(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
After two years of flipping things around to accommodate the restrictions of certain mandates and ensure public safety, Ambridge is returning to a more familiar plan to ring in the Christmas season.
Christmas On Merchant returns to the borough of Ambridge on December 9, presented in part by the Ambridge Regional Chamber of Commerce. This year citizens will be returning to the sidewalks to see the parade going down Merchant Street between 4th Avenue and 14th Avenue, after two years of the “reverse parade” format in which the citizens drove through the streets due to the pandemic. Over 30 entrants will be marching down the main street of Ambridge for the first time in three years–if not longer.
ARCC director Bill Roehm joined Matt Drzik on the December 1 edition of A.M. Beaver County to preview this year’s event, and Roehm does see the return to tradition being a positive for the community. “It was neat, it served its purpose, I think it was a cool event and glad to say–proud to say–that we did that for a couple of years,” he said, referring to the 2020 and 2021 parades. “But [we’re] really, really happy and excited, and I think the community is as well. The feedback that we’ve gotten has been really, overwhelmingly positive that we’re back to that traditional style of parade again this year.”
Also returning after a two-year absence will be the events at P.J. Caul Park, in which there will be children’s activities, cookies and punch, ice sculptures courtesy of Ice Creations, and food trucks courtesy of Annie Lee’s Southern Kitchen and Ambridge Italian Villa. Plus, Beaver County Radio will have live Facebook coverage of the festivities beginning at 5 PM and parade coverage at 6 PM, while the Prize Caddy and Personality Prize Wheel will be in action all throughout the evening!
If you’d like to know more about the parade, you can visit the ARCC’s Facebook Page or email Bill directly at director@ambridgeregionalchamber.org.
To watch the full interview with Matt and Bill, click on the Facebook feed below!