WHAT’S NEWS IN SHALER
SHALER GARDEN CLUB
AWARDED GOVERNOR’S
TROPHY
BETHLEHEM
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN
CHURCH’S FAMILY
OKTOBERFEST
Family Oktoberfest, free and open to the
public, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12,
from 4 to 9 p.m. in Bethlehem Evangelical
Lutheran Church’s Fellowship Hall, located at
1719 Mount Royal Blvd. in Glenshaw.
Celebrate autumn at Family Oktoberfest
with music and entertainment for adults and
children, traditional German food—sold as
dinners and a la carte items, a bake sale and
basket raffles.
For more details, as well as information
about Bethlehem Church, visit belc.org.
Other questions about Family Oktoberfest?
Please call the church office at 412.486.0550.
SHALER AREA MIDDLE
SCHOOL TO HOST 12TH
ANNUAL CRAFT &
VENDOR FAIR
Shaler Area Middle School PTO will be
hosting the 12th Annual Craft & Vendor
Fair on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 9 a.m. to
2 p.m. at the Shaler Area Middle School
cafeteria. Admission is free! There will be
60-plus vendors including assorted boosters
and PTO’s from around Shaler Area School
District with tables.
There are no duplicate sales, meaning there
is a wide variety of popular vendor brands
as well as many types of crafters. In addition
to the vendors, there will be a concession
stand where you can grab breakfast, lunch or
a snack. Be sure to stop by the raffle table to
purchase tickets for the 50/50 and the large
basket raffle! You do not need to be present
to win. Proceeds benefit the students at
Shaler Area Middle School.
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724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE
❘
Although the Shaler Garden Club is 98
years old, you would never guess it judging by
its energy and enthusiasm. The club’s service
to the community has earned it the prestigious
2019 Governor’s Trophy by the Garden Club
Federation of Pennsylvania. The Governor’s
Trophy is awarded to one club in the state that
exhibits exceptional civic activity, conservation
projects, well-balanced club programs and
activity in state projects. “We are very honored
to receive this award and to be recognized as
the state’s outstanding garden club,” says Club
President, Claudia Bernardo. “The panel of
judges was so impressed by how much a club of
our size accomplishes. Out of a possible score
of 100, they awarded us 101 points.” The club
of 70 members is classified as a medium-size
club. “You can tell how much our members love
this community. It’s worth our effort,” says Judy
Schiffbauer, a member since 2000. “And we love
sharing knowledge and the love of gardening
with the community.”
In receiving a Plant America Community
Grant of $1,000, the club redesigned and
installed a butterfly and pollinator garden on
the hillside of the Shaler North Hills Library.
The club has had a fond alliance with the
library for many years, maintaining the gardens
surrounding the library. “The library is the
heartbeat of the area. It’s the place where
everybody can gather, be together and use
the resources,” says Joanne Laverty, Civic and
Conservation Co-Chair. “When we are working
in the gardens, patrons express appreciation for
what we do.” Plans are in progress to add another
new garden at the front entrance, which has
been barren for a long while due to foundation
problems caused by overgrown shrubs. For the
holidays, the club decorates three Christmas
trees inside the library, one with traditional
ornaments, one with homemade gingerbread
cookies and another with ornaments made of
natural plant materials handmade by members.
In spring, the club hosted a Succulent Gardening
Workshop for community members.
For the past 12 years, the club has raised funds
for the Shaler North Hills Library through the
Shaler Great Gardens Tour. This year’s tour
took place on June 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and
allowed patrons into five fabulous local gardens
that inspire and delight. Additionally, residents
of Shaler and surrounding areas who have a
icmags.com
green thumb were encouraged to enter the Great
Local Gardens Contest and receive recognition
for their hard work. The club invites the public
to attend two meetings per year held at the
library.
Planting the seed for gardening starting
with youngsters, the club has two youth-
directed projects, including an Earth Day
Project for all kindergarten students in the
Shaler school district, and a Fairy Garden
Workshop at the library, which last year was
attended by 75 children who first listened to
stories about fairies, then built their own fairy
houses in the surrounding flower beds.
The club welcomes new members from not
only Shaler but surrounding areas as well. “New
members bring new ideas, energy and ensure the
vitality for our club to continue on,” says Shelley
Nilson, a past club president. The club is looking
forward to celebrating its 100th anniversary in
June 2021. Per Schiffbauer, “The Governor’s
Trophy is a wonderful tribute to the current
success of our club and its leadership, but we
acknowledge that we stand on the shoulders of
all the members that have gone before us.”
For a schedule of club activities
and information on how to join, go to
shalergardenclub.com.
MILLVALE’S CHRIST
LUTHERAN CHURCH
COMMUNITY
COUNSELING CENTER
OPEN HOUSE IS AUG. 25!
When the need for ministry to those suffering
mental and spiritual distress in our community
became obvious to Christ Lutheran Church
(CLC) Pastor Scott Olbert, the Millvale
Community Counseling Center (MCCC)
was formed in partnership with Anchorpoint
Counseling Ministry. The public and
community are welcome at the MCCC Open
House on Sunday, Aug. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Licensed, experienced counselors can
help with anxiety, depression, family conflict,
bullying, abuse and many more issues.
The MCCC at CLC has a convenient,
walkable location at 917 Evergreen Avenue in
Millvale. Affordable sliding-scale fees based
on income and household size apply. Call
412.821.4300 for your appointment, or stop
by CLC on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Counseling Hours are on Tuesdays, beginning
Sept. 17, from 1 to 8 p.m. n