Light-up night Christmas stroll on Friday will welcome holiday season in Johnstown

Nov. 10—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The magic of the holiday season will be on full display during this merry gathering.

Discover Downtown Johnstown Partnership will host its Hometown Christmas Stroll & Light Up Night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday in downtown Johnstown's Central Park.

"We started this stroll in 2020 because of COVID-19, and we've had such a positive response from it and the crowds continue to come out, so we decided to keep this format as opposed to a parade," said Sharon Honkus, co-chairwoman of the event. "In a parade, you line up and everything marches past you, but with this, you have a chance to interact with the people. It makes for a very festive atmosphere."

The stroll will feature six cold-air balloons, stationary trailers and groups positioned on Main Street between Walnut and Franklin streets.

A musical performance by the Johnstown Symphony Chorus will be offered from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. inside 416 Main St. Additional music will be provided throughout the evening, including a DJ stationed along Franklin Street and high school marching bands in the park area.

Santa Claus in his sleigh will oversee the event from Gazebo Park and Main Street.

Alternative Community Resource Program will provide treat bags for the first 500 children, and food trucks will be on hand.

"The stroll allows people to walk around at their own pace," Honkus said. "It's also beneficial to the shops with people walking around the town."

At 7:30 p.m., people are invited to Central Park for the countdown to the lighting of the animated musical Christmas Tree @ Central Park.

"We have some little surprises built in this year," Honkus said. "The tree features 11 songs, and the whole program takes almost 40 minutes to run through."

The animated program will run from noon to 1 p.m. and 5 to 11 p.m. daily through Jan. 7.

This year, five new houses were added to the Christmas Village in Central Park, bringing the total to 40.

"People have really stepped it up with the houses, not only with the structure, but how they're decorated inside, and it's almost become like a competition," Honkus said. "When people saw the impact of the tree and the number of people who come through town, it made businesses, even though they may not be in downtown, want to be involved in a project that's very well received."

In addition, some of the village houses will be animated to certain songs.

"We used to have 11 houses in the park, and now every year, it continues to grow with more and more people getting involved," Honkus said. "The kids love the houses and they love to look into them."

Discover Downtown Johnstown Partnership will offer its merchandise store in the park that will be open Friday and Saturday evenings through the holiday season.

"We have mugs, Christmas ornaments, light-up novelties and candy," Honkus said. "A lot of people come in from out of town and like to take something back with them."

Additional activities throughout the holidays include the Downtown Johnstown Christmas Market from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 1 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 2; Christmas Express @ Central Park from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 8 and 9; and a s'mores night from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16.

"Our original goal almost 10 years ago was to create an experience that replaced people saying they remembered Penn Traffic's and Glosser's windows, and I think we've done that," Honkus said. "I think we've created a whole new generation of people who are going to remember the tree in Central Park."

She said the hope is that people will come downtown, and along with enjoying the tree, they'll also patronize the new businesses and restaurants.

"We want people to experience the joy of the holiday season," Honkus said.

Melissa Radovanic, president of Discover Downtown Johnstown Partnership, said people get excited every year for the Christmas tree and village.

"When we decided to do this, our goal was to enhance the Christmas experience in downtown and for people to talk about what it looks like now," she said. "Now, nine years into this, people talk about the tree. They talk about the Christmas Village, the Christmas Express @ Central Park and the s'mores night, so it has brought a sense of community pride."

For more information, visit www.discoverjohnstown.org or www.facebook.com/discoverdowntownjohnstown.