Oakmont Hometown Christmas returns to ring in holiday spirit
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After a one-year hiatus due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Oakmont Hometown Christmas celebration was back in action this year, and it picked up right where it left off with an entire evening of family-friendly holiday fun Nov. 20.
A massive crowd packed Allegheny River Boulevard for the 5 p.m. parade that was the centerpiece of an evening that included over 30 vendors, multiple food, art, and crafts booths, a live music stage, and many other attractions for both the adults and the children. The parade featured multiple floats, holiday characters, fire engines, candy for the children, along with the Riverview marching band and Riverview cheerleaders, among other performers.
Partnering with the neighboring borough of Verona, the two towns coordinated trolley service back and forth, as Verona carried its own celebration which started earlier in the day. But things got their busiest as the sun went down, the lights came on, and Oakmont’s celebration kicked into high gear.
Following the parade, Santa Claus stopped by The Oaks Theater to take Christmas requests from youngsters along with pictures with the kids for their parents. The line to see Santa stretched all the way through the theater, out the front door, and down the sidewalk.
Buzz Lightyear and Little Bo Peep also made an appearance, as they stopped by Castle Toys for photo ops with the kids and to spread some holiday cheer. There were once again long lines to see these favorite characters. Wade Woolford, who was working at the Oakmont Chamber of Commerce booth, said, “It’s been way busier than expected. Pittsburgh light up night is tonight too, so it’s been really nice to have such a very busy event.”
The live music stage next to the Oakmont clock tower was also a big draw, and one of the big highlights was the Greater Harmony Chorus, which performed a slew of holiday carols and popular songs. The musical stage was sponsored by The John Marzullo Group and Compass Real Estate.
The food vendors included several different kettle corn vendors, hot cocoa, Franktuary selling a variety of hot dogs, Pittsburgh Cookie Table selling custom sugar cookies, the Oakmont Republican Committee was giving out hot cider and candy canes, and one of the newcomers to this year’s event was You, Me and Dough, who were selling homemade cookie dough and hot cocoa. Owned by Bryanna and Bella Urso, this was the duo’s first Hometown Christmas experience. Bella said, “This is such a really awesome community, and this has been a great event. We’ve had a lot of fun.”
Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley made sure no one forgot their furry friends, as the sold cat and dog treat to benefit their no-kill shelter. They even brought along Elsa, an adopted 10-year-old, blind dachshund to showcase one of their success stories and to march in the parade. Jeanne Lessig, who works in development with the organization, said, “We appreciate all the people came and participated in the event and who donated. It’s been really nice and we couldn’t ask for better weather.”
One of the yearly favorites is the Chinese auction, and that was back in action this year, as well, with multiple tables of auction items sponsored by Ace Hardware, Etta’s Blvd. Doggy Daycare, Thermo Twin Windows and Tomlinson Agency.
Finally, the local businesses from Oakmont also had their own booth outside as well, with some of those feature booths including the Oakmont Candle Works selling holiday and scented candles, and the Oakmont Olive Oil Co. displaying their olive oils, vinegars and bread dips. Sharon Carroll of the Oakmont Olive Oil Co. said, “Everyone was just so excited to come out tonight. There’s been tons of people having lots of fun. It’s been a great night.”