Owen May, 6, tells Santa what he wants for Christmas after Zelienople’s Miracle on Main Street on Thursday. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

ZELIENOPLE — Downtown once again ignited with energy and colorful displays of Christmas cheer Thursday night.

Horsedrawn carriages, reindeer and dogs arrayed in yuletide cloaks, delighted families. Dancers in Santa hats performed beside a live Nativity urging visitors to remember the first Christmas. Children laughed and slung bits of foam at each other — “snow” —sprayed by a machine that engulfed a gleaming tree and the crowd surrounding it.

“Ow!” yelled a clown on stilts as he collided with a street sign. He reached down to recover the glowing pins he’d dropped and resume juggling them while children giggled from the sidewalk.

Downtown Zelie’s annual Miracle on Main Street burst into vibrant life for its sixth year Thursday. This year brought with it a new cast of creatures — alpacas and goats — and tents that connect food, warm clothing and prayers to vulnerable people around the community.

“We love to decorate the cookies and see the reindeer and all those things, but the horses are our favorite,” said resident Christi Hoffman.

“They’re my favorite animal, and I’m obsessed with them,” said Mira Stroia, attending the event with Hoffman.

“And also the parade with Santa,” added Lori Stroia, Mira’s mother.

Santa and Mrs. Claus even showed up early, greeting children and hearing their Christmas wishes beside a mailbox marked “Santa’s POST OFFICE.”

“It’s an extended cylindrical retrievable unit,” Zoey Silinskas-Wood explained to Santa.

She was describing a lightsaber forge she wanted for Christmas. In a letter she had printed in advance of her Santa meeting, 15-year-old Zoey added that she really likes Star Wars.

The alpacas turned out to be a hit, too. Often confused with llamas, these creatures ambled around a pen outside the Zelienople Historical Society, their fluffy manes cropped above their squinting eyes.

Carole Rost, who raises the animals, said she and her husband, Joe, received a call from the organizers to make the animals part of the event this year.

At the far end of the street, volunteers at a tent gave out winter coats to people right on the sidewalk. Beside that was a collection of food for the Southwest Butler Food Cupboard.

“Donna Zeigler started this, and then she brought us along so that we could be out in the community, and people could put a face to our name,” said Erin Makowski.

Makowski was one of the organizers from the Zion Lutheran Church, which helped operate the tents.

Her team had received a ton of food and donations, Makowski said. She added that donations are down this year, and her team can take donations anytime at the food bank’s 557 Perry Highway location.

“We have Cinderella here every year, and we hand out cookies for the kids,” said Kelly Carney, who owns the Eva Bryn Shoetique in downtown Zelienople. “And this year we actually have ornaments, and all of these ornaments go to charity, no cost to shop.”

Carney said she looked forward to a great holiday shopping season, but she felt especially grateful that a complete team staffed the shop.

“Because I know there’s a lot of people having trouble finding employees, and I’ve got great staff,” she added.

“I just wished more people knew about this,” said Janet Wigton, owner of the Hair Emporium downtown, as she handed out candy canes. “It’s a free event. It benefits single women, single moms, kids.”

Then the parade took off, with marching bands, the Grinch, angels with gauze wings and Frosty the Snowman waving to crowds from floats.

One of Santa's reindeer helps pass out candy at Zelienople’s Miracle on Main Street on Thursday. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

Seneca Valley Raiders Marching Band opens up Zelienople’s Miracle on Main Street on Thursday. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle