In brief: Upcoming meetings, Boo Bash and more in Fox Chapel area

Meetings set

Fox Chapel Area School Board will meet at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at the high school.

O’Hara council will meet at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at the township building, 435 Fox Chapel Road.

Fox Chapel council will meet at 6 p.m. Oct. 20 at the borough building, 401 Fox Chapel Road.

Movie night

Aspinwall Police Department will host its final movie night of the year at 7 p.m. Oct. 10 at the ball field.

“Hotel Transylvania 2” will be screened. Admission and popcorn are free.

Dog park permits

Aspinwall’s dog park permits will be available starting Oct. 15.

Cost for residents is $15 for their first dog and $10 for other subsequent dogs. Cost for nonresidents is $30 for their first dog and $15 for other subsequent dogs.

The dog park is open from dawn till dusk from Nov. 1 through March 31. Call the borough office at 412-781-0213 for more information.

Library group to meet

Cooper-Siegel Community Library’s poetry group will meet from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Oct 14 at the library, 403 Fox Chapel Road.

The adult literacy program is free. Registration is required.

No experience writing or reading poetry is required. Call 412-828-9520 for more information.

Coat drive

Fox Families Care is hosting a new and gently used coat and Halloween costume collection through Oct. 15. Donation boxes will be located at the borough building, Lauri Ann West Community Center, Cooper-Siegel Library and local schools.

People can also donate jackets, hats and gloves of all sizes at the O’Hara Township municipal building, 325 Fox Chapel Road.

The donations will provide warmth and joy to families just in time for colder weather, with distribution scheduled for Oct. 17-18.

“Our goal is to remove obstacles to basic clothing and supplies — like winter coats and backpacks — that could keep a student from going to class because of shame or stigma,” said Paulette O’Donnell, president of Fox Families Care.

For more information, visit foxfamiliescare.org.

Boo Bash

Fox Chapel Area High School National Honor Society students are sponsoring their annual Boo Bash on Oct. 30. The Halloween celebration is for children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Participants will trick-or-treat through the halls of the high school, engage in fun games and activities, and show off their costumes.

The Boo Bash will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. at Fox Chapel Area High School. The event is free, but non-perishable food and monetary donations are suggested for Backpack for Hunger and local charities and will be accepted at the door. Items needed for Backpack for Hunger include boxed or single macaroni and cheese, canned food items, protein bars/cereal bars, snack packs, single-serve applesauce packets, single-serve dried fruit, and peanut butter singles or jars. Other items needed include toothpaste/toothbrushes, deodorant, soap/body wash, shampoo/conditioner, shaving lotion/gel, nail clippers/tweezer kits, hairbrushes/combs, BAND-AIDS/first aid kits, lip balm/Chapstick, disposable razors, mini hand sanitizers, cleansing wipes, and tissues.

Parents/guardians should enter through the high school auditorium and accompany their children throughout the event. Children should also bring a bag for their treats.

Fred Rogers scholarship awarded

Sharpsburg Community Library Education and Engagement Coordinator Alison K. Babusci is the 2025-26 recipient of the Fred Rogers Institute’s Red Cardigan Scholarship.

The institute was founded through Saint Vincent College in honor of the late Fred Rogers. As part of its initiatives, the institute hosts an annual Educators’ Neighborhood cohort, which is described as “a community of educators who learn together, inspired from the life and work of Fred Rogers.”

Individuals from around the world are selected to participate in the yearlong program, hosted mostly virtually, and “consider how to deepen their application of Fred Rogers’ work and theory to their work with children,” according to the institute’s website. The Red Cardigan Scholarship is available to one educator who serves in a community setting, such as a library, museum or out-of-school learning program, and allows for Babusci’s participation in the cohort.

Babusci, who heard of the program several years ago but didn’t apply until earlier this year, said she was excited to learn of her acceptance.

A Pittsburgh native, artist, teacher, professional storyteller and arts education consultant, Babusci has more than 30 years of teaching experience in public, private and charter school settings, as well as museums and universities.

Leaf collection

Fall leaf collection begins in O’Hara on Oct. 13 and runs through Dec. 1.

Residents are reminded to rake their leaves within four feet of the curb, but not on the street. No other debris may be mixed in with the leaves. Township officials said leaves left in the street can create a safety hazard, especially if it rains or snows.

Call the township office at 412-784-1784, ext. 203 with any questions or comments regarding the leaf collection program.

Emergency preparedness meetings

Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization, along with Age-­Friendly Greater Pittsburgh and Sharpsburg Emergency Management, are hosting emergency preparedness community meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 21 in council chambers at the SNO building.

Meet and greet

Parkview EMS will host a meet and greet from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 22 at the Sharpsburg borough building, 1611 Main St.

Come meet EMS chiefs for a coffee and learn about its fund and subscription drives and how it helps the ambulance service provider help people.

Blood drive

Fox Chapel Area High School is holding a community blood drive on Oct. 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the high school’s large group instruction room. All people 16 and older are encouraged to donate blood.

As a special incentive, anyone who donates blood will be entered for a chance to win a $10,000 gift card.

Vitalant also continues to offer scholarships to area high school students. To qualify for these scholarships, Fox Chapel Area High School will host several blood drives throughout the 2025-2026 school year. The scholarships will be awarded for the highest percentage participation and the largest number of registered donations for the year. Additionally, anyone who donates blood at a local donor center can also ask for the donation to count toward Fox Chapel Area High School’s total. Just specify for the donation to count toward Fox Chapel Area High School (code UHS010025).

To schedule an appointment, go to vitalant.org, call 1-877-25VITAL, or use the Vita­lant mobile app. Fox Chapel Area High School’s group code is UHS010025. Students may also see gifted education facilitator Lisa Gibson to arrange a donation. Donors are strongly encouraged to make an appointment, but walk-ins are also welcome. Walk-in donors should enter at the athletics entrance at the back of the school by the fox statue.

Fox Chapel Area High School’s blood drive is being coordinated by the community outreach committee of the Fox Chapel Area High School Fox Leadership Council. The high school is located at 611 Field Club Road in O’Hara Township.

Hall of Fame nominations

Sharpsburg Historical Commission is accepting nominations for this year’s Sharpsburg Sports Hall of Fame class. The commission seeks nominations for athletes, coaches and/or teams from the borough to be inducted later this year.

Nominations will be accepted through the end of September. Inductees will be announced in early October and inducted at a council meeting on Oct. 23.

Nomination forms can be found on the commission’s Facebook page.

Creatures of the Night

Fireflies guide you on an evening walk through Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve’s trails to encounter larger-than-life costumed nocturnal creatures on Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25. Hear stories from creatures such as a Great Horned Owl, observe the acrobatics of the Flying Squirrel, go batty with Little Brown Bat, and meet a real-live creature of the night. Come in costume and collect treats along the way at this family-friendly and non-scary event.

Cost is $10 per Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania member/$15 per non-member. Register at aswp.org or call 412-963-6100.

Lauri Ann West Community Center

The Lauri Ann West Community Center’s Sue Golier Memorial Speaker Series presents storyteller Daniel Stern at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 23. The former sociology professor will share the story of his parents’ escape from Europe to flee the Nazi regime. This event is free and open to the public. To help us prepare, please register online at lauriannwestcc.org.

In collaboration with the Afterschool Alliance, the Center is hosting Lights on Afterschool from 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 24. The Center’s afterschool instructors will showcase their favorite activities during this event.

Parents and guardians are welcome to stay and participate or drop off their children. This event is free and open to all families with children aged 4-12. Registration is required.

The annual Trunk or Treat at the Lauri Ann West Community Center is set for 4-6 p.m. Oct. 26. No registration is required. Show off your costumes and enjoy treats distributed by generous community members who will be decorating their vehicles.

If you are interested in decorating your vehicle and handing out candy, please contact the Center at questions@lauriannwestcc.org.

Flea market

Sharpsburg’s community flea market is set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday, June through October, along North Canal Street at Guyasuta Square.

Discover vintage treasures, handmade crafts and great deals from local vendors.

Call Chas Smith at 412-927-9221 for more information.

Indiana Township leaf collection

Indiana Township’s leaf collection program begins the week of Oct. 27 and ends the week of Nov. 24.

Officials said leaves must be in biodegradable bags and placed curbside. They will be picked up sometime during the week. Monday pickups are not guaranteed.

Plastic bags will not be picked up. The program also does not include other debris, such as grass clippings, brush, etc.

Collected bags are transported to a composting site in the North Hills.

Public works crews will pick up the topsoil generated from the compost site in the spring and use it throughout the township.

Residents living along private roads can plan leaf collection by calling public works at 412-767-5333, ext. 319.

To have your news or event listed in our briefs section, email editor Katie Green at kgreen@triblive.com.