Light Night in Mt. Lebanon kicks off holiday season
A longtime tradition of illuminating the Christmas tree at Clearview Commons highlighted the kickoff to the holiday season during Mt. Lebanon’s annual Light Night held in the Uptown District Nov. 17.
The event, organized by the municipality, featured performances from Mt. Lebanon High School Triple Trio and Men’s Ensemble and the Center for Theater Arts for an extensive crowd that stretched into Washington Road.
“It’s fantastic,” Mt. Lebanon High School choral director Ethan LaPlaca said. “It’s great to give back to the community and make our presence known. To not only bring and keep the community together but to give it an identity is special. To see it come together is something that Mt. Lebanon is extremely fortunate to still be able to hold on to.”
A model train exhibit courtesy of South Hills Model Railroad Club roared around the municipal building, Southminster Bell Ringers performed their tunes and Santa came to town in a horse-drawn carriage along Washington Road.
“We do it every year and try to do as many events as we can to get people involved,” municipal manager Keith McGill said. “We always get a pretty good turnout. We need more of this. If this was happening in a lot more places we would be a lot better off.”
Alexis Smith, who returned to live in Mt. Lebanon after growing up in there, attended the event for the first time with her two young children and her niece.
“We think it’s really awesome,” Smith said. “It’s neat how a lot of people come back to Mt. Lebanon that grew up here. Needless to say, we are pretty impressed and it’s just building the anticipation.”