Community Events with Laurelville
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On the Calendar
2022 Swim Lessons - July make-up lesson info/For cancellations, we will email, post on Facebook and here.
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Laurelville’s “Learn-to-Swim Classes” begin Monday or Tuesday, July 11 or 12.
Please note:
• Print and sign the waiver for each of your swimmers. Parent/Child Class attendees can use one waiver. Waivers will also be available at registration
• Park in the circular driveway on the left, before the Welcome Center area (yellow signs posted)
• Please wait on the tables/picnic tables outside of the pool gate until class begins
• Check-in your child/children with staff at the gate of the pool when you arrive for class
• No goggles, special equipment nor floaties are needed
• Come dressed for class with towels; changing rooms and restrooms are available
• Parents may sit in chairs on deck during class to observe but MUST stay for lessons
• For Parent/Child Classes, an adult must be in the water with EACH child the entire class
• Classes are held rain or shine, but if we cancel because of lightening, we’ll email prior to the start of class and post on our Facebook page and on our website www.laurelville.org “community programs”
• Targeted heated pool temperatures are 78 to 82 degrees, dress appropriately; a T-shirt might help children be less chilly
• One-hour Pool Zumba water exercise classes are available on Saturday, Aug. 13 & 27 at 10:30am for $10/per person. Must pre-register on our website.
• The Welcome Center Snack Shop is usually open during morning classes.
• If your child misses a class or two, we offer makeup days on Aug. 8 and/or 9 at the child/children’s regular lesson times.
• We are happy to open our pool to the community when our overnight guests do not fill the pool. We ask that all swimmers email or call ahead to reserve swimming spots: pool@laurelville.org or 724-423-2624 – leave a message with name, phone #, number of swimmers and the desired swim date. We do close occassionally when we have 300-400 people overnight.June make-up swim lesson reminders:
MAKE UP DAYS
1. As scheduled, our Monday/Wednesday swimmers who need to make up a day will come on MONDAY. AUG 8 during their regular morning swim class times.
2. As scheduled, our Tuesday/Thursday swimmers who need to make up a day will come on TUESDAY. AUG 9 during their regular class times.
Thank you for attending swim lessons at Laurelville, and we thank Scottdale’s own wonderful Paul Johnson for managing them and making lessons possible for our local families. Please watch your email in August for a survey about your child/rens’ lessons.
Questions? Email program@laurelville.org or call 724-423-2056.
PLEASE NOTE: Mount Pleasant Twp. residents may take free swim lessons at the high school swimming pool. Signups begin the week after Easter. For more information, 724.423.6812. This program is underwritten by the Township Supervisors.
*2022 DAILY POOL HOURS opens Memorial Day Weekend
Monday – Thursday, 12 – 5pm
Friday, Saturday & Saturday, 12– 7pm
- *Must make a reservation to swim daily: 724-423-2624 leave a message or pool@laurelville.org
- To swim daily, $6 per person, ages 2 & under are free
- Frequent swim club card 10th swim is free, sorry no season passes
- Snack shop open!
- Private pool parties by reservation only pool@laurelville.org or 724-423-2624 leave a message
August Sunday Sunset Yoga
Laurelville will again offer sunset yoga classes for $10 per class. Pre-registration is required. The all-levels classes with Robin Albright will be held on Sundays this year on Sunday, Aug. 7 and 14 at 7 p.m., and on Aug 28 at 6:30 p.m. Please note that times vary with the sunset. Attend all the classes at a discounted price. Classes are held outdoors in a serene setting atop Laurelville’s wooded 600 acres on Sunset Hill near our labyrinth. Class moves indoors if the weather is uncooperative. This “fun-raiser” benefits the non-profit’s programs. Register at https://tinyurl.com/sundaysunsetyoga. Questions? Mary@laurelville.org
Must pre-register HERE for classes. Classes are held outdoors atop our wooded 600 acres in Mount Pleasant Township, on Sunset Hill near our labryinth. Questions? Mary@laurelville.org
Pool Zumba water exercise class, Aug. 13 and 27, 10:30am!
Exercise can be fun, just mix some Zumba with a favorite local pool and try something new in August 2022! Must pre-register. $10/class
For those looking to make a splash by adding a low-impact, aquatic exercise to their fitness routine, this Zumba pool party is for you! Taking a Zumba workout into a pool offers less impact on your joints. Water creates natural resistance, which means every step helps tone your muscles.
Classes with instructor Daynelle Sanner of Find Your Fire Fitness will be held on Saturdays Aug. 13 and 27 at 10:30 a.m., and cost just $10. Join us for some fun in the sun and Latin flavor! Grab your favorite swimsuit, water and towel and get ready to party!
Pre-registration required HERE.
Self-guided garden tours: join Pollinator Palooza with Westmoreland Pollinator Partners
Twenty-one public gardens invite county residents to present your “passports” and receive free native plants
Westmoreland Pollinator Partners (WPP), an association of public pollinator-friendly gardens across Westmoreland County, will invite residents to visit this season, and bring your “passports” and cameras along. This season a total of 21 gardens will participate.
Just pick up a passport folder at the Ligonier Country Market special feature booth on the May 21 kickoff day, or June 25, Aug. 13 or Sept. 17; visit the six gardens of your choice, and return to a later special feature booth with your passport (stickered) or with photos documenting your visits, to receive a free native plant especially chosen to appeal to local pollinator species. Anyone also photographing a native plant in a WPP garden will receive an additional native plant while supplies last.
Where are the gardens? See below * for the list. 🌱
As interest grows in preserving habitat for pollinator insects and other wildlife that is key to having a healthy ecosystem, new gardens have joined the WPP. Now there are 24 organizations, parks, libraries, museums, schools, public demo gardens, and companies joining the effort to raise awareness for insects and native plants that are essential to our way of life. The WPP is a force for cultivating and conserving pollinator-friendly habitats and engaging with the people of Westmoreland County on their behalf.
“Pollinators provide a valuable service to humans,” explained Andrea Kautz, entomologist with Powdermill Nature Reserve, a WPP member. “Without them, we wouldn’t have access to most of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy every day. Native pollinators and native plants rely on each other to thrive, and together contribute to the biodiversity of our region.”
Mary Kaufman, program director at Mount Pleasant Township’s Laurelville Retreat Center, a new member of WPP, is enthusiastic about the potential outreach of the gardens. “A benefit of these quiet gardens is to introduce people to the important principles of living in harmony with, and appreciation for nature,” she emphasized. “You will see small, intensively planted native perennial gardens and large meadows that are full of color to attract many different species of insects and birds. And native plants are specially adapted to our region so they need less maintenance. Most people agree that all are beautiful.”
* The twenty-four WPP pollinator- friendly gardens are:
🌱 Ligonier Community Garden Insectary Borders
🌱 Ligonier Country Market Garden
🌱 Loyalhanna Watershed Association Farm and Wetland Gardens
🌱 Ligonier Valley YMCA Garden
🌱 Ligonier Middle School’s Sustainable Farm Project’s Insectary Border
🌱 Powdermill Nature Reserve Gardens
🌱 Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art Ligonier Gardens
🌱 DCNR Forbes State Forest Meadow
🌱 DCNR Keystone State Park Meadow
🌱 Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve Garden
🌱 Westmoreland Land Trust / Westmoreland County Park and Recreation Twin Lakes Meadow
🌱 Historic Hanna’s Town Gardens
🌱 Greensburg Garden Center Lefevre Butterfly Garden
🌱 Penn State Master Gardener Donohoe Center Demonstration Gardens
🌱 Westmoreland Conservation District Meadow
🌱 Westmoreland Museum of American Art Garden
🌱 Amos K Hutchinson Elementary School Garden
🌱 West Penn Power Garden
🌱 Mount Pleasant Public Library Story Garden
🌱 West Overton Village and Museum Gardens
🌱 Smithton Borough Garden
🌱 Laurelville Retreat Center Gardens
and ….
🌱 The Pollinator Garden of Penguin Court/Brandywine Conservancy.
The passport program was launched in 2019. During the pandemic, most of the gardens remained open (to insects, birds and visitors), but the passports were put on hold.
Visit the WPP Facebook page for locations and highlights at
https://www.facebook.com/WestmorelandPollinatorPartners/
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Deb Christopher, WPP Independent Member, Dchristopher1@hotmail.com
Photo Captions:
1 – Mekenzie Millward, 9, of Seven Valleys PA visits the pollinator-friendly meadow at DCNR Forbes State Forest.
2 – Ann Talarek (right) of Pittsburgh and talks to guests about the native pollinator gardens that she and Martha Oliver of Scottdale (facing Ann, second from right) helped install at Laurelville Retreat Center’s Welcome Center during the pandemic. Laurelville recently joined the Westmoreland Pollinator Partners.
First Day Walk/Hike, January 1st, 2023
First Day Hike, 1-4 p.m., Sat, Jan. 1, Laurelville Retreat Center, Meet at the Dining Hall.
Get outside with friends, family, and/or pets on the first day of 2023! We’ll hike as a group to explore Laurelville’s many trails. No registration, no fees, just come and be thankful for friends/family, for a new year, and for our local trails.
Hot coco and restrooms are available and we may even light a campfire. Any updates/changes will be posted on Laurelville’s Facebook/website.
Questions? mary@laurelville.org
Seasonal or Ongoing Events
Have Church at Camp
Have a special service, social, or retreat for your congregation or youth group!
Includes:
- Meeting Space
- Prayer Labyrinth
- Recreational Activities
- Meals and low ropes course available (additional charge)
We’d love to know how we can accommodate your group! For questions or to book, call 724.423.2056.
Pastors, Retreat for Free
Pastors, as a thank you for all that you do, enjoy a free, two-night stay at Laurelville once a year. Experience a solo retreat or bring your spouse/family along for a time of refreshment!
Call 724-423-2056 to book your retreat!