Mercer County Regional Planning Commission will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an open house between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. today at its office at 2491 Highland Road, Hermitage.

County residents may tour the office, enjoy a slide program of the Shenango Valley prior to World War II, including aerial photos taken in the 1950s and '60s; and get information about present community and economic development, including zoning, transportation and recycling. Slide presentation times are noon, 2, 4 and 7 p.m.

Upcoming events to celebrate the commission's anniversary include a traveling photo and history exhibit throughout the county and a dinner Dec. 6 in The Rosemont banquet and conference center in Sharon. Guest speaker will be Norm Krumholz, a Cleveland State University professor and nationally recognized planner.

The traveling exhibit will be in the Mercer County Courthouse Rotunda, Oct. 2-11; in Grove City Municipal Building, Oct. 14-18; in Mercer County State Bank in Sandy Lake, Oct. 21-25; in Greenville Area Public Library, Oct. 26-Nov. 1; in Shenango Valley Mall, Hermitage, Nov. 4-8; in First National Bank in Sharpsville, Nov. 12-15; in Farrell City Building, Nov. 18-22; and in Sharon City Building, Nov. 25-Dec. 4. The exhibit's last stop will be the Dec. 6 banquet.

For more information, call (724) 981-2412