In the Christmas spirit
WAYNESBURG – The streets of Waynesburg will be filled with cheer, with numerous events scheduled for Friday and Saturday to kick off the holiday season in Greene County.
The annual Holiday Open House on High Street gets the festivities underway at 5 p.m. Friday with the lighting of the Christmas tree in front of the Greene County Courthouse at 6 p.m.
The event is sponsored by EQT, which will allow visitors to experience free horse-drawn carriage rides, which has been one of the most popular attractions, said Caitlin Carlisle, one of the event organizers.
“EQT really saw how popular it was, what it brought to the event – the horses click-clopping down the street – and the atmosphere it created,” Carlisle said, referring to the company’s sponsorship of the event. “It’s just so much fun.”
The open house, which is organized by Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful, is designed to showcase the many small businesses along High Street. Carlisle said Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available for free photos after the tree lighting. There also will be a caricature artist, a cookie-decorating station for children, live music, food and a holiday movie projected onto the side of one of the buildings in town.
Many businesses are once again participating in the window-decorating contest. The Holiday Open House is free and open to the public until 8:30 p.m.
“We love that we have something fun on Friday night and then followed by the parade,” Carlisle said. “It’s a great kickoff for the holiday shopping season.”
The annual Christmas parade, organized by the Waynesburg Area Chamber of Commerce, will be held on High Street at 2 p.m. Saturday. Chamber Executive Director Melody Longstreth said the parade will have 14 floats this year, nearly double the number it typically has, and 92 total units participating.
“It’s wonderful,” she said.
Lineup for the parade begins at 1 p.m., and Longstreth is reminding the public that parking will be restricted during that time in the staging area in the Baptist Church parking lot, on North Richhill Street from High to College streets, and Wayne Street near Franklin and Morris streets.
Just like last year, the parade will end at Cumberland Street to give participants a buffer to disperse.
“We received a lot of good responses, especially from parents whose kids are in the parade, so we have that safety zone there again,” Longstreth said. “I’m very pleased how it worked out.”
Bryn Patton, Miss Rain Day 2016, and the Chamber’s 2016 Distinguished Service Award winners, Gene and Judy Rush, the family of the late Dave Cumberledge, and the 2016 McCracken Legacy Award winner, First Federal Savings & Loan, will lead the parade down High Street as the grand marshals.
Later that night, the second annual “Christmas in the Burg” will showcase several local businesses, said Bret Moore, president of the Moore Foundation and committee member of the Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation. Tickets are $25 per person for admittance to four stores on High Street that will offer food and wine and spirits tastings from 5 to 8 p.m.
There will be food entrees at First National Bank, appetizers along with wine, distillery and hard cider samplings at In-motion Dance Studio, an old-fashioned Christmas cookie contest at the Fashion Shoppe and portrait photos with Santa Claus at Ben McMillen Photography Studio.
“It was a really big success last year,” Moore said. “Expanding it to Ben’s place will make it nice, and we have more food and wine and spirit vendors this year to give people more of a sampling experience.”
Tickets can be purchased at the door of the shops, or in advance at Giant Eagle, First National Bank, In-motion Dance, Jeanie’s Nail Salon and 5 Kidz Kandy. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation.
An after-party will be held at the American Legion on High Street. For more information, call Moore at 724-998-0937.