Winter Market sets tone for season in Mt. Lebanon
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Hayden Richards gives Santa a big hug after telling him what he wants for Christmas. On Hayden’s wish list were new cat toys. “They ripped up their old ones,” he explained. Hayden also said that he couldn’t wait for Christmas. “In school we are counting down the days,” he added.
By Eleanor Bailey
Eleanor Knight’s eyes light up with excitement as she unhooks the chocolate chip cookie she caught with a candy cane hook at the fun and games station in the Clearview Common. In addition to a snowball toss and snowman stacking contest, the area was used also as a warming station with fire pits to cut the chill in the air during the Uptown Mt. Lebanon Winter Market and Holiday Celebration.
Graham Dunbar sees how he would look if he grew a beard like Santa Claus during children’s activities at the Uptown Mt. Lebanon Winter Market and Holiday Celebration.
Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Megan Zotis hands Brian Roman a package of specialty bark during the Uptown Mt. Lebanon Winter Market and Holiday Celebration event.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
James Harbaugh (left) and Owen Byrne (right) sample the cookies at Commonwealth Press. Volunteers at the Uptown Mt. Lebanon Winter Market and Holiday Celebration, they were collecting cookies to show off to the people participating in the trail. Six merchants were selected to participate in the pilot project. According to Harbaugh and Byrne, the Grandpa Joe brownies were the best cookies on the tour.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Margaret Smee, Meghan and Allie Matthews and Lauren Smee mug for the cameras as they get their pictures taken in front of one of the selfie stations set up during Mt. Lebanon’s Winter Market and Holiday Celebration. According to their parents, Heather and Ben Snee and Amanda and Zach Matthews, the girls were excited to play games and see Santa.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Dave Murphy of Scott Township arranges items on the miniature railroad display.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Sloane Brewer reaches into a basket for a treat from Clarice the reindeer (aka Michelle Larson) after visiting Santa Claus and mailing her wish list to the North Pole during the highlight event at the Uptown Mt. Lebanon Winter Holiday Market Celebration. Larson said it was fun being a reindeer, even though the children mistakenly called her Rudolph. She gave the entire event two hooves up. “I think it’s wonderful. It’s great to see everybody out and enjoying the holiday season,” she said.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Danny Flynn, Samantha Defurio, Ryan Leverett and Rich Pinkerton were among the members of the Southminster Handbell Choir performing at Mt. Lebanon’s Uptown Winter Market Holiday Celebration.
Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Mt. Lebanon students played holiday music at the municipal building while parents and children wait in line to see Santa.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Santa listens intently as Eiler Zipfel whispers what she wants for Christmas
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Jess Ehrhardt, Jenn Crigger and Tiffany Oden volunteered to be Santa’s helpers during the Mt. Lebanon Uptown Winter Market Holiday Celebration.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Maureen Spigelmyer and her children Riley, Lilly and Maya check out products on sale by a variety of vendors at the Uptown Mt. Lebanon Winter Holiday Market Celebration.
Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Jill Stroh arranges her display at the Textile Tailor.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Bernadette Hurst arranges the homemade ornaments on a Frasier Fir tree that was exhibited at the entrance of Washington Elementary School. The tree came from Benders Farm Market.
Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Althea Barringer, with the help of her father, Bill, presses the button to activate the features on a model railroad exhibit that was on display at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building. Her mother, Kaska, enjoys watching her daughter at play.
Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Megan Zotis arranges her sale items. The Upper St. Clair native and Mt. Lebanon resident purchased a horse trailer and transformed it into Choc-go-latier. The mobile candy store specializes in a variety of barks.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Shannon Rugh completes a transaction. Rugh owns Commonwealth Press with her husband. Thanks to Mt. Lebanon’s Winter Market and Holiday Celebration event, the establishment did a brisk business.
Mt. Lebanon said goodbye to Light-up Night and hello to a Winter Market celebration to usher in the holidays.
The move did not make the municipality the Grinch that stole Christmas. Rather it saved the season for frazzled parents as well as business owners.
“This is the first time we did this event and it has gone off very well,” said Chris Reidenbaugh. “This is the new format moving forward. We plan to make it bigger and better next year.”
Reidenbaugh is the vice president of the Mt. Lebanon Partnership,. The nonprofit organization, founded to ensure that Mt. Lebanon’s business districts remain vibrant destinations that serve residents in a multitude of ways, presented the Winter Market Holiday Celebration held Dec. 10 throughout Uptown.
“We have gotten really positive feed back. Large numbers of vendors have told us how great it was. A number of them sold out,” said Reidenbaugh.
Reidenbaugh added that switching from an evening to daytime event promoted bigger crowds and allowed participants plenty of time to shop for holiday gifts, enjoy entertainment and visit with Santa Claus.
“By combining everything made it a lot more accessible, particularly for more families. Parents didn’t have to rush home from work and worry about getting dinner on the table in time to get to this event at night,” Reidenbaugh said.
As he looked at the crowds lining up to see Santa and his elves, Reidenbaugh added, “This was more than we could have hope for.”
More than three dozen vendors participated in an open-air market by the municipal building, in the South Parking lot and at the entrance of Washington Elementary School.
“The event has been amazing. Super exciting” said Megan Zotis. “The people have been so friendly and we’ve sold out of everything.”
An Upper St. Clair native and high school graduate, Zotis has lived in Mt. Lebanon for seven years. Her parents own and operate the candy company Victoria’s Fudge-a-licious in McMurray. When COVID struck, she and her brother bought a horse trailer and transformed it into Choc-go-latier. The mobile candy store is known for its speciality barks, including peppermint and s’more, which featured handmade marshmallows in between two graham crackers dipped in chocolate.
“Everything here is made from the heart,” Zotis said. She added that her chocolates and trailer are popular during the holidays because of the “sweet joy” they bring to people. “I love that it makes people smile. Everybody that come up to me loves how the cart is decorated. Then they realize it’s candy. So it’s double the fun.”
The cookie trail provided twice as much pleasure for brick-and-mortar merchants along Washington Road. The township provided a tray of cookies to six participating businesses. Some like Commonwealth Press supplemented its allotment with more goodies from surrounding bakeries.
“It was like a Pittsburgh cookie table. Not everybody had the same cookie,” explained Shannon Rugh, who owns Commonwealth Press with her husband. “I have seen kids coming in holding a cookie from the last place they visited and eyes lighting up to get another at our spot. The cookies don’t hurt, but I think it’s our merchandise that people want.”
Commonwealth Press specializes in screen printing. Everything in the shop is created, designed, printed and packaged by the owners.
“It’s a big season to buy items such as T-shirts and what we sell,” Rugh said. “The closer we get to Christmas the busier we get. We stay busy because people like to come here for gift-giving.
“This event has been lovely,” she continued. “We appreciate the effort (of the Partnership) because with the ongoing construction it has been a struggle. So anything that brings traffic up here is great and making it a daylight event has made it easier to get around and more family friendly.”
Grandpa Joe’s was another business invited to participate in the pilot project. Instead of cookies though the candy store received brownies. According to Owen Byrne and James Harbaugh, Grandpa Joe’s had the best treats on the cookie trail.
Employee Johna Angle had no information on the brownies, what brand they were or how and why the establishment received them. She knew why the sold out though.
“They looked pretty soft. They looked like moist brownies,” she said. “Families were taking more than one of them for themselves and their children.
At Mt. Lebanon, though, everybody visits Grandpa Joe’s for its $5 candy buffet. A person can fill a box with anything off the wall for a Lincoln.
“That’s what Grandpa Joe’s is famous for,” said Angle, who prefers the buckeyes and salted caramels out of the case. “It’s a great place and this event was a real hit. We have a lot of business today.”
The Elf Scavenger Hunt kept kids busy and drove people into the businesses to search for the hidden pixies.
“All the stores had pictures of them and you had to find them,” said Jodie McKeever. Finding the elves kept McKeever and her nephew, Blake Mur, “walking” and on their toes. The pair took a break to view the miniature railroad display housed in the municipal building.
“I’m an art teacher,” said McKeever, “but this is a real work of art. I can’t imagine the time that it takes to put this together. It’s a classic and great Christmas fun.”
The South Hills Model Railroad Club sponsored and assembled the display, which featured HO gauge trains. The group meets the last Tuesday of the month from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church. The organization also presents shows four times a year. The club will be featured at the Locomotion Weekend held in January at the Carnegie Science Center, from March 2-3 in the Scott Township community room and in July at the Greensburg Show at the Monroeville Expo Mart. The Mt. Lebanon display is one of the group’s most popular.
“It has been very successful,” said Dave Murphy. The Scott Township resident has been with the club for nine years. “It’s great to talk and meet people. A lot had trains when they were younger and they tell you what they remember and the fun it was.”
Bill Barringer was thrilled to view the display with his daughter, Althea, and his wife, Kaska.
“It’s fun, especially for the kids because the way it’s set up with the buttons they don’t touch the toys. It’s hard to set this up at your house and these guys really commit to putting it up for the fun and for the kids. The different sounds and smoke,” he continued. “It’s all pretty neat. I’m not a railroad buff but this is going to turn me into one.”
Seasonal music provided by members of the Southminster Handbell Choir and the Mt. Lebanon School District bands and carolers from the Salvation Army turned even hard-core Scrooges into holiday enthusiasts. Even the elves and animated reindeer put spectators in the Christmas spirit and proper mood for a visit from Old St. Nick. He arrived in style – in a fire truck – before taking his position on a red velvet throne, courtesy of Howard Hanna.
“The kids are all pretty excited and that’s what it’s really about,” said Tiffany Oden, one of Santa’s Helpers.
“It’s so adorable,” added Jenn Crigger. She added that switching Light Up night to day time was a good idea. “We’ve had a great turnout. Lots of people and kids. It’s been good.”
Brian and Mary Roman agreed. The Mt. Lebanon couple attended because it was a “good thing” to do on a Saturday and a way to stay in the holiday season.
“There’s a lot of great merchants. The Salvation Army band is neat too,” said Brian Roman. “We are big fans of Mt. Lebanon. There’s a strong sense of community and it’s a neighborly town.
“There’s always something going on,” Mary Roman added, “and this event is great.”