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While Thanksgiving is yet to be celebrated, local communities are already gearing up for Christmas, with festivals and parades scheduled to begin this weekend.
Claysburg will host its annual Christmas parade at 3 p.m. Saturday, followed by the 10th annual Christmas in the Park festivities at the Claysburg Community Park.
Events include a visit from Santa Claus and his helpers, snacks, crafts and games for children. Santa will be on hand after the parade until about 4:45 p.m., organizers said. Children may also leave letters for Santa at the park, where an ugly sweater contest will be held. The lighting of the Christmas tree concludes the day's events.
A feature at the park is the giant Christmas card display, a tradition since 1971, said Richard Allison, with the Claysburg PAST history group.
The cards can be seen lining the edge of the park, along Dunnings Highway, and are illuminated at night.
"I would estimate there are at least 30 and possibly more," Allison said of the cards created by community organizations and churches.
Winterfest in Hollidaysburg
Hollidaysburg's Christmas festivities begin with the annual Winterfest parade at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19. Under the theme "Wish Upon a Star," the procession of community groups and organizations will escort Santa Claus into town.
Then, as soon as Thanksgiving wraps up, the Light Up Night and Soup Sampling event will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24.
"Winterfest and light up night are very important traditions for Hollidaysburg," said Melanie Ramsey, director of community relations and events for the borough.
Planning for the holiday events began last year, she said, noting the borough's Christmas tree is already set up in the Diamond, waiting for the flip of the switch to light up the area.
Members of Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School Key Club are in charge of putting the decorations and lights up on the tree, which was donated by Mary Morris of Altoona.
"As there are thousands of lights, it takes a lot of time and people to put everything up," Ramsey said.
Roaring Spring ready to celebrate
"There are many volunteers involved in getting everything ready," said Roaring Spring Borough Manager Lisa Peel about that community's tree lighting event, slated for 6 p.m. Sunday.
"Our local Lions Club does a lot of the planning," she added.
Peel said the borough uses a live tree -- one that is located right behind the borough office at 616 Spang St.
Borough workers decorate the tree every year, and also put up wreaths and banners around the town.
Then the community meets at the tree to light it up and sing carols, followed by hot chocolate and cookies at Trinity United Methodist Church, Peel said.
Santa will hand out treat bags, donated by the American Legion.
Peel said she is looking forward to the event. "I'm hoping it won't be too cold this year and no rain so people can really enjoy themselves."
Bellwood-Antis pair up
It's a borough tradition to host the tree lighting ceremony before Thanksgiving, said Hope Ray, Bellwood Borough secretary and treasurer.
The Bellwood-Antis Community tree lighting ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, because "when families come back, they like to see the town all decorated and lit up," she said.
Ray said preparations for Christmas events begin in October and include the entire community coming together.
"The event pretty much plans itself with the help of people donating things and their time," she said.
The tree is normally donated and crew members from Bellwood Borough and Antis Township work together to cut it down and bring it into town.
Decorating, hanging lights and putting the star on the top usually takes about a day, Ray said.
Once Thanksgiving is over, the town gears up for the annual Christmas parade, set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3. That same day, the Excelsior fire hall will have a soup sampling, and children can get cookies and apple cider with Santa.
A new event taking place this year -- a Light Fight -- is a Christmas light decorating contest being held Dec 11-17.
Yuletyme Christmas in Tyrone
Yuletyme Christmas will be celebrated in Tyrone Nov. 30-Dec. 1.
"We have a lot of events going on," said Rose Black, executive director of the Tyrone Chamber of Commerce.
The community tree, donated by Martin's Garden Center, will be decorated by volunteers, and stars will be installed on light poles in town.
When the installation of the 64 stars is complete, they form a cross when viewed from above, Black said.
Yuletyme Christmas has been an annual event in Tyrone for at least 30 years, she said, noting, "It's a really great time to pull people in and celebrate Christmas."
The tree lighting ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1. Other weekend events include a soup sampling at the Tyrone Graystone, a craft show at the Armory, the Christmas parade at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, carriage rides, a cookie walk and a performance by the Altoona Brass Collective.
Duncansville decorates
This year, Duncansville residents are being urged to decorate their houses "to make the town look really nice," said Mayor Eric Fritz.
The tree lighting event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, with the tree ceremony set for 7 p.m. at the Hicks Church.
The town uses an artificial tree, said Fritz, stating about 10 people helped with setting it up and putting on the lights.
The evening will include visits with Santa, live reindeer, soup, coffee and hot chocolate.
The event is truly a community endeavor, as along with Hicks Church, other organizations taking part include Duncansville Community Days, Children's Christmas Party, the Duncansville Police Department, Cub Scout and Boy Scout Troop 3030, Duncansville Lutheran Church and the Duncansville Fire Department.
Glow Up in Altoona
Also on Friday, Dec. 1, Altoona will host a Glow Up Night. This inaugural event came about because the annual Christmas parade was moved from the evening to the afternoon -- 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, to be exact.
City Clerk Linda Rickens-Shellhammer said changing the parade time then brought up the issue of the tree lighting and fireworks show.
"They decided to have the Glow Up Night the day before the parade to light up the tree and have the fireworks," she said.
In addition to the tree lighting, Glow Up Night will feature craft and food vendors, kids activities, the Altoona Community Band, Altoona Area School District choirs, and the PennSoulvanians at Levity Brewing.
Vendors will be set up on 11th Avenue from 13th to 16th streets.
"There are a lot of people involved, and it is truly a team effort," Rickens-Shellhammer said, noting the tree was donated by a family living in the Fifth Ward and city crews were joined by Bryce Saylors and Sons to transport and set it up at Heritage Plaza.
Blair Emergency Services Chaplain Platoon will host an ugly sweater contest at 9 a.m. on parade day, Dec. 2.
Wonderland in Williamsburg
Williamsburg's Christmas Wonderland is held during the first week of December, said Brittany Biddle of Biddle's Brewery.
It kicks off on Saturday, Dec. 2, with the 4 p.m. Christmas parade, followed by Light Up Night at the fire hall.
"We are hoping for a great turnout," she said, adding that it's hoped "a lot of people come out to enjoy everything going on in Williamsburg."
The tree, donated by the Kelly and Cooper family in memory of Ronda Kelly Cooper, will be set up after Thanksgiving.
The borough donates time to help up the tree and hangs up banners throughout town.
A group of borough residents, workers and coffeehouse employees will all be pitching in to decorate and put the lights on the tree, Biddle said.
"Having Christmas in the community is so great," she said. "I love that people are really willing to step up and participate."
Residents and businesses are invited to sign up for a Light Fight, to see who puts up the best decorations, she said, adding the week includes a kids movie night, dress up for deals at the brewery, Christmas Trivia at the coffeehouse and a gingerbread house contest.
An outdoor vendor event will be held Saturday, Dec. 9,
on Second Street, which will be blocked off to traffic. The event will also feature ice sculpture carving, and the United Methodist Church will have a live Nativity scene.
Coalport hosts events
The Coalport Christmas Parade and Glendale Area Garden Club tree lighting will take place Sunday, Dec. 3. The parade forms at the Coalport C&MA Church and surrounding side streets at 3:30 p.m. and kicks off at 4 p.m. The parade will travel north on Route 53, ending at the Glendale Fire Hall.
VFW Post 7043, Coalport Moose and the Glendale Volunteer Fire Company will provide treats for children after the parade at the fire hall.
The Glendale Area Garden Club will be at the garden on Main Street with free refreshments and other activities at 4 p.m. The Christmas tree lighting ceremony will be held at 5 p.m.
Dickens of a Christmas
Ebensburg will kick off Christmas with a Light Up Night at Kimball Park on Friday, Dec. 1, followed by the 18th annual Dickens of a Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 2.
Saturday's events include breakfast with Santa, four craft shows, the Christmas parade, a Santa pub crawl, Christmas tree toss and more.
The family-oriented celebration is based on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," and also includes many vendors and other participants dressed in period costume.