March 26, 2021

Town Topics

Mt. Lebanon is not letting a worldwide pandemic get in the way of its Earth Day celebration. This year the event, like so many others, will be virtual, beginning at noon on Thursday, April 22. Above is a bottle cap mosaic from the last in-person Earth Day observance, in 2019. The project, coordinated by Earth Day volunteer Deb Larson and Markham Elementary School teacher Adam Humes, involved collecting enough bottle caps to cover seven 4-by-8-feet sheets of plywood. Students collected the bottle caps and glued them to the plywood. Humes designed the mosaic and worked with teachers from Mt. Lebanon’s six other elementary schools to paint the design. /Photo: Kathy Hrabovksy

Celebrating Our Earth Safely

Mt. Lebanon’s 2021 Earth Day celebration will be virtual, beginning at noon on Thursday, April 22. Earth Day planners are creating a story map, which will be available through the group’s Facebook page. Plans include virtual versions of the event’s popular activity tent programs, including music, meditation, yoga, and information on conserving energy, water and waste, as well as air quality, wellness and human health and productivity information. The Pennsylvania Resources Council will present workshops on composting and on making rain barrels. Registration is required for the workshops.

If you would like to participate, visit the group’s Facebook page for additional information on how to create a personal sustainability story for inclusion in the story map, or to be a vendor, sponsor or volunteer. For more information, contact Kathy Hrabovsky at lebogreen2020@gmail.com or 412-953-5202.

The Mt. Lebanon Public Library will join the celebration. The library is planning a story walk and a scavenger hunt that ends with an ephemeral art photo share and prizes. Also, for adults, educational gardening programs and a virtual book chat, and links to programs and book lists for all ages.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ARTISTS The Mt. Lebanon Artists’ Market is October 2 and 3 in the Academy Avenue parking lot. One of the highlights of the festival, presented by the Mt. Lebanon Partnership, is the award of a scholarship, which provides $1,000 to a deserving young artist who will attend an accredited higher education program in the fall. Apply online by April 15.

HELP WITH HEATING BILLS Pennsylvania’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is taking applications until April 9, or until money for the program runs out. The federally funded program, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, helps low-income consumers pay winter home heating costs. The program provides a one-time grant, applied directly to the customer’s utility bill. Grants are also available for residents without heat or in danger of being without heat.

Individuals with an annual income of up to $19,140 are eligible to apply. A family of four can earn an annual income of up to $39,300.

Apply online or by calling 1-866-827-1281.

GIVING AND GROWING Giving2Grow, a giving circle based primarily in Mt. Lebanon, is having its annual membership meeting on May 11 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Since its founding in 2014, members have given more than $294,000 to 16 organizations in Southwestern PA fighting childhood hunger and food insecurity. The meeting is open to anyone interested in joining.

MARKETS COME BACK Mark your calendars for the return of our local farmers markets. The Uptown Market opens in the South Lot, across from Washington Elementary, on Saturday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to noon. It will continue on Saturdays through the fall. The Mt. Lebanon Lions Farmers Market opens Wednesday, June 2, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church parking lot, and will continue on Wednesdays until the end of October. Masks and social distancing are required.