Breaking News
Local News

Small Town Christmas continues to get bigger

Gallitzin event begins Saturday

3 min read

A Small Town Christmas, hosted by Frontier Girls Troop 213, will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday in Gallitzin.

Troop leader Lori Shaw said the celebration began six years ago with a Christmas tree lighting and Christmas caroling.

In the years to follow, a parade, craft fair, music and a scavenger hunt were added.

Each year, the group looks to improve the event, she said, and new activities this year include horse-drawn carriage rides, a tree throwing competition and gingerbread house contest.

"I'm really looking forward to the new events and I think people will really enjoy them," Shaw said.

The Frontier Girls troop have been involved in planning, operating and decorating for the event, she said, and range in age from 4 to 17. Their families help out as well, Shaw added.

The craft fair will feature 30 vendors located at the Gallitzin Sportsmen's Club, Penn Cambria Middle School and Please Mommie Graphic Design.

The Gallitzin Fire Company will host a soup and hoagie sale and toy collection for kids.

Cookies with Santa will be provided by the StartSmart Learning Center, Vale Wood Farms and the Gallitzin Sportsmen's Club.

At Penn Cambria Middle School, event-goers will find a basket raffle sponsored by the troop along with games, crafts and trivia hosted by Gallitzin Cub Scout Pack 59.

Lilly Goat Gruff will have goats at the event for the first time, which Shaw said is the start of a petting zoo.

The Christmas-themed scavenger hunt will also be returning.

Both the Gallitzin Borough office and library will be open during the event.

Music will be provided by B&R Entertainment at Veterans Park and Gremlin Park throughout the day, meaning "you will be able to hear Christmas music playing anywhere in town," she said.

Businesses were asked to get involved, and the community has been great about coming out to support the troop's efforts, Shaw said.

"I even have people asking me about it in the summer," she said.

The parade lineup begins at 5:30 p.m. at the fire hall with the tree lighting to follow.

Shaw said the day's event schedule will be available at Penn Cambria Middle School and the Gallitzin Sportsmen's Club.

The troop focuses on the community and making a difference for the people who live there, Shaw said, noting she wants the girls to see that they can make a difference if they work together.

"If you see the need, take the lead -- that is our motto," she said.

Cookie Crawl Dec. 9

A cookie crawl will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 9 and is the troop's biggest fundraiser of the year, Shaw said.

Registration for the event begins at 9 a.m at the Cresson American Legion. The tour will kick off at 10 a.m.

Participants will go to the 14 participating area businesses and then return to the legion to vote for their favorite cookie.

Tickets for the cookie crawl are $20 and are available at Sehrer Mill & Hardware, 107 S. Main St., Gallitzin; and Meyers Insurance Agency, 318 Railroad St., Gallitzin; or by calling Shaw at 814-207-0437.

Starting at /week.