Special birthday bash a hit with area kids
Latest News
October 1, 2019

Special birthday bash a hit with area kids

By Mon Valley Independent

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

Hearing a couple dozen people singing “Happy Birthday” at a laundromat might sound out of the ordinary, but it’s exactly what happened in Olympia Shopping Center on Tuesday.

A group of 16 boys and girls, who are from the McKeesport/Versailles area and ranged in age from 3 to 14 and had a birthday in September, or have one coming up this month or next, got to celebrate their name day in a special way. 

The birthday bash, which was hosted by Beverly’s Birthdays, took place at the Wash & Learn space at Olympia Coin Laundry in Olympia Shopping Center in Versailles borough. 

The Wash & Learn is a space fitted with colorful walls, children’s tables, electronic tablets with a WiFi connection that have educational programming and games on them, toys and bookshelves curated by the Carnegie Library of McKeesport. Wash & Learn is a collaborative of Carnegie Library of McKeesport, Allegheny County Library Association, Libraries Without Borders, Pennsylvania WIC, WQED-TV and PBS Kids. It is designed to give children an activity to do while they are waiting for their families to do the laundry, and also allows them to hone their reading and STEM skills. 

To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Wednesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.

Monessen Night Out brings community together
Latest News, Main
June 25, 2026
Monessen police Officer Mike Piccini presents police department cups, coloring books and Child ID kits to Raegan Livingston, 7, of Monessen, during Monessen Night Out on Wednesday evening at Monessen ...
McKeesport football coach resigns; Smith hired
Latest News, Main
By LADIMIR GARCIA lgarcia@yourmvi.com 
June 25, 2026
The school board voted to accept his resignation during a special meeting Wednesday and hired Tom Smith as the head high school football coach. The McKeesport Area School Board accepted the resignatio...
No tax increase in Charleroi Area budget
Latest News, Main
June 25, 2026
District officials cited “years of careful planning” helped the board deliver a balanced budget with no property tax hike. For the MVI The Charleroi Area School District Board of Directors approved a ...
McKeesport police hear from residents at community event
Around The Valley, Latest News, Main
June 25, 2026
About 20 residents attended the community outreach at First Step Recovery Homes. By THOMAS LETURGEY For the MVI The McKeesport Police Department hosted its second “Your Presence Matters” community mee...
Fire tears through West Mifflin home
Around The Valley, Latest News, Main
June 25, 2026
Firefighters battled large flames at a two-story home in West Mifflin on Wednesday. Heavy smoke and flames tore through the house on Shara Drive, not far from Lebanon Road. The fire chief said one fir...
Amid packed crowd, EF delays budget vote; hears from teachers over contract negotiations
Latest News, Main
By By SARAH PELLIS spellis@gmail.com 
June 25, 2026
The Elizabeth Forward School Board moved the meeting to the middle school auditorium to accommodate the crowd. In front of a packed crowd, the Elizabeth Forward School Board tabled voting on the 2026-...