate patterns on salvaged wood. Fox also crafts house numbers, prints, greeting cards and other mixed media by hand. She is a regular at Handmade Arcade. At 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 5, she will be at Mt. Lebanon Library to show some of her pieces and discuss her creations.
CCC certified speech-language pathologists will provide free speech, language and hearing screenings for children during the month of May in honor of Better Speech and Hearing Month. To schedule an appointment in the South Hills, call 412-563-2434; in the east suburbs, call 412-372-7111.
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, but unfortunately, although people over age 50 have the highest risk of developing melanoma, very few have had skin exams in the last year. To help, St. Clair Hospital sponsors an annual free skin cancer screening. This year’s screening will be Tuesday, May 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Sipe Infusion Center, Third Floor, St. Clair Hospital, 1000 Bower Hill Road. Board certified dermatologists Jason G. Whalen, M.D, Gretchen M. Kreizenbeck, M.D. and Nicole Funt, MPAS-PA, all of Mt. Lebanon Dermatology, will perform screenings. Register by calling 412-942-5082 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.