SLIPPERY ROCK — The lights may have changed but the tradition of light up night has come back stronger than ever in Slippery Rock this year.

The Christmas lights on the trees on Main Street will be lit when the switch is thrown Dec. 2. A ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. in Memorial Park before the lighting occurs.

Before last year, light up night consisted of lighting the 4-foot-high snowflake lights that fit on the 30-foot utility poles that used to be on Main Street. Those poles were removed as part of the town's $5.3 million revitalization project, which finished a year ago.

This year's celebration will include the borough and Slippery Rock University in all festivities, said Rebecca Weikel, planner for the event.

"This year it's 'Light Up the Season in the Village,' to include both," Weikel said.

"The whole effort is to try to join both SRU and the borough efforts," she said.

The Association for Residence Hall Students will light up its buildings on the same night. Other events include:

• 3 p.m.: Santa Claus visits McDonald's restaurant.

• 4-5 p.m.: Storytime for kids at NexTier Bank.

• 6 p.m.: Ceremony at Memorial Park before the tree lighting. Mayor Ken Harris, SRU Vice President of Student Life Constance Foley and others will speak.

• 7-10 p.m.: Bingo at Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Department's fire hall. The cost is one non-perishable food item for the Feed My Sheep Food Cupboard in Slippery Rock.

Both SRU and the borough are working to make all events free to the public and not costly to the businesses involved, said Weikel.

The borough still needs to determine what to do with the snowflake lights, which were part of a community fundraising project several years ago, Harris said.

The lights are being stored for possible future use on Franklin or New Castle streets, he said. The problem is that while the New Castle poles are in place, it would take $5,000 to wire them for the snowflakes.

Meanwhile, the Franklin Street poles will be taken down sometime this winter or spring for further revitalization efforts. The poles will be moved back and replaced on one side of the street. Those poles would also need to be wired for the snowflakes, but no official decision has been made.