Officials and volunteers from East Vandergrift are ringing in the holidays with a new event.
East Vandergrift’s inaugural “Welcome to the Holidays” community gathering will combine Christmas-themed activities with socializing.
Sponsored by the Holiday Mothers, borough council and the East Vandergrift Community Foundation, the event is free.
It kicks off at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, with Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving at the borough building.
The East Vandergrift Community Foundation is a new nonprofit dedicated to promoting hometown pride by supporting and increasing activities in the borough.
The Holiday Mothers is a group of volunteer moms led by Mayor Barb Sharp that hosts free holiday-themed events year-round for children residing in East Vandergrift. The group has been around for more than 35 years.
Thanks to donations from area businesses, the event is at no cost to taxpayers, Sharp said.
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Councilman Jeremy Manners helped to organize the event.
“I just wanted to bring back something the residents could gather around for the holiday season,” Manners said. “It’s been quite a few years since East Vandergrift had a town tree and celebrated Christmas in style, all together.”
This year, four artificial trees have been donated by residents and borough officials.
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Children lining up for a visit with Santa will receive a goodie bag that includes a holiday craft of two ornaments to decorate for the borough’s Christmas trees.
Hot cocoa and cookies will be served.
The event will be held rain or shine.
Tree decorating will run from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. in East Vandergrift Memorial Park.
Participants can enjoy holiday music and a bonfire and help decorate the trees.
At 5:30 p.m., a countdown will culminate in lighted Christmas trees, accompanied by everyone singing Christmas carols.
In addition, winners of the 2022 Decorating Contest will be announced. A boroughwide home holiday decorating contest sponsored by the East Vandergrift Community Foundation has been ongoing.
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Borough Secretary Kristen Sarno is readying the newly remodeled space inside the borough building for the festivities.
“We’re excited to get more community involvement, and anybody can come,” Sarno said.
