Despite a seasonably chilly December evening, friends and families bundled up for the return of Winterfest in the Town of McCandless on Dec. 7.
They included McCandless resident Katie Panighetti, who was there with her husband, Tom, and daughter, Marigold, 19 months old.
“This is a nice safe space for all the families to come and enjoy the night and all the special things that come with it,” Panighetti said.
In its fourth year, Winterfest arrived complete with all the holiday trappings expected for such an event. Volunteers handed out free s’mores, chocolate pretzels, and hot cocoa near the fire pit at Devlin Park. A skilled ice sculptor provided some icy artwork near the parking lot.
An estimated 700-plus people visited, evidenced partly by the full parking lots adjacent to town hall, according to Abby Lucostic, parks and recreation coordinator for McCandless.
“A huge thank you to all members of our community who braved the cold to celebrate with us. We had a great time at the bonfire making smores and inside with the activities and music. The fireworks were a perfect end to the evening. Winterfest has grown to become a much-anticipated event for families in McCandless, even during such a busy time of year,” Lucostic said.
A long line of children waiting to meet “Frozen” movie characters Anna and Elsa stood outside the town’s public works building, in which Santa Claus could also be found.
“After his arrival on the fire truck, Santa spent a lot of time walking around the event talking to children. The smiles on the faces of the little kids interacting with all three characters were so sweet to see,” she said.
The garage also offered a bit of warming respite and featured numerous children’s games and activities, a kid-sized train ride and a DJ playing holiday tunes.
The Photo Igloo photo booth from DGM Photography snapped free photos for guests, and food trucks were on site.
The grounds were festively adorned with Christmas lights and decorations, thanks to the town staff. Public works crews decorated the outside and hung all the lights at Devlin Park and around Town Hall, and they will be up until the end of the year, Lucostic said.
McCandless resident John Funk of John’s Funky Inflatables had a “fantastic collection of blow-ups and rented them to us for the evening. They were on display near the train inside the garage.”
Some guests have returned every year.
“My family has been coming since it started. We really appreciate the fairly new tradition that our community began,” said Amy Rak, who was there with her husband and children, Logan, 9; Jocelyn, 7; and Caleb, 3.
Rak, a McCandless resident, was one of many armed with a donation for the North Hills Community Outreach.
“We collected an overflowing collection bin of items for the NHCO pantry. We are always blown away by the generosity of our community. We also collected a bin of toys for the Presents from Police program,” Lucostic said.
The McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage and Cultural Center held a story time for children. Santa will return to visit with children at the center from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 20 and 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 21 and 22, according to the www.townofmccandless.org .
Results are in on the 2025 Name of the Snowplows contest. The Top 10 are, in no particular order: Taylor Drift, Blizzo, Snow Force One, Snow More Mr. Nice Guy, Plower Power, Scoop Dogg, Plowabunga, Truck Norris, Fast and the Flurryous, Brrrrrrserk.