Holly, jolly spirit will abound in Verona, Oakmont during holiday celebrations
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Verona’s 2021 Jolly Jamboree is set for Nov. 20 to coincide with the holiday event in fellow “Twin Borough” Oakmont on the same date.
Verona’s activities will be begin at noon that day and run until the evening, while the Oakmont celebration will start later, around 5 p.m with the holiday parade.
One of the main highlights of this year’s event will be a trolley service by Pittsburgh-based Molly’s Trolleys, which will allow residents of both towns to travel back and forth between celebrations. The trolley will make stops in Verona at Railroad Park and Acclamation/Village Inn.
The trolley will then make two stops in Oakmont, at opposite ends of the borough, at Oakmont Bakery and then near the parking lot at Carnivores. The trolley will be free, sponsored by the local Verona and Oakmont businesses, and is operating from 3 to 11 p.m.
But that’s not all, there’s a whole slew of activities planned in town, including a window and cookie tour of the area’s businesses, an idea thought up by the Jolly Jamboree Committee, which is a group consisting of several members of Verona council, the Verona Chamber of Commerce and business owners in town. Each business will put together a holiday display in their front window with the goal of inviting patrons to the store. Once there, the businesses will hand out a free holiday cookie, which will then be voted on at the end of the night. There will then be first, second, and third place announced on social media and in the Verona newsletter. The goal is to involve the businesses not only with the local community, but also with patrons coming in from out of town for the celebration.
Jen Walzer, member of the board of the Verona Chamber of Commerce, part of the Jolly Jamboree Committee and co-owner of Inner Groove Brewing in Verona, said, “The goal is to get people in to see our businesses, and then they’ll come back after seeing how much we have going on here in Verona.”
In addition, the committee has also planned a holiday ornament decorating contest for local children, with entry forms being passed out to the students at Verner Elementary School in Verona and also available for pickup at Inner Groove Brewing and at Etta’s Blvd. Doggy Daycare. The ornaments will be decorated ahead of time and then presented at Railroad Park for judging, after which time the entire community will be invited to help trim the tree. Verona Parks and Rec will also be using Railroad Park to show short holiday movies for families.
Music will also be a big part of the day as well, with holiday carolers being present at the event, the Western PA Center for Arts will be performing, and Pittsburgh-based guitarist Elias Khouri will also be playing a holiday-themed acoustic set. The live music is sponsored by Patti’s Pink Paws in Verona. The WPCA Academy string quartet will perform at 1:30 p.m.
Toy drive
There will also be a holiday toy drive sponsored by the Lower Valley Athletic Foundation, the Verona Garden Club will be doing a holiday plant sale, the Verona Community Group will be doing a time capsule, hot cocoa will provided by Reverend Ryan Manners, there will be a Santa box at the corner of Center Avenue and Allegheny River Boulevard, and there will be a wide array of family-friendly activities and food trucks present, including a bonfire with s’mores at Acclamation Brewing and the rollout of Inner Groove Brewing’s Ginger Bell Rock Beer, which is a holiday collaboration with the Oakmont Bakery.
The event, which started in 2019, has really expanded this year, and that’s one of the key points organizers hope will draw community members and out-of-town patrons into the downtown Verona area. Walzer said, “I’m so excited to expand what we started in 2019. We started small, and now we’re expanding to hopefully bring more people into the community to find out both what’s new in Verona and what’s been here all along. It’s also nice to see that we’re almost back to normal (after covid-19) and it will be great to see everyone in the community out and about.”
The coordination this year with Oakmont is also a huge deal. In the past years, both towns basically put together their own event. But with this season’s trolley service and other coordination happening between the towns, this is slated to be the biggest holiday party yet for the Twin Boroughs.
Trish Hredzak-Showalter, member of Verona Council and also part of the Jolly Jamboree Committee, added, “With all of the hardships of 2020 and this also being Verona’s 150-year anniversary, we’re really excited to build up Verona and create some excitement. We really value that small-town feel and want to bring the spotlight to all of our local businesses. There’s really a lot to see here. And also the opportunity to work with Oakmont and highlight the best of both communities. Hopefully, it’s the beginning of more collaborations in the future.”
to combine the trolley stops in Verona to just Railroad Park and Acclamation/Village Inn.
Additionally, the WPCA Academy string quartet will perform at 1:30.
to combine the trolley stops in Verona to just Railroad Park and Acclamation/Village Inn.
Additionally, the WPCA Academy string quartet will perform at 1:30.
to combine the trolley stops in Verona to just Railroad Park and Acclamation/Village Inn.
Additionally, the WPCA Academy string quartet will perform at 1:30.