Here are some of the many community events during the Christmas season in the Butler County area.

Watch for more announcements of local holiday happenings in the Potpourri column published Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays and in Showcase published Thursdays.

Christmas Art Show and Sale runs through Dec. 29, Butler Art Center, 344 S. Main St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays thorough Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

Opening reception will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday.

The show features art from local and regional artists for sale, as well as crafts, such as hand-painted ornaments.

For more information, call 724-283-6922.

Miracle on Main Street will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday on Main Street in Zelienople.

The event will feature a store-to-store Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunt, live reindeer, a live Nativity scene, a prayer tent, free hot chocolate, giveaways, cookie decorating and prizes.

Children can visit the Santa House starting Thursday at Four Corners Park in Zelienople. The house will be open on weekdays from 6 to 8 p.m.; from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays; and 5 to 8 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 23.

Holiday Tea at Succop Nature Park, 185 W. Airport Road, Penn Township, is set for Saturday.

Tea, snacks, holiday carols and a snack will be featured during the tea, which runs all day.

The South Butler Community Library cookie walk will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the library, 240 W. Main St., Saxonburg.

Participants will select four to five dozen cookies or a prepared cookie tray. There will also be a bake sale and a basket raffle.

Tickets are $30 and available in advance at the library. Proceeds will benefit the library.

Christmas cookies will be sold at Butler Vocational-Technical School.

The school will accept orders for its annual Christmas cookie sale until Dec. 19.

To order cookies, visit the school at 210 Campus Lane or call Katie Collins at 724-282-0735, Ext. 255. The deadline for orders and payment is Dec. 19. Only cash and checks will be accepted as payment.

Cookies will also be on sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Dec. 22 at the school.

For more information, visit www.bcvt.tec.pa.us.

Freeport Middle School is presenting a fall musical, “Elf the Musical Jr.,” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 and 20 in the Freeport Middle School Auditorium, 629 S. Pike Road, Sarver.

General admissions tickets are $9 ($5 for senior citizens) and can be bought by calling 724-295-5143, Ext. 1256 or by emailing www.freeport.k12.pa.us for ticketing information

“Light Up the Night,” a giant menorah lighting, will be at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center, 2525 Rochester Road.

Sponsored by Chabad Butler County and the Cranberry Jewish Community, the event will feature celebrities, live music, hot drinks, jelly doughnuts and latkes. A Hanukkah party will follow in the township center for families.

For more information, call 724-453-4860 or visit www.jewishcenter. net/menorah.

Silvester will be from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Dec. 31 in Harmony. Silvester is welcoming the new year on German time in recognition of the community’s heritage.

The festivities will feature 5K and 1-mile races, museum tours, pork and sauerkraut dinners, a comedic short film “Dinner for One,” foretelling the new year with Bleigiessen’s melted lead bits, a Christmas tree-throwing contest, refreshments, entertainment, specialty shops’ year-end sales, all capped by a ball drop and fireworks.

Now in its ninth year, Silvester attracts thousands of celebrants to the National Historical Landmark on New Year’s Eve. The town square will be jammed with people from throughout the tri-state area, cheering a ball drop and fireworks to greet the new year at 6 p.m. — midnight in Germany.