Waynesburg readies for ‘fantastic holiday weekend’
The Waynesburg Area Chambers of Commerce’s annual Christmas parade always concludes with the arrival of Santa.
Andrew Heizey and Brad Wilson perform during last year’s Holiday Open House.
WAYNESBURG – There will be plenty of Christmas cheer in the air in Waynesburg with some old holiday favorites and a new event to spruce up the upcoming “fantastic holiday weekend.”
The annual Waynesburg Holiday Open House in the borough’s main business district Friday night will kick off the festivities and hopefully give local shops in the area an economic jolt.
Caitlin Carlisle, the event’s co-chairperson, said they expect the open house will once again “shine a spotlight and help the businesses and stores that area already here.”
“Too often we hear that there is nothing going on. That can’t be an excuse anymore. There are many things for everyone,” Carlisle said. “It’s really to put a focus on the businesses that are already here and bring people in to show them what we have to offer.”
The open house organized by Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Friday with an “old-fashioned Christmas theme” and numerous activities during the evening. There will be a gift wrapping station for people who purchase presents during the festival, warming barrels set up around the area for patrons, horse-drawn carriage rides for $2 and the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” will be playing on the side of a building at Morgan and High streets.
There will also be the usual holiday window decorating contest where merchants spruce up their storefronts for a chance to win prizes. This year, there will also be a “people’s champion” category where customers can vote on their favorite storefront from Monday until Dec. 7 by going into the shop and casting their ballots.
“It’s a fantastic holiday weekend,” Carlisle said.
A new event the night after the open house is hoping to capitalize on that holiday momentum with “Christmas in the Burg” that will offer food, wine and beer tastings and music at three locations. The cost is $25 for a wristband, which gets people into the parties at First National Bank, Fashion Shoppe and In Motion Dance from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Sheila Stewart, president of Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation, said there will be several local wineries, breweries and restaurants represented at the locations.
“It’s something new we can present to the people of Waynesburg since there are so many things happening in the downtown,” Stewart said. “We’re really looking forward to it. We’re very anxious to proceed. It should be a really nice evening.”
Wristbands can be purchased at the three stores, along with 5 Kidz Kandy and Jeannie’s Nail Studio, or by calling 724-998-0937. Proceeds of the event are to benefit the foundation’s plans to build a new recreation center in EverGreene Technology Park in Franklin Township.
The “Christmas in the Burg” will start just a few hours after the annual Christmas parade.
The parade will begin at 2 p.m. and march down High Street before a brief ceremony in front of the Greene County Courthouse Christmas tree with Claire Kreider, Miss Rain Day 2015, singing the national anthem. The Waynesburg Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Distinguished Service Award winners, former judge William Nalitz, the family of the late Donald Lindsay and members of the Waynesburg Moose Lodge, will lead the parade as its grand marshals. Christmas music will be playing at the courthouse steps before the parade starts.
Santa Claus will be the guest of honor riding at the end of the parade.
The chamber is also informing the public that the parade will now end at Cumberland Street near St. Ann’s Church instead of its usual stopping point at Porter Street near McCracken’s Pharmacy. Chamber officials said the change is due to safety reasons to allow a protective buffer between the parade participants leaving and traffic detouring around the area.