A Miracle in Zelie
ZELIENOPLE — Autumn leaves fell onto Route 19 as Miracle on Main Street brought in the holiday season Thursday night.
As temperatures dropped, Zelienople residents and those from around the area welcomed the Christmas season with a parade, carriage rides, a Nativity scene and charity during Miracle on Main Street.
The annual event, which seeks to ring in Christmas with a visit from Santa Claus and a reminder of the meaning and purpose of the winter holiday season, brought scores of locals to downtown Zelienople, where attendees could bring foodstuffs to donate for a food backpack program, a coat giveaway, Toys with the Grinch and more, all before seeing St. Nick during a 6:30 p.m. parade.
In addition to the parade and charity opportunities, Main Street was home to a bundle of free events, including carriage rides, cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus and a live Nativity and reindeer.
“I like that the whole event's free,” said Amanda Williams of Evans City.The lack of admission was a priority, the event's organizer, Donna Ziegler, said prior to the event, as she did not want families missing out on fun due to cost.But the opportunities on Main Street didn't end there, with those in attendance having the chance to walk and talk with their neighbors, friends and family, and local businesses remained open.Jessie Blanchard of Ellwood City said her favorite part of Miracle on Main was the peanut butter-flavored hot chocolate one vendor provided.And in enjoying the atmosphere along Zelienople's main corridor, Blanchard wasn't alone.
“It was not this busy” last time, Blanchard said. “This is very busy.”In fact, the chance to peruse the borough's Main Street was a selling point of Miracle on Main for Kathleen Mihlfried of McCandless, whose trip Thursday was her first time at the event.Mihlfried said she, Denise Carr of Robinson Township and Patty Petrusch of Pittsburgh had tickets to the Strand Theater for 7 p.m. and decided Miracle on Main would be a wonderful prelude. Seeing the horse-drawn carriages in particular, she added, was a nice touch.“We just wanted to get in the Christmas spirit, and this is a great place for it,” Mihlfried said.Carr enjoyed seeing the Christmas decorations around town, she noted, and enjoyed the “friendliness” of people, even as the sidewalks were packed shoulder-to-shoulder shortly before Santa's arrival.The parade, which began at 6:30 p.m., featured multiple fire trucks from Harmony Fire District as well as Christmas characters from the screen. Olaf and Elsa from “Frozen” made an appearance, as did the Grinch; Seneca Valley Senior High School's marching band brought music to Main Street; and those on the sidewalks had the chance to see local Cub Scouts, an acrobat, a kayak and miscellaneous characters and items during the parade.And, naturally, Santa and Mrs. Claus made their own appearances at the end of the parade.Paul Santmyer of Jackson Township said he enjoyed his second Miracle on Main, as Zelienople puts on a show.“It's beautiful,” Santmyer said. “It's just great to see all the people out.”
