On November 16, lots of people gathered in Irwin with their joy and Christmas spirit. Norwin students, clubs, athletes, parents and thousands of people crowd the streets on a Thursday night.
There are lots of activities to do at Light up night: live music, Christmas tree lighting, festive shopping and more!
‘’I really enjoyed the parade at Light Up Night,’’ said sophomore Mackenzie Schock. “It’s really nice to see various members of the community get together to put on a parade to kick off the holiday season.”
Light Up Night kicked off at 5:00 pm with the annual lighting of the tree on upper Main Street in Irwin. Following the tree lighting, there were performances at The Lamp by the Norwin Show Choir and others. The parade kicked off at 6:30 pm and crowds were especially packed due to the mild temperatures in the 50’s.
“My favorite activity to do overall around the holidays is to go see Christmas lights,” said Ms Pecora English 10 and 11 teacher. “Christmas time is my absolute favorite time of year. My family and I always like to explore different light displays.”
Many school groups, businesses, sponsors and students showed up. Before the parade there was live music and lots of food. At 6:25 pm, they hit it off with the tree lighting. Then, at 6;30 pm, the parade began. There were big floats, loud bands, crowded people, and the one and only Santa Claus and Grinch! The 2023 sponsors of Light Up Night were S&T Bank, Somerset Trust Company, Jim Shorkey Family Auto Group, Live! Casino Pittsburgh, Duncan Financial Group, Riverview Chevrolet and Petrillo Jones LLC.
“Light Up Night is a fun activity for me because as a cheerleader I get to walk in it,” said freshman cheerleader Cami Archer. “I love seeing all my friends as I cheer down the streets of Irwin. It allows us cheerleaders to get together outside of practice and have fun while enjoying the Christmas spirt.”
There were a lot of creative ideas and floats they put into the parade and a lot of school groups such as the Norwin Air Force, Boys Soccer team, Cheerleaders, and The Norwin Hockey team followed by Firetrucks and Police cars decorated and ready for Christmas!
Light Up Night is a Community Unity Project of the Irwin Business Professional Association, Calvary Church, Irwin Borough, Norwin Lions Club and NexTier bank. In the end, it was a huge success with the weather as warm as it was. Everyone was as jolly as could be!
“I look forward to going to Light Up Night every year to see all my friends and get in the Christmas spirit,” said sophomore cheerleader Anna Wendt. “I love watching all the different sports and organizations in the parade and how all the little shops along the street are lit up with Christmas decorations.”
