Spirit of Christman Parade highlights growth in Butler’s downtown
Not only did Mindy Spohn and Mike Varccak, both of Butler, attend the city’s Spirit of Christmas parade Saturday, they spent the afternoon shopping on Main Street — an amount of activity they said was not possible even just a few years ago.
Varccak said the parade was a great cap to a full day of activity in the city.
“Downtown has completely turned around and become someplace where people want to come,” he said. “Now we spend Friday nights downtown. Light up nights, parades, anything to bring people downtown for small businesses is a good thing.”
Saturday was the 59th annual Butler Spirit of Christmas Parade, and the cold weather did not keep crowds from watching the procession that evening.
Paradegoers were excited to see floats, firetrucks, live bands and Santa Claus himself.
The city of Butler and parade sponsor Peoples Gas did not disappoint, with business owners saying Main Street was the place to be Saturday. TwoTwentyNine Clothing & Home, a new business, already was busy in the morning and had a steady stream of shoppers throughout the day and into the evening. Its successful opening week was made even better with the holiday event.
“It’s a party tonight,” said Linda Patten, one of the owners of TwoTwentyNine. “We are just welcoming new folks in. We’re happy to have them come see us and hopefully come back again.”
Patten was excited to meet so many customers during a single night, according to Angela Kupas, another owner of TwoTwentyNine. She said the parade went a long way toward building up the Butler community.
“(The parade) is an example of the rebuilding of downtown we are seeing with a community focus and a positive vibe,” Kupas said. “I can see downtown coming back, just like it has in some of our neighboring communities.”
Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy led the parade, followed by the Butler Senior High School marching band. St. Luke’s Church brought a Nativity float to the parade. Other highlights included a float featuring Snoopy and Charlie Brown, and Mrs. Claus in a Corvette.
Those in search of additional Christmas spirit could head to Johnny’s Distillery, which was decorated to the hilt and stocked up on other kinds of spirits.
Cindy and Paul Turowski, of West Sunbury, patronized Johnny’s early in the day and said they enjoyed the atmosphere.
“It looks like Christmas threw up in here,” said Cindy Turowski with a laugh. “How can you not be in the spirit when you see this?”
Owner Christina Coughenour said the cigar bar and cocktail lounge was prepared for visitors of all ages during the parade.
“For the parade, we have all of our holiday cocktails, all special-themed cocktails and hot cocoa for adults and kids,” she said.
The parade’s impact on Butler was not lost on Coughenour, as Johnny’s Distillery celebrated one year of being in business last month.
“It’s great to bring everyone out and to see how many businesses are here, just supporting each other as a community,” she said. “It’s a wonderful town to live in and a great way to get everybody together.”
The Spirit of Christmas festivities ended with Santa Claus and the lighting of the Christmas tree in Diamond Park.
