Zelienople Borough Council on Monday approved plans for next month's Miracle on Main event that included changes for the pandemic.

Emphasizing that there would be no large gatherings and that social distancing is required and mask-wearing mandatory, council will permit the event, despite some fretting about how the event abides with state requirements and Butler County's recent drive to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“If we turn around and have an event that draws people into town, that is a gathering, I'm sure. What message does that send the commissioners?” council President Allen Bayer said at the start of the meeting. “I will applaud (the Zelienople Area Business Association). When I read through the email, it's amazing to me the issues they've addressed and how they addressed them. It's extremely good. I just have that one conflict going on in my mind.”

Other council members had similar concerns, with councilwoman Mary Hess saying Pennsylvania's health secretary is even recommending people don't visit extended family for Thanksgiving, pondering how this event jibes with that advisory. Hess also wondered whether — if COVID-19 continues on its current trajectory and there was viral spreading at similar events — the state would return to the stricter restrictions it imposed this spring.

“I just don't know how we can do it, because we can't control the public,” she said. “That's our biggest issue when we have these events: We can't control what people do because we still have a lot of people who just feel that this doesn't exist.”

But the deep extent to which the business association attempted to address crowd-size limitations and other state-mandated restrictions impressed council to the point they did not see any way there would be large gatherings, ultimately voting for the event with no negatory votes.

“With what I've read they're willing to do to mitigate gathering and so forth, I'm inclined to think that we should go ahead with it per the recommendations,” Bayer said. “I went through each and every item, and I don't see any gathering.”

Alterations to the annual celebration, which according to the business association revolves around giving back to those in need, include shifting the reindeer and Nativity to Zelienople Community Park, mandating visitors remain in their cars and even enforcing that with snow fencing around the park itself. Santa Claus will also take children's wishes via Zoom rather than in person, a change from the proposal when the meeting first began.

“If what we're trying to do is avoid a big crowd ... then I would go with the virtual method,” councilman Gregg Semel said. “Nobody wants to take Santa Claus away,” but the risk of mitigation is substantially lower with virtual meetings.

Children also will not be permitted to decorate cookies at the event, instead being given cookies, icing and sprinkles to take home and finish themselves. Businesses will also be required to follow the state-mandated occupancy limitations.

The parade will also occur in 2020, although there will be changes. Santa will proceed down Main Street before turning off into side streets, greeting Zelienople and welcoming the Christmas season to the borough.

But it will be more along the lines of a porch parade, and follows a path similar, if not identical, to that of the Rotary's Independence Day porch parade this year. Council members recommended that Santa be escorted by either the Zelienople Police Department or the Harmony Area Fire District.

They further tossed around some ideas for names for the new parade style: the Santa procession, the porch parade or the amalgamated porch procession.

Miracle on Main, which this year is hosted the nights of Dec. 3 and 4 and the day of Dec. 5, will still focus on giving back to the community, with a living room set raffled off to a family in need and coats given to children who need them.