The Downtown State College Improvement District kicked off the holiday season with Light Up Night on Thursday, November 16 from 5-8 p.m. on Fraser Street’s MLK Plaza and the 100 block of Allen Street. Visitors enjoyed a winter carnival with hot drinks, visits with Santa, free trolley rides, performances, the new holiday lighting display and more.
Santa Claus arrived at the MLK Plaza on the Alpha Fire Company truck at 5pm and was available for photo opportunities. Other attractions in the MLK Plaza included crafts by The Makery from 5-7 p.m., free hot cocoa and popcorn courtesy of the Lions Club, free trolley rides from 5-8 p.m. and the kickoff of the annual light show designed by Nittany Entertainment, at 7 p.m.
MLK Plaza also hosted a donation station for toys for Toys for Tots and non-perishable food items for the YMCA Backpack Program. Children who brought donations were entered for a chance to help Santa light the tree at Allen Street Gates.
Allen Street hosted a range of amusements such as local artisan market vendors, live reindeer sponsored by Growing Tree Toys, Lion’s Pride &
Harper’s, street performers, organized by Tempest Productions and local music and dance groups, Monster D’s unique monster drawings, and balloon animals by Nittany Balloons.
Allen Street also included food by Auntie Anne’s, hot cider from Way’s Fruit Farm, free stickies and coffee courtesy of The Corner Room, free food courtesy of YMCA’s Travelin’ Table, a warm-up station in Kish Bank with hot cocoa and a warm-up station in Squirrel & Acorn Bookshop.
At 7:30 p.m., Santa and the winning child from the donation drawing lit up the tree at Allen Street Gates.
Visitors could also visit the Enchanted Forest on Locust Lane and vote for their favorite non-profit tree in our Downtown Holiday Tree Challenge! The non-profit with the tree that receives the most votes between Nov 16 and Dec 3 receives a $1,000 donation from the Downtown Improvement District!
