Knoch High School's Sarah Harris leads the Knochettes down Main Street during the 2012 Saxonburg Holiday Parade. This year's event will take place Friday night and will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Saxonburg's new brick sidewalks, lamp posts and benches.

SAXONBURG — The Saxonburg Holiday Parade has a special place in Joyce Hutterer’s heart.

It’s not only because she’s been the coordinator of the festivities for several years, but also because she was married in Saxonburg during the holiday event 15 years ago.

“After exchanging wedding vows, our family went by horse and buggy to our reception at the Saxonburg Hotel,” she said. “The town looked spectacular. However, it was a shame that there were very few people there to enjoy it.”

Since then, Hutterer has helped organize the annual event, which will take place on Friday night. This year’s event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Saxonburg’s new brick sidewalks, lamp posts and benches. The renovation project, costing about $1.8 million, includes new gas lines, water lines, sewer lines and storm drains, to ensure the improvements would last a long time.

“It makes it very inviting. It looks more quaint and historic,” said Saxonburg Mayor Jody Pflueger. “I think the whole renovation molds our whole philosophy that we want to drive more people into town.”

Most of the project was funded through the state Department of Transportation.

The parade, which begins at 7 p.m., will include live camels, high school bands, business floats, civic organizations and Santa Claus. Members of the John Roebling’s Historic Saxonburg Society will lead the parade because the group played a significant role in the downtown renovations.

The parade route stretches along Main Street, from the Saxonburg Borough Building to the Saxonburg Community Church. Prizes will be awarded for the best floats.

Pflueger said the parade has expanded a lot over the last 15 years.

“The streets are lined, sometimes four and five people deep. So we do attract quite a few people to the parade now,” she said.

There also will be horse and buggy rides following the parade.

Other activities include Main Street shopping, visits with Santa at the South Butler Community Library in Saxonburg and watching a live Nativity scene at the end of Main Street.