Save the date and plan your visit to Downtown Waynesburg from 4 to 8:00 pm on Friday, Dec. 4, for the 12th annual Light-Up Night and Holiday Open House, sponsored by EQT and presented by Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful. Serving as the kickoff to the Christmas shopping season, the event will feature shopping opportunities, entertainment, seasonal foods and fun for the whole family.
Things may look a little different this year, but a mixture of in-person and virtual activities will fill Light-Up Night with cheer and festivities. Returning are many favorites like the free wagon rides, caricatures, and pictures with Santa. “This special evening has become a holiday tradition for many people in the area, reminiscent of an old-fashioned Christmas, with all the sparkle and magic of small-town America,” says event chair JoAnne Marshall of Greene County Tourist Promotion Agency. There will be plenty of shopping available, both indoors and outdoors. Fire barrels will be lit along Washington and Church streets for holiday shoppers to pause for a visit and warm their hands.
One of the most popular activities of the evening are the horse-drawn wagon rides by Rocky Ridge Acres, which offers free rides all evening. “With the generous sponsorship of EQT, nearly all the activities are free this year. Take a ride through the decorated parks and streets of town in a horse drawn wagon, enjoy the shopping opportunities, get a free caricature drawing by artist Jeff Harris… there is so much to see and do– and it’s for the whole family,” says Jeanine Henry, president of Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful.
New this year, a Holiday Market will start at 4pm until 8pm. Local crafters, artisans, and vendors will have items for sale along Church and Washington streets. An event map will be released on Facebook on December 1 to help guide shoppers through the festivities.
Lippencott Alpacas will also be at the festivities, and although they won’t have any live alpacas with them this year, they are bringing plenty of alpaca apparel, accessories, yarns and gifts – all make great gifts this holiday season!
Beginning at 10 am, sections of Washington Street and Church Street will be closed to motorized traffic. Due to pandemic regulations, High Street will not be closed to traffic this year. Vendors will be open at 4pm and activities start at 5pm with Santa & Mrs. Claus on site to welcome children, visitors and shoppers alike. At 6pm, there will be a tree lighting ceremony for the big Christmas tree that graces the front of Greene County Courthouse. The tree lighting ceremony will be held in person and live on the Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful Facebook page. Attendees are asked to maintain social distancing and wear face coverings during the ceremony and the event. Special thanks to the Waynesburg Moose Lodge for acquiring and decorating the tree with assistance from Waynesburg-Franklin Twp. Vol. Fire Co. and the County of Greene.
Free, socially distant pictures with Santa will begin after the tree lighting ceremony and are provided by McMillen Photography at the Greene County Courthouse with the 1925 American LaFrance Fire Truck from the Waynesburg-Franklin Twp. Vol. Fire Co. (weather dependent). Treat bags will be available for the first 200 children, compliments of First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Greene County. For children unable to attend, Santa will be sharing a message on the Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful Facebook page.
As in previous years, a caricaturist will be there to draw your free holiday keepsake. To minimize crowding, tickets for the caricaturist Jeff Harris, wagon rides and photos with Santa will be distributed to minimize lines at each activity. The tickets will be for the time to enter the line. Distribution times for the caricaturist will be at 5:00pm and 6:30pm; distribution times for the wagon rides will be 4:45pm and 6:15pm; distribution times for photos with Santa will be at 5:30pm. and 6:45pm.
Mark your calendar and watch for the specially decorated store fronts to remind you as well. Downtown merchants will be lighting and decorating their windows to compete for cash prizes, sponsored by Community Bank. The competition will be judged the evening of November 30 with the Community Choice virtually voting on Facebook following the completion of judging through 10 p.m. on Friday, December 4.
Virtual events will correspond with downtown activities on the Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful Facebook page. If you can’t make the event in person or prefer to avoid gatherings of people at this time, the virtual events are perfect for participating from home. The tree lighting ceremony will be broadcast live via Facebook, as will a special message from Santa, and additional coverage.
“We ask that all attendees maintain social distancing and wear face coverings to help protect our community and businesses,” shares JoAnne. “If you feel sick, please refrain from attending and watch the virtual content on Facebook.”
She adds, “Please respect parking restrictions due to pedestrian safety and utilize the Waynesburg Borough public parking lots. These parking lots will be identified on the event map.”
Jeanine adds, “Restaurants and businesses may alter their operations to safely accommodate the volume of shoppers during the event. Please have patience and help us keep our community safe and our businesses open while you Buy Local, Buy Greene.”
Normally, the day after Light Up Night would be full of additional holiday celebrations – namely the Christmas Parade through downtown Waynesburg. This year, the parade has relocated to the Greene County Fairgrounds and those that attend will drive their vehicles through a parade route to view the stationary displays. This event starts at 2pm.
