BY KAT McCROSKEY
Gazette Newspapers
LINESVILLE, PA – It began as a simple idea shared amongst friends who thought it had some charm.
Eleven years later, the Lighted Tractor Parade has become an event to which people travel to Linesville from near and far every first Saturday in December.
The inaugural Lighted Tractor Parade included just six tractors but has grown to feature more than 100 tractors, boasts 85 sponsors – including several major sponsors – and is streamed live on YouTube and Facebook to viewers in places as far away as Africa.
A professional photographer documents every tractor each year, posting several photos daily on the website and Facebook page in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Drone footage captures the parade’s glowing procession from above.
“This year we had 96 tractors register and 92 showed up,” Brian Bair, of Bair Corvettes, a committee member who helps organize the event, said. “Last year we had 135 register, but due to the snowstorm, only 85 made it.”
“Once they come one time, they keep coming back,” Bair continued. “We’re expecting 4,000 to 6,000 people to show up tonight to watch the parade.”
The entire community pitches in to prepare Linesville for the big night.
“People from the community removed snow from the sidewalks and streets for six hours Friday morning to get ready for the parade,” Bair said. “Pauline (Olesnanik), one of our chairpersons, advertises it as a ‘Hallmark community in a snow globe.’”
Tractors line up at the high school and, promptly at 6 p.m., head out along Route 6, where children wait eagerly with bags in hand. Candy and other giveaways are handed out, including 4,000 mini jugs of chocolate milk and string cheese donated by Marburger Farm Dairy in Evans City, Pa. — 76 miles southeast of Linesville.
“We do this all for the kids,” Bair said. “They love it!”
Sponsors of the parade were treated to a hearty pre-parade meal prepared by Chris Slekar, owner of Country Side Restaurant. The spread included coleslaw, smoked chicken breast, Slekar’s signature smoked meatloaf meatballs, and pulled pork with a variety of barbecue sauces.
The Linesville Borough office hosted the sponsor reception and also offered a warming station, with bleachers outside reserved exclusively for sponsor seating.
Planning for next year begins almost immediately.
“We have our first meeting next week!” Bair said.
The 2026 Lighted Tractor Parade is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5.
To watch the Lighted Tractor Parade, visit YouTube or TheLinesvilleTractorParade on Facebook.
LINESVILLE, PA – It began as a simple idea shared amongst friends who thought it had some charm.
Eleven years later, the Lighted Tractor Parade has become an event to which people travel to Linesville from near and far every first Saturday in December.
The inaugural Lighted Tractor Parade included just six tractors but has grown to feature more than 100 tractors, boasts 85 sponsors – including several major sponsors – and is streamed live on YouTube and Facebook to viewers in places as far away as Africa.
A professional photographer documents every tractor each year, posting several photos daily on the website and Facebook page in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Drone footage captures the parade’s glowing procession from above.
“This year we had 96 tractors register and 92 showed up,” Brian Bair, of Bair Corvettes, a committee member who helps organize the event, said. “Last year we had 135 register, but due to the snowstorm, only 85 made it.”
“Once they come one time, they keep coming back,” Bair continued. “We’re expecting 4,000 to 6,000 people to show up tonight to watch the parade.”
The entire community pitches in to prepare Linesville for the big night.
“People from the community removed snow from the sidewalks and streets for six hours Friday morning to get ready for the parade,” Bair said. “Pauline (Olesnanik), one of our chairpersons, advertises it as a ‘Hallmark community in a snow globe.’”
Tractors line up at the high school and, promptly at 6 p.m., head out along Route 6, where children wait eagerly with bags in hand. Candy and other giveaways are handed out, including 4,000 mini jugs of chocolate milk and string cheese donated by Marburger Farm Dairy in Evans City, Pa. — 76 miles southeast of Linesville.
“We do this all for the kids,” Bair said. “They love it!”
Sponsors of the parade were treated to a hearty pre-parade meal prepared by Chris Slekar, owner of Country Side Restaurant. The spread included coleslaw, smoked chicken breast, Slekar’s signature smoked meatloaf meatballs, and pulled pork with a variety of barbecue sauces.
The Linesville Borough office hosted the sponsor reception and also offered a warming station, with bleachers outside reserved exclusively for sponsor seating.
Planning for next year begins almost immediately.
“We have our first meeting next week!” Bair said.
The 2026 Lighted Tractor Parade is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5.
To watch the Lighted Tractor Parade, visit YouTube or TheLinesvilleTractorParade on Facebook.
