Reborn Sharon group saves Light-Up Night

A revitalized merchants association has saved the annual holiday event.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- For a while, it looked as though Sharon's downtown Light-Up Night celebration marking the start of the holiday season wasn't going to happen.
The event, started in 1996, quickly became a tradition that drew hundreds of people to the West State Street area for some entertainment, a visit by Santa Claus, the lighting of the holiday torch and a fireworks display from atop The Winner building.
Light-Up Night appeared to be in jeopardy earlier this year when Sharon City Council, which had been putting up $10,000 a year to help finance the event, announced it hadn't budgeted any money for the program this year.
A tight city budget was the reason, officials said, but council later agreed to allocate $2,500 toward the effort.
That's when the Greater Sharon Associates, a defunct organization of business merchants, came back to life, said Glenn Siminick, president of the newly revitalized body, and one of the driving forces to save Light-Up Night.
When merchants learned Light-Up Night would be canceled, "They really stepped up to the plate," he said.
The event is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday near the corner of West State Street and Water Avenue.
What's planned
Much of the program will take place in the adjacent Sharon City Centre parking lot, Siminick said.
"The merchants of Sharon needed to get together to bring people back into Sharon," said Siminick, owner of the Golden Memories jewelry store on West State Street.
He said he's found overwhelming support for Light-Up Night as the GSA's first project, noting that the group has received more than enough donations to cover the $10,000 expense.
The list of donors and sponsors includes more than 40 downtown business and professional people plus individual city residents too numerous to mention, he said.
"We're trying to build up downtown Sharon," Siminick said. "It starts with the people. They have to get behind us. We're behind them."
The GSA plans to bring together residents, businesses and professionals to sponsor other community events as well, he said. One of those targets is a car show that premiered in the downtown business district last summer, he said.
Light-Up Night will be a family event with the Salvation Army bringing in its new mobile service vehicle to provide free hot chocolate and cider.
Activities begin with the performance of the Sharon High School Band and Choir at West State and Water.
The Penn State Nittany Lion from the local Penn State Shenango campus will mingle with the crowd, and Daffin's Candies will be handing out bags of candy to children, Siminick said.
Radio station WHOT will do a live broadcast from the event, Santa Claus will arrive by firetruck, the traditional holiday flame will be lighted atop the 10-foot cherub on West State Street, and there will be a fireworks display, although not from atop The Winner, Siminick said.
gwin@vindy.com