Hosanna House in Wilkinsburg will bring a little bit of classic ’70s funk and soul to its 30th anniversary celebration this year, along with a host of other events to mark the nonprofit’s third decade of providing health and human services to more than 40,000 people annually.
An Aug. 7 concert by the Average White Band will serve as a musical centerpiece for Hosanna House’s year-long celebration, which also will include two new events, the Month of the Young Child and the Festival of Trees.
“For the Month of the Young Child, we have a 14-acre green space and we’re inviting educators to come and have activities, tables and booths for children to experience different activities,” said Gloria Nelson, director of development and social impact at Hosanna House.
April 24 will see Hosanna House’s Sherwood Center transformed into a sort of “Storybook Forest,” Nelson said.
“It will be open to the public and focused on fun learning activities,” she said.
The Festival of Trees will be held at Hosanna House’s event center on Wallace Avenue in Wilkinsburg.
“We’re going to engage the community with different Christmas activities from Nov. 30 to Dec. 30,” Nelson said. “We decided to move it to our Wallace Avenue location, which is within walking distance for many of our community residents.”
The Average White Band will entertain at a 7 p.m. show on Aug. 7 at the Sherwood Events Center, 400 Sherwood Road, Wilkinsburg. Tickets are $35 (doors at 5:30 p.m., music begins at 6 p.m., main stage show starts at 7 p.m.). They will go on sale Jan. 31, and VIP packages are also available.
Hosanna House was established in 1990 with community funding and 500 volunteers. The nonprofit’s 125,000-square-foot building in Wilkinsburg was completely renovated over an 11-year-period ending in 2006.
In 2003, Hosanna House acquired the Sherwood Event Center, a sizable green space which allowed the group to host summer camp programming.
For more, see HosannaHouse.org or DruskyEnt.com.
