Kelly Shilala weighed truffles on a scale Saturday afternoon.
Bill Hickey sliced fudge.
But one of the biggest stars of Oakmont’s Big Hometown Christmas & Parade, which drew hundreds of visitors who packed Allegheny River Boulevard, was clearly Julie Hwostow.
Hwostow drew smiles from visitors young and old as she ladled piping-hot cups of Belgian hot chocolate at Boulevard Gourmet Fudge & Fine Chocolates.
The hot chocolate stand has become a fixture of after-hours events at Boulevard, which Hickey opened in 2017.
And Hickey loves an excuse to stay open late.
“I’m here ’til everybody leaves, no matter how late it is,” Hickey, 59, of Natrona Heights said with a laugh. “It is like mayhem.”
Storefronts weren’t the only ones bombarded by throngs of customers and holiday well-wishers.
Arsenal Cider, which recently opened a tap room in Penn Hills, offered cider samples to adults.
Several artists showed off customized jewelry. Others hawked gyros and funnel cake.
And Samantha Christ, a welder by day, worked to sell handcrafted steel art and signage through her new business, Slammin’ Steelworks.
“Everybody likes the little snowman, everybody wants to get a bottle opener,” said Christ, 26, of Fawn, as she pointed to the metal figures she cuts from one-eighth-inch-thick steel with a customized plasma table.
Christ already had a table at two previous Oakmont events this year before Saturday’s, and said she loves the crowds.
“I’ll definitely be back this summer,” she said.
She won’t be alone.