Library events, train show and more planned in Monroeville

The following free activities are scheduled to take place at Monroeville Public Library:

• Story time from 11 a.m. to noon Feb. 20. A combination of stories, songs, rhymes and crafts to engage young patrons.

• Spanish Starter Group from 2-3 p.m. Feb. 20. People interested in learning Spanish can sign up.

• Black History FilmFest: The Black Panthers from 2-4 p.m. Feb. 21. In the turbulent 1960s, change was coming and the fault lines were no longer ignorable — cities were burning, Vietnam was exploding and disputes raged over equality and civil rights. A new revolutionary culture was emerging and it sought to drastically transform the system. The Black Panthers chronicles the pivotal movement that birthed this new revolutionary culture.

• Mardi Gras Crafts from 4-6 p.m. Feb. 24. Stop by to do some crafts in this self-guided opportunity to learn about Mardi Gras and take home some crafts.

The library is at 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd.

Call 412-372-0500 or go to monroevillelibrary.org for more information about library programs.

Train show planned at convention center

Greenberg’s Great Train & Toy Show returns to the Monroeville Convention Center Feb. 22-23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 209 Mall Blvd.

Admission is $10 on Feb. 22 and $9 on Feb. 23. Children ages 11 and younger get in free. Go to monroevilleconvention center.com for more information.

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Tai Chi classes offered at senior center

Instructor Steve Bodnar teaches beginner Sun Tai Chi classes 9 a.m. Wednesdays and advance classes 9 a.m. Thursdays at the Monroeville Senior Citizens Center, 6000 Gateway Campus Blvd.

Cost is $5 per class. Call 412-856-7825 for more information.

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Purim celebration at Temple David

Temple David will perform an original “shpiel” for Purim.

“Something religious / Something prodigious / Something for every Jew / A Purim shpiel tonight!”

“Shushan Confidential,” an original musical comedy (shpiel) celebrating the spirit of the Jewish holiday of Purim, is based on the biblical story (megillah) of Esther and authored by Monroeville’s Temple David’s song-parodist extraordinaire, Fred Bortz.

A lively group of shpielers will enthrall the congregation and guests with their performance immediately following the Megillah Reading on March 9.

The shpiel invites the audience to discover the back stories that answer questions they never knew they had:

• Who was exiled Queen Vashti’s divorce attorney?

• Was villainous Prime Minister Haman’s twin sister cheated out of a win in King Ahasuerus’s beauty pageant?

• Why were eunuchs Bigthan and Teresh so angry that they plotted to kill the King?

Set as a television talk show hosted by Eubie the Eunuch and including an Elvis impersonator plus commercials with jingles from the Royal city of Shushan’s finest businesses, the shpiel’s six familiar melodies with repurposed lyrics will introduce the everyday “Persian-alities” behind the Purim story.

For more information, call 412-856-9312.