In brief: Fish fry, spring leaf pickup and more in Pine, Richland

Spring leaf pick up

Richland Township’s 2023 spring leaf pick up day will be April 5. All bags must be out prior to 6 a.m. on the day of pickup. All leaves and vegetable clippings must be in biodegradable paper bags — plastic bags are not acceptable. Limit each bag to 40 pounds. Tree trimmings must be tied or bound and branches cannot be larger than 3 inches in diameter and 48 inches in length. For more information, visit richland.pa.us.

Fish fry

Saints Martha and Mary Parish will host a fish fry every Friday during Lent (except Good Friday) from 4-7 p.m. at the Saint Catherine of Sweden Church on Wildwood Road in Hampton. Fish dinners offer a choice of baked or fried cod or steamed or batter baked shrimp and include two side dishes and dessert. Fish sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, fish and shrimp tacos and pizza are also available. The dining room in St. Catherine’s Farmer Hall is open from 4-7 p.m. and everything on the menu is available for take-out. The complete menu is available online at www.stsmarthaandmaryparish.org. Take-out orders can be placed online or by phone at 412-486-6001. Curbside delivery is available only for orders placed in advance. Please allow 20 minutes for your order to be prepared.

North Hills Genealogists

On March 20 at 7 p.m., North Hills Genealogists will host an online, free and open to the public presentation. Dr. Katharine O’Connell will present “Introduction to Forensic Genealogy.”

Forensic genealogists do family research for legal reasons. Sometimes that involves DNA, but most often relies on firm documentary evidence. O’Connell will discuss how she uses her people locating skills as a forensic genealogist and tell you about the field. You’ll come away with new understanding for how genealogy can be used in a legal setting and go over a sample case she worked on, which involved an understanding of laws in 12 states and over 200 documents as evidence. Using a combination of wills, newspapers, baptismal records and censuses, she provided a court-level report proving who was the current next of kin of a will from 1906. She will show you how to use a similar combination of records in your own research.

This will be a virtual meeting via Zoom with a possible in-person component. Go to www.NorthHillsGenealogists.org for full details and online zoom registration, or to simply listen on the phone and for details of this and other upcoming events.

Spaghetti dinner

Join Hampton Presbyterian Church on March 19 in supporting the youth group mission trips. Beginning at 4:30 p.m. and ending at 7 p.m., we will be serving spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread and desserts in Fellowship Hall. Gluten free and takeout will be available. A free will donation will be accepted.

Silent auction baskets and raffle baskets will also be featured for helping the fundraising.

The church is located at 2942 East Hardies Road in Gibsonia. Call the church office at 724-443-3201, for more details or questions. More information can be accessed online at hamptonpresbyterian.net.

Northern Tier Regional Library events

Northern Tier Regional Library is open Monday-Wednesday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Thursday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The bookmobile will be at the Pine Tree Shoppes in Wexford on Fridays from 12:30-2:45 p.m. and at Pine Community Center on Wednesdays from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Pine Center will be closed March 27. For more information or to register for upcoming programs, call 724-449-2665 or visit northerntierlibrary.org.

Upcoming events include:

• Robotics & coding club, 4:30-6:30 p.m. March 20.

• Senior fraud & scam awareness, 5:30-6:30 p.m. March 27. Registration required.

• Online genealogy, 5:30 p.m. March 29.

• Outdoor egg hunt, 5 p.m. April 6. Registration required.

Hosanna Gibsonia

Kitchen Club Jr. is for anyone 4-11 years old. During each session, students will be hands on creating after school snacks, entrees, pastas, baked goods, and breakfast, along with kitchen safety, table setting, kitchen responsibilities, and basic table etiquette. If you have any questions, contact Emily at emilysafran@gmail.com. Upcoming sessions are March 21 and 28.

Seedling sale

The North Area Environmental Council is holding its annual seedling sale. The sale offers a wide variety of non-invasive plants, trees and wildflower seed mixes to add to the beauty and natural habitat of your back yard and the ecological health of the region. NAEC is also partnering with North Park’s Latodami Nature Center to bring you Lawn to Nature Kits. Visit naecwpa.org to learn more about the sale, the organization and to place an order. Deadline is April 3.