Meatballs and Music Make a Mighty Match

Scores of Peters residents piled into the high school cafeteria and purchased plenty of spaghetti at the Meatballs and Music event on Saturday. Then, they headed off to the auditorium for dessert and musical interludes comprising of the jazz band, the choir, the orchestra and more.

The event is a fundraiser for the students' trip to Orlando, Fla., to take on other high school musical groups in a competition.

Over 3,000 tickets were pre-sold and many people showed up at the door. The intoxicating smell of marinara must have summoned them in. Or maybe it was the choir’s rendition of the Beatles tune, “Here comes the sun!”

The event wasn’t just about meatballs and music. 113 gift baskets were on hand, each one donated to the event’s gift basket committee, led by Gail Varcelotti.

“We’ve been putting together baskets for nearly two weeks," she said. "Everything was donated from local businesses and parents.”

The gift baskets held some interesting prizes. There were hotel packages, restaurant gift certificates and South Hills Jewelers donated a $950 ring.

Also, there were plenty of raffle tickets being sold. Dan Daley was hawking tickets -- one for a dollar, seven chances for $5, an arm’s length for $10 and for $20 you could get a body's length worth (up to 85 tickets).

Daley said that it was his second year at the event. His son Connor is in the high school’s jazz band.

Many of the volunteers were parents of current students. Amy Chess, the coordinator, affectionately dubbed, the Head Meatball, praised all of her 100s of volunteers.

“I have met the best people," she said. "I know all of the kids. It’s been great. Peters Township has the nicest people.”