Community
Things to Do
Flu shots
• Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage will host a Pennsylvania Department of Health-offered H1N1 flu vaccination clinic from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 8 and 9. Appointments can be made 24 hours a day at www.H1N1inPA.com under “What’s Hot” or by phone at 877-724-3258 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekends. Priority groups to be vaccinated include pregnant women; children ages six months to 24 years; healthcare providers and emergency medical services personnel; parents, household members and caregivers of children younger than six months; and people younger than 65 with certain medical conditions.
Fundraiser
• A high school dance is set for 8 to 11 p.m. Wednesday at the Sharpsville VFW. Admission is $5 and ninth- through 12th-graders from all schools are welcome.Proceeds benefit the Sharpsville High School senior class trip to New York City.
Classes
• Grove City Medical Center offers Mega CPR Healthcare Provider & Heartsaver Renewal Course Jan. 7 and 26 in the hospital’s education center in Pine Township.
The fee, which includes course materials, is $30 a person.
Each course is offered at various times throughout the day, and pre-registration is required by FridayJan. 1 by calling instructor Karen Rogers at 724-450-7188.
Health
• Shenango Valley YMCA offers these wellness programs through Highmark Insurance: “Drop 10 in 10” 10-week weight management program, starting Jan. 7; personal nutrition coaching with a registered dietitian or help quitting tobacco appointments by calling 724-981-6950; “Eat Well for Life,” starting Jan. 7 with a followup program starting Feb. 4; “Discover Relaxation,” starting Jan. 4 with followup classes starting Feb. 1. These programs are free for individuals with Highmark Insurance. YMCA members receive discounted rates. Stop at the Y in Hermitage to reserve your spot.
• UPMC Horizon offers these events:
- Silver & Fit: Group Exercise class, 1 p.m. Tuesday and Jan. 7 at UPMC Horizon Wellness Center, 26 Conneaut Lake Road, Hempfield Township. Registration: 724-588-3001.
- Smoking cessation class, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wellness Center. Registration: 724-588-3001.
- Multiple Sclerosis Support Group, 6 p.m. Tuesday, hospital in Greenville.
- Free bone density healing screenings, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 6, UPMC Horizon Womancare Center, 875 N. Hermitage Road, Hermitage. Appointments: 724-347-7700.
- Lifestyle Balance class, noon Jan. 6, Wellness Center. Registration: 724-588-3001.
- Meditation class, 7 p.m. Jan. 6, Womancare Center, Hermitage.
- Free bariatric surgery information session with Dr. Etwar McBean, 3 p.m. Jan. 7, Primary Health Network’s Jamestown Health Center, 865 E. Jamestown Road, Greene Township. Registration: 724-588-6660.
* Sharon Regional Health System will hold these events at the Diagnostic & Imaging Center, 2435 Garden Way, Hermitage, unless otherwise noted:
- Two programs at 6 p.m. Jan. 7: “Food: Not a Bad Four-Letter Word” with registered dietitian Mike Libbey and “Why Do I Eat So Much?” with Jodie Witherite, as speaker.
- Prepared Childbirth Series, 7 p.m. beginning Monday.
- Playtime Stimulation for Newborns, 10 a.m. Jan. 7. This is a one-time class for newborns to 7 months, taught by a pediatric physical therapist. The class shows how to position, exercise and strengthening your baby through playtime.
- CPR classes Jan. 8 at the School of Nursing, 740 E. State St., Sharon. New Healthcare Provider CPR at 9 a.m. for $40; and 1:30 p.m. for CPR Recertification Healthcare Provider, $20. Register at 724-983-CPR1.
- Health America: Advantra Town Meeting, 10 a.m. Jan. 13.
- Free hand, elbow or shoulder screenings, 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 12 with certified hand therapist Maureen Riggle performing the screenings.
- Cardiac Support Group, 7 p.m. Jan. 6.
- Caregivers Support Group, 1 p.m. Jan. 6. This group welcomes those who are taking care of an elderly family member, friend or loved one.
- Celiac Disease Support Group, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 14. Learn and talk with others about diagnosis, treatment, proper diet, and living with celiac disease.
Registration for programs, 724-983-5518 or 800-346-7997.
Meetings
• Penn High School class of 1957 has a change of date for the January dinner to 6 p.m. Jan. 12 in the dining room of Cianci’s. The restaurant will be closed the first week of January.
• The Midwestern Local Task Force — Right to Education meets from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 14 at Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV Conference Room A, Grove City.
The meeting is open to parents of children with disabilities. Info: 724-458-6700, ext. 207.
Special events
• The substance abuse programs of Sharon Regional Health System’s Behavioral Health Services will host an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 7 at the Outpatient Center, 2375 Garden Way, Hermitage.
Behavioral Health Services offers both outpatient substance abuse counseling and a partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient drug and alcohol program for adults known as New Directions. The open house will offer an opportunity to meet with addictions counselors to learn about treatment options and to discuss the referral process for services. The open house should be especially beneficial to individuals and families who may have a loved one with a suspected drug or alcohol problem. Info: 724-983-5448.
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Actors visit Camelot
The magic and mysticism that abounds in the King Arthur legend has been just as prevalent in the life of a woman who has written a three-part play chronicling the history of Camelot’s famed ruler.
Youngstown native Carol Weakland said she’s been working for 12 years on the play that premiered last weekend: “The Arthurian Trilogy Part One, Arthur and Merlin: The Making of a King.” She was never able to assemble a cast to play the demanding roles or “whittle down” the lengthy script into a compact but complete show. But this year, everything came together.
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Annual senior fair is Friday in Sharon
State Rep. Mark Longietti will hold his fourth annual free Senior and Health Education Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Sharon American Legion, 1395 E. State St., Sharon.
The fair will feature farmers market coupons, free health screenings, about 50 vendors, door prizes and free information and services.
For more information, call 724-981-4655. -
Dolata carves time for local fest
Walter Dolata shows and sells his wood carvings at arts festivals — sometimes large ones — in New York, Maryland and Ohio.
But he always makes time for the arts festival in his back yard: the Hermitage Arts Festival, which runs this weekend at Rodney White Olympic Park.
“I like it,” said Dolata, who lives in Hermitage. “It’s a local festival. It’s a nice little festival.”
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Farmers market vouchers for seniors available
Mercer County Area Agency on Aging Inc. is again offering the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program to eligible Mercer County Seniors.
This program is made possible through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Distribution.
The purpose of this program is to encourage older adults to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables produced by local growers.
Eligible seniors can pick up vouchers at locations in Greenville, Grove City, Mercer, Sandy Lake/Stoneboro and the Shenango Valley . -
Victorian Weekend begins Friday evening
Step back into a gentler era during the 22nd annual Victorian Weekend Festival, planned for Friday through Sunday on the historic Mercer County Courthouse Square.
The weekend begins with “A Victorian Concert” by the Mercer Community Band at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the bandstand on the east side of the county courthouse; the warmup concert starts at 6.
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Girl Scouting gold goes to RHS grad
Lorrie Lehman, daughter of Dave and Rosemary Lehman of Reynolds and sister of Tommy, was recently awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award from Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania.
The Gold Award recognizes leadership, hard work and service to the community and for exemplifying the ideals of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Only five percent of Girl Scouts nationwide earn this recognition annually.
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Public invited to annual Farm Safety Day
Our annual Mercer County Farm Safety Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Leslie N. Firth Learning Center, home of Mercer County Cooperative Extension, and the adjacent 4-H Park, 483 N. Perry Highway, 1 1/2 miles north of Mercer in Coolspring Township.
Our staff, along with event sponsor, the Agricultural Health and Rural Safety Advisory Committee, invite you and your family to attend and actively participate in a full day of safety demonstrations and open dialog on an issue which affects us all. Our goals are to make rural residents more conscience of common hazards, risky behaviors, and cultural traditions which often contribute to farm and rural accidents.
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Urban League offers outdoor movie series
It’s been decades since movies have been shown on a big screen in Farrell.
The Shenango Valley Urban League is changing that this summer, with its “Films in the Square” series, to be held Friday nights at Veterans Square.
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Fourth of July activities
There's no lack of Independence Day celebrations planned in the area.
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League levels the playing field
It might not look like a traditional baseball game at first glance, that is, the baseball game one would see in the Brookfield Community Park on summer Sundays.
Some of the players are in wheelchairs, others use walkers and canes and most are mentally challenged, but they all come out every week for the same reason: the chance to play baseball, and it’s an opportunity they might not otherwise have.
It’s called the Challengers League, a baseball league for the mentally and physically challenged. - More Community Headlines
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Actors visit Camelot
