Christmas festivities in Vandergrift will be altered to account for covid-19, but the festivities will continue.

The Vandergrift Improvement Program’s (VIP) “Light-up Night” takes place every year the weekend after Thanksgiving, normally including a Christmas parade attended by every fire department in the area, incorporating floats, food vendors and entertainment.

“It just didn’t make sense anymore because there were fewer and fewer groups that wanted to participate,” said VIP organization chairwoman Marilee Kessler.

Instead of inviting everyone onto the streets, the VIP and Vandergrift’s two volunteer fire departments will drive Santa Claus through town on a fire truck. A van full of elves will hand out individual treat bags to children — a smaller-scale, more private parade.

“Instead of people coming to town to see Santa, Santa is going to basically go to them,” Kessler said.

Many aspects of the celebration had been canceled early on, Kessler said, but as cases surge in the region and with the risk of hosting large gatherings, even outside, Kessler said canceling the parade itself came from a “sense of responsibility.” The VIP decided to continue with plans to put up a Christmas tree, though, which Kessler called a “beacon of hope” for the town.

Concerns over the parade had been raised at the November meeting of Vandergrift Council, when Mayor Barbara Turiak said she felt uneasy about attracting guests from all over the region to the popular event. The borough canceled its annual Halloween parade.

“I am worried about bringing hundreds of people into town,” Turiak said Nov. 9. “If we’re the only community having a parade, we’re going to bring people in from all over the place.”

Meanwhile, plans for Vandergrift’s first-ever “Back When Holiday Extravaganza” are continuing mostly unimpeded. The three-day extravaganza, which will include a 5K race, food trucks, carolers and more, will take place Dec. 4-6. The only major change, said organizer Denise Lewandoski-George: she, too, has canceled plans for a parade.

But the weekend will still include horse-drawn carriages, a drive-in movie, breakfast with Santa (without sitting on his lap) and several other activities.

“We’re not worried because basically everything is outside,” Lewandoski-George said.

She said there will be a strict mask requirement, and hand-sanitizing stations will be placed all around. With activities spread out across five streets and three days, Lewandoski-George thinks the town can avoid any overcrowding that would increase risk of infection.

For Lewandoski-George, keeping the event going — despite the pandemic reaching record levels for cases and hospitalizations — feels like a necessity to support local businesses and offer a reprieve from current events.

“Everyone is so depressed and upset, and they can’t make any money,” she said. “The people need it.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)