Murrysville area: Cornhole tournament, food-truck festival, more

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Cornhole tournament to benefit FR softball

A cornhole tournament in Delmont will benefit the Franklin Regional Lady Panthers softball team.

It will take place at 6 p.m. Jan. 28 at St. John Baptist de La Salle’s banquet hall, 497 Athena Drive. Two-player teams will compete in a double-elimination tournament. There is a 64-team limit. The cost is $80 per team, and $25 for spectators.

The event will include food and beverages, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle. For more email twoehler40@gmail.com.

Westmoreland road work set to start

Traffic signal work in North Huntingdon and Penn townships got under way Dec. 21 at several locations along Route 30 in North Huntingdon and near Penn Township’s Harrison City neighborhood.

Work will take place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and is expected to last until June 2023.

Crews will be upgrading signals as well as their timing along the Route. 30 corridor, and single-lane restrictions will be in place as needed.

To check road conditions, see 511pa.com.

Holiday happenings

The following is a list of holiday-related events happening in the Star’s coverage area.

• Hot chocolate hike, 10 a.m. Dec. 17 at the McGinnis Reserve near the intersection of Hunter Drive and Wallace Road in Murrysville. The hike will cover 2-3 miles. Participants should dress appropriately for a winter hike that includes some slopes and may require stepping over fallen trees. For more, or to register, see MurrysvillePArecreation.com or call 724-327-3200, ext. 131.

• Franklin Regional Intermediate School fourth and fifth grade strings winter concert, 7 p.m. Dec. 19 at the intermediate school’s Creativity Center, 4125 Sardis Road in Murrysville.

• Christmas caroling with the Masterworks Concert Chorale, 2-3 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Carpenter Log House at Boyce Park, 721 Pierson Run Road in Plum. There is no cost to attend, and visitors can tour the log house and visit with Santa.

• Third annual Delmont “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” parade, downtown, 4 p.m. Dec. 18.

Following the parade, children can visit with Santa at 5 p.m. at the Delmont Public Library, 75 School St., where he will give out toys and there will complimentary hot chocolate, cookies and a craft project. For more details, call the borough office at 724-468-4422.

Food Truck-a-Palooza

The region’s only indoor food truck festival will return to Monroeville when GoodTaste! Pittsburgh presents Food Truck-a-Palooza from 1-6 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Monroeville Convention Center.

The showcase of Pittsburgh’s mobile restaurants will feature a circus theme and includes juggling, magic, clowns and more. Big-top performances will take place at 2 and 4 p.m. and roaming circus acts will entertain attendees throughout the venue.

Advance tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12, available at GoodTastePittsburgh.com. Tickets at the door are $15 and $7, respectively.

The convention center is at 209 Mall Boulevard.

Delmont library sets circulation record

Delmont Public Library officials announced that the library set a record in 2022 for the number of items circulated, with more than 44,500 books, DVDs, audio books and other items used by patrons.

Over the past three years, the library’s circulation has increased from 21,939 in 2020, to 37,519 in 2021, to 44, 537 this year.

The library also received a $4,500 donation from the Delmont council, as part of its 2023 budget.

Monthly meetings will be combined

The Franklin Regional school board will combine its voting and nonvoting meetings in 2023.

The board voted unanimously to combine the monthly committee-of-the-whole and voting sessions into a single meeting.

The board’s 2023 meetings will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23, Feb. 13, March 20, April 3, May 8, June 19, Aug. 14, Sept. 18, Oct. 9, Nov. 20 and Dec. 4. 

Scholarships available through American Legion

The Pennsylvania American Legion is accepting submissions for its 2023 PA Oratorical Program Contest, which awards annual scholarships of $7,500 (first place), $5,000 (second) and $4,000 (third). This year’s contest will take place Jan. 5 and is open to students in grades 9-12 in public, private, parochial, charter/cyber and online schools as well as home-schooled students.

Students wishing to participate must notify their local hometown Legion post by Dec. 20. Rules and regulations are posted at PA-Legion.com under “student programs.”

• Applications are being accepted for the Legion’s 2023 PA American Legion Essay Contest, which will award three scholarships totaling $9,000. The contest is open to students in grades 9-12 in public, private, parochial, charter/cyber and online schools as well as home-schooled students.

Participants must submit essays to their local Legion post by Jan. 9.

• An additional essay contest is open to students in grades 6-8. Those essays are due by Feb. 5.

For more information, email District 31 Oratorical Chair Jim Drnjevich at jgdrnjevich@aol.com.

Delmont library programs

• The library will be closed Dec. 22, 24, 26, 27 and 31.

• Rotaract Club meeting, 6 p.m. Jan. 3 and 10 a.m. Jan. 21

• Delmont Visionary Committee meeting, 7 p.m., Jan. 5 

• Tax help (by appointment only), noon on Jan. 24; 10 a.m. Jan. 28; and noon on Jan. 31

• Computer basics technology class, 10:30 a.m. Jan. 26

All programs are held at the library, 75 School Road in Delmont, except where indicated. Register online at DelmontLibrary.org.

Public meeting dates

The following meetings are open to the public:

• Murrysville council, 7 p.m. Dec. 21 at the municipal building, 4100 Sardis Road. Meetings are broadcast on Comcast local access Channel 19 and livestreamed at Murrysville.com. An agenda is also available in advance at Murrysville.com.

• Export council, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 3 at the borough building, 5821 Washington Ave. An agenda is available in advance at ExportPennsylvania.com.

• Delmont council, 7 p.m. Jan. 10 at the borough building, 77 Greensburg St. An agenda is available in advance at DelmontBoro.com.

• Franklin Regional school board, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Murrysville municipal building, 4100 Sardis Road. Meetings are broadcast on Comcast local access Channel 19 and livestreamed at Murrysville.com. An agenda is available in advance at Go.boarddocs.com/pa/frrg/Board.nsf.

‘Blue Christmas’ service planned

Union Presbyterian Church will host a “Blue Christmas: The Longest Night” service at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21, the evening of the winter solstice.

The service is designed for those who have lost a loved one and will include music, scripture, prayers and a candle lighting.

The church is at 656 Route 380 in Washington Township.