Newburgh Magazine First Quarter 2022

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NB MAGAZINE

EDITOR Eric Whittaker ewhitaker@perrycountynews.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Maegan Saalwaechter

Winter is here this year and thankfully for us, had a hard time settling in the first of the month. In came in quick, however, cold northern winds blowing in, changing autumn to winter.

We had sunshine, warm breezes and a few days of rain just at the right time for parades. This made a good time for local communities. It also contributed to people making strides to enjoy Christmas shopping in safer environments when compared to the COVID-19 condition of last year.

While COVID-19 isn’t over, people are taking care of themselves and thinking about how to have a safe holiday and winter for everyone.

Enjoying the Christmas season outside benefited the Newburgh Winter Lights especially, which shown brightly this year and had many spectators opening weekend.

The Warrick Standard, home of the Newburgh Magazine, had several changes since the beginning of the year, including reporter Dylan Gray, whose stories and photos all you Standard readers have seen over the year.

Dylan has contributed greatly to the newspaper and his contributions to this edition of the magazine are something for everyone to look forward to.

As the new editor of the Warrick Standard and the Newburgh Magazine, I hope that this issue will have something for everyone looking to get more out of their holiday season.

Since the holidays and the year itself are coming to a close, there’s still plenty of winter left for everyone to enjoy and we hope the stories, photos and other features in this magazine will provide an abundance of ideas to continue enjoying the season.

As always, anyone with a story idea, news tip or photo opportunities or feedback for Newburgh Magazine is welcome to send in their information. Email can be sent to ewhitaker@perrycountynews.com or dgray@warricknews.com Have a safe and joyous New Year.

CONTRIBUTORS Dylan Gray

PHOTOS Dylan Gray Maegan Saalwaechter

TO ADVERTISE Bob Rigg brigg@warricknews.com Phone: 812-641-2001

CONTACT US www.warricknews.com Phone: 812-897-2330

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FIRST Q UA R T E R 2022

L ONA SEAeSdition the

Eric Whittaker Editor

First Quarter 2022 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE 1

Newburgh W interlights

ILLUMINATES the holiday season

2 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE First Quarter 2022

WRITER: DYLAN GRAY Those who have traveled down the Rivertown trailhead, or passed by its entrance at dark in the last few weeks may have noticed a glowing difference between its current look and what they are used to. That is because since the start of December the entire trail has been converted into the Newburgh Winterlights trail, a short hiking trail designed to strike wonder and cheer into those who walk it. The Rivertown trailhead, already a beautiful site for those seeking an afternoon stroll near downtown Newburgh, has been transformed into a shimmering beacon of the holiday spirit.

The Newburgh Winterlights trail is a must see attraction this year in Newburgh, and will be massively changed from the previous year. Last year Newburgh Winterlights debuted to great public reception, which led to the decision to bring it back better than before. Troy Wells, the executive director of Historic Newburgh Incorporated, explained that last year Newburgh Winterlights began as a way to allow for families to celebrate the holidays while maintaining social distancing guidelines. The event was outdoors and masks and social distancing were required, but now masks are no longer required, The goal of Newburgh Winterlights is to be a great family event, as Wells explains “It’s a great family event, there’s no other event you can attend that will be more family friendly. The lights start today through the twelfth. At any peak day there is also a possibility for the Grinch to show up. The Grinch has been very popular in Newburgh this year. We will also have food trucks and hot drinks. Every night will be something different offered, it won’t alway be the same thing.” The diversity helps bring people back and keep interest in the trail while providing people that come on different days with a unique experience.

In total nearly 60,000 lights are on display at Newburgh Winterlights, beginning at the start of the trail just off of Yorkshire Drive and stretching all the way to the bluff overlooking the Ohio River. Because it is a self guided walking tour, attendees will be able to enjoy the lights at their own pace and are encouraged to take pictures. One of the most notable light fixtures that many will notice upon beginning the trial is the bridge. The bridge at the very start of the trail is covered in lights that glow brightly as one walks across, providing an other worldly experience during the tour.

The tour will be running every evening from 6 PM to 9 PM, with individuals costing $5, families of five or more costing $20 and children under three being free. Last year tickets sold out with 3000 attendees but those numbers are expected to increase massively this year, with numbers eclipsing 10,000 expected. Anyone who wishes to take part in this unique experience is encourage to do in the next few weeks.

First Quarter 2022 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE 3

ENTERTAINMENT Newburgh is a good central location for many activities around the county. Residents can travel to Evansville, Owensboro, Ky., or other entertainment centers around the area. The following is a list of shows are hosted by their individual entertainment centers. Ticket prices and sales can be found by contacting the centers.

GOLDIE’S NEW YEAR’S EVE SHOW Friday, Dec 31, 2021 from 8 p.m. to 11:55 p.m.

RiverPark Center Owensboro, KY NEW YEAR’S EVE GLOW IN THE DARK SKATE PARTY Friday, Dec 31, 2021 at 10 p.m.

Edge Ice Center Owensboro, KY REBA MCENTIRE Thursday, Jan 13, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Ford Center Evansville, IN LONESTAR Saturday, Jan 15, 2022 at 8 p.m.

RiverPark Center Owensboro, KY NATE BARGATZE: THE RAINCHECK TOUR Thursday, Jan 27, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Old National Events Plaza Evansville, IN ALICE COOPER Tuesday, Feb 1, 2022 at 8:00pm Old National Events Plaza Evansville, IN KANSAS: POINT OF KNOW RETURN TOUR Thursday, Feb 3, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Victory Theatre Evansville, IN MORGAN WALLEN: THE DANGEROUS TOUR Thursday, Feb 3, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Ford Center Evansville, IN

4 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE First Quarter 2022

OWENSBORO BOAT AND OUTDOOR SHOW Friday, Feb 11, 2022 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Owensboro Convention Center Owensboro, KY SCOOBY-DOO! AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD Friday, Feb 11, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

Victory Theatre Evansville, IN JOJO SIWA D.R.E.A.M. THE TOUR Friday, Feb 11, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Ford Center Evansville, IN OWENSBORO BOAT AND OUTDOOR SHOW Saturday, Feb 12, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Owensboro Convention Center Owensboro, KY OWENSBORO BOAT AND OUTDOOR SHOW Sunday, Feb 13, 2022 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Owensboro Convention Center Owensboro, KY REO SPEEDWAGON Friday, Feb 18, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.

Old National Events Plaza Evansville, IN GAELIC STORM Tuesday, Feb 22, 2022 at 8:30 p.m.

Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Kalamazoo, MI BLIPPI THE MUSICAL Wednesday, Feb 23, 2022 at 6 p.m.

Old National Events Plaza Evansville, IN

JOSH TURNER Friday, Feb 25, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Old National Events Plaza Evansville, IN WINTER DANCE PARTY Friday, Feb 25, 2022 at 7 p.m.

RiverPark Center Owensboro, KY RODNEY CARRINGTON: LET ME IN! Saturday, Feb 26, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Old National Events Plaza Evansville, IN CBDB Saturday, Feb 26, 2022 at 8 p.m.

Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Kalamazoo, MI SCOTT BRADLEE’S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX Saturday, Feb 26, 2022 at 8 p.m.

Victory Theatre Evansville, IN

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SWEET

TREAT

CALL IT SWEET SCIENCE, THE

M A N Y T R A N S F O R M AT I O N S O F MAPLE SYRUP ARE ALL DELICIOUS.

customs

& beliefs As with all great traditions, maple syrup season has its share of customs and beliefs, one as extraordinary as the next. Here are a few to discover.

FACT OR FICTION? According to legend, the first calls of the crows in spring-time announce the start of the maple syrup season while those of the geese mean it has come to a close. Also, if butterflies are found drowned in the collecting buckets it means the sap has stopped flowing from the maple trees. And, according to some, if the maples are tapped under a waxing moon, the sap will be plentiful.

DIVINE PROTECTION One custom, which has just about disappeared from maple groves these days but which was very popular in the 19th century, was the blessing of the maple trees. For this occasion, the

CONTRIBUTED WRITER We eat them and enjoy them but do we really know how maple syrup, taffy and sugar are made?

Now’s the time to find out! First of all, you should know that three types of maple trees produce sap, which can be transformed into syrup, the main one being the sugar maple. The two others, the red maple and the silver maple, contain a sap with a lower concentration of sugar and, therefore, produce syrup of a lesser quality.

In order to collect the maple sap, the majority of maple syrup producers nowadays use a system of vacuum tubing, which, connected to all the trees in the maple grove, dispatches the sap by gravity to a pumping station.

This, in turn, pumps the sap to the evaporator in the sugar shack. The evaporator is a large metal reser voir, divided into different compartments with an undulating bottom, where the producer boils the sap to produce the syrup.

It is important to heat the sap over an intense fire the same day it is collected in order to produce the finest quality of syrup. By allowing it to boil, the water, which the sap contains, evaporates and the sugar is concentrated.

At this stage, the syrup could be filtered, under pressure or by gravity, and then bottled or canned, or the transformation process can be continued. If the syrup is heated for a longer period of time, it will produce taffy, and if it’s heated for even longer, it will become maple sugar. After this process, all that remains to be done is to fashion the sugar into different shapes and package it.

6 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE First Quarter 2022

priest and his parishioners would visit each maple grove to bless the trees by sprinkling them with holy water. During the same era many sugar shacks also had a statue of Our Lady of the Maples, which supposedly protected maple syrup producers and their syrup.

Later, this statue was replaced by a fir branch, which had been blessed.

NATIVE AMERICAN LEGENDS Native Americans were the very first people to collect maple sap for the purpose of transforming it into syrup.

They are also a people with countless legends, many of which concern sugaring-off time. One of these is about the god Nanabozho who one day tasted pure maple syrup flowing from the maples. Believing that humans would not appreciate its true value if it could be so easily obtained, he decided to add water to the syrup and hide it deep inside the tree!

Maple Taffy INGREDIENT pure maple syrup

DIRECTIONS 1. Grab a baking sheet and pack it with snow or go straight outside.

2. Boil the pure maple syrup. Use a candy thermometer and heat to 240 degrees. Pour in a container and let cool for 5 minutes.

3. Drizzle syrup onto the snow, let it set for 30 seconds or until they are cool and firm (but not hard).

Wrap taffy around popsicle sticks or skewers.

4. Eat promptly or store in sealed container for up to 2 days inside the freezer.

First Quarter 2022 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE 7

NEWBURGH CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS WRITER: DYLAN GRAY One of Newburgh’s longest lasting and widest spanning Christmas traditions is Newburgh Celebrates Christmas, a festival held all over the city every year to celebrate the approaching holiday season. This year is no exception, with some major changes and even expansions being made to the festivities.

Newburgh Celebrates Christmas is being put on this year by Historic Newburgh Incorporated in conjunction with ERA First Advantage Realty Incorporated. The event is being organized by a committee put together by the two groups consisting of Tiffany Bonnell and Stacy Cobb. Newburgh Celebrates Christmas has been a community staple for nearly twenty years now, and this year’s edition will bring a new life into the event and potentially change things going forward.

This year’s Newburgh Celebrates Christmas event will be the second weekend in December as opposed to the first as it usually is. This decision was made to provide everyone with more opportunities to experience the various holiday events occurring around the county. “Castle School always holds a craft show the first Saturday in December, but they had to cancel due to COVID so we had an outdoor event for them instead. We changed the date so they could have theirs on their normal time and we moved ours back a week so they could have ours the next week and they could have a second day of sales. We want everyone to be able to enjoy as many events as possible,” said Troy Wells, the executive director of Historic Newburgh Inc. This shift in times creates a mutually beneficial situation for both groups, as well as avoiding a scheduling conflict with Boovnille’s Christmas in Boonvillage event that also occurred on the first weekend of the month. Making sure that anyone who wanted to attend all of these events could was a top priority in scheduling.

As for what will be on offer during the Christmas celebrations, options will not disappoint. Most of the events will take place in downtown Newburgh along Jennings Street, with shopping at the various stores available along with live music performed by the Old Dam Band. Various craft stalls will be set up in Jennings Street Station to provide plenty of additional options for shoppers. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will be present for the children along with live reindeer. This will be a major change from last year, which featured a Christmas tree auction and was more concentrated on one part of town rather than being more spread out.

Going forward, Wells expects things to continue in this trend, with major changes happening from year to year in order to give attendees a variety of options for their holiday celebrations. Keeping things fresh and exciting each holiday is a priority for Historic Newburgh and will keep people coming back to celebrate the holidays with them.

8 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE First Quarter 2022

First Quarter 2022 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE 9

CHRISTMAS IN

DYLAN GRAY

Just north of Newburgh in Boonville, a major Christmas celebration is held every year in the first week of December. But this year was more significant than the previous Christmas the city has had over the years, because this year Boonville native turned Netflix star Benjamin Bradley, known on his show as “Mr. Christmas” came back to his hometown to celebrate the holidays.

Bradley grew up in Boonville and eventually attended Purdue University.

Afterwards he would move to New York City to begin an interior design career, while maintaining a passion for Christmas and holiday themed decor. In the years since beginning his career he has amassed over 3000 pieces of Christmas decor ranging in all types, including 40 different Santas.

Upon gaining notoriety in various interviews and articles, he was approached

by Netflix to make his own show “Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas.”

The show features Bradley consulting clients and helping create ornate and lavish Christmas decorations in time for the holidays. Having a local celebrity such as Bradley in attendance added an extra splash of holiday magic that made this year’s festivities in Boonville some of the biggest ever.

On the square, the Boonville Merchants Association, the City of Boonville and Boonville Now worked together to decorate various shopfronts with a festive veneer. This, along with the many decorations lining the courthouse, brought a dose of the holiday spirit to the downtown Boonville square just in time for the arrival of Ben Bradley.

The festivities that took place in Boonville ranged from the opening night when a tree was lit to commence the celebrations all the way up until the very end when Boonville held its historic Christmas parade, the oldest continuously running holiday parade in the state of Indiana. This year was the 75 year of the event, and there are few ways better to celebrate than with a Boonville native who has become famous for their association with the holiday itself arriving in person to take part.

Performances by the Boonville High School Choir and a live nativity also provided entertainment during the weekend, along with live music being performed at the Warrick County Museum a few blocks off of the square. Hot cocoa and cookies were provided by local businesses to all attendees and helped to keep everyone warm on the chilly December afternoon. Shopping choices were plentiful downtown as the square had a great variety of retailers and restaurants keeping up with the festive theme.

This year’s Christmas in Boonvillage may have been the biggest one yet, with the parade celebrating a major anniversary and the appearance of one of the biggest Christmas themed celebrities in the world. Warrick County takes Christmas very seriously, and the county always finds a way to provide its residents, and visitors, with the best possible experience every holiday season.

10 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE First Quarter 2022

First Quarter 2022 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE 11

SUIT

NOT JUST SOME GUY IN A

EVANSVILLE — If the central conceit of Christmas is that Santa Claus exists, then for those few weeks Jeff Townsend can’t. He can’t break the magic spell he and other professional Santas have worked so long and so skillfully to weave.

So no, sorry, Darmstadt resident Townsend said after leaving the set of his latest Santa gig near Chicago. He can’t talk about inhabiting the jolly old elf without an OK from the photography company that employs him. And Marlton, N.J.-based Cherry Hill Programs said no. It wouldn’t do for children to see Santa as a real person.

Not shattering the illusion is how Cherry Hill makes its Christmas bread, but it is also appreciated by parents such as Blake and Brittany Maurer. The Maurers have three young children, and they want to protect their belief in Santa for as long as possible. They already have “a special little letter” for the moment it’s not, Brittany Maurer said.

“She’s just awestruck by the idea of Santa,” Brittany said of 4-year-old daughter, Charlotte. “Whenever we talk about Santa, Charlotte gets really excited. It’s very magical.”

The Maurers are pulling out all the stops to keep the magic going in their Evansville home for Charlotte, her 2-year-old sister, Lettie, and toddler brother, Ezekiel.

The house doesn’t have a chimney, so they leave a decorative key on the front door knob for Santa. They leave out milk and cookies. They sprinkle oats and sprinkles and glitter on their lawn so the reindeer have something to eat while Santa drops off his gifts. Elf on the Shelf? They’ve got one.

It all seems to be working for Charlotte, who forthrightly admitted she loves Santa.

“When he gives us gifts, it’s a lot of neat things!” the youngster caroled.

What does it take to be a professional Santa Claus?

The Maurers have taken their children to professional Santas and to volunteer Santas, and they can’t see any difference. But ask any of the myriad non-profit organizations, conservatories, conferences or training academies that recruit, train and book events for Kris — KENDALL Kringles: A real Santa isn’t just some guy who puts on a suit.

These groups, with names such as International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas and Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, typically provide Santas with access to ser-

‘ R E A L’ S A N TA CLAUSES WORK HARD FOR THE M O N E Y AT CHRISTMAS

vices such as Christmas performer liability insurance in exchange for annual dues. They contract with investigative firms to do pre-employment criminal background and sex offender checks.

Real Beard Santas of America LLC, a New York City-area association, recruits, trains and supplies Santas for corporate events run by professional planners, public ceremonies and private parties. Its Santas are paid by commission.

“It is a fun job, even though it is a very physically and emotionally difficult job - much more so than you might think at first glance,” said Joe Harkins, the group’s founder.

The job skills of a professional Santa can include acting and singing, said Harkins, who has appeared in commercials, television, theater, print ads and movies. But more often it’s coaxing smiles from children while encouraging them to think of others at Christmastime, gently dissuading them from asking for long-term gifts such as puppies and kittens and responding appropriately when they broach subjects more serious than a bratty older brother or sister.

Santa has to do it all while convincingly rocking a snowy white beard and velvet red suit - and it shouldn’t be the kind of suit Santa can buy on ebay, either.

“A genuine professional Santa does not use what are called ‘boot covers,’” Harkins said. “He has genuine leather boots that shine and look good. He doesn’t have the cheap plastic belt - he has a leather belt. Then there’s the buckle, which has to be a genuine brass buckle. You have to have good quality cotton gloves.”

Harkins said the whole ensemble costs a Santa a minimum of $1,000. Minimum.

Some Santas get paid more than others. According to ZipRecruiter, as of Nov. 15 a mall Santa’s average hourly pay nationwide was $19. It was $12 in Eastland Mall’s zip code.

Mitch Allen, founder of HireSanta.com, which has a nationwide database of thousands of Santa Clauses that can be booked for events, told USA TODAY last year that mall Santa with “a real beard, real belly, real laugh,’’ can make between $5,000 and $10,000 working PA U L through November and December.

Santas who graduate to higher-profile appearances the kind with whom Harkins works - can rake in much more. Harkins said he knows Santas who make $300 an hour.

They call him Santa - and nothing else.

“He always has that twinkle in his eye —

he really does. You can tell in photographs. He

brings that magic every time, and he doesn’t come out of that.”

12 NEWBURGH MAGAZINE First Quarter 2022

BY: THOMAS B. LANGHORNE

It is likely Townsend’s face that most local residents conjure when they think of St. Nick. He has been Santa at Eastland Mall, off and on, for more than two decades. He has donated his services at the Vanderburgh Humane Society’s annual Pet Pictures with Santa event for nearly as long. VHS estimates almost 250 people showed up this year.

When a 3-year-old girl saw Townsend eating alone in costume at a local Bob Evans restaurant and joined him in 2014, ABC News produced a story about it.

The following year, photos of Townsend as Santa went viral when a 6-month-old boy fell asleep while waiting to visit him at Eastland Mall and he posed asleep with the boy while holding a copy of The Night Before Christmas. USA Today and other national news outlets did stories about that.

But none of the heartwarming news stories mentioned Townsend himself, and few outside the circle of friends and supporters who dot his public, Santa-centric Facebook page and the people with whom he works seem to know he’s a professional St. Nick.

“If you see him off-season, he’ll roll up here in the summertime on his Harley, with all his Harley gear on and his beard and his hair is not white or anything, and you hardly recognize him,” said Kendall Paul, the Humane Society’s CEO. “He’s a great guy.”

Paul steadfastly calls Townsend “Santa,” saying she too wants to keep the magic alive. Townsend volunteered his services some 20 years ago when he was pulling a shift as Santa at Eastland Mall and the Humane Society was doing its pet pictures event there with a volunteer Santa, she said.

“So now, instead of having the amateur volunteer Santas, we have Santa Claus do all of our shifts,” Paul said.

Paul said Townsend never breaks character, comes to gigs armed with

peppermints, books and other tools of the trade and consistently sells kids on the notion that they really are in the presence of Santa Claus.

There aren’t many other professional Santas in the Evansville area. Hoosier Santas, a Facebook page for about 200 professionals in Indiana, said it was aware of just one. It wasn’t Townsend. A nationwide shortage of Santas doesn’t help.

Townsend brings enough professionalism and enough - well, extra - to Pet Pictures with Santa that VHS sets it for the first full weekend of November just to accommodate his engagements at Christmastime.

“He always has that twinkle in his eye - he really does,” Paul said. “You can tell in photographs. He brings that magic every time, and he doesn’t come out of that.”

Being Santa Claus can be emotionally wrenching The job isn’t all posing with cute kids, Joe Harkins said. He recalls one boy asking Santa for a gun so he could kill the cops who took daddy away. A girl with bruises on her face asked for a police car outside her house to stop mommy and her boyfriend from hitting her and each other.

Harkins has had terminally ill children ask if they are going to die. Santa has to find a way to explain - gently, sensitively - that he only brings toys. He guides children to others who can help. And he has to do it all without letting anyone see the wheels turn.

“At the end of a day in which you have seen 199 children non-stop, the 200th child that approaches you has to be greeted with the same energy, the same genuine interest, the same caring, the same patience, the same love as you did the first child,” Harkins said.

“That’s the hard part of the job. That’s when you find out if somebody is a real Santa or just a guy in a red suit.”

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