Step Back in Time Program to kick-off National Library Week

The Peters Township Public Library will begin its National Library Week festivities on Sunday, April 11 at 1:00 p.m. with Step Back in Time: A Celebration of Life in Peters Township. The event, which will remember the history of Peters Township through exhibits, memorabilia, photographs, and slide presentations, is an excellent tie in with this year’s national theme of Communities Thrive @ your library.

The afternoon will begin with the Peters Township High School Jazz Band performing a variety of big band music. Visitors to the library that afternoon will also:

• Meet Robert Donaldson and Patricia Donaldson Stutzman at their exhibit One Hundred years of Change at Donaldson's Crossroads.
• Tour the library's Local History Room collection and discover treasures from the way life used to be in Peters Township.
• Walk down memory lane with Edward Lybarger for a slideshow presentation Last Days of the Hollywood (Restaurant) and enjoy Hollywood Memorabilia courtesy of the Bob and Jane McClure family.

The Peters Township Public Library welcomes new residents to this event, as well as families who fondly recall living in the area during earlier times. Activities are scheduled from 1:00-4:30 p.m. that day, with refreshments at the conclusion provided compliments of Peters Township Friends of the Library. Register for this free program at the library's circulation desk or by calling 724-941-9430.

Experts to discuss planning a traffic-free bike trip

Learn how to plan a traffic-free bike trip between Pittsburgh PA and Washington, D.C. in this special presentation by Mary Shaw and Roy Weil, two award-winning experts. The program, Linking Up: Planning Your Traffic-Free Bike Trip between Pittsburgh PA and Washington, D.C., will describe the trip traveling the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and the C & O Canal Towpath, including what there is to do along the way. Shaw and Weil will offer information and tips on planning a bike trip along the entire route or planning shorter excursions along the trails. This free program will be offered by the library on Thursday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m. Register at the library circulation desk, call 724.941.9430 or email Pier Lee.

You will learn strategies for planning your trip, how to select an itinerary, options for shorter trips, and whether to travel independently or with an organized group (Outfitter). Find out about lodging and meal alternatives and what you might expect from resources along the way. This presentation will also focus on identifying what kind of assistance you will need to determine if you would enjoy a self-contained trip, a lightly supported trip, or a fully supported trip with someone else responsible for making all the arrangements including a guide to travel with the group. Suggestions for planning your distance for each day of your trip will be offered, along with the pros and cons of choosing an eastbound or a westbound trip with the description of the trails for each direction.

This is recognized as the premier trip of its kind in the country, and draws visitors from all over the world. It is the best bicycle camping trip in the eastern United States and it is right in our backyard! Come find out what makes it great and start planning your adventure.

Mary Shaw is a Carnegie Mellon University Professor of Computer Science and Roy Weil is a Civil Engineer for Baker Corporation. They are recipients of several awards for their efforts in promoting outdoor recreation in our region. They have also been recognized for their commitment to advancing environmental stewardship through their volunteer efforts of time, energy, and skill, to ensure the outdoors are accessible by all and protected for future generations. They currently serve as donor advisors of the Trail Volunteer Fund at the Pittsburgh Foundation. Shaw and Weil are the authors of Regional Guidebooks (Western Pennsylvania) for bicycling and canoeing including Linking Up: Planning Your Traffic-Free Bike Trip between Pittsburgh PA and Washington D.C. via the Great Allegheny Passage and the C & O Canal Towpath. This book will be available for sale following the program and the proceeds will benefit the Great Allegheny Passage. Mary Shaw and Roy Weil will be introduced by Mark Imgrund, President of the Montour Trail Council.

Doug Oster discusses tomatoes, basil and garlic

Garden columnist and radio host Doug Oster will visit the Peters Township Public Library on Saturday, March 20 at 10:00 a.m. He will discuss how to get started now to have your best garden ever, provide tips and tricks on getting seeds growing, and talk about his favorite varieties. His new book, Tomatoes Garlic Basil, The Simple Pleasures of Growing and Cooking Your Garden's Most Versatile Veggies was just recently released. It is filled with practical gardening advice along with wonderful stories from Doug's life in the garden. A book signing will follow Oster’s program.

Doug Oster writes a garden column for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a nationally syndicated cooking and gardening column for the LA Times Syndicate, and contributes to national and regional publications. He is co-host and producer of The Organic Gardener's Radio Program, a weekly show on KDKA, and appears weekly on KDKA-TV's Pittsburgh Today Live. He received the 2009 Outstanding Documentary Emmy for Gardens of Pennsylvania, written and produced for WQED. He co-authored two other gardening books, Grow Organic and A Gardener's Journal.

Register for this free program at the library’s circulation desk, call 724.941.9430 or email Carrie Weaver.

Disunity of Effort: America’s Interagency Struggle to Build an Afghan Nation

Colonel Lew Irwin, as part of the 2010 World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh International program series, returns to Peters Township Public Library on Thursday, March 18, 2010 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

With his perspective on government strategies in Afghanistan, Lew Irwin will present Disunity of Effort: America’s Interagency Struggle to Build an Afghan Nation. He will describe the specific challenges of “Nation Building” in Afghanistan, as well as the problems that have characterized past efforts of the various United States agencies at work there. Lew Irwin will also discuss the case for and the case against Nation Building in Afghanistan as a strategy related to United States National Security Issues.

During his 23 years of service in the United States Army, Colonel Irwin has served in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Bosnia, Panama, Germany, Afghanistan, and other locations throughout the United States and the World. Colonel Irwin currently commands the 301st Regional Support Group, headquartered in Butler, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He holds masters degrees and a doctorate in political science from Yale University, and in his civilian career he is a professor of Public Policy and Government at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Lew Irwin is the author of two books on American Politics and Public Policy and is currently working on a book on Afghanistan – soon to be published.

An honorarium for these speakers was generously provided by a grant from the McMurray Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 764. To register for this free program, please visit the library circulation desk or call 724-941-9430.

Visiting Israeli Scholar to speak on Arab-Israeli conflict

Avi Ben-Hur, a visiting scholar from Israel, will discuss “Where We Stand in the Arab-Israeli Conflict, and the Challenges Facing Israel in the Next 5 – 10 years” at the Peters Township Public Library on Monday, March 15 from 7:30-8:45 p.m. This free program is being offered by the Peters Township Public Library in collaboration with the Agency for Jewish Learning. Register online, at the library circulation desk, or call 724.941.9430.

A Brooklyn native, Avi Ben-Hur specializes in Land of Israel studies, the history of Jerusalem, Arab-Israeli conflict and Holocaust studies. Avi's expertise is in integrating ideas and knowledge from various disciplines into a comprehensive and coherent narrative. At present, Avi lectures abroad as a "Scholar in Residence", is on the faculty of the University of Haifa Tourism school, is an examiner for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and guides in Israel and Poland.

The Agency for Jewish Learning (AJL) is a beneficiary agency of the United Jewish Federation. It is committed to enhancing the quality of Jewish learning across the Pittsburgh community. AJL provides training, consultation, resources and networking for educators, and offers a menu of classes for adults, teens, and families.

For additional information, please email Pier Lee, Director, Peters Township Public Library or email Dr. Zipora Gur, AJL Director of Advanced Education or call 412-521-1101 Ext. 3104.