Nov 20, 2002 By Steve Ferris 3 min read

With Santa leading a parade from atop a Uniontown fire truck and more city businesses than ever participating, the beginning of the holiday season will be celebrated Thursday in downtown during the annual “Light Up Night.” The event begins at 5 p.m. with Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites and Uniontown Mayor Jim Sileo reading proclamations honoring emergency medical services personnel from the County Courthouse steps.

From there the parade will lead to the five corners intersection, where Sileo will light the city Christmas tree.

City businesses will host some of the entertainment and activities and many will remain open until at least 7:30 p.m.

“This will be a great event to kick off the holiday season,” Downtown Business District Authority Chairman Mark Rafail said. “All families should come and see Santa and experience all the fun in downtown Uniontown.”

Both Rafail and Kathy Dowling of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce said the number of business participating this year far exceeds those in previous years.

“It’s really nice this many people volunteer their time and services,” Dowling said.

“It’s just amazing how much it grew. It’s going to be really exciting.”

Neubauer’s Flowers on South Gallatin Avenue is hosting the St. Paul’s AME Choir; First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Greene, 1 W. Main St., is hosting the Albert Gallatin High School Choir and Pretty on Paper, 23 Morgantown St., is hosting the Don Miller Quartet and a caricature artist.

First National Bank of Pennsylvania, 58 W. Main St., is hosting the Free Spirit Choir; the South Street Grille is hosting the Laurel Highlands High School cheerleaders and karaoke; singers from Cramer’s Performing Arts Studio will perform at Heritage Park, where Greenfield Farms will offer carriage rides.

Fayette Holdings – the old Fayette bank building on West Main Street – is having music, refreshments and a tree-decorating event.

Local school children will make the decorations, and representatives from the military and emergency services will hang them on the tree.

The Salvation Army will set up a canteen and have bell ringers in the Emergency Services Building lot; Jingles the Reindeer, the Raider Dozen band and a kettle corn vendor will be outside the city parking garage and Hot Diggity Dogs will be selling food at Court Tower Plaza on Main Street.

The Chambers of Commerce Building on West Main Street will host Froggy and The Pickle radio station characters, a musical trio and a Boy Scout troop selling food and refreshments; and the Grindle Station Shoppes/ Teaz Inc. will have an open house.

Many other businesses are having sales and offering refreshments, and a barber shop quartet will be singing as they stroll through town.