Saxonburg ushers in Christmas season with its annual Holiday Parade
SAXONBURG — Hundreds ushered in the Christmas season at the annual Holiday Parade on Friday evening.
Main Street sidewalks were bustling with people watching and children grabbing candy thrown from the floats in the parade, which was sponsored by the Saxonburg Business Association.
Many stores opened their doors offering hot chocolate and cookies to chilly parade goers who watched the Knoch Knights high school band, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and a procession of floats and fire trucks go by.
Dave and Jo Motko of Butler attended the parade for the first time and brought their daughters, Mindi Morisa of Philadelphia and Lauren Kern of Michigan, who brought their young children.
“I love it. It's way better than we thought it was going to be,” said Jo Motko, a retired South Butler Elementary School teacher. “The people are friendly and we're having a great time.”
Inside Saxonburg Memorial Presbyterian Church, Lynda and Tim Dolny of Gibsonia were warming up after the parade with some hot chocolate with their daughters, Skylar, 10, and Sage, 8.
The children said they liked the floats and the hot chocolate and cookies, and their parents said they look forward to the parade each year.
“It's a family tradition. We set up the Christmas tree in the morning and come to the parade,” Tim Dolny said.
“It's been a family tradition,” Lynda Dolny said. “We remember when they used to have candles in Mason jars lining Main Street. It was wonderful.”
They said they like the old-fashioned feeling of the parade and Saxonburg.“It seems like it's non-commercialized. It's timeless,” Tim Dolny said.“It's always great to see so many people from the community,” Lynda Dolny said.The tableau of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus outside the church also attracted many people.“The live Nativity is the best,” said Janet Morgan of Penn Township, while she and Virginia Thinnes of Penn Township and Carol Sammel of Kennedy Township were in the church sipping hot chocolate.The tradition of the live Nativity started years ago and was held in a field across the street from the Jefferson Center Presbyterian Church, Thinnes said. The original Nativity featured camels, sheep, cattle and horses, she said.The Nativity was moved to Saxonburg when the parade started.“It's a nice small town parade. It's very nice,” she said.In addition to the parade and Nativity, Santa was meeting children in the South Butler Community Library, free horse and buggy rides were offered, and prizes were awarded for the best floats.And Friday and Saturday, the borough police department was holding a “Stuff the Cruiser” gift drive for the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots programs at the library.
