Saxonburg ready for parade
SAXONBURG — For 27 years, the annual Christmas parade in the borough has gotten people ready for the holiday season on the day after Thanksgiving.
“It think it’s just a nice way to kick off the holiday season,” said Joyce Hutterer, the parade’s organizer.
This year’s parade will take place at 7 p.m. Friday.
About 2,000 people watched the parade last year, and Hutterer said she would expect a similar number this year.
“It keeps getting bigger and bigger,” Hutterer said.
She said the parade’s enduring popularity likely is due to its placement on the day after Thanksgiving.
“People are looking for something to do that weekend,” Hutterer said, adding the parade is a great time to enjoy borough businesses and see friends and family.
The Knoch High School band will lead the parade, which will feature live camels and floats from churches, the Boy Scouts, the Girls Scouts and businesses. The parade will run 45 to 60 minutes, and Main Street will be closed to traffic.
Santa will be featured in the parade and will be available at the South Butler Community Library for photographs and cookies afterward.
A live nativity scene — sponsored by the Jefferson Center Presbyterian Church — will appear in the parade and will be displayed on Main Street after the parade is over.
A display with the “three wise men” featuring live camels — underwritten by the Reldon and Hattie Cooper Trust Fund — also will appear.
Businesses along Main Street will be open during and after the parade, and horse and buggy rides will be offered.
People interested in appearing in the parade or entering a float in the parade should download an entry form at the Saxonburg Area Business website at www.saxonburgbusiness.org, or contact Hutterer at joycehutterer@northwood.com or 724-816-4328.
Hutterer said she would like to have all entrants registered before Nov. 25.
Hutterer said the best places for parade watchers to park are behind banks and churches in the Main Street area.
