Visitors to Latrobe who are looking to shop local will find their opportunities doubled on Wednesday, when the town’s year-old Night Market joins with the monthly Shop Hop merchant event. “The merger of the two has created a much bigger and fuller event that businesses can be a part of,” said Emily Pasqualino, longtime Shop Hop organizer who also has taken on coordination of the Night Market. The combined event is set for 4 to 8 p.
m., with more than two dozen local artisans and food and beverage vendors planning to set up on a two-block section of Ligonier Street — between Weldon and Depot streets. Traffic will continue to flow on Main Street, at the market’s midpoint, while artisans offer an array of items including candles, jewelry, home decor and flowers.
Five local restaurants and about a dozen merchants with Latrobe storefronts will be open at the same time, to provide additional dining and shopping options. When the Night Market debuted last year, vendors were scattered among three downtown parking lots. Each Shop Hop event is themed, and that tradition will continue, also taking in the Night Market.
Wednesday’s event is dubbed “A Beautiful Night in the Neighborhood,” as it coincides with Latrobe’s annual Mister Rogers Family Days — activities that continue through Saturday in celebration of late Latrobe native and iconic children’s television host Fred Rogers. “What better way to kick this off,” Pasqualino, who is co-owner of Latrobe’s The P.