In brief: Happenings in the Shaler Journal area

Family pets welcome to blessing event

All family pets — big or small, crated, in your arms or leashed — are welcome to attend a Blessing of the Animals at 7 p.m. Aug. 13 on the lawn of Glenshaw Presbyterian Church, 300 Glenn Ave. in Shaler.

The blessing aims to celebrate pets as part of God’s creation.

During the event, the church will collect food and monetary donations for the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh.

HARP is one of Pennsylvania’s largest nonprofit organizations dedicated to the welfare of animals, pet owners and the community. It offers adoptions of cats, dogs and other animals; a lower-cost veterinary clinic; behavior and training classes; low-cost spay and neuter clinics; Ellie’s Pet Pantry, which helps pet owners with temporary relief in the form of food for their animals; and many more services.

Free meal open to all

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1719 Mt. Royal Blvd. in Shaler, invites everyone in the community to beat the heat Aug. 4 with a free Community Meal from 5 to 7 p.m.

On the menu will be barbecue chicken, macaroni and cheese and dessert. Bring a friend or come and make some new ones.

Free meals are served at the church on the first Monday of each month; during months with Monday holidays, the date shifts one week.

The next meal after Aug. 4 will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 8, the week after Labor Day.

For details, visit belc.org. Questions can be directed to the church office at 412-486-0550.

Overnight traffic restrictions in place through November

Work to improve Mt. Royal Boulevard in Hampton and Shaler will restrict traffic through late November, PennDOT said.

Work was scheduled to begin July 15.

There will be alternating single-lane traffic from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. weeknights between Route 8 and Grant Avenue. Daylight restrictions will take place as needed, PennDOT said.

Flaggers will guide traffic through the work zone.

A. Liberoni is the prime contractor on the $11.89 million group paving project. Improvement work includes milling and paving, drainage upgrades, shoulder repairs, guiderail updates and pavement markings.

Drivers can check conditions on major roadways online at 511pa.com. The site provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

Etna restricts Washington Street to one-way traffic

Washington Street in Etna will temporarily become one way beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday, July 15, Etna police announced Monday.

According to the police department, Washington Street will become a one-way road down to Parker Street and then to Butler Street.

The road is being restricted because erosion and water runoff have worsened the condition of the road’s hillside lane, police said.

The borough will be seeking bids to resurface the hillside lane to match the other side, which the Hampton Shaler Water Authority paved.

No estimate was given for how long the one-way restriction will be in place. Etna police advise drivers to use caution while using the road.

Shaler schedules adult swim July 24

The next adult swim at Crawford Pool in Shaler’s Kiwanis Park will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. July 24.

The pool will close early that evening for adults to enjoy the pool. Persons must be at least 21 with valid identification enter. Admission is $5 per person.

Music will be provided by DJ Rick Wirth. Craft beer from Acrospire Brewing Co. will be available to purchase.

Outside alcohol is not allowed at the pool.

‘Christmas Vacation’ to be shown at Crawford Pool

Crawford Pool at Kiwanis Park in Shaler will celebrate Christmas in July with a showing of the movie “Christmas Vacation” on July 25.

Gates will open at 8:30 p.m.

Persons must be at least 21 with a valid identification to enter. Craft beer from Acrospire Brewing will be available to buy. Those attending will automatically be entered to win a Christmas Vacation prize basket.

Outside alcohol is not allowed at the pool.

Healing service set

Glenshaw Presbyterian Church, 300 Glenn Ave. in Shaler, invites the community to a Service for Healing at 7:30 p.m. July 24.

The service provides an opportunity to gather with others for a time of prayer, reflecting on Scripture, listening or joining in the singing of hymns and seeking God’s peaceful presence. After a time of gathering, several options are offered. Attendees are welcome to participate in one or all of them or may simply sit in the sanctuary for a while:

• There will be an anointing with oil on one’s forehead or hand in the sanctuary.

• The labyrinth will be set up in the parlor allowing for a quiet and contemplative walk with God.

• The outside prayer garden will be available for folks to sit in nature and pray on their own or with someone waiting to join them.

Social services assistance available in Millvale

The Millvale Police Department provides walk-in social services every Tuesday at the Millvale Community Center, 416 Lincoln Ave.

No appointment is necessary.

Social workers will be on hand to provide a variety of services including, but not limited to, the following:

• Mental health services (therapy referrals, inpatient and outpatient services)

• Financial and rental assistance (various referrals for rental and mortgage assistance, utility assistance, etc.)

• Food pantry information

• Shelters and housing

• Disability referrals (referrals to attorneys and disability process)

• Hoarding resources

• Senior services (in-home services, transportation, medical assistance, caregiver assistance)

• Domestic violence resources

• Grief and loss referrals

If you’re in need of any type of social or therapeutic services, stop by and talk with one of the social workers. They can connect you to the appropriate referrals and walk you through the process.

School supplies sought to help children in need

North Hills Community Outreach is seeking donations of school supplies through Aug. 10 for its Back to School project.

Last year, supplies were distributed to nearly 890 students, an increase compared to previous years.

Donations can be dropped off at any of its three offices from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of each month at its Allison Park site at 1975 Ferguson Road, Hampton.

Other locations are NHCO Millvale on the second floor of the Millvale Community Center, 416 Lincoln Ave., and at NHCO North Boroughs at Greenstone Methodist Church, 939 California Ave., Avalon.

Items being collected include new backpacks, colored pencils, 24-pack crayons, erasers, glue sticks, highlighters and markers, loose-leaf paper, notebooks, binders, pens and pencils including mechanical ones, pencil boxes and sharpeners, pocket folders, rulers, scissors and Texas Instruments graphing calculators in working order for advanced high school science and math.

Donations also can be ordered from NHCO’s Amazon wishlist and sent directly to its office.