October Book Club: Weyward by Emilia Hart

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

Please bring a drink or dish to share

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Purchase your ticket now for the 1:30 PM Halloween Fun Cruise. Adults: $35 / Children $25 / Infants $5
https://www.gatewayclipper.com/holiday-cruises/halloween-fun/

From Gateway Clipper Website:
Trick or treat...On The Fleet! Dress in your best Halloween Costume to win prizes!

Kids Themed Cruise & Tour Trip Details:
DJ Dance Party with DJ Cha Che of First Class Entertainment
Each kid on board will receive a goodie bag and coloring activity
A full-service bar is available on board
Our friendly photo team will capture a boarding picture of your group-you can purchase the day of OR pre purchase during check out.
Snack bar items available for purchase! Remember we are a cashless facility.

Buy your ticket ASAP!

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Immerse yourself in the perfect event.

Start with 45 minutes of all-level flow Yoga, surrounded by playful puppies in our studio. Then it is Puppy time ! Cuddles, pictures and playtime with the puppies for 30 minutes.

What’s Included in Your Ticket:

• 75-Minute Puppy Adventure: Enjoy a full session of yoga and puppy fun.

• Important Information:

• Arrive 15 minutes early for a seamless start.

• Entry is not allowed 20 minutes after the session begins.

• Note that participating in a class with puppies carries risks like scratches or bites. Since puppy wellness is our first priority, interaction with the puppies is not guaranteed.

• All participants must sign a waiver before joining the session.

You must purchase your own ticket ($69):

https://puppies-yoga.com/products/pittsburgh?variant=52409594151252

Let us know you’re coming. SIGN UP HERE

Purchase your tickets for 1:25 PM on 10/18/25 asap - 42 spaces available. Adults $22 / Children $22 / 2 and under $0
https://www.dynamicticketsolutions.com/patm/index-responsive.cfm?pgfn=calendar&template_ID=0&CalMonth=10&CalYear=2025

From the Trolley Museum Website:
Join us for this special event and embark on a trolley to our pumpkin patch, where children can plant a magic seed of our special invention. Then, after another trolley ride through our beautiful fall scenery, the pumpkins will have magically grown to their full size! Children will also have the chance to decorate their mini-pumpkin before taking it home.

Other activities include children’s holiday games, complimentary refreshments, and opportunities to explore the interactive exhibits in our new Welcome & Education Center. Add to the fun by dressing up in your favorite costume! We’re also excited to be hosting a fall-themed LEGO display from Steel City LUG.

Each ticket includes:

1 trolley ride to the Magic Pumpkin Patch
Exhibits and games in our Welcome & Education Center and Trolley Display Building
Complimentary refreshments and craft supplies to decorate pumpkins with
Unlimited regular trolley rides until the last one leaves at 4:15 pm
Only children ages 3-17 will receive at voucher that can be redeemed at the Magic Pumpkin Patch for a pumpkin. If you wish to take home an extra pumpkin or a pumpkin for an Adult, Senior, or visitor under 2, you will be able to purchase an additional Magic Pumpkin voucher for $4 per pumpkin.

This is a rain or shine event. Visitors should plan to arrive 10-15 minutes before their ticket time.

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Bring a snack to share. I’ll have beer and seltzers, but if you would like something else, bring that too. Coming late or leaving early is cool. There is an RSVP on Facebook, but if not on Facebook, no need to RSVP. Just come!

Questions? Contact Janet: 310-402-1404

Come on out for October Trivia! We’ll meet at the Village TapHouse - trivia starts at 8 PM.

Hope to see you there!

Questions? Email Maria at maria.carmichel@gmail.com.

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Our 2025 Fall Newcomers Welcome Event is here!!! Come meet past, present and future ladies in addition to our board members. Learn about the club, our events and how you can become part of this special community of women and families. Appetizers and a drink will be provided. Come sip and socialize with your new USC crew. Don't forget to RSVP by September 19!

Questions? Email Rachel at rcb1120@gmail.com.

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Don’t miss your chance to enjoy an evening hayride with stunning views! Join us at the pavilion where Brew Gentlemen will be pouring alongside a food truck. Grab a 6-pack, bottle of wine, and/or food before hopping on a hayride (outside food and beverages not allowed). Try out the corn maze, enjoy games, or relax by a fire pit.

Get your tickets ahead of time for $12 here or at the door for $14.

Sign up below so we know who to look for!

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Newcomers Hayride at 2 PM - $12 per/person / $0 - 2 and under
Buy your ticket asap. If 2 PM fills up, grab a slot near 2 PM.

Hayride Tickets Here

We will get off the hayride at the top of the hill and enjoy the corn maze and games area together. You can stay as long as you like. There are additional activities for children for purchase - range from $2-$8.

From the website:
Our annual Fall Festival on our 150-year-old farm is a tradition for many families in the South Hills and greater Pittsburgh area. There’s something for everyone from grandparents to grandkids. Enjoy a hayride to our pumpkin patch to pick-your-own pumpkin or see if you can find your way through our giant, 3-acre corn maze! Pumpkins are not included in the ticket price.

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Let's go out for brunch in Lawrenceville (yes, I realize you must go through a tunnel) and get dim sum! Dim Sum is an array of Chinese dishes that are typically served for brunch. They come around with food on a cart and you can pick what you want to eat. The reservation is for 6 people and we have 120 minutes of table time.

There's a $10 per person cancellation fee (if you cancel with less than 24 hours notice), so I'm collecting the $10 per person to reserve your spot in our group and as long as you attend, it will go toward your bill. Venmo Julie at @Julie-Potash-1 (last 4 are 4659) to reserve your spot!

RSVP and Venmo so you can join me out for brunch! I'm also happy to drive if you want a ride.

Check out the menu here: https://theparlordimsum.com/menu/

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Book Description:

In her second story collection, Sittenfeld shows why she’s as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels. In these dazzling stories, she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends, laying bare the moments when their long held beliefs are overturned.

In “The Patron Saints of Middle Age,” a woman visits two friends she hasn’t seen since her divorce. In “A for Alone,” a married artist embarks on a creative project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can’t spend time alone together without lusting after each other. And in “Lost but Not Forgotten,” Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a window into the world of her beloved character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an alumni reunion at her boarding school.

Hilarious, thought-provoking, and full of tenderness for her characters, Sittenfeld’s stories peel back layer after layer of our inner lives, keeping us riveted to the page with her utterly distinctive voice.

Other event details/information:

Please bring a drink or snack to share!

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Join us for Monday morning Coffee & Chat. Start your week off with Newcomers friends. Coffee & food for purchase. If the weather is nice we can grab some tables on the patio. All past, present & future members are welcome to attend. We'd love to hang out with you.

Tell us you’re coming!

Lets go birding! Meet at the parking lot in front of Wingfield Pines (Across from the rec center on Mayview Road). This is an easy walk with little elevation. There are a lot of birds flying through our area now moving south for the winter, so we are going to see what we can find. This is a very casual and beginner friendly activity! Come if you are interested in birding or even if you'd like to get a walk in. We usually walk a little over a mile and are done by 11am.

If you need to come late that's fine too, we can meet up with you, just email me at Christinetbest@gmail.com and lets exchange phone numbers so we can find you when you get there.

I have some binoculars for anyone that needs them.

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Ladies! Let's meet up for "Wine (or drink of choice) & Chat" at Park Social while the weather is still nice for an evening out at this adults only venue. Past, present & future members invited. Bring your back to school and end of summer woes and leave rejuvenated to face another day. Let us know you're coming. Hope to see some familiar. old and new faces as we kick off the season.

Tell us you’re coming!

Come get a quick walk in with friends! We will meet in Westminster Parking lot near Gilfillan trail. All fitness levels welcome!

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Join Greta and her mother (visiting from Southern Italy) for an Italian experience! You will learn to craft your own pasta dough and make their families sauce. We will make gnocchi and maccheroni 'al sugo' (sugo is tomato sauce).

Cost is $10-Cash (or we will arrange venmo as the date gets closer)
Please bring a drink to share

Questions? Email Christine at ctalleda@gmail.com.

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Summer Book Swap!

Come enjoy a night among friends talking about what we're currently reading, what's on our TBR, what we're looking forward to over the summer, and of course, the semi-annual book swap!

Please bring one book (wrapped) that you wish to share with a fellow book-lover in Newcomers! Please also bring a drink or snack to share.

Questions? Email Jess at jess.silbermann@gmail.com.

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Event Details: June Movie Night: Nightbitch OR Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom - Newcomer’s Choice!

Movie Descriptions:

Nightbitch:
A woman Academy Award winner Amy Adams), thrown into the stay-at-home routine of raising a toddler in the suburbs, slowly embraces the feral power deeply rooted in motherhood, as she becomes increasingly aware of the bizarre and undeniable signs that she may be turning into a dog.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom:
Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey (Academy Award® winner Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio's claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) - who has an eye for Ma's girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry - spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives. Adapted from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's play, MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM celebrates the transformative power of the blues and the artists who refuse to let society's prejudices dictate their worth. Directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted for the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, the film is produced by Fences Oscar® nominees Denzel Washington and Todd Black. Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige and Dusan Brown co-star alongside Grammy® winner Branford Marsalis' score. - Netflix

Other event details/information:

Please vote for which movie you’d like to watch at our June movie night, and please bring a drink or snack to share!
Questions? Email Jess at jess.silbermann@gmail.com

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Who doesn't love a Sunday Funday? We are big fans of a good old backyard BBQ and can't wait to celebrate the start of summer with you all!

Bill will be manning the grill & we'll have yard games ready to play. If you plan to come, please RSVP by June 1 & I'll reach out with Venmo instructions. We ask that everyone chips in $20 per couple to cover food costs. BYOB!

*In the event that we get a ton of RSVPs, our backup location (with a bit more space) will be at a South Park pavilion*

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Lets get together for breakfast and mimosas to celebrate the last week of school!

Questions? Email Christine at ctalleda@gmail.com.

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Bring your kids of any age and yourself to a nice, weekly Friday evening at the park. Have a chance to meet with other new families at USC and create community! If you have access to our USC Newcomer's Member's Private FB page, please select a date you plan to attend and comment in the chat. Feel free to mention the ages of your kids, where you moved from, interests, etc. (You may do the same on the RSVP SignUp link, but do know that this information will be viewable by the public.)

Questions? Email Melissa at melissamalepati@gmail.com.

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Come out Friday night to enjoy a movie with the family to start off the holiday weekend! Newcomers are hosting the Live Action portrayal of Stitch! Time not yet released. Will update when available and provide more details on seats available/where we will gather once posted.

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Bring your kids of any age and yourself to a nice, weekly Friday evening at the park. Have a chance to meet with other new families at USC and create community! If you have access to our USC Newcomer's Member's Private FB page, please select a date you plan to attend and comment in the chat. Feel free to mention the ages of your kids, where you moved from, interests, etc. (You may do the same on the RSVP SignUp link, but do know that this information will be viewable by the public.)

Questions? Email Melissa at melissamalepati@gmail.com.

SIGN UP HERE

May Book Club: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Book Description:

The New York Times bestseller from the Grammy-nominated indie rockstar Japanese Breakfast, an unflinching, deeply moving memoir about growing up mixed-race, Korean food, losing her Korean mother, and forging her own identity in the wake of her loss.

In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humour and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother’s particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band – and meeting the man who would become her husband – her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live.

It was her mother’s diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.

Vivacious, lyrical and honest, Michelle Zauner’s voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread.

Other event details/information:

Please bring a drink or snack to share!

Questions? Email Jess at jess.silbermann@gmail.com.

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Join us for June Coffee & Chat as we wrap up the year. Sit back, relax in a casual environment with friends. Hope you can join!

Let us know you’re coming!

Bring your kids of any age and yourself to a nice, weekly Friday evening at the park. Have a chance to meet with other new families at USC and create community! If you have access to our USC Newcomer's Member's Private FB page, please select a date you plan to attend and comment in the chat. Feel free to mention the ages of your kids, where you moved from, interests, etc. (You may do the same on the RSVP SignUp link, but do know that this information will be viewable by the public.)

Questions? Email Melissa at melissamalepati@gmail.com.

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Spring is here & we're getting right into the swing of things! We'll have 2 bay reservations for up to 12 golfers on Topgolf Tuesday. The best part: $ it's half price$ !

To confirm your reservation, please Venmo $20 per person ($40 per couple) to @Billy-Kluth-81 to cover the bay rental for 2 hours. Food & drink will be additional.

RSVP by 4/29.

Questions? Email Brittany at brittanyclaybaugh@gmail.com.

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