Sarris Ice Cream Parlour Celebrates Grand Reopening

Sarris family honored by Canonsburg, county, and state officials.

After a fire on Feb. 3 damaged a portion of the Sarris Candies factory on Adams Avenue, the beloved ice cream parlour remained closed. Until this morning. With a full blessing, ribbon cutting and dedications from many local, county and state officials, the iconic Sarris ice cream parlour is back in business and better than ever.   It has the same old-fashioned feel, the same great flavors, and the same dedication and family values behind it that the Sarris family has come to be known for in the local and surrounding areas. “Many of you ran with boots on feet, buckets in hand to say, ‘What can we do?’ It wasn’t to save chocolate or to save castles, it was to stand by a family who has stood by you for so many decades,” said the Rev. George …

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'Canonsburg Hometown Hero' Initiative Announced

Read on to see how you can order a banner for your hometown hero.

Canonsburg is proud of the men and women who have served our country in its time of need.  Now it would like to take the opportunity to invite residents to help it honor those friends and family members who have served or are serving the country. Canonsburg’s Main Street Program would like to salute the brave men and women who are currently serving and those who have served in the military by displaying their name, picture, service branch, conflict, rank and company on a vinyl banner to be exhibited in the downtown area during the month of May— prior to Memorial Day—through Labor Day.  The banners can be ordered one sided or two sided.  A web page on our site, www.downtowncanonsburg.org, will also be dedicated to our Canonsburg Heroes. To …

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Sarris Candies Won’t Be Closed Long

The owner of the iconic confectionery hopes to reopen as soon as Monday after fire ripped through the Canonsburg business.

It didn’t take long for word to spread in Canonsburg that the iconic Sarris Candies was burning. Not long after Lee Mox and about a dozen other coworkers escaped the Friday morning fire, he and others began getting text messages and phone calls asking if they knew what was happening at the confectionery. “I’ve probably got 20 text messages making sure we’re OK,” Mox said while standing in the employee parking lot with dozens of other workers who were just arriving to start their day. The workers could only stand around and watch as several fire departments battled the blaze that appeared to begin inside the attic of the building’s ice cream parlor section. Workers hoped to return to work Monday to move any undamaged goods to other sections…

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Shop Downtown—Gift Downtown?

Canonsburg's Main Street Progam is embarking on an initiative that would allow local businesses to get in the 'gift card game.'

Nadeen Steffey doesn’t just want you to shop downtown, she wants you to gift that way, too. And if enough merchants opt in, giving a gift from businesses in the Canonsburg area will be that much easier. Steffey, Canonsburg’s Main Street Manager is teaming up with the Greater Canonsburg Chamber of Commerce to create a gift-card program for local businesses—one she said would be similar to a mall gift card that you can purchase at one business and use in any of those participating. “We really like this idea,” Steffey said, adding that there have already been two planning meetings with local business leaders about the concept. And so far, so good. In order to kick start the program, 10 businesses need to opt in, and so far, five have already …

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Patch Picks: Beers. Brats. Lederhosen—Yes, Oktoberfest is Here!

The 13th-annual Bavarian Oktoberfest in Canonsburg kicks off today and lasts through Sunday.

No need to go to Munich to celebrate Oktoberfest. The Greater Canonsburg Chamber of Commerce will be holding its annual fall celebration this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Downtown Canonsburg. This year will mark the 13th year for the Pennsylvania Bavarian Oktoberfest in Canonsburg. The festivities will be split into three themes. Friday night will be Froggy Friday, featuring four musical acts beginning at 4 p.m. The opening ceremonies are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Beer Garden stage. All weekend, the Beer Garden stage will feature oompah and polka-style music, with the more mainstream acts being featured on the Street Stage. Saturday, the festivities kick off at noon and run until 10 p.m. Seven performers will be split between the …

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Canonsburg's Main Street Program Wins Award

This is the second consecutive year the borough office has won the prestigious award.

Canonsburg’s Main Street program last week was recognized with the 2011 award for Promotions and Marketing Special Events at Pennsylvania Downtown Center’s annual Townie Awards gala. It is the second year it received the award. Its receipt of this prestigious award was based on its creation and implementation of the Parade of Chairs event held in conjunction with the community's annual Fourth of July celebration. "The Townie Awards are a festive and venerable element of PDC’s annual conference, and are designed to recognize the commonwealth’s core communities for creation and implementation of programming and events that exemplify the goals of PDC’s community revitalization mission," a statement from the organization indicated. “Each year …

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Local Main Street Program Receives National Accreditation

Canonsburg's Our Town Cooperative receives 2011 National Main Street Program Accreditation honor.

  Our Town Cooperative, Inc.—borough of Canonsburg’s downtown revitalization program—has been accredited as a 2011 National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center.  Each year, the National Trust and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street programs that have built strong revitalization organizations and demonstrate their ability in using the Main Street Four-Point Approach methodology for strengthening their local economy and protecting their historic buildings. “We congratulate this year’s accredited National Main Street programs for meeting our established performance standards,” Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust…

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Canon-Mac Patch: Chair Watch 2011

From ordinary to extraordinary, the steady line of chairs along Canonsburg's Fourth of July parade route keeps getting longer. And the chairs keep getting more creative.

This isn't your ordinary chair. But the flower theme, brought to us by The Malone Flower Shop, is exactly the kind of creativity that Canonsburg's Parade of Chairs contest organizers are looking for! If you're one of the people who have waited to set up shop for the annual event, remember that the folks down at Canonsburg Main Street are again holding the contest. Cash prizes will be awarded to the most patriotic and the most original chairs. For more information on the contest read our story here or visit the Facebook page here.

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Canon-Mac Patch: Chair Watch 2011

Have you been down Pike Street? Spots are getting scarce!

If you've cruised down Pike Street in Canonsburg, it's difficult NOT to notice: Spaces along the Fourth of July Parade route are getting fewer and farther between. And the prime spaces? They are getting gobbled up quickly. If you're one of the people who have waited to set up shop for the annual event, remember that the folks down at Canonsburg Main Street are again holding a Parade of Chairs Contest. Cash prizes will be awarded to the most patriotic and the most original chairs. For more information on the contest read our story here or visit the Facebook page here.

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Hello from Main Street

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

No, not Christmas —in Canonsburg, the Fourth of July rules supreme!

Ah, the anticipation, the preparation, the tradition, the celebration—sounds a bit like we are getting ready for Christmas! Canonsburg’s annual Fourth of July celebration is just days away. That’s what I’m talkin' about! We LOVE our celebration here in the borough. And the celebration, the—49th annual—feels a bit like that holiday in December, only warmer, and we need sunscreen instead of mittens! The town is painted red, white, and blue like no other I’ve seen. The chairs? Depending on who you talk to, they are part of the anticipation and preparation. They began lining Pike Street Saturday as people claimed their spots along the parade route. We are famous for this tradition and I’ve said many times: It’s part of our charm! It’s also …

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