Over the past year, several Greene County businesses–including Artbeat, Coach’s Cafe and Hot Rod’s House of Bar-B-Que–have ceased operations for various reasons. But despite losing many local businesses that support community events, JoAnne Marshall, the Greene County tourist proposition agency director, said Waynesburg’s annual Holiday Open House won’t be affected.

The Holiday Open House is an event that takes place at the beginning of each December and serves as a kickoff to the Christmas season. This year’s event will run from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, and many local businesses will extend their regular hours. The town Christmas tree will light up for the first time at 6 p.m. in front of the Greene County Courthouse.

“The event is still going to go on as usual, and attendance will still come out for the shopping at the businesses on High Street,” Marshall said. “We have several activities planned on the street like in past years, and several of the vendors that have participated in past years are going back, along with some new vendors.”

Jim Winegar and his wife, Linda, were the owners of Artbeat before it closed its doors this past January, as well as founders of the Waynesburg Merchants Guild. Winegar and the Waynesburg Merchants Guild used to be heavily involved in the Holiday Open House, but this year, he said, he is “out of the loop” in planning the event.

Winegar said that, at its peak, the Merchants Guild would have 15 active members involved in planning events such as the Holiday Open House.

“We would try to come up with some things that made it of interest for people to come into the store spaces and maybe in advance of the holiday rushes to showcase new items, new things that we were carrying,” Winegar said. “Usually we would have something during those days [to encourage people]. It was I think a good way to get people understanding what the [Waynesburg] businesses were doing.”

But Marshall doesn’t think there will be a significant drop-off in attendance. She said the Open House is a “holiday tradition” in Waynesburg and still sees the event— which features horse wagon rides through town, pictures with Santa Clause and music provides by DJ’s— as something residents can enjoy.

“This will be the 10th year for the holiday open house, and people look forward to coming out,” she said. “To see the official lighting of the tree. To get a couple of holiday treats in the stores, take a wagon ride, [and] get a picture with Santa Claus.”

Winegar and his wife have been a part of the Waynesburg community for three decades, and they’ve seen “some ups and downs,” in the community. Although the past year has brought a lot of hardships for local businesses— including his own— Winegar is encouraged that things could be on the upswing in the future.