Cranberry's New Holiday Gala Lasts One Night. The Art and Trees Around It Stay Up Until January.

On Friday, November 13, the Cranberry Township Municipal Center at 2525 Rochester Road hosts its first Mistletoe and Masterpieces. It's a 21+ evening with tickets, a drink in hand and more than 200 pieces of original art for sale. The township calls it "inaugural." That word fits the party. It doesn't fit the decorated trees in the halls, which come from a tradition the Cranberry Foundation counted as 17 years old last season.

The ticketed night lasts three hours. The rest of the display runs from early November into the first days of January. If you only go on gala night, you see a small slice of it.

What Is Actually New on November 13

The Cranberry Foundation and the Cranberry Artists Network, known as CAN, are hosting the evening together. It runs from 6 to 9 p.m. The art comes from artists in six counties. Around it stand nearly four dozen holiday trees decorated by local nonprofits, plus food, drinks and seasonal entertainment.

Here's what the Foundation's event page lists:

• Price: $40 for one ticket, or $35 per ticket when you buy two or more in one order
• Deadline: ticket sales close Friday, November 6, at 5 p.m., one week before the event
• Included: one cocktail, beer or wine, hors d'oeuvres, live music and a chance to meet the artists
• Extra drinks: cash bar
• Age: 21 and older

Proceeds support the Foundation's Project of the Year. The most recent one the Foundation has named, for 2025–2026, is the Outdoor Fitness Court. It's planned as a free-access outdoor wellness space, developed with the National Fitness Campaign. The Foundation describes the Graham Park installation as a self-guided fitness court plus a studio for instructor-led classes. The ticket price pays for a night out and also supports a project meant for a township park.

The night also officially launches the Cranberry Foundation Tree Gallery under this new format. That's where the "new" label starts to slip.

The Trees Have Been Here for 17 Seasons

Last year the Foundation opened its 17th Annual Tree Gallery at the same Municipal Center on November 21, 2025. It had almost 40 trees from nonprofit and civic groups based in Cranberry Township, each decorated to show the group's mission. It stayed open through January 2, 2026, and the Foundation's announcement just said, "Make sure to stop by!"

This year there will be nearly four dozen trees, up from almost 40 last season. On its Tree Gallery registration page, the Foundation calls this a continuing tradition. The calendar on that page shows the trees are meant to stay up long after the gala.

What's actually new this year is the gala. The tradition is the one that's been running for 17 seasons. Now it opens with a ticketed party and shares the building with a full art show.

Seven Weeks on the Walls

Put the Foundation's tree schedule next to CAN's exhibition dates and you get the full run:

CAN's own page puts it plainly: tickets are required for the opening reception. The exhibition itself runs from November 9, 2026, to January 2, 2027. CAN calls it "a new holiday tradition." Last year the trees were open to anyone who stopped in from late November to early January. The 2026 schedule follows the same pattern, but the Foundation hasn't posted daily viewing hours yet. Check its site before you go, especially around the holidays when public buildings keep shorter hours.

So the art is on the walls for about seven and a half weeks, and the gala is one of those evenings. You can see the trees and the art on a weekday after work, with kids who are too young for a 21+ event, or with relatives in town for Thanksgiving.

Why a Municipal Building Works as a Gallery

Holding an art show in a building best known for the library and township offices makes more sense once you know CAN's history there. The Butler Eagle reported that eight people founded the network in January 2014 to offer group art-making, regular gallery shows and talks by visiting artists. CAN says its members' art is always on display in the Municipal Center's Back Hall Gallery.

In September 2025, the Butler Eagle reported that the township was naming part of the building the CAN Art Gallery hall. The paper noted the building also hosts group activities like CAN's monthly portrait group. Kathy Bischak, CAN's public relations chairwoman, explained the change to the paper:

"They have always displayed our art at the municipal building. Now we'll have a hall that is dedicated to the network."

In the same Butler Eagle story, Bischak said, "Very few places are this supportive of artists." The paper also reported that CAN normally puts on three regular shows a year, with members-only shows like "REFRESH" in between.

The township's October 19 announcement goes further. It describes the Municipal Center as an emerging arts destination, with 106 feet of dedicated gallery wall plus hundreds of feet of extra display panels. It also says the building has one of the region's largest continuous spaces for showing art. For Mistletoe and Masterpieces, CAN artists will be featured throughout the building, beyond the one hall. Last year's Tree Gallery was mainly trees. This year the trees share the halls with a show of 200+ artworks.

Other November Reasons to Be in the Building

Because the exhibition is in the same building as Cranberry Public Library, a few other November events land in the middle of it.

The Art of Wreath Making with Lesa runs twice on Monday, November 2, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Both sessions are at The Forge Makerspace and require registration through the library's events calendar. The calendar doesn't list a fee, so check before you sign up.

Poinsettia - Timeless & Festive: A Crepe Paper Flower Workshop is on Monday, November 9, from 1 to 4 p.m., also at The Forge Makerspace, with registration through the library. That's the first day of CAN's exhibition and of tree setup. You'll make your poinsettia while the nonprofits are bringing their trees in.

Santa's First Stop is on the township calendar for Friday, November 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Municipal Center. The listing doesn't give cost or registration details, so check closer to the date. It falls a week after the gala, while the trees and the art are both up. For families with younger kids, this evening at the same address may be the easiest way to see the display together.

Here's November at 2525 Rochester Road in order:

1. November 2: wreath workshops at The Forge Makerspace
2. November 6, 5 p.m.: Mistletoe and Masterpieces ticket sales close
3. November 9: poinsettia workshop, CAN exhibition opens, tree setup begins
4. November 13: Mistletoe and Masterpieces, 6–9 p.m., 21+
5. November 20: Santa's First Stop, 6–8 p.m.

After that, the trees and the art stay up through December. CAN's exhibition ends January 2, 2027, and the trees come down January 4–8.

Whenever I'm out with clients in the weeks before the holidays, someone asks where to take visiting family on a weeknight. This year my answer is the Municipal Center. If you'd like more Cranberry Township tips like this, or you're curious how your own street fits into the season, Shelley Wood is happy to talk. Request your complimentary market consultation.