The Irregular's Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide 2018

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Winter 2018

Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

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Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

Winter 2018

call 610-258-4330 to advertise

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Winter 2018

Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

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From the Publisher

The Irregular is...

After 40 years, it was time for a change. This year we re-titled the Easton Christmas Book to the Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide. The Lehigh Valley has grown immensely, becoming a destination for people all over, so it was time to introduce a print publication highlighting the holiday season throughout the entire region. The Irregular also recently published our very first Fall Into Fun! Lehigh Valley Fall Festival Guide, and we hope to bring additional publications to the Valley in the future.

There are tons of fun, festive holiday events throughout the Lehigh Valley to enjoy this year—lots of great ways to keep your dollar local as well at all the wonderful restaurants and shops! Thank you to all of the amazing businesses who have advertised in the newly titled Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide this year! I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you to all who support us and help us to keep going and growing including our readers and our dedicated staff of contributors. This year we bid adieu to Maureen Melick who has moved away from the Lehigh Valley. We will miss her. We were, however, pleased to welcome Pam Ruch, horticulturist and caretaker of the Nurture Nature Center Urban Recycle Garden in Easton, to our Gardening column. We were also fortunate to welcome the talent of Janene Otten to our Irregular Beats column, and the wonderful Wendy Summers recently came on board as an account representative. And of course, my amazing Creative Director, Michelle Corby, is an asset to our team. Last but not least, much adoration to my supportive friends and family who tolerate the madness of creating a print publication. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays to all! I will see you in The Irregular in February 2019. … and remember, support your local community, BUY LOCAL!!!

Lydia E. Bruneo Publisher & Editor

The Irregular will return in its regular format February 1, 2019.

Thank You & Happy Holidays!

Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide 2018 Lydia E. Bruneo Publisher & Editor Michelle L. Corby Creative Director Contributors: Carole J. Heffley Christine Lake Janene Otten Gene Palmiter Pam Ruch Account Representative Wendy Summers Reach us at: PO Box 85, Easton, PA 18044 610-258-4330 bruneo1776@aol.com facebook.com/ theirregularnewspaper © Bruneo Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

On the Cover

This year I posted a request on our Facebook page for image ideas for this year’s cover. Constance Harding Overby of Nazareth, Pennsylvania uploaded a photo of a lovely winter scene she captured on Morgan Hill in Williams Township, Pennsylvania. The property in the photo is home to her daughter and son-in-law. Photography is a hobby for Constance, and when asked about this photo, she remarked, “this was just a lucky shot.” Much gratitude to Constance for reading The Irregular and for permitting us to publish her beautiful photo on this year’s cover of the Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide.

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Winter 2018

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Thanks!

American Printing......................... 9 Angelo’s Restaurant ..................... 35 Antonio’s Pizzeria and Restaurant .......................... 35 Arndt’s Lutheran Church............... 21 Ashton Funeral Home.................. 20 Aura Ceramics.............................17 Auset Gypsy ............................... 17 Book & Puppet Company................ 7 Brick + Mortar Art Galley.............. 20 Carmelcorn Shop ........................... 7 Casa Italia Restaurante................ 24 Christine’s Bath & Gift Boutique .... 17 Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti House.. 9 Constable Gordon R. Crowell Jr. .... 48 Digital Cloud Company ................ 2 Dr. Titus ...................................... 7 Easton Computer & Electronics..... 12 Easton Home ................................ 23 Easton Hospital........................... 3 Easton House of Jerky ................. 17 Flower Essence........................... 11 Fork Cleaners............................. 23

Contents Forks Mediterranean Deli............ 29 G.S. Oswald Jewelers................... 46 22 Giacomo’s Italian Grille .................

Goodies Gone Wild ...................... 12 Green Harvest Food Emporium..... 24 Hair 48...................................... 37 Heritage Guild............................ 47 Ingridable Design....................... 17 Jamie Brotzman Massage............ 31 Jimmy’s Doggie Stand................. 45 John Mattilio, Real Estate Broker ..... 25 Judy’s Auto Repair...................... 41 Kaplan’s.................................... 22 Kevin Kocher Remodeling............ 19 Kirk Wagner Home Improvement... 31 Lafayette Inn............................. 31 Lehigh Valley Zoo ......................... 31 Merchants Bank.......................... 5 Michael Buskirk Painting............. 11 Mycalyn Florals.......................... 46 Netcinity-Ken Gross.................... 25 Pat’s Brakes/Lynn’s Garage........... 35 Pie + Tart .................................... 39

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Polliwogs & Petunias........................ 7 Quadrant Book Mart & Coffee House................................... 12 Reagle Insurance............................. 39 Ressler’s Market.............................. 46 Salvage Goods ................................ 35 Singing River Massage ..................... 31 Smartivities Showcase ....................... 19 Spring Garden Court Apartments....... 13 State Café and Grill ............................. 9 State Theatre Center for the Arts ........ 6 Strunk Funeral Home....................... 13 Susan Kolar Couture......................... 25 Sweet Girlz Bakery ............................. 12 Swift Print Solutions........................ 34 Taqueria La Plaza............................ 30 The Loving Piece ............................. 12 Touchstone Theatre ........................ 23 Two Rivers Brewing Company........... 21 U-Launderit .................................... 4 Valley Tire....................................... 46

Winter 2018

From the Publisher 4 Sing for America Gets in the Holiday Spirit 6 A Century of Holiday Traditions and More 8 Commemorative Collectibles Are A Local Holiday Tradition 10 Experience Christmas in Times Gone By 14 Tree Lightings, Santa Claus & Festive Fun! 20 Crossword Answers 21 Arts & Entertainment 26 Filmology 32 Irregular Bookshelf 36 Gardening 38 Irregular Beats 40 Irregular Eats 42 Horoscopes 43 Irregular Events 44 Crossword 45

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SING FOR AMERICA GETS IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

by Christine Lake Sing for America Presents (SAFP), an Easton-based non-profit group dedicated to providing arts access to Lehigh Valley students and families, will perform at several shows over the holiday season. To get into the holiday spirit, the group will perform at two tree lighting ceremonies on November 24, the first at the Easton Peace Candle lighting in Centre Square from 2-3 PM, and the second at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley beginning at 5:30 PM. The next weekend, you can find SFAP at the Hanover Township Community Center at 3660 Jacksonville Road in Bethlehem at 6 PM on November 30 for a tree lighting ceremony, and the group will carol in Jim Thorpe on both December 1 and December 8 at 4 PM. The big event for Sing for America Presents, however, is their annual Broadway-style musical, which will raise money for local military service members and their families. This season’s show is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory which will be performed at the historic Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe. “This show has all of the magic that theatre should have around Christmas time,” says Bruce Gilbert, Sing for America’s Director of Advancement and CEO. “This story is near and dear to so many hearts, and we want to tell this story of love in the face of pain, integrity in the midst of selfish ambition.” Using the iconic 1971

film version as the creative springboard for the first time on stage, this production will capture the magic and wonder of the story while not shying away from the unsettling and slightly twisted aspects of the story.

“At the heart of Willy Wonka are sentiments that speak directly to our community,” Gilbert continues. “There is great wealth in our time and yet such suffering, we are all connected and yet so alone as things are loved and people are used. All of this is explored in the characters surrounding Charlie, the selfish children and parents.” These wildly characterized stereotypes of vices, the off-kilter Willy Wonka and the zany Oompa Loompahs will come to life on a colorful set designed to fully immerse the audience in the world of Charlie’s house and Wonka’s workshop. The ultimate goal is to donate $5,000 to military families in the Lehigh Valley, to let them know that the community cares and help make sure that children believe in the spirit of giving that lies in all of us.

“Charlie’s story is real to so many in the Valley and beyond,” Gilbert explains. “Hardships can leave a family alone in the world as tragedy has left Charlie’s family poor and broken, but ultimately his hope presses on to triumph.”

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory will be at the Mauch Chunk Opera House at 14 W. Broadway in Jim Thorpe from December 19-23, and December 26-31; times vary per date. Tickets

Cast members from Sing for America’s 2015 production of Seussical. photo courtesy of Sing for America.

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Sing for America Gets in the Holiday Spirit are available at buy.ticketstothecity.com/purchase.php?event_ id=6909 and are $18 for adults, $15 for students/seniors, and $9 for children. For more information on SFAP, visit www.theartsarecolorblind.com.

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A CENTURY OF HOLIDAY TRADITIONS AND MORE

by Christine Lake photos courtesy of Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley The Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley, also referred to as the JCC, is celebrating 100 years of guidance and welcome for the Jewish community and beyond. Originally founded to support the needs of a growing Jewish community in the Valley, the JCC is now over 2,000 members strong and offers programming and events to for every generation. Early childhood education, camps, fitness and recreational options engage with every generation, allowing people to come play, learn, exercise, socialize and share both Jewish and secular traditions in a warm environment.

The holiday season means Hanukkah celebrations. Hanukkah is an eight-day commemoration of the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem; usually called “The Festival of Lights”, it is celebrated with menorah lighting, games, gifts and foods. The JCC celebrates this year with their annual Hanukkah celebration on December 4 that includes a concert by Dave Fry and latkes (potato pancakes) for a $5 per person entry fee, and a community candle lighting and Sufganiyot (jelly donuts) that is free. The concert begins at 6 PM, and the candle lighting is at 7 PM. Their 3rd Annual Artisan Craft Fair kicks off on December 8 and runs 6-9 PM and continues the following day from 10 AM-5 PM. Saturday’s event is Preview Night, which includes a cocktail reception, access to Sunday’s show and one free raffle ticket for a cost of $36 per person. Sunday’s entry is $5 per person and includes one free

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raffle ticket. No outside food is permitted in the center, but there will be snacks and beverages available for purchase.

This year’s vendors include wood workers, ceramic artists, jewelry makers, fiber artists and glass workers, and all are local. A portion of the event’s proceeds will go to funding JCC scholarships, which are offered on a need basis for early childhood education, summer camps and membership fees.

Celebrations continue with a Latke-Vodka Cook-off on Thursday, December 13 from 7-9 PM, where five teams will compete to see who makes the best latke and vodka drink.

The event is limited to 100 people, and it likely will sell out.

Tickets are $36 per person. Finally, the Center offers a Pan-

Winter 2018

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A Century of Holiday Traditions and More cake Breakfast to the community on Tuesday, December 25 from 9 -11 AM, a great option for folks who either don’t celebrate the Christmas holiday or who don’t start their celebrations until later. For $9 a person (children under 3 are free), you can enjoy pancakes, a scrambled egg bar, a s’mores bar and families can enjoy some time in the center pool, along with a winter craft and a library story time.

The Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley is located at 702 North 22nd Street in Allentown, PA. The center has two parking lots, one on the Tilghman Street side and the other on the Washington Street side of the building, as well as some on-street parking surrounding the building. For more information on any of the events listed here, you can visit lvjcc.org/main/special-events or call 610-435-3571. For additional information about the JCC itself, visit lvjcc.org.

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COMMEMORATIVE COLLECTIBLES ARE A LOCAL HOLIDAY TRADITION

by Christine Lake BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA - CHRISTMAS CITY USA Bethlehem PA has been known as “Christmas City USA” since 1937. The city was founded by a small group of Moravian missionaries and christened Bethlehem on Christmas Eve in 1741, and in 1937 the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce started a campaign to get the city recognized throughout the world as the Christmas City of the United States. Originally, people from around the country would send their Christmas cards to Bethlehem to receive a “Christmas City” cancellation, with over 185,000 pieces of mail coming in during the first year alone. The Chamber began a Citizens Christmas City Committee in the 1960s to ensure that the decorations for Christmas were appropriately dignified and befitting of the Christmas City, and also to help defray some of the costs. Bethlehem purchases and decorates over 800 tress for the city around the Christmas holidays.

For the second year in a row, the Christmas Committee will be selling ornaments that will be hung at the Christmas City Trellis which is located near the Bethlehem Library. There are two options for ornaments this year, both of which represent the Central Moravian Church Belfry; one is flat and in two-toned stainless steel ($50), and the other is a three-sided version in single color ($100). Those interested can also purchase last year’s ornament which was The Bethlehem Star ($25). Every ornament has “2018 Christmas City” inscribed on the surface and can have an additional two lines of personalization at 20 characters each. Once the holiday season ends, personalized ornaments will be taken down and stored in the Bethlehem Chamber office at 74 West Broad Street, where they can be picked up at your convenience or mailed to you (for an additional fee) to become a permanent part of your home holiday decorating traditions.

To purchase ornaments, visit www.lehighvalleychamber.org/christmascity.html or contact the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce at 610-739-1510.

HISTORIC EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA The Christmas season in Easton brings a few great traditions. The first, and oldest, is the erection and lighting of the Peace Candle in Centre Square.

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A mainstay of the Easton holiday celebrations since 1951, the 106-foot-tall structure is built over the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument and lit in a city-wide celebration of the season of peace. The city also lays claim to having the first lighted Christmas tree in America, after German immigrants brought the custom to their new home in Easton in 1816. Though this is nearly impossible to prove, it was first reported by The New York Times in a December 20, 1970 article, and Easton has been using it as a claim-to-fame since 1986. A commemorative Christmas Tree was planted in Scott Park in 1986 and is traditionally lit after Thanksgiving each year.

A commemorative Christmas ornament is also part of the city’s holiday traditions, and it has almost as long and storied a history as these other two monuments.

Winter 2018

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Commemorative Collectibles are a Local Holiday Tradition The Easton Holiday Committee, formerly responsible for the maintenance and erection of the Peace Candle, began selling ornaments in 1985 to help defray costs; the first was, of course, of the Peace Candle itself. In 1986, ornaments depicting the first Christmas tree were sold to commemorate the planting and lighting of the tree in Scott Park. The ornament tradition was then revived in 2014, again with the Peace Candle.

This was followed by the Northampton Street “Free” Bridge in 2015, the Easton Bugler in 2016, and the Easton Farmers’ Market in 2017. This year’s ornament depicts the State Theatre Marquee, referencing the traditional holiday performance of The Nutcracker and The Freddy Awards to give it an even more Eastonfilled touch. Ornaments sell for $20 each, or you can purchase a four-piece set featuring the State Theatre, Easton Farmers’ Market, Bugler and Candle for $75.

There will also be some “Free Bridge” ornaments available, but these are very limited.

The ornaments will be sold at the State Theatre box office, online at eastonmainstreet.org/ornaments and at the following locations within Downtown Easton: - Connexions Gallery, 213 Northampton St. - Mercantile Outpost (Easton Public Market), 325 Northampton St. - Easton Farmers’ Market (on Saturdays), Centre Square - Sigal Museum, 342 Northampton St. Ornament sales are cash only, although some vendors may choose to accept credit cards; please note that a convenience fee may apply to any credit card sales. Proceeds from the sales will go toward the cost of the Peace Candle Lighting Ceremony.

The “Hometown Series Collectible”, designed, produced and sold by Aura Ceramics & Supplies in

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Downtown Easton, is a tradition that began in 1985.

The first Easton collectible was a Peace Candle medallion created by Aura’s owner Larry Keiper, who was Committee Chairman of the Easton Holiday Committee at that time, and sales of the collectible offset the costs of the Peace Candle and various other holiday activities in the city. Originally known as Christmas ornaments, the name was changed to collectibles as they were a bit too heavy for tree decorating, according to Keiper, and rather than risk breakage from people mistakenly hanging them on trees, they became “collectibles”. The first historic building in the series appeared in 1991 with the George Taylor House, and Aura has produced buildings ever since—The State Theatre, St. John’s Church, the county courthouse, Easton Baking Co. and Easton

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Many years ago, North 3rd Street in Easton, PA was the place where millionaires such as silk industrialists and canal barons sought out space for their luxurious townhouses. Mansions such the Simon Residence (pictured above) led to the street being coined with the term Millionaire’s Row. Please support the fine merchants and professionals on North 3rd Street who continue to keep the beautiful architecture and memories of these past millionaires alive.

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Winter 2018

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Commemorative Collectibles are a Local Holiday Tradition

Area Public Library are just a few in the series; two building collectible were created in 1997 (one in the summer and one during the holiday season), and there is a break in the series in 2016 after the passing of Aura’s co-owner, the beloved John Govan.

This year’s featured building is the Easton Armory at 687 Northampton Street in Easton. The inscription on the back of the building reads: “The old Easton Armory is located at 687 Northampton Street. The beautiful castle style structure was erected circa 1907. It was first occupied by Company I, 13th Infantry. The armory organization left the building in the mid 1980’s and it has since been privately owned. Hometown Series Collectible Aura ©2018 Easton, Pennsylvania Collectibles can be purchased for $30 at Aura Ceramics, 12 South 2nd Street, Easton, PA.

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EXPERIENCE CHRISTMAS IN TIMES GONE BY December 25 was declared a federal holiday in the United States in 1870; however, Christmas traditions date back much further. The Lehigh Valley is rich in history so it shouldn’t be surprising to find a number of historical organizations throughout the area. Many of these organizations celebrate annual holiday traditions and share them with the public. Below are some festive ways you can share in the holiday spirit this year and learn about different customs.

Governor Wolf Historical Society The Wolf Academy Historic Site - 6600 Jacksonville Road, Bath, PA 18014 610-837-9015 - govwolf.org The Governor’s Historic Family Day On Saturday, December 1 from 9 AM-4 PM, roaring fireplaces and 1800s costumed craftsmen and women will greet visitors to a free family historical day. Demonstrators and will include hearth cooks, a Fractur painter, weavers and spinners, a woodworker, and a gunsmith. There will be displays of hand forged iron kitchen tools, long rifles, powder horns, glass blowing, and early herbs and their uses. Enjoy strolling carolers and a Civil War encampment. Children can meet a one-room schoolhouse teacher and enjoy making crafts. The theme this year is “Keep a Candle in the Window - a Celebration of 1800s Lighting.” A wonderful array of early lighting, from Betty Lamps, rush lights, candles, to oil and spirit lamps will be displayed in the museum and historic buildings. There will vendors and fresh green wreath sales, and Daily Grind of Bath will be set up in the Monocacy School for breakfast and lunch to eat in or take out.

Christmas House Tour Also on Saturday, December 1 from 10 AM-4 PM, tour 10 decorated local historic homes and structures on the 38th Annual Governor Wolf Historical Society’s Christmas House Tour. For 38 years, the Society has opened private homes along with their historic buildings at the photo courtesy of Governor Wolf start of the holiday season.

Historical Society This year’s homes, stone, log, brick, and frame, are all located within an easy drive of the site. All the homes will be dressed in their Christmas finery. $25 advance tickets are available at Curt’s Cyclery, Nazareth; S. Seem Antiques, Bath; The Snow Goose Gallery, Bethlehem; Bath Drugs, Bath; and Miller’s Ace Hardware, Northampton. $30 day of tour on-site only.

Candlelight Concert The 5th annual Candlelight Christmas Concert is Sunday, December 9 from 7-9PM. This year’s concert features Robert Mouland, a rare musician - a combination of performer, historian and storyteller who uses period instruments and clothing to educate and entertain with an unparalleled authenticity.

Doors open at 6:30, and light refreshments will be served. $15 person or $25 per couple. Tickets can be reserved or are available at the door (www.wireharp.com/index.htm).

Jacobsburg Historical Society 402-403 Henry Road, Nazareth, PA 18064 610-759-9029 - www.jacobsburghistory.com Christmas at Boulton 2018 From 11 AM-4 PM on Saturday, December 8 and 12-4 PM on Sunday, December 9, The Jacobsburg Historical Society will proudly open its museums and displays for their annual Christmas at Boulton. This special weekend will showcase the J. Joseph Henry House, adorned in beautiful Victorian Christmas décor. This exquisite house museum was built in 1832 and was continuously occupied by the Henry family for five generations. The Henry family saved so many of their pre-

Experience an old-fashioned Christmas at The Governor’s Historic Family Day at The Wolf Academy Historic Site in Bath on December 1. photo courtesy of Governor Wolf Historical Society

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Winter 2018

Victorian Christmas décor on display at J. Joseph Henry House for Christmas at Boulton. photo courtesy of Jacobsburg Historical Society

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Experience Christmas in Times Gone By cious belongings, so today’s visitors are able to view a unique display of original furnishings, clothing, china, and other antiques within the home where they were actually used. This year’s Christmas at Boulton will again feature the marvelous exhibit of Henry family clothing. Many of the outfits have been in storage for more than 100 years! The House also displays a full-size replica of the most important history painting produced in colonial America. The 1756 work entitled “Death of Socrates” was painted for William Henry I of Lancaster by the famous artist Benjamin West. The original painting hung in this home until the Henry family donated it to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania several decades ago. In addition to the Henry House museum, Christmas at Boulton visitors will be able experience the warmth of the fire in the Summer Kitchen, view a lighted display of historic carriages and sleighs in the Carriage Barn and purchase fresh greens in the horse barn. And please don’t miss the new Blacksmith Shop display. Also visit the Pennsylvania Longrifle Museum. This museum contains a substantial collection of original, handcrafted Pennsylvania longrifles and items related to the making of longrifles from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and features more than 100 historic arms on display. Guests may also admire the Nicholas Hawk Gun Shop, an authentic, 200-year-old log gun shop that was moved from its original location in Monroe County and reconstructed on the Boulton campus. The Historical Society’s Gift Shop is stocked with unique items for holiday gift giving. Refreshments including their famous “Jacobsburg Brew” will be available in the Society’s Craft Barn where colonial crafters will be demonstrating their work. Adults $10, children 12 and under are free.

Hellertown Historical Society 150 West Walnut Street, Hellertown, PA 18055 610-838-1770 - hellertownhistoricalsociety.org Holiday Open House On Friday, December 7 (Snow Date: December 8) at 6PM join the Hellertown Historical Society in the Tavern Room on the Lower Level of the Historic Heller-Wagner Grist Mill for their Annual Holiday Open House. Enjoy holiday spirit, music and meet new friends or chat with old ones. Also enjoy tours, a train display, free raffle, wine tastings with Black River Farms, and complimentary light refreshments.

Hellertown Historical Society Train Display On Sundays December 9-23 from 1-4PM, the Hellertown Historical Society Engineers will be running the Miller’s House

A display of stoneware at Hellertown Historical Society’s 2017 Holiday Open House. photo courtesy of Hellertown Historical Society

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The Historic Heller-Wagner Grist Mill adorned with wreaths for the holiday season. photo courtesy of Hellertown Historical Society

Train display for visitors. See vintage toy trains from the nostalgic 1950s taking passengers and freight through town featuring scale scratch-built replica historical Hellertown structures. Complimentary hot cocoa and cookies will be served.

This event is free.

Shopping At The Mill and Santa Visit Sunday, December 16 from 12-4PM, stop, shop and give Santa your list at this free event! Take a photo with Santa for a minimal donation, HHS Engineers will be running the train display, complimentary hot cocoa and cookies will be served, and there will be wine tasting with Black River Farms.

Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Visitor Center - 505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018 610-691-6055 / 800-360-TOUR - historicbethlehem.org Trees of Historic Bethlehem Thru January 13 (times vary by day), explore a winter wonderland of Christmas trees beautifully decorated by the Bethlehem Garden Club! See the world in a dazzling array of Christmas dispersed across four historic sites. Trees of Historic Bethlehem will amaze visitors with decorations and ornaments inspired by historic artwork from the Historic Bethlehem Museums’ collection. Presented in conjunction with their Sketched Out exhibit, each Tree will be paired with a piece of artwork such as a painting, tapestry, or sculpture and accompanied by a Holiday Putz. Sites include:1810 Goundie House (Decorated by Marche Maison), 501 Main Street; Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, 427 North New Street; Moravian Museum Gemeinhaus, 66 West Church Street; and Single Sisters’ House, 50 West Church Street.

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Experience Christmas in Times Gone By Holiday Putz Trail Also thru January 13 (times vary by day), view the Holiday Putz Trail. A Putz is a traditional Moravian decoration used around Christmas time. The word comes from the German term, which means “to decorate” or “to embellish”. These miniature replicas depict various settings of the Nativity story through the use of ornate, handcrafted figurines. Each set may feature animals, buildings, and amazing details to recreate the holiest of scenes. The trail features putzs at seven locations; the four listed above where Trees of Bethlehem are on view (included in Tree Pass) and additional locations at Central Moravian Church, 73 West Church Street; Edgeboro Moravian Church, 645 Hamilton Avenue; and 1830 Butztown Road; and East Hills Moravian Church.

Live Advent Calendar The only one of its kind in the country! Visitors of the Historic Downtown Bethlehem will enjoy this 13th Annual oneof-a-kind tradition. Every day from December 1-23 at 5:30 PM, knock on the door of the 1810 Goundie House, 501 Main Street, for a special treat. Hosted by the merchants of the Downtown Bethlehem Association (DBA), a council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites.

Christmas City Stroll, Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides, & Bethlehem By Night Christmas Bus Tours Strolls, carriage rides and nigh-time bus tours are three ways to explore the history and traditions of Bethlehem during

Explore a winter wonderland of trees this holiday season during Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites’ Trees of Historic Bethlehem event. photo courtesy of Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites

the Christmas season now thru December 30. Each tour is a unique and beautiful experience. Days/times and prices vary; for more information, call the Visitor Center or visit their website listed above.

Lehigh County Historical Society 432 West Walnut Street, Allentown, PA 18102 610 435-1074 - lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org Thomas the Tank Engine Fun Room Saturdays thru December 29 from 11 AM-4 PM, enjoy the Thomas the Tank Engine Fun Room with crafts and a model train operating. Free to members, $8 adults, $3 children.

A Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas On Saturday, December 1 from 11 AM-3 PM (last tour at 3), travel back to the 1800s as the Steckel family prepares for Christmas. Discover old-fashioned holiday games, baking, folk stories, and tree decorating. The Belsnickel (St. Nicholas in furs) will give treats. Held at the Historic Troxell-Steckel Farm Museum, 4229 Reliance Street, Egypt. Free to members, $8 adults, $3 children.

The Belsnickel will be giving out treats at Lehigh County Historical Society’s Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas on December 1.

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The Holidays at Hess’s On December 15 at 1 PM re-live the wonders of Hess’s Department Store at the holidays in this lecture/slide show. Free to members, $8 adults, $3 children.

Winter 2018

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On August 22, 1751, Thomas Penn married Lady Juliana Fermor, the daughter of Lord Pomfret. In choosing names for the newly established territory, Penn honored members of his wife’s family. These names remained for nearly one hundred years before they were changed to unromantic numbers.

What is now Second Street was originally Fermor Street; Third Street had been Pomfret Street; and Fifth Street was Juliana Street.

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Experience Christmas in Times Gone By Moravian Historical Society Whitefield House 214 East Center Street, Nazareth, PA 18064 610-759-5070 - moravianhistory.org Christmas In Nazareth On Saturday, December 8 from 12-4 PM, Nazareth offers a community wide celebration of the holiday season featuring Christmas carols by the Nazareth Area School District music groups, Santa and story telling, Frozen Disney Princesses, ice sculpting, food vendors, local beer, wine, trolley rides, a traditional Christmas Putz and community wide business open house. This family friendly event attracts hundreds of people from the Lehigh Valley, Monroe and Carbon County. The Moravian Historical Society will transform into the Nazareth Christmas Village complete with unique shopping opportunities in the Whitefield House, the Gray cottage and on the lawn! You’ll find all your Moravian star needs as well as an assortment of cards, jewelry, books, children’s colonial toys, household items and Christmas ornaments! Also enjoy candle dipping in the Gray Cottage ($3 per person) and a Historic Nazareth Walking Tour ($5 per person; 2-3 PM).

The Jennie Trein Putz Collection The Jennie Trein Putz Collection opens December 8 and will be on display through January 13. A Christmas Putz, constructed by Jennie Trein (1879-1977), of Nazareth, will be on display at the Whitefield House. A Putz is an elaborate miniature display that tells the Christmas story. The Putz is made up of hundreds of small figures and is one of the largest of its kind. Some of the figures in Jennie Trein’s Putz are hand carved and some were created using everyday household items. Trein welcomed visitors into her home to view her Putz for over 50 years. She was 98 when she passed away in 1977.

Building putzes is a Moravian tradition that reaches back to the eighteenth century. Whitefield House is open 7 Days a Week from 1-4 PM.

Christmas in Nazareth 2017 outside the historic Whitefield House. photo courtesy of Moravian Historical Society

Northampton Historical and Genealogical Society Sigal Museum 342 Northampton Street, Easton PA 18042 610-253-1222 - sigalmuseum.org Giving Tree – benefits The Children’s Home of Easton Visit the Sigal Museum lobby now thru December 14 to participate in the spirit of giving. Help decorate the Giving Tree with donations for the Museum’s friends at The Children’s Home of Easton. With your help, they will make the holiday season a little brighter for the young women and men in their care! Wish List items include twin bedding sets; shorts and sweatpants (size large); pajamas (size medium, size large-boys and girls); toiletries (Axe brand, body wash, etc.); plates, cups, and glasses (for young adults in independent living); books; and gift cards. For a complete list, visit sigalmuseum.org/giving-tree-benefits-the-childrens-home-of-easton.

Enjoy afternoon tea with Auntie Claus on December 8 at the historic Mixsell-Illick House in Easton. image courtesy of Sigal Musuem

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Museum Store Sunday Visit the Sigal Museum Sunday, November 25 from 12-4 PM for free admission and a 20% discount on all purchases. The Sigal Museum shelves are overflowing with holiday abundance!

Winter 2018

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Experience Christmas in Times Gone By Auntie Claus Tea On Saturday, December 8 from 2-4 PM, have tea with Auntie Clause at the Mixsell-Illick House at the corner of 4th & Ferry Streets. The beloved storybook character Auntie Claus will host a very special holiday tea in the Victorian parlor of the historic House. They will be recreating the Bing Cherry Hotel, home to the glamorous and mysterious Auntie Claus (part Auntie Mame, part Coco Chanel), who serves Christmas cookies all year round and leaves on an annual “business trip” right around the holidays. Feast on tea sandwiches, cherry scones, tea, apple cider, hot chocolate, and other tasty treats while visiting with Auntie and listening to her story. Children will leave with a surprise gift. $20 adults, $15 children. Reservations required; RSVP by phone or email info@northamptonctymuseum.org to reserve your seats.

Saucon Valley Conservancy Heller omestead 1890 Friedensville Road, Bethlehem, PA 18015 610-838-1199 - sauconvalleyconservancy.org Annual Holiday Gathering On Monday, December 3 from 6 -9 PM, the Saucon Valley Conservancy invites the public to visit the Heller Homestead to enjoy live music, food, wine, historic house tours, and holiday cheer!

A 1940’s Christmas Tree at Saucon Valley Conservancy’s 2017 Annual Holiday Gathering. photo courtesy of Saucon Valley Conservancy

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TREE LIGHTINGS, SANTA CLAUSE & FESTIVE FUN! PENNSYLVANIA 2018 Downtown Allentown Tree Lighting Celebration Thursday, December 6 from 4-6:30 PM PPL Plaza, 800 block of Hamilton Street Festivities include musical performances, dance acts, horse-drawn carriage rides, face painting, and of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus! Info: 610-751-4929, downtownallentown.com/events/holiday-tree-lighting Allentown West Park’s Annual Tree Lighting in the Park Saturday, December 1 from 6-8 PM Park located between Linden & Turner Streets and 15th & West Streets Make edible ornaments for West Park furry and feathered friends at the Church of the Mediator (1620 W. Turner St., Allentown). Then help trim the West Park tree with the edible ornaments accompanied by musical performances and refreshments. Info: 610737-7132, westpark-ca.org/events/2016/12/3/annualtree-lighting-in-the-park Bath Borough of Bath Tree Lighting December 2 from 6-8 PM Monocacy Creek Park Guest speakers; free horse and carriage rides from 5-7 PM, cookies and hot chocolate, storybooks for kids, and of course, the arrival of Santa Claus! Info: facebook.com/events/1125176034298209/?active_ tab=about Bethlehem’s Christmas City Village Thru Sunday, December 23: Fridays & Saturdays 11 AM-8 PM & Sundays 11 AM-5 PM 556 Main Street at the Sun Inn Courtyard & North Green An authentic German Weihnachtsmarkt, complete

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Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

with charming wooden huts lining the streets offering unique holiday gifts for all. Stroll Bethlehem’s festively decorated Downtown and visit charming retail shops, gourmet restaurants, and historic Moravian museums. Ride the Free Christmas City Trolley to experience the Historic Moravian District and SouthSide Arts and Shopping District. Info: 610739-1775, getdowntownbethlehem.com Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem PNC Plaza at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way Open thru December 23: Thursday, Friday & Saturday 11 AM-8 PM & Sunday 11 AM-6 PM (check website for fees)* *Christmas City combo ticket grants you one-day admission to Christkindlmarkt, “Trees of Historic Bethlehem” exhibit & four historic Bethlehem attractions for $25.

A one-of-a-kind family event that brings the spirit of Bethlehem alive with the season. Info: 610-332-3378, christmascity.org/christkindlmarkt

Winter 2018

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Tree Lightings, Santa Clause & Festive Fun! Catasauqua 3rd Annual Community Christmas Tree Lighting December 2 from 4-7 PM George Taylor House, 35 South Front Street Guided house tours, Santa’s arrival and tree lighting at 5:30 PM, food & music. Info: 610-264-0571, catasauqua.org Easton Peace Candle Lighting & Small Business Saturday Saturday, November 24 from 10 AM-8 PM Centre Square & Downtown Easton Families can enjoy live music, strolling performers, ice carvers, Cinderella carriage rides, pictures with Santa and lots more. Food trucks will be on site and carriage rides will be available throughout the day. The Big Easy Easton Brass Band will welcome Santa to town at 1 PM, and The Peace Candle Illuminator will light the candle as the crowd holds aloft battery-operated candles and sings “Let There Be Peace on Earth” at 6:30 PM. Info: 484-546-9776,

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Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

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Tree Lightings, Santa Clause & Festive Fun! eastonmainstreet.org/peacecandlelighting Easton Downtown - Ugly Sweater Holiday Party Thursday, December 13 from 5-8 PM Easton Public Market, 325 Northampton Street Don your ugliest holiday sweater and come eat, drink and be merry. Dinner & drink specials, music with DJ Brad Scott Smith and lots of great prizes for the ugliest sweaters! Info: 484-546-9776, eastonpublicmarket.com Easton Area - Forks Township Tree Lighting Sunday, December 2 from 4:30-7:30 PM Forks Township Municipal Complex, 1606 Sullivan Trail Holiday activity stations and a Santa’s workshop.

Tree lighting Ceremony begins at 7 PM and will conclude with Santa’s arrival to Forks Township! Info: 610-250-2260, facebook.com/ events/193840381501482/?active_tab=about Easton Area - Palmer Township Holiday Fest & Tree Lighting Saturday, December 15 from 6-9 PM Charles Chrin Community Center of Palmer Township, 4100 Green Pond Road

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Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

Be on time for Santa’s arrival at 6:15 PM via a Palmer Fire Truck. There will also be live performances, refreshments and family-fun activities. Info: 610-2537191, facebook.com/events/1945519458855531 Emmaus’ Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration & Tree Lighting Saturday, December 1 from 11 AM-7 PM Triangle Park, Main Street in the center of downtown A day filled with family fun and festivities. Activities include pictures with Santa, the reading of Christmas

Winter 2018

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Tree Lightings, Santa Clause & Festive Fun! stories, live music, holiday doors and windows contest, Cheers Trail, cash trolley rides, tree lighting at 6 PM, and much more. Info: 610-573-4010, facebook. com/events/626344014421707 Hanover Township Tree Light Ceremony Friday, November 30 from 6-8 PM Hanover Township Community Center, 3660 Jacksonville Road Santa, hot chocolate bar, live reindeer, horse-drawn carriage rides through an illuminated path, arts/crafts, choirs, indoor snowball fight, and more. Info: 610317-8701, hanovercommunitycenter.com/meeting/ patriot-dayflag-retirement-ceremony Nazareth Christmas Tree Lighting Thursday, December 6 at 7 PM Center Square Kids come to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, receive a toy and candy. Holiday music and much more.

Info: 610-759-9188 Northampton Borough Annual Tree Lighting Sunday, November 25 at 5:50 PM Main Street & Laubach Avenue Holiday music provided by Good Shepard Catholic School Performing Arts Department Santa arrives at 6 PM with treats for all the children.

Info: 610-262-2576, northamptonboro.com/

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Tree Lightings, Santa Clause & Festive Fun! whats-happening South Whitehall Township Tree & Bridge Lighting Ceremony Saturday, December 1 from 5-8 PM 2466 Wehr Mill Road The Covered Bridge Park will twinkle for the holidays.

Come decorate the covered bridge, Corner Mill House, and holiday tree, all while enjoying family activities, s’mores stations, dance performances, and live entertainment. Info: 610-398-0401, southwhitehall. com/calendar/tree-and-bridge-lighting-ceremony-3 Wilson Borough Tree Lighting Meuser Park, 22nd & Northampton Streets November 30 from 7-8 PM Info: wilsonborough.org/event/tree-lighting-ceremonymeuser-park New Jersey

theclintonchristmasparade.com

Clinton Christmas Parade Friday, December 7 at 7 PM The parade takes place in the center of Clinton.

Floats will line up on New Street and Center Street east to CenturyLink. Viewing is allowed anywhere along the Parade Route. Info:

Frenchtown Tree Lighting & Santa Visit Saturday, December 1 from 2-5 PM (rain date December 8) Sunbeam Lenape Park (the park next to the Frenchtown-Uhlerstown bridge entrance) Santa will leave his reindeer at the North Pole and instead arrive in town by boat, along the banks of our beautiful river! Take your own photos with the Big Man in Red, enjoy crafts, hot chocolate and snacks and the Annual Tree Lighting at 5 PM. Info: lovefrenchtown.org Phillipsburg Tree Lighting & Santa Visit Monday, November 26 from 6-9 PM Shappell Park, 353 South Main Street Nearly 500 Phillipsburg children and their families will have the opportunity to meet and take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Each child in attendance will receive a new toy, a holiday bag full of gifts,

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Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

Winter 2018

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Tree Lightings, Santa Clause & Festive Fun! a warm hat, and a pair of gloves. Complimentary hot chocolate, hot dogs, crafts, books, a winter coat drive, and more will also be available, and 6 lucky families will have the chance to take home a fullydecorated Christmas tree at the end of the evening!

Info: facebook.com/events/288928481949951/?active_ tab=about, LaurenS@lehighvalleychamber.org

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center The Fine Art Galleries 522 W. Maple Street Allentown, PA 610-347-9988 Channeling Rage: Recent Paintings by Liz Bradbury thru December 28, and Dead & Alive: Floral Photography by Richard Begbie & Will HĂźbscher January 7-February 15, reception January 17, 6-8pm. Open MondayFridays 10am-6pm & during programs/events. bradburysullivancenter.org/ galleries

Allentown Art Museum 31 N. 5th Street Allentown, PA 610-432-4333 Molas: Social Fabric thru December 9, Power and Piety: Spanish Colonial Art thru December 9, Angel Suarez-Rosado: Talisman thru December 16, The Soviet Lens: Photography by Dmitri Baltermants and Mark Markov-Grinberg thru January 6, Stephen Antonakos: The Room Chapel thru May 19, Indian Sculpture: Avatars of the Hindu Gods thru June 2, Katagami: The Japanese Stencil thru July 28. Open WednesdaySaturday 11am-4pm (3rd Thursdays 11am-8pm) & Sunday 12-4pm. allentownartmuseum.org

The Alternative Gallery 707 N. 4th Street Allentown, Pennsylvania 610-462-3282 Makers: Paintings and Illustrations from Matt and Todd Juknevic November 29-December 31, reception November 29, 6-10pm. Open by appt. thealternativegallery.com Alvin H. Butz Gallery ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300 Sharon Bartmann and Gillian Pokalo: The Past is Present: Visions of Bethlehem Steel thru January 6. Open Monday-Wednesday 3:30-9pm, Thursday 4-11pm, Friday 4pm-12am, Saturday 11am-12am, and Sunday 12-9pm. artsquest.org/arts Arts Community of Easton: The Susan Huxley Gallery at the Quadrant 20 N. 3rd Street, Easton, PA 484-894-6652 Kristen Barnes, Cleaning Out The Closets: Artworks From 2004-2016 thru December 31. Open TuesdaySaturday 8am-5pm & Sunday 8am-4pm.

Banana Factory 25 W. 3rd Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300 Carol Guzy: Puerto Rico ÂĄAdelante! thru December 9, InVision College Photography Competition thru December 9, and 8th Annual InVision Juried Exhibition: The American Experience thru December 16. Open Monday-Friday 8am-9:30pm, Saturday & Sunday 8:30am-5pm. bananafactory.org/events/ exhibitions Bethlehem House Gallery 459 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-419-6262 The 2018 Holiday Show featuring Frank Smith, Khalil Allaik, Cheryl Elmo, Ward Van Haute, Al Johnson & Anthony Viscardi thru January 12. Open Wednesday-Thursday 11am-7pm, Friday-Saturday 129pm & Sunday 12-5pm (extended holiday hrs. online). bethlehemhousegallery.com

ARTSPACE Gallery Pocono Arts Council 18 N. Seventh Street, Stroudsburg, PA 570-476-4460 Annual Holiday Store thru January 4. Open TuesdayFriday 10am-4pm & Saturday-Sunday 12-4pm. poconoarts.org/artspace-gallery

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Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

Winter 2018

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Communications Hall Northampton Community College 3835 Green Pond Road Bethlehem, PA 610-861-5300 ArtsQuest InVision Photography Month Exhibit: Waiting Still thru December 15. Open Monday-Thursday 8am9pm & Friday-Saturday 8am-5pm. northampton. edu/news/ncc-eventscalendar.htm Connexions Gallery 213 Northampton Street, Easton, PA 610-250-7627 Annual Holiday Show & 15th Anniversary thru December 30, reception December 1, 7-10pm.

Open Monday 12-5pm, Thursday 12-7pm, Friday 12-8pm, Saturday 11am8pm & Sunday 12-6pm. connexionsgallery.com The David E. Rodale and Rodale Family Galleries The Baum School of Art 510 Linden Street, Allentown, PA 610-433-0032 Holiday Pop Up Shop December 1-20, reception December 1, 1-3pm, wine & cheese reception December 13, 6-8pm ; and Simply Still: Works

by Sandra Corpora, Lauren Kindle, Jacqueline Meyerson & Elena Shackleton January 10-February 7, reception January 17, 6-9pm. Open Monday-Thursday 9am-9pm, Friday & Saturday 9am-3pm. baumschool.org The Eagle Nest Gallery Nazareth Area High School E. Center Street, Nazareth, PA 610-759-1730 InVision Photo Festival thru December 20. Open MondayFriday 8am-3pm & during cultural events. hs.nazarethasd. org/en-gallery-home-page

Brick + Mortar Gallery 8 Centre Square, Easton, PA 610-829-1360 Return: Benjamin Long and Berrisford Boothe thru December 1, and Buyer’s Market: All works priced at $200 December 1529, reception December 15, 6-9pm. Open Friday 1-6pm, Saturday 12-6pm, by chance & by appt. brickandmortargallery.com Easton Hospital Gallery State Theatre Center for the Arts 5th & Northampton Streets Easton, PA 800-999-STATE Arts Community of Easton (ACE) Members’ Fall Exhibit thru December 23. Open 90 minutes prior to most performances. statetheatre. org/gallery Easton Public Market 325 Northampton Street Easton, PA info@eastonart.org Arts Community of Easton (ACE) Artists.

Open WednesdaySaturday 9am-7pm & Sunday 9am-5pm.

Forks Area Art Society Cottage in the Woods 700 Zucksville Road, Easton, PA 610-250-2260 Holiday Show and Market December 1-15.

Open Saturday 2-4pm & by appt. forksart.org Hunterdon Art Museum 7 Lower Center Street, Clinton, NJ 908-735-8415 Lace not Lace: Contemporary Fiber Art from Lacemaking Techniques, Walter Chandoha: A Lifetime of Photography, and 2018

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Members Exhibition thru January 6. Open TuesdaySunday 11am-5pm. hunterdonartmuseum.org IF Museum/Academy 107 N. 4th Street, Easton, PA 610-258-0777 Sasha Meret: Mixed-Media Sculptural Assemblage & Prints December 14-January 30, reception December 14, 5-9pm. Open Saturday-Sunday 12-5pm & by appt. facebook.com/IFMuseumAcademy Jewish Community Center of the LV Gallery at the J 702 N 22nd Street, Allentown, PA 610-435-357 Watercolor by David Lee and Photography by Todd Wilkinson thru January 4. Open Monday-Thursday: 6am9:30pm, Friday 6am-6pm, Saturday 8:30am-3pm & Sunday 8:30am-5pm. lvjcc.org/artgallery Lehigh University Art Galleries 420 E. Packer Avenue, Bethlehem, PA 610-758-3615 The Teaching Museum: Selections from the LUAG Teaching Museum Collection thru December 9. Open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-5pm & Sunday 1-5pm. luag.org Liberty Bell Museum Gallery 622 Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 610-435-4232 George Creegan: The Man Behind the Mouse thru December 31. Open Monday-Saturday 12-4pm (3rd Thursdays 12-8pm) & 2nd Sunday of the month 12-4pm. libertybellmuseum.org Martin Art Gallery Baker Center for the Arts - Muhlenberg College 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 484-664-3467 David Mann: In Focus thru January 2, and Claudia Bitran November 28-February 2, reception November 28, 5-6:30pm. Open Tuesday-Saturday 12-8pm. muhlenberg. edu/main/aboutus/gallery

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Payne Gallery Moravian College 346 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-861-1491 Picture This . . . Payne Gallery 1998-2018 Selections from the Permanent Collection November 29-January 14.

Open Tuesday-Sunday 12-4pm (closed major holidays & college breaks). moravian.edu/art/paynegallery

Gallery at St. John’s 330 Ferry Street Easton, PA 610-258-6119 Holiday Art Show: Fine Art & Fine Crafts for Holiday Gift Giving thru December 16. Open Sunday 12-3pm & by appt. stjohnseaston.org/ministries/gallery

ME-Art Studio 22 S. 3rd Street, 2nd floor Easton, PA 908-319-4864 Gallery and working studio of Beverly MurbachErhardt featuring watercolors, acrylics and art cards. Open ThursdaySaturday 11am-4pm. meartstudio.com The Museum of Ethnography 22 S. 3rd Street, 2nd floor Easton, PA 908-798-0805 Tolerant No Longer (6-minute film) thru September 30, 2019. Open Tuesday & Friday 11am4pm, Saturday 11am-2pm & by appt. maryaclarity.com National Museum of Industrial History 602 E. 2nd Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-694-6644 Gingerbread Bridges and 28

Skyscrapers Challenge thru December 30. Open Wednesday-Sunday 10am5pm. nmih.org Nazareth Center for the Arts 30 Belvidere Street Nazareth, PA 610-614-0404 Divine Decay: The Photography of Will Hubscher thru December 1. Open Thursday 6-8pm, Saturday 10am-12pm & by appt.

Ronald K. De Long Gallery Penn State Lehigh Valley 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley, PA 610-285-5261 Charles F. Stonewall: Between Silence and Light thru December 15. Open Monday-Thursday 11am5pm, Friday 11am-3pm & Saturday 10am-2pm. lehighvalley.psu.edu/ ronald-k-de-long-gallery Rotunda Gallery at City Hall 10 E. Church Street Bethlehem, PA 610-398-1451 Lehigh Valley Photography Club thru December 6, and Bethlehem Palette Club: Members Juried Exhibition December 12-February 3. Open Monday-Friday 8:30am4:30pm. bfac-lv.org

Nurture Nature Center 518 Northampton Street Easton, PA 610-253-4432 Perspectives 4: Art on Environment thru January 31. Open Wednesday 10am1pm, Thursday 6-9pm, Saturday 10am-4pm & by appt. nurturenaturecenter.org

Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

Winter 2018

Sigal Museum 342 Northampton Street Easton, PA 610-253-1222 Sign Language: Protest, Passion, and Politics, Photographs of Ed Eckstein thru January 6, and The Cat’s Meow: Lehigh Valley in the Age of Art Deco & the Roaring Twenties thru July 29.

Open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-4pm (Fourth Fridays 10am-9pm) & Sunday 124pm. sigalmuseum.org SmARTivities Showcase 60 Centre Square, Easton, PA 484-544-3954 Various artists on display and working studios, and 1st Annual Heritage Holiday Showcase December 8, 10am-4pm.

Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm & Sunday 125pm. smARTivities.net Williams Center Gallery Lafayette College 317 Hamilton Street Easton, PA 610-330-5361 William Wegman: Instant Miami thru December 8. Open Tuesday-Friday 11am-5pm, Thursday 11am-8pm, Saturday & Sunday 12-5pm, and performance nights 7:309:30pm. galleries.lafayette. edu/category/exhibitions Schmidtberger Fine Art Gallery 10 Bridge Street, Suite 7 Frenchtown, NJ 908-268-1700 Here in This World: Paintings by Lauren Kindle and Ellen Sapienza thru January 6, reception December 1, 5-7pm. Open FridaySunday 12-5pm. sfagallery.com

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Buck Hall Lafayette College N. 3rd Street, Easton, PA 610-330-3311 Winter Comedy Festival November 29-30, and National Theatre Live: Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime December 2. williamscenter.lafayette.edu Bucks County Playhouse 70 South Main Street, New Hope, PA 215-862-2121 I Hate Hamlet thru December 1, and Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG Playhouse Christmas Show December 7-30. bcptheater.org Country Gate Theatre 114 Greenwich Street, Belvidere, NJ 908-475-1104 Godspell December 1-9. countrygate.org

Civic Theatre of Allentown 527 N. 19th Street, Allentown, PA 610 -432-8943 A Christmas Carol November 30-December 15 (19th Street Theatre), and The Santaland Diaries December 7-16 (Theatre514). civictheatre.com

DeSales University Act 1 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley, PA 610-282-3192 Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley November 28-December 9, and Gaudeamus December 2-8. desales.edu/act1 Hunterdon Hills Playhouse 88 Route 173 West, Hampton, NJ 800-447-7313 Christmas in the Air thru December 20, and The Mahoney Brothers Rock and Roll Christmas Party December 7 & 27. hhplayhouse.com Muhlenberg College Theatre 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 484-664-3333 New Voices | New Visions November 28-December 2. muhlenberg.edu/main/academics/theatre-dance

Pennsylvania Playhouse 390 Illick’s Mill Road, Bethlehem, PA 610-865-6665 A Broadway Christmas Carole thru December 16. paplayhouse.org Shawnee Playhouse River Road, Shawnee-On-Delaware, PA 570-421-5093 2018 Cabarets thru December 20, A Winnie-The-Pooh Christmas Tail thru December 22, Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol thru December 23, The Nutcracker Ballet December 1-21, and Hollydaze Kidz Kabaret December 6-13. theshawneeplayhouse.com

Pennsylvania Youth Theatre PYT Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1400 Annie December 7-16 at Charles A. Brown Historic Ice House, 56 River St., Bethlehem, PA. 123pyt.org

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Arts & Entertainment Sing for America Easton, PA 610-417-2189 Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory December 1931 at Mauch Chunk Opera House, 14 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA. singforamerica.net Star of the Day McCoole’s Arts & Events Place 10 S. Main Street, Quakertown, PA 484-809-9228 Scrooge: The Musical November 30-December 15. staroftheday.org State Theatre Center for the Arts 453 Northampton Street, Easton, PA 800-999-STATE Spamalot November 28-29, The Priests November 30, Christmas Wonderland Holiday Spectacular December 1, Kenny G: The Miracle Holiday & Hits Tour December 6, Straight No Chaser: One Shot Tour December 8, Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker December 9, A Magical Cirque Christmas December 21, and The Wizards of Winter December 23. statetheatre.org

Touchstone Theatre 321 E. 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-867-1689 Christmas City Follies XIX December 6-23. touchstone.org Williams Center for the Arts Lafayette College 317 Hamilton Street, Easton, PA 610-330-5009 Jazz Combos I & II November 26, Concert Chorus December 1, Chamber Orchestra December 2, Percussion Ensemble December 3, Concert Band December 8, and The Marquis Consort December 9. williamscenter.lafayette.edu Zoellner Arts Center Lehigh University 420 E. Packer Avenue, Bethlehem, PA 610-758-2787 ext 0 Stomp November 30, LU Jazz Orchestra, Ensemble, Funk Band & Combo December 1, LU Wind Ensemble: 1968 December 2, LU Philharmonic: Concerto Marathon December 7-8, LU Choral Arts: Christmas Vespers December 9, Pennsylvania Youth Ballet: The Nutcracker December 1516, Lightwire Theater: A Very Electric Christmas December 22, and PA Philharmonic: Holiday Brass December 23. zoellner.cas2.lehigh.edu

Pines Dinner Theatre 448 N. 17th Street Allentown, PA 610-433-2333 Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland thru December 23. pinesdinnertheatre.com

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Winter 2018

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“Reel” yourself in to a local theatre this holiday season and enjoy some classic Christmas cinema

by Lydia E. Bruneo The holiday season is upon us and what better way to embrace the Christmas spirit than to cozy up in a local independent theatre to watch Christmas Classic Films. Santa Claus, directed by George Albert Smith, is believed to be the very first Christmas film, as well as the first to contain a depiction of Santa Claus.

Starring Laura Bayley, Harold Smith and Dorothy Smith, the silent film was released in the United Kingdom in September 1898 with a run time of 1 minute and 16 seconds. It is one of the most visually and conceptually sophisticated films made up to this point in history. It can be viewed online at: youtube.com/ watch?v=bmSJ5SAXHws. Most of us are more familiar with the classics spanning the mid-1900s to the present time, and for many families, it has become a household tradition to view these films each year during the holiday season. The older classics evoke a sense of kindness and giving and togetherness, some igniting a flame to keep our spirits alive even if current circumstances are unfortunate—It’s A Wonderful Life (1947) and The Bishop’s Wife (1947) come to mind. Others are entertaining in a way that keeps our hearts light and full of laughter and joy—Holiday Inn (1942) and Christmas in Connecticut (1945) are perfect examples. And of course, Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is a Christmas must! The film has been preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.

More recent Christmas classics set the tone with comedy for our enjoyment, but a heartfelt message is almost always woven into the framework—National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) and Home Alone (1990) are just two examples of pre-millennial favorites. The new millennium brought us Elf (2003), which parallels the concept of Miracle on 34th Street.

A year later we were gifted with the magical experience of The Polar Express (2004), which inspired a train ride experience that spread across the United States and has become a family tradition loved by adults and children alike.

Whichever your favorites are, Civic Theatre in Allentown, Emmaus Theatre, Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas in Bethlehem and the Roxy Theatre in Northampton are all offering the joy and tradition of timeless holiday films this year. Please find information below:

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Civic Theatre of Allentown 19th Street Theatre - 527 North 19th Street Allentown, PA 18104 Theatre514 - 514 North 19th Street Allentown, PA 18104 610-432-0888 - civictheatre.com Join Civic Theatre of Allentown for their annual Holiday Classic series, viewing your favorite Christmas films!

The Bishop’s Wife - Sunday, December 16th at 7 PM in Theatre514 $10 Adults, $8 Student/Senior/Military, $6 Members An angel in human form enters the life of a bishop in order to help him build a new cathedral and repair his fractured marriage. From 1947, starring Carey Grant and Loretta Young. Not rated, run time is 1 hour 47 minutes.

Winter 2018

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Filmology It’s A Wonderful Life - Monday, December 17 at 7 PM in Theatre514 $10 Adults, $8 Student/Senior/Military, $6 Members An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed. From 1947, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. Rated PG, run time is 2 hours 10 minutes.

Christmas Silent Films with Don Kinnier - Tuesday, December 18 at 7 PM in the newly renovated 19th Street Theatre $12 Adults, $10 Student/Senior/Military, $8 Members Don Kinnier joins Civic Theatre once again for a fabulous night of music and laughter. There will be three silent films to view: The Adventures of the Wrong Santa Clause, The Electric House with Buster Keaton, and Big Business with Laurel and Hardy. These short films are all unrated, but family friendly.

Emmaus Theatre 19 South 4th Street, Emmaus, PA 18049 610-965-2878 - emmaustheatre.com Emmaus Theatre joins in the season of giving this year. The theatre will collect canned food items that will be donated to local families in need of help during the holidays. Support a good cause, spend time with your family and see a great movie!

The Polar Express - December 1 at 2:30 PM Free admission with a canned food item On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas. Rated G, run time is 1 hour 40 minutes.

Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 18015 610-297-7100 - steelstacks.org/about/venues-at-steelstacks/frank-banko-alehouse-cinemas Miracle on 34th Street - Thursday & Friday, November 29 & 30 & Saturday, December 1 at 12:30 PM Part of Christmas Classic Matinees $10 Regular, $8 Student/Senior, $7.50 ArtsQuest Member The holiday is in full swing when a cultured gentleman with twinkling eyes, an ample belly, and a snow-white beard is hired as a Macy’s department store Santa. He claims his name is Kris Kringle, and he soon fills everyone with Christmas spirit… except his boss, Doris Walker, who’s raising her daughter to not believe in Santa. But when Kringle is declared insane, and put on trial, everyone’s faith is put to the test as young and old alike ask the age-old question: Do you believe in Santa Claus? Not rated, run time is 1 hour 36 minutes.

Home Alone - Wednesday, December 5 at 7:30 PM Part of the Holiday Quote-Along Series $10 Regular, $8 Student/Senior, $7.50 ArtsQuest Member Home Alone is the highly successful and beloved family comedy about a young boy named Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) who is accidentally left behind when his family takes off for a vacation in France over the holiday season. Once he realizes they’ve left him home alone, he learns to fend for himself and, call 610-258-4330 to advertise

eventually has to protect his house against two bumbling burglars (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) who are planning to rob every house in Kevin’s suburban Chicago neighborhood. Rated PG, run time is 1 hour 43 minutes.

The Bishop’s Wife - Thursday & Friday, December 6 & 7 at 12:30 PM & Saturday, December 8, at 12:45 PM Part of Christmas Classic Matinees $10 Regular, $8 Student/Senior, $7.50 ArtsQuest Member Heavenly bells are ringing, jubilant choirs are singing, and Christmas joy is blanketing the world like freshly fallen snow. But the Yuletide spirit has yet to warm Bishop Henry Brougham’s Victorian home. Struggling to raise funds for a new cathedral, the preoccupied young clergyman has neglected his loving wife, Julia, and now only divine intervention can save their marriage! But the powerful and handsome angel sent from above has a mind of his own… and teaching Henry an immortal lesson in romance isn’t all he has planned! Not rated, run time is 1 hour 49 minutes.

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Filmology Elf - Thursday, December 6 at 7:30 PM Part of the Holiday Quote-Along Series $10 Regular, $8 Student/Senior, $7.50 ArtsQuest Members Buddy is different from all of Santa’s other elves. For one thing, he’s a “cotton-headed ninny muggins” when it comes to making toys. For another, he’s 6’3”. And the real clincher: he’s human! So one special December, Buddy sets off on a holiday adventure to New York City in quest of his real dad.

How Buddy finds his father and the meaning of Christmas is a joyous, jaunty, sweet-as-a-candy-cane gift for everyone who loves bright contemporary comedy - and timeless all-family classics. Rated PG, run time is 1 hour 37 minutes.

The Polar Express - Saturday, December 8, 2018 @ 10:30 AM Part of the Second Saturday Kids Movie Series Free; reserve tickets by calling 610-332-3378 or in person at the ArtsQuest Center Box Office.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and based on children’s author Chris Van Allsburg’s modern holiday classic of the same name, The Polar Express revolves around Billy, who longs to believe in Santa Claus but finds it quite difficult to do so, what with his family’s dogged insistence that all of it, from the North Pole, to the elves, to the man himself, is all just a myth. This all changes, however, on Christmas Eve, when a mysterious train visits Billy in the middle of the night, promising to take him and a group of other lucky children to the North Pole for a visit with Santa. The train’s conductor along with the other passengers help turn Billy’s crisis in faith into a journey of self-discovery. Rated G, run time is 1 hour 40 minutes.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation - Wednesday & Thursday, December 12 & 13 at 7:30 PM (reserved seating)* Part of the Holiday Quote-Along Series $10 Regular, $8 Student/Senior, $7.50 ArtsQuest Member As the holidays approach, Clark Griswold (Chase) wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife, Ellen (D’Angelo), and children, as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. However, things go awry quickly. His hick cousin, Eddie (Quaid), and

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his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Even worse, Clark’s employers renege on the holiday bonus he needs. Rated PG-13, run time is 1 hour 37 minutes *Film Appreciation Seminar: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is December 12 from 6:30-9:45PM ($20, $15 Student/Senior, $7.50 ArtsQuest Members). Film Appreciation Seminars offer a fun and eye-opening approach to further understanding cinema’s most popular films. These seminars take place at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas and one registration includes a preliminary in-depth lecture before the film, a ticket to the film itself, and a talkback after the film.

Christmas in Connecticut - Thursday, Friday & Saturday, December 13, 14 & 15 at 12:30 PM Part of Christmas Classic Matinees $10 Regular, $8 Student/Senior, $7.50 ArtsQuest Member A magazine columnist totally devoid of the homemaking skills espoused in her column had better get some fast. Her boss has invited himself and a recently returned war hero to her home for Christmas. Laughs, romance, holiday cheer: That’s the recipe Barbara Stanwyck and a stellar company follow in this perennial favorite. Not rated, run time is 1 hour 41 minutes.

It’s a Wonderful Life - Thursday, Friday & Saturday, December 20, 21 & 22 at 12:30 PM (reserved seating December 22) Part of Christmas Classic Matinees $10 Regular, $8 Student/Senior, $7.50 ArtsQuest Member

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Filmology

George Bailey is a small-town man whose life seems so desperate he contemplates suicide. He had always wanted to leave Bedford Falls to see the world, but circumstances and his own good heart have led him to stay. He sacrificed his education for his brother’s, kept the family-run savings and loan afloat, protected the town from the avarice of the greedy banker Mr. Potter, and married his childhood sweetheart. As he prepares to jump from a bridge, his guardian angel intercedes, showing him what life would have become for the residents of Bedford Falls if he had never lived. Rated PG, run time is 2 hours 10 minutes.

Roxy Theatre 2004 Main Street, Northampton, PA 18067 610-262-7699 - roxytheaternorthampton.com Roxy Theatre in conjunction with Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce also joins in the season of giving this year with Roxy Holiday Movie Night. Canned food donations will be collected for the Northampton Food Bank. Come out to celebrate the holiday season with the Northampton Community! ‌and wear your pajamas!

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Holiday Inn - Thursday, December 13 at 1 PM & 7:30 PM Free admission with a canned food item. At an inn that is only open on holidays, a crooner and a hoofer vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer. Not rated, run time is 1 hour 40 minutes.

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IRREGULAR BOOKSHELF

WITH CAROLE J. HEFFLEY

*****CHRISTMAS IN HARMONY by Philip Gully, HarperOne ©2002, 96 pgs., hardcover “Write what you know”, is one of the first tips writers get and so real-life author and Quaker minister Philip Gully latched onto that idea when he wrote this charming little tale of a Quaker pastor, Sam Gardner, and his church in the fictional town of Harmony as Christmas is nearing. Pastor Lindley tried to dissuade Sam (when he was a teenager) from being a pastor but Sam was adamant and this year he is thinking over his calling as he shepherds the unruly (and inventive) bunch of his church elders towards Christmas Eve and the church traditions he holds so dear.

One of the elders, Dale Hinshaw, has other ideas, however, and Sam is hard put to hold the reins in as Dale plans for a progressive nativity so that there will not be a traditional Christmas Eve celebration at the church. Dale does not want a bunch of cookie crumbs that strangers leave behind to clean up from the usual after-service homemade cookies that are distributed. Dale is also planning a “security” training class for other church members in case security is needed to protect the nativity displays replete with advertising, that he is planning. Mayhem and hilarity ensue.

This is a delightful book that can be read in an evening. Look for a used copy online. (Great stocking stuffer!) *****GIDEON’S GIFT by Karen Kingsbury, Faith Words, Hachette Book Group ©2002, 160 pgs., hardcover This book pulls out all the stops for sentimentality in a sweet Christmas story that could have been titled “The Red Gloves” as a pair of red gloves figures prominently in the story. Big Earl is the archetypical homeless man: hating the world, dirty, and mean. Gideon is a sweet little girl with leukemia and the kindest world-view ever. How these two meet and their stories collide is the crux of the novel. Christmas is coming and Gideon’s family has no resources to make it the pretend bountiful one of Gideon’s dreams. The medical costs for Gideon’s illness have depleted all of the savings and resources that her father and mother have added to the fact that her father’s workplace has reduced his hours of work to just twelve a week. Who can live on that? Yet hope struggles to burn brightly in the hearts of Gideon, her parents and her younger brother. Gideon’s only chance at beating the leukemia is a bone marrow transplant that costs $50,000, an impossible sum for her parents to raise. Big Earl has but one possession, a pair of red gloves, that he guards with his life.

The gloves are the only things that keep Earl going despite the fact that he desperately wants to die. His backstory is kept secret until near the end of the book. But Christmas Eve is getting closer and closer and the book ends with an O. Henry flair. If you like Christmas stories such as Miracle on 34th Street, you will love Gideon’s Gift. This book belongs right up there on a shelf with the classics of Christmas reading.

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2

****CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDER by Leslie Meier, Kensington ©2013, 272 pgs., hardcover Ms. Meier is a mystery writer who has written a gentle mystery about every imaginable holiday. Her credits include: Turkey Day Murder, Easter Bunny Murder, Wedding Day Murder … you get the idea. This one is a “Lucy Stone Mystery”, maybe they all are.

Lucy Stone, the main character in the Christmas Carol Murder, is the one and only reporter for the Tinker’s Cove, Maine, “Pennysaver”. While the town is preparing to present A Christmas Carol by the theatre group, the real-life town Scrooge is blown up in his house by someone with a grudge . . . and that includes just about everyone in Tinker’s Cover. While Lucy is working on the story of the murder for the Pennysaver, she meets up with suspects galore, all of them either friends or acquaintances who live in town. The Scrooge in the story is Jake Marlowe (get it— Jacob Marley??). With his partner, Ben Scribner, Jake has been foreclosing on the good people of Tinker’s Cove right and left as the story takes place during the

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Irregular Bookshelf height of the housing bubble bust and recession. Plenty of people are mad, mad enough to do old Jake in with a fake Christmas gift wrapped and sent to his house. Though I would not put Christmas Carol Murder on the same bookshelf as anything by Agatha Christie, this book is a satisfying read and a decent page-turner as the mystery of whodunit goes deeper and deeper; even Lucy’s boss at the Pennysaver is a suspect worth considering! I would definitely read this author again and maybe someone on your Christmas list would enjoy it, too.

NON-FICTION

*****SILENT NIGHT: THE STORY OF THE WORLD WAR I CHRISTMAS TRUCE by Stanley Weintraub, Plume, Penguin Books ©2002, 204 pgs., paperback If you only read one non-fiction book this Christmas (other than the Bible, that is) I have to recommend this one. Written from accounts of live interviews, newspaper articles of the time of WWI and later, and diaries, Silent Night is a story told with the raw emotion and true remembrances of the men who were there in the muddy, vermin infested, freezing trenches of France in 1914. People Magazine called it “A moving story of horror taking a holiday.” The story is told by the men who fought on both sides of the war. I have seen the play, read the book and have the DVD to see later and the story leaves me weeping each time. There is not one hero that the story follows but rather an ongoing collection of stories from the soldiers themselves. At the time, the generals on both sides downplayed and pretended that the event did not happen as they did not want their soldiers to see the soldiers on the other side as real human beings, just like themselves. After all, that might make men unwilling to fight and kill their enemy. The entire book makes war look absurd and for that reason alone it should be required reading in every school. In Silent Night we can follow the observations and comments from the men who wore kilts under their great coats of goatskin, men wearing turbans from India, burly Cossacks from Russia, and the Saxons and Prussians of Germany. Commanding officers on both sides were disciplined by their superiors following reports of the fraternization that occurred. These soldiers are all gone now. Gone like both of my grandfathers whose photographs in their WWI uniforms look down at me from my bedroom wall. I cannot possibly give enough praise to this book, possibly the best book on WWI ever written. No, it is not a complete history of “The Great War”, but perhaps a history nevertheless of a single event that gives men and

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women hope for a genuine peace someday among just everyday plain folks getting along with their neighbors. Any history buff will love this book! *****SANTA CLAUS: A GUIDEBOOK FOR GROWN-UPS by Richard F. Hope, Original Text ©1996-2007, 189 pgs., paperback Easton resident Richard F. Hope is well known for his extensive and exhaustive histories of downtown individual properties and the town’s historical beginnings. He is also a professor at Lehigh University and attorney with expertise in international law. Is Santa Claus real? Mr. Hope poses the question in all seriousness and then answers it. Mr. Hope writes: “Fundamentally, children envision Santa Claus as an intelligent, extra-human being, who plans, directs, and executes a ritual gift-giving each year. Adults and other children quickly recognize that no single being or organization really does exist to do all these things. And because no one is officially responsible they often mistakenly conclude that “Santa Claus” does not exist. This conclusion is incorrect, in even the most unsentimental and logical of terms.” For an attorney and person who is grounded in logic and logical thinking, Mr. Hope’s opening statement may seem a bit silly, but, wait, by the time you are finished reading this book, you, too, will see the reality of Santa Claus in a whole new light.

From an exploration of the life of the real Saint Nicholas who was born around 280 A.D. and by whose life of charity is said to have become the gift-giving of today, to Santa Claus traditions around the world (Philippines, Brazil, Norway, Russia, etc.), Mr. Hope leads readers to the logical conclusion: there is a Santa Claus because…

Well, you will have to read the book to find out the startling truth about Santa Claus for yourself. Order a copy online at www.Lulu Press.com priced at $15.0; allow at least a week for delivery. So order soon for Christmas reading and make any unbeliever a true believer by Christmas Eve! Believe!

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GARDENING

NATURAL WREATHS article and photos by Pam Ruch Many years ago I made pinecone and nut wreaths. I used wire to secure the cones to a metal hoop, and drilled little holes in all of the nuts. It took weeks, and my hands were rough and scarred for days afterwards and I thought, “I’ll never do this again!” In fact, it has been my lifelong pattern to tackle tough crafting projects—caning, upholstering, knitting a Nordic sweater—and then dusting my hands with a “Done, and done” and a “Never again!”

But … that was then and this is now. We have glue sticks and cheap (or free) old electric skillets. And the garden is crashing down upon itself, and beautiful, intricate cones and acorns and hickory nuts are on the ground for the taking! Yes, ‘tis the time to make a natural wreath that will be the envy of the neighborhood.

And that’s not the only benefit! Leading wreath-making workshops for several years has clued me in to a fact of human nature: People love to play, yet most “grown up” people are play-deprived!

The process of wreath making is creative, messy, fun play at its best.

So here’s an idea: Gather your materials and invite a few friends over for a wreath-making play date.

Dried okra pods and fruit slices make unique wreath adornments.

HERE’S A HOW-TO: To Do in Fall: • Collect pine and spruce cones, coneflower and tree peony seed heads, horse chestnuts, milkweed pods cleaned of their fluff, or anything else you find interesting. This is great motivation for taking a walk in woods or meadows, which we should all do more of any-

way. The clusters of miniature cones that you often find under larch trees are particularly fetching.

• From the garden or at your local farmers’ market, get chili peppers and okra. For the adventurous gardener: Broomcorn, a type of sorghum that can grow 15 feet tall, makes an interesting addition.

Cinnamon sticks are also good accents.

• Lay everything—cones, nuts, seed heads, chilis—on a table covered with cardboard to dry, or you can hang bunches of okra, chili peppers, and flowers from your lighting fixtures (for an authentic country chic look!).

• Find an electric skillet, the cheaper the better, and purchase a few pounds of 10-inch hot melt glue sticks.

• If you wish, buy some spray paint and/or glitter spray. White or silver painted twigs can be attractive on wreaths, and gold-dusted dried okra pods are absolutely luminous! If your wreath will be viewed from a distance, silver-sprayed pinecones will be more visible than natural cones.

• If you wish, buy some wired 1½- or 3-inch burlap ribbon, or some raffia.

• If you wish, slice oranges, lemons, and limes into very thin slices, and dry them in the oven at 225° for several hours.

To Do One Day Before: • Purchase pre-made, very basic wreaths. These will serve as your starting point.

Broomcorn, actually a sorghum, adds an interesting texture to a wreath.

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• Gather a variety of greens. Many homeowners will be happy to have you do some light pruning on their shrubs, but ask first, of course. Arborvitae is plentiful and texturally appealing. Look for

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Gardening blue juniper with juniper berries, and yellow chamaecyparis, also known as gold thread cypress—blues and yellows add interest. And don’t neglect broad leaf evergreens, particularly Southern magnolia and boxwood. The more greens you add to your wreath, the better it will look.

• And Now, the Fun Part: Turn on the skillet (not too hot!) and melt the glue sticks. Lay out your various treasures. Start by deciding where the top of your wreath will be, and attaching a wire loop on the back for hanging. Determine whether you want a bow and if so make an abundantly full one and attach it firmly with florist wire to top, bottom, or side.

• Next, add lots of greens, so many that you won’t even be able to see the original purchased wreath! Notice that your purchased wreath has a flow, that is, the greens are wired all in the same direction. Cut small sprigs of arborvitae, juniper, magnolia, and other greens and dip the ends into the glue pot one by one, tucking each into the wreath firmly, following the direction of flow. Keep doing this—the more the better.

• Finally, choose your cones, nuts, fruit slices and other adornments.

Still going “with the flow”, glue them into place. Be creative. You can even add a little glitz at the end, such as a few small silver or gold ornaments, or you can spritz the whole wreath with glitter spray.

There’s no right way or wrong way to make a wreath. After all, it’s your creation.

• And then, the not-so-fun part: cleanup. Ah, but the playful experience, and your exceptional wreath, were so worth it!

Horticulturist and writer Pam Ruch, caretaker of the Nurture Nature Center Urban Recycle Garden, tends gardens in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. Visit nurturenaturecenter.org for details about NNC’s wreath workshop on Thursday, December 6.

IN A NUTSHELL: FIVE STEPS TO A BEAUTIFUL NATURAL WREATH 1) Collect and dry: cones, nuts, pods, flowers, chili peppers, sliced citrus, etc.

2) Gather your tools and materials: electric skillet, glue sticks, florist wire, pruners, spray paints (optional), wired burlap for bow (optional).

3) Cut a variety of greens, including broadleaf evergreens.

4) Purchase a simple wreath. If you want to use a bow, wire this on first.

5) Create your natural wreath. Attach the (optional) bow first, and then dip the ends of your greens into glue and tuck them into place. Then do the same with cones, nuts, and other additions as desired.

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IRREGULAR BEATS

CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH: A CONVERSATION WITH GODFREY DANIELS’ DAVE FRY & RAMONA LABARRE article and photos

by Janene Otten A true original, Godfrey Daniels is the Lehigh Valley’s “original live music listening room” and has a storied history. Its inside walls are covered with it and the musicians who come to play at the intimate space embody it.

It is a place that belongs to its members and its audiences. The very sense of belonging is what founder Dave Fry says has great appeal for guests and musicians that come here. I had a revealing conversation with Dave and Managing Director Ramona LaBarre about the past, present and future of the venerable nonprofit corporation.

The Past…

DAVE FRY: I graduated from Lehigh in `73 with an arts-engineering degree…but started working as a carpenter which allowed me to perform at night and make some money during the day. We were playing at what was the Lehigh Tavern, which is now the Funhouse. They had music five or six nights a week. So…I expressed the fact [to the owner] that it would be nice to have a place where people listened; where you would play and people would listen. It was this intersection of being an audience and being a performer…I wanted to optimize that experience. And he said, ‘Well, there’s an empty doughnut shop next door. Maybe we could start there.’ So that’s what we did. We didn’t have a liquor license, which turned out to be a good thing because it really made it possible for that intersection to really happen quickly. And there was encouragement not only from the audience but from the performers who realized how valuable that nexus is. Word got out locally as well as nationally. We were able to build a pretty strong core of musicians who also spread the word.

The Present…

IRREGULAR BEATS: Talk to me about the younger generation of people coming here.

RAMONA LABARRE: Okay, well one of them would be a local by the name of Serene Green. They’re a quartet in their 20s I guess, and they really are attracted to or more touched by bluegrass music. They are huge fans of John Hartford’s. They’re coming on Thanksgiving Sunday, just a duo of the band, in a John Hartfort tribute that they’re putting together with some friends. The torch is definitely being handed down and carried. One thing that I’ve seen over my few years here that really touches me [Ramona started volunteering in 1987] is that sometimes we have the children of the artists who were playing here back then that are playing here now.

And they are known. I’m not talkin’ about just locals. Jay Ungar.

Ashokan Farewell. The fiddler.

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DF: He wrote for the Civil War theme—the Ken Burns series.

He’s internationally known. His daughter Ruthy has a wonderful folk band. They’ve been here.

RL: It’s actually a folk-rock band called The Mammals and they tear it up! So, to me, seeing that…Tony Trischka, a renowned banjo player... He was Béla Fleck’s banjo teacher! He brought Béla here in the ‘90s. But the last time Tony was here with a band, his son Sean was on drums. That, to me, is just IT. It’s a gift, or a result of the venue being around as long as it has been, since 1976. John Gorka, who you may have heard of, was attending Moravian College, attended our open mics…and now he comes and plays here.

DF: One of the things that [we] stress in general is not only the ability to see national acts in a small venue but have the space available for our jams so that this next generation has a point to practice and learn the material. We have the longest running open mic. In fact, this last Sunday we featured a 20-year-old Joel Keeley, from Gilbertsville, PA. Extraordinary guitar player. He was doing Merle Haggard, he was doing Dan Fogelberg. Then he gets out his banjo and plays old time banjo; tunes that he’s written.

The Future…

RL: We’re talking about starting a songwriter jam.

DF: …it’s great to be able to present the pros and it’s important for the club to give to the community; to give them an open creative space to develop their own music.

RL: …that is every Tuesday and Wednesday night there’s a jam going on, free and open to the public where anybody can come.

And speaking of youthful artists, we collaborate with the Charter Arts high school (Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts).

They’re in here for what we’ve come to call Charter Arts Thursdays and it might be their jazz band or a group of vocalists, songwriters, they do play readings maybe two Thursdays a month. So,

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Irregular Beats out of that community comes a young woman by the name of Jordyn Kenzie. She’s just a talented, gifted artist who’s grown up in the Lehigh Valley Community. She’ll be coming in March for sort of an “in the round” with two other young women singer-songwriters.

What we figured out a while ago is we can bring the young artists in but it’s not always a young audience who follows them.

DF: We [continue to] do a Tuesday show, I think one of the very few archive radio shows in the United States right now. Thanks to Lehigh University we are able to maintain archives in the proper way. Lehigh is our link. They want to make it available. I’m working on a book about the history of Godfrey’s. That will be out next year some time. It’s the history, all the artwork—a celebration of all the different graphic artists that’ve had a part in it. Jeff Gamon’s doing an article from the aspect of the press, various stories, essays.

Reviews, photos. We know everybody who’s played here so that’s crammed in there.

There’s gonna be a look at the each year with photos. Two major songwriters are coming in to do workshops.

IB: Ramona, describe your role and some initiatives you’ve started here.

tablished acts not only to give the younger folks stage time but to introduce these acts to our older audience. And that’s what she does so well.

RL: I think we are doing more collaborative efforts with the community. And this is my mentor sitting here [gestures to Dave].

RL: Thank you, Dave.

DF: I can leave the room…

RL: [laughs] We partner with Musikfest, the Celtic Classic and with the Charter Arts High School, with Touchstone Theatre, with WDIY… DF: South Side Arts District RL: We try to be more out there and not just right here. Because there’s a membership, people misconstrue that. A membership is to support the club in the same way as public television and radio. People have the mistaken idea that it’s a private club. I try to balance the newer artists with the folks who’ve been coming around for a long time. We’re writing grants because we wouldn’t be here without those kinds of gifts.

DF: Also, Ramona will book opening acts, get the younger acts to open for the more es-

IB: Where else do you look for new talent?

RL: I live what I like to call a music lifestyle. I’m married to a musician. He runs a weekly jam down in Boyertown and so we’re really exposed to a lot of people. We have an open mic feature here that’s a 25-minute set that’s apart from the regulars that get 3 songs…it elevates our open mic a bit. People want to come and be a part of that.

DF: She has a very hard job in that Godfrey’s is nationally and internationally known so she’s getting pounded with people that want to play. When I was booking the club it drove me nuts because it’s really hard to say no to good people but we are the Lehigh Valley and despite the reputation that doesn’t mean we have full houses to offer to these acts. So, Ramona has to be judicious in booking acts that know how to play a club like this as opposed to being good at a bar.

RL: A lot of people come to us saying ‘I’ll fill your room. I’ll pack your house.’ That’s easy to do over there because there’s not usually a cover or maybe it’s five bucks to get in. But is your audience gonna give us $18 or even $15 to come in? Unfortunately, it’s not like that. In a nice way, I’ve learned—Dave had his own way, I think it’s a nice way—to say I’m sorry but there are an infinite number of artists that we would like bring in but we only have a finite number of nights. It’s hard.

DF: It’s the hardest thing I had to do; to learn how to say no.

Thanks to Dave & Ramona for talking to us and for all they have done to keep Godfrey Daniels going. You can find the events calendar and more at www.godfreydaniels.org

RL: …more than two. We’ve gotten it up to four now. We’re running a songwriting workshop series next year: January to June. It’s going to dovetail into something called Festival UnBound that Touchstone [Theatre] is producing next October. Ours is a bi-weekly series and John Gorka’s doing one of them. Tish Hinojosa from Texas is doing one. Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche are doing one. Erin McKeown is doing one. Anne Hills is kind of orchestrating, organizing the whole thing.

There’s a spoken word artist Deidre [Van Waters] from Basement poets. call 610-258-4330 to advertise

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Irregular Eats Who’s “Bowl of Red” will you choose on Game Day? November 1 was on a Thursday this year so the Holiday Season begins early with the Easton v. Phillipsburg football game on Thanksgiving Day and ends with Pearly Baker’s 24th annual Super Bowl of Chili Cook Off on February 3, at 11 Centre Square in downtown Easton, PA. Before the big game 20 local restaurants are judged by how well they make a “bowl of red”.

There are several theories on the origins of chili. Canary Islanders settling in San Antonio play a role in most of these stories. Their women would set up stalls on market day and sell bowls of chopped meat in a chili sauce. They might add some cumin and oregano and maybe some masa to thicken but that was about it.

Visitors took the recipe to the far corners of the United States and by 1893 chilis were competing at the San Antonio Chili

Stand at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

The original is the “bowl of red”. A good sized bowl of this is only $4 at Taste Bud’s On Main, 95 South Main in Phillipsburg, NJ. Bud offers a meaty home made chili with medium heat.

Once the recipe traveled out of Texas cooks started adding tomatoes and beans and sugar. Angelo’s Restaurant at 14 North 4th Street in Downtown Easton is an example of this.

Others fancy it up with toppings like cheese and sour cream.

Porter’s Pub at 700 Northampton Street in Easton does this.

Panera at 2224 Southmont Way in Bethlehem Township makes their version with sugar, chickpeas and carrots.

A third category of chili is encountered when immigrants add the flavors of their homelands into the dishes of their adopted countries. The Burger Shack in Whitehall at 2011 North 1st Street adds Greek flavors to theirs.

I’ve heard of some that I have yet to explore. Pop’s Kitchen and Tap Room, 480 Industrial Drive and Three Mugs Pub at 1853 Northampton Street in Wilson Borough are examples.

Spend your winter getting to know what you like because the people choose a winner at the cook off.

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Winter 2018

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IRREGULAR EVENTS ONGOING: Book & Puppet Co. Free Events: Story Hour Tues.-Sat. 10:30-11:30am; Fractured Fables Puppet Show every Sat. & Sun. 1-2pm; Meet a Storybook Character every Sat. & Sun. 2pm; Jazz Concert with Andy Laties 1st Thurs. 7-8pm; Writers Read Open Mic 1st Fri. 7-9pm; Writers Group 3rd Thur. 7-9pm; Comics Jam 4th Sat. 4-6pm; and Stitch n’ B!tch 2nd & 4th Sun. 5-8pm. 466 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 484-541-5379, bookandpuppet.com Chapter #14, Soc. PA Archaeology Meeting: Bring your Indian artifacts for typing, age determination. Every Thur.

7pm. Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Place, Easton, PA. Info: Len Ziegler 908-750-4110 Cops ‘n’ Kids Reading Room Story, Craft & 3 free books. 1st & 3rd Sat. 10am12pm and every Thurs. 11am7pm (Dec. 1: Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth read-aloud story, and decorate your very own gingerbread cookie, 10am; Dec. 15: How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess read-aloud story, and science experiment to grow the Grinch’s small heart a few times larger, 10am). Easton Community Center, 901 Washington St. (9th St. entrance), Easton, PA. Info: 610-250-6562, copsnkidseaston@gmail.com, copsnkidseaston.org Easton Farmers’ Market.

Every Sat. 9am-1pm thru Dec. Centre Sq., Easton, PA.; Winter Season runs 2nd & 4th Sat. Jan.-April in the Church St. lot behind Easton Public Market. Info: 610-3309942, eastonfarmersmarket. com Emmaus Farmers’ Market.

Every Sun. 10am-1pm thru Dec., 2nd & 4th Sun. 10am12pm Jan.-April. BB&T parking lot, 235 Main St., Emmaus, PA. Info: info@ 44

emmausmarket.com, emmausmarket.com/ parking Open Mic Nights. 1st Tues. of the month 6:30-8pm.

Mary Meuser Memorial Library. 1803 Northampton St., Wilson Borough, PA. Info: 610-258-3040 Quilting Club. 1st & 3rd Mon. of the month 6-8pm.

Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-2917 Science on a Sphere & SOS Explorer Touch Screen Kiosk at Nurture Nature Center. Every Wed. & Sat. 12-4pm, Thur. 6-9pm. 518 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-253-4432, Liesel@ nurturenaturecenter.org Senior Connection, a free community senior program offering social and mental stimulation for older adults.

Every Tues. & Thur. 10am3pm. Arndt’s Lutheran Church, 1851 Arndt Rd., Forks Twp., PA, Info: 610-253-3732, Nancy Walters 610-253-0726, nancywalters@rcn.com Sew Others May Be Warm Knitting/Charity Group.

Every Thur. 1-3pm. Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Pl., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-7492 Silver Connections: Fun for Seniors. Every Tues., Wed., & Thur. 9am-1pm.

Easton Area Community Center, 901 Washington St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-2538271, Saints1@ptd.net The Writers Café. 2nd Thur. of the month 7-9pm.

Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Pl., Easton, PA. Info: glvwg. vebmeister@gmail.com NOVEMBER 26: PFPL Writers Group. 6pm.

Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712 NOVEMBER 27: Palmer Adult Book Group: Lilac Girls by Martha Hall

Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

Kelly. 6-7:30pm. Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Pl., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-7492 NOVEMBER 28: Happy Bookers Discussion Group: Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney.

7pm. Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908454-3712 NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 4: Holiday Book Sale. Thur.

11am-7pm, Fri. 11am-5pm, Sat. 10am-3pm (half price day), Mon. 3-7pm, and Tues. 2-7pm ($5 bag day).

Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-2917 x393, maryannh@eastonpl.org DECEMBER 1: Breakfast with Santa. 9am12pm ($7/adult, $5/ages 5-12, free/4 & under). Christ United Methodist Church, 400 W. Berwick St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-4762 Holiday Book Sale.

10am-4pm. . Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712 South Side Holiday Gift Making. 1-3pm, reg. req.

Bethlehem Area Public Library South Side branch, 400 Webster St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610867-7852, bapl.org DECEMBER 2: Concord Chamber Singers Family Concert. 4pm. First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, 234 Center St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 484707-5078, ccsingers.org DECEMBER 5: 5 Ways to Eat Better (No Dieting!). 6:30-7:30pm.

Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610867-3761, bapl.org

How to Beat the Winter Blues 6-7pm, reg. req.

Bethlehem Area Public Library South Side branch, 400 Webster St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610-867-7852, bapl. org DECEMBER 8: Winter Wildlife Watch.

10am-3pm. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-7462801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov Bus Trip to the Christmas Festival at Peddler’s Village.

12-7pm; $35. Mary Meuser Memorial Library. 1803 Northampton St., Wilson Borough, PA. Info: 610-2583040, meuserlib@rcn.com DECEMBER 10: Laughter Yoga. 12pm.

Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908454-3712 DECEMBER 11: Advanced Grower Meeting.

9am-4pml $10, reg. req.

Nurture Nature Center, 518 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: Liesel 610-253-4432, liesel@nurturenaturecenter. org, pasafarming.org Classic Book Club: Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis. 7pm.

Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908454-3712 DECEMBER 12: Nazareth Book Club: Select books for 2019. 6:30-8pm.

Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity, 295 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: Amy 484-767-8049

Crafts with Miss Carol.

6:30-7:15pm, reg. req.

Memorial Library Of Nazareth, 295 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-7594932, info@nazarethlibrary. org

Winter 2018

DECEMBER 6: Garden Workshop: Holiday Wreaths. 6-9pm; $35, reg. req. Nurture Nature Center, 518 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: Liesel 610-253-4432, liesel@ nurturenaturecenter.org

DECEMBER 14: Family Night: Mysterious Mammals. 6:30-7:30pm, reg. req. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd.,

call 610-258-4330 to advertise

IRREGULAR EVENTS Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-7462801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov DECEMBER 16: Bus Trip to the Holiday Train Show at the NY Botanical Garden. 9am7pm, $105/reg. req. Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church St., Easton, PA. Info: Karen 610-258-2917 x388, maryannh@eastonpl.org DECEMBER 20: Film Screening: A Street Cat Named Bob. 7pm.

Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908454-3712 DECEMBER 20: Destination Arts: Third Thursday. 5-8pm.

Multiple Art Venues in Downtown Allentown, PA. Info: elizabethr@ lehighvalleychamber.org, downtownallentown.com

Access, 1440 Easton Rd., Riegelsville, PA Info: Katie Martens: 610-982-0161, kmartens@pa.gov, events. dcnr.pa.gov/event JANUARY 22: Palmer Adult Book Group: Annual Book Swap.

6-7:30pm. Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Pl., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-7492

JANUARY 31: Non-fiction Book Group: Killers of the Flower Moon

by David Grann. 7pm.

Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-2917 x393

Have an event taking place in the local area? Email it to us here at The Irregular, bruneo1776@aol.com.

Events will be placed on the events calendar at the discretion of the publisher.

JANUARY 25: Easton Out Loud: Fourth Fridays. 5-9pm.

Downtown Easton, PA. Info: 610-250-6533, marcy@ eastonpartnership.org, eastonoutloud.com

DECEMBER 21: Full Moon & Winter Solstice Towpath Trek (3-4 miles). 4-6:30pm, reg. req.

Delaware Canal State Park Office, 11 Lodi Hill Rd., Upper Black Eddy, PA. Info: Katie Martens: 610-982-0161, kmartens@pa.gov, events. dcnr.pa.gov/event DECEMBER 28: Easton Out Loud: Fourth Fridays. 5-9pm.

Downtown Easton, PA. Info: 610-250-6533, marcy@ eastonpartnership.org, eastonoutloud.com JANUARY 9: Nazareth Book Club: 32 Yolks by Eric Ripert. 6:308pm. Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity, 295 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: Amy 484-767-8049 JANUARY 17: Destination Arts: Third Thursday. 5-8pm.

Multiple Art Venues in Downtown Allentown, PA. Info: elizabethr@ lehighvalleychamber.org, downtownallentown.com JANUARY 19: Hike: Raptors of Winter #1. 10am-12pm, reg. req.

Riegelsville Fish and Boat call 610-258-4330 to advertise

Winter 2018

Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

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Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

Winter 2018

call 610-258-4330 to advertise

call 610-258-4330 to advertise

Winter 2018

Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

47

48

Lehigh Valley Holiday Guide

Winter 2018

call 610-258-4330 to advertise