In brief: South Park Theatre musical, blood drive and more around Bethel Park

South Park Theatre

South Park Theatre presents the musical “The Lights of Jingle Bell Hill” on weekends from Nov. 12-21. Join the tale of the annual holiday contest and the frustrated residents of Jingle Bell Hill, who, despite their best efforts, never win. Larry, the frightening tenant who lives in the one dark house on the corner, refuses to participate in the decorating efforts. Throughout the course of this hilarious and heartwarming musical, the townspeople discover the real reason for Larry’s reluctance to get into the holiday spirit.

Showtimes are 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $5 at the door. The show is performed on the outdoor stage. Picnics and lawn chairs are welcome. For more information, visit southparktheatre.com.

Blood drive

Our Lady of Hope Parish Christian Mothers is sponsoring a Lifesaving Virtual Thanksgiving Blood Drive Nov. 8-20. Donors can go to the most convenient Vitalant donation center for them, though the closest one in the area is located in the Manor Building at 4701 Baptist Road. No group code is necessary when scheduling. Walk-ins are welcome. At the time of donation, donors must mention Our Lady of Hope Parish and give group code G 0040305 for the drive to be credited.

To schedule a donation, visit vitalant.org and follow the prompts or cal 412-209-7000. For additional information, call Debbie Cerminaro at 412-370-7985 of Mary Balogh at 412-310-6626.

Craft and Vendor Fair

The Prime Time Winter Craft and Vendor Fair will take place from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Christian LIFE Center and the Community Square of Christ United Methodist Church, 44 Highland Road. Facemasks are encouraged regardless of vaccination status.

Divorce Workshop

The DivorceCare Ministry of South Hills Church of the Nazarene, 5601 Library Road, Bethel Park, is offering DivorceCare’s “Surviving the Holidays.” This event is online-only and will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 11. For more information or to sign up, contact dc@shcn.org.

Ruthfred Acres Women’s Club

The Ruthfred Acres Women’s will hold its Nov. 9 meeting at noon at Panera in the Galleria of Mt. Lebanon. The guest speaker for this month will be Mary Bach on the subject “How to Protect Yourself in Today’s Technological World.” Members will be bringing donations of toys for Operation Troop Appreciation’s annual Christmas party distribution to this meeting. For more information, contact Pat at 412-833-3034.

Wreaths Across America

Local volunteers are working hard to ensure all veterans interred at Bethel Cemetery are honored this December on National Wreaths Across America Day. The nationally held ceremony will take place at noon Dec. 18. The Bethel Park Historical Society will be hosting its local wreath-laying ceremony on the same date and time at Bethel Cemetery, located at 2999 Bethel Church Road. A reception will follow at the historical society’s Military Museum located at 2600 South Park Road. The event is open to all veterans, active-duty military and their families, as well as the public.

“Our goal is to honor all of the 545 veterans at Bethel Cemetery,” said Lisa Jenkins, chairperson. “The cost of each fresh balsam wreath with a red bow is $15, with $5 of the proceeds benefitting the Bethel Park Historical Society.”

Wreaths can be sponsored online at wreathsacrossamerica.org/PA0627P.

TopGolf Outing

The Rotary Club of Bethel-St. Clair Foundation is hosting the Golf N’Nat Charity Outing 7-10 p.m. Nov. 4 at Topgolf in Bridgeville. There will also be a silent auction, door prizes, 50-50 raffle, Chinese auction, competition prizes and more. Registration, $150 per person or $900 for a group of 6 golfers, is limited to 17 Topgolf bays or 102 players. To register, send a check payable to The Rotary Club of Bethel-St. Clair Foundation by Oct. 15 to Dick Beck, 221 Portman Lane, Bridgeville, PA 15017. Email beckon1@verizon.net for an entry form.

Card Party and Basket Raffle

St. Valentine Women’s Guild/Christian Mothers, a part of Our Lady of Hope Parish, is hosting the 66th Annual Card Party/Luncheon on Nov. 6. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and lunch is served at noon. Grab some friends and come take a chance to win one of more than 30 fabulous raffle baskets, $2 mystery gifts, what’s in your wallet, or the money raffle. Come play cards, games or just enjoy some togetherness! Tickets: $25/person. Call Rita 412-608-2939, Jessica 412-580-4640 or email jmagnu@comcast.net for more information or to reserve your seat! Reservation deadline: October 22.

Art Guild meeting

Bethel Park Art Guild’s last meeting of the year will take place at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Bethel Park Community Center. Artist Vicki Sawyer will be the guest speaker. Sawyer wants her paintings to evoke feelings of, “peace, joy and even humor” – and they do.

Sawyer grew up in a two-generational household, located on her grandfather’s farm, near Pittsburgh. She received her art degree at Penn State University. Her degree led her to graphic design and professional mural painting. She painted hundreds of murals featuring birds, insects, plants and grasses. These were things she had learned to appreciate from her parents’ and grandfather’s teachings during her childhood.

Over the last 15 years, she has moved from mural painting to canvas paintings of the natural world. Now with a career as a fine art painter, her library has grown to more than 2,500 paintings. Her work has been exhibited and received numerous recognitions all over the eastern United States.