Families gathered at Stage AE on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014 to celebrate the season at the 2014 WYEP Holiday Hootenanny. The annual party, now in its seventh year, featured local musicians performing their own renditions of classic Christmas tunes.

The musical acts were the highlight of the evening, though they performed before a crowd much sparser than last year’s. Local anti-bullying musical comedy duo Josh and Gab kicked off the entertainment with the Yule Kids Pajama Jam. At 8 p.m., the main event began with a first-ever live broadcast on 91.3 WYEP.

The evening’s lineup included Josh Verbanets and Guy Russo, Joy Ike, Essential Machine, Billy Price, Morgan Erina, Zak Kane, Brooke Annibale, Kai Roberts, Chet Vincent and Molly Alphabet, Scott Peterson, Ben Shannon, Ellen Gozion and Mike McCormick, Mark Dignam and Sarah Siplak, Lauren DeLorenze, and Greg Dutton and Liz Adams.

The evening also helped spread holiday cheer to children in need with a donation drive to collect unused children’s pajamas and child-appropriate books for the Western PA chapter of The Pajama Program. The Pajama Program provides pajamas and books to children in need.

Hadley is advocate for developing communities. She tells their stories and explores complex social issues we all face and shed light in the nooks and crannies around them.