December 5, 2018

COVER STORY

Tucker’s ride

Over 600 bikers from the Lehigh Valley and beyond enjoyed a ride to the St. Luke’s Fountain Hill campus for the eighth annual Tucker’s Toy Ride on a breezy, sunny November day. Delivering well over 1,000 toys, which are collected throughout the year, the event is run through the Lehigh Valley Community Benefit and it remembers Tucker Stuart, who died in a motorcycle crash in 2011. PHOTO: Over 600 bikers arrive at the St. Luke’s Fountain Hill main campus to deliver toys collected in Tucker Stuart’s memory. They had started out at the Tri-Boro Sportsmen Club  in Northampton about 40 minutes before.

By Dana Grubb

 

CHRISTMAS CITY

'Tis the season

The Christmas City officially opened the season of holiday revels with its annual tree lighting festivities at Payrow Plaza Nov. 23. Administrators, sponsors, performers, school students and thousands of residents braced the toe-numbing chill with free cookies and hot chocolate during performances and sing-alongs. Mayor Bob Donchez said he is proud of a city “that celebrates Christmas in a thousand ways with lights and goodwill.” Police Chief Mark DiLuzio, who acted as emcee, said the holiday is in the very fibre of the community. “Celebrating Christmas is part of our culture and tradition,” he told the chilly throng. Photo: Pennsylvania Youth Ballet dancers brave the cold for the annual candy cane dance from “The Nutcracker” on the steps of the Bethlehem Area Public Library.

By Nate Jastrzemski

 

CHRISTMAS CITY

Elementary students help usher in season

A total of 109 third-grade students from Clearview and Thomas Jefferson elementary schools may well have saved Christmas around Bethlehem City Hall this year. Mayor Robert Donchez, who is busy running the city, didn’t have time to make ornaments for his official Christmas tree. Thankfully, these youngsters stepped up and stepped in by creating their own ornaments for the tree decorating. Photo: Santa Claus listens to gift requests from Clearview and Thomas Jefferson third-graders while Mrs. Claus looks on during the mayor’s tree decorating event held Nov. 30 at Bethlehem City Hall.

By Stephen Althouse

 

CHRISTMAS CITY

Freedom presents ‘A Christmas Carol’

The Freedom HS Theatre Company presented “A Christmas Carol” at four performances Nov. 29 through Dec. 2. Adapted from the 1843 Charles Dickens novel by Charles Ludlum for stage, the production was directed by Justin Amann, who was assisted by Natalie Parker on production, Denise Parker on vocals, Daria Hill with costumes, Christopher Domanski on set design, Priscilla Salazer on props and set painting, and Elliot Bond on special effects. A cast of over 50 students performed in the Christmas classic that sees a miserly old Scrooge reverse his greed filled ways after visits by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Photo: In his typical humbug fashion, Scrooge (Ryan Hill) chases a group of carolers from the front window of his counting house.

By Dana Grubb

 

VETERANS DAY

Steelstacks hosts non-profit panel

Nov. 11 is a day we spend honoring our current and former Armed Service members in many different ways. This past Veterans Day, Jenny Pacanowski, U.S. Army, founder and director of the nonprofit Women Veterans Empowered and Thriving, did so by hosting a featured panel of women veterans sharing stories, experiences, and challenges faced during deployment and after returning home. The panel was held at the ArtsQuest Center at Steelstacks and featured 3 women, Pacanowski, Corinna Louise Brown, U.S. Army, and Cheryl G. Ites, U.S. Marine Corps. The Q&A panel was hosted by veteran Tammy Barlet, U.S. Coast Guard, featuring questions regarding the transition home, women in combat roles, advice for other military women, and more. Photo: Jenny Pacanowski, sitting between Corinna Louise Brown (left) and panel host Tammy Barlet (right), explains her delpoyment and transition back home, which led her to establishing Women Veterans Empowered and Thriving.

By Alli Pozcak

 

FOUNTAIN HILL VETERANS DAY

New monument honors those who served

Fountain Hill American Legion Post 406 revealed a new Veterans Monument at the Stanley Avenue Memorial Plot during Nov. 11 ceremonies. Guests attending and participating in the ceremony included Gerhart C. Bassett, commander Post 406; James B. Taglang, Post 406 finance officer; John L. Spadaccia, judge advocate Post 406; Jose Rosado, former Fountain Hill mayor; Mayor Carolee Gifford; Boy Scout Troop 146; Fountain Hill Borough Council members; Lisa Lynch, Fountain Hill ES principal; Ned Fink, Fountain Hill mayor from 2007-10; and Francis J. Ferrincen, Fountain Hill mayor from 1994-98. The new memorial is given to Fountain Hill by the American Legion Post 406. Photo: The new memorial on Stanley Avenue was given to Fountain Hill by American Legion Post 406.

By Tracy Rice

 

SPORTS

Hawks fall to Imhotep

Bethlehem Catholic was full of hope heading into their third straight PIAA 4A semifinal with Imhotep last Friday night, but the hope turned into reality quickly in Northeast Philadelphia, as the Panthers jumped ahead early and never looked back in a 43-6 rout. It was the third straight year Becahi fell to Imhotep at this stage of the state tournament, but this year’s result was the most convincing score in the recent series.

By Peter Car

 

FOCUS

Pip the mouse is back

“Pip: The Mouse Before Christmas” has returned to its vintage stage for the 15th season at Allentown’s Liberty Bell Museum. Pip and his holiday puppet show premiered at Hess’s, Ninth and Hamilton streets, in 1962. After the iconic Allentown department store closed, puppets, props and stage found a home at the Liberty Bell Museum where the seasonal show has been going on since 2003.

By Ed Courrier

 

OTHER STORIES

Bethlehem Area SD: Language guides get raise

Bethlehem Area SD: Partners sought to combat lunch debt

Bethlehem: HARB approves Rotunda plaza sign

South Bethlehem: CADCB briefs task force on projects

Student profiles – Isabella Trauger, LV Academy

High school news reports – LV Academy notes

 

WEEKLY FEATURES

Around town community calendar

Police logs

Area obituaries

Center for Animal Health and Welfare

Volunteers

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November 28, 2018

COVER STORY

Christkindlmarkt brings in another holiday season

With the busy holiday season upon us, shoppers hoping to start Christmas early  headed to the four enormous heated tents at SteelStacks known as ArtsQuest’s Christkindlmarkt Nov. 16, the day it opened.  There they found a huge collection of goods to choose from, including, but not limited to, apparel for people of all ages, toys, jewelry, dolls and doll clothes, soaps and lotions, wine, candy, and all manner of decorative objects. As in previous years, visitors pored over Käthe Wohlfahrt’s huge collection of beautifully crafted wooden hand-painted Christmas ornaments, including creche scenes, Christmas tree ornaments and cuckoo clocks. Photo: Everything Wendy Jones sells, from frogs to wolves, makes the sound of its species, from tiny croaks to loud howls.

By Dorothy and Dennis Glew

 

ANOTHER VIEW/ED’S WORLD

Graphic commentary by Ed Courrier

 

COMMUNITY

A personal Eagle project

Two years ago, Christopher Fereno earned his Eagle Scout badge, the highest rank attainable. Now it’s his brother Zachary’s turn. Zachary did his project in honor of his cousin, who passed away at York Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) when she was just 2 months old. It’s called “Gifts from Angels: In Memory of Audrey Grace.” Photo: Zachary Fereno with Lehigh Valley Hospital neonatal intensive care unit staff members and the 1,826 caps the scout delivered as part of his Eagle Scout project.

 

COMMUNITY

Club that beats the streets

Some 160 people, young and old, from many cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds, gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Bethlehem to celebrate an institution that serves all young people and binds them together, the Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem, now 88 years old. Built next to the  Marvine/Pembroke Village Housing Development, the club is open to kids ages 6-18.

Photo: When the kids arrived for dinner, things got lively. Did they want to have their picture taken with legendary Phillie Larry Bowa? You be the judge.

By Dennis Glew

 

SPORTS

Hawks are moving on

You can’t really label a series of games between two teams as a rivalry unless one side has tasted defeat, but perhaps from a Bethlehem Catholic point-of-view, this week’s matchup with Imhotep Charter in the PIAA 4A state tournament is just as big, or bigger than any Liberty or Freedom city showdown. The Golden Hawks (11-3) will make another trip down the turnpike this Friday night to Northeast High School to face Imhotep (11-2) for the third straight year in the state semifinals at 7 p.m.

By Peter Car

 

LV FOCUS

‘26 Pebbles’

A Parkland High School production of “26 Pebbles,” a play about a very difficult topic, the 2012 shooting of 20 students and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., will get a statewide audience Dec. 1. Mark A Stutz, Director of Visual and Performing Arts, Parkland School District, is hoping the student production could even reach a national audience. “We felt it was a message that needed to be brought to as many people as we could,” Stutz says of the Parkland production, which he directed.

By Kathy Lauer-Williams

 

OTHER STORIES

Bethlehem: Last book sale of year opens Nov. 28

Bethlehem Area SD: Worker’s comp costs increase

Bethlehem Township: Viet vet keynote speaker at service

Bethlehem: Social Still llauded for donation

Fountain Hill: Bacchanalia committee give back

Hellertown: Lott leaves for NORCO Council

Lehigh Valley: Election results mixes, columnist says

Lehigh Valley: LVHN receives hugh gift; renames children’s hospital

Lehigh Valley: Eagles land at Martin Guitar

Lehigh Valley: Meals on Wheels merger

Lehigh Valley: Area residents in Players production

Student profiles – Mary Frances Scheidel

High school news reports – Bethlehem Catholic HS

 

WEEKLY FEATURES

Around town community calendar

Police logs

Area obituaries

Center for Animal Health and Welfare

Volunteers

 

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November 21, 2018

COVER STORY

Ministering to the soul and body

The Holy Ghost Church in South Bethlehem has a heritage of ministering to both the spiritual and the physical needs of its parishioners. So the second annual polka Mass and halupki (stuffed cabbage) dinner this fall provided a perfect example of the blending of those two ministries. The Mass and dinner also reflected the cultural mix of the local Roman Catholic church, which was founded in 1871 as a German-ethnic parish. In 1888, due to increased membership, a new church was built at its present location on Carlton Avenue. Photo: Singers from the Tatra Slovak Folk Group serve as choir during the Polka Mass, and sang songs with roots in Croatian folk music.

By Carole Gorney

 

COMMUNITY

New Bethany’s Souper Day

Above: Emma Reynolds and Tiffany Wilten of Berkshire Hathaway, Ali Myers of Myer’s Financial Service, and Colleen Gilbert of Victaulic came as four friends supporting New Bethany Ministries. “The Souper Day event today was truly inspiring,” Wilten said. “New Bethany Ministries in Bethlehem not only offers a place for warm food and daily comforts but it also strives to provide its clients with support and educational programs that are aimed to provide a path for a future,” Wilten continued. “I love knowing that in some small way I can contribute to the well-being of any individual or family in my community by supporting the services of New Bethany.”

By Douglas Graves

 

OPEN GATE TOURS

A beautiful day at Burnside

The Burnside Plantation was filled with families, little ones, couples and others on Sept. 30 for farm tours. The Burnside plantation was established in 1748, by Bethlehem Moravians James and Mary Burnside. The plantation is now owned and operated by Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites. Burnside Plantation opened its doors to the public to show off beautiful gardens, the preserved farm household cooking presentations, and engage young community members in crafts and various games. Photo: Children play inside and outside the beautiful garden. There was plenty of room to explore and run around the historic site.

By Leslie Regan

 

SOUTH MOUNTAIN DISTRICT

Cubs enjoy fall event

Boys Scouts of America Minsi Trail Council held its annual South Mountain Fall Cub event at the Hellertown Sportsman’s Association Oct. 20.  This year’s event was rain-free on a cool day with temperatures hovering in the 50s and partly cloudy skies. The event consisted of a full day of fun activities such archery, BB gun, fire building, fire hose, darts, bottle rockets, cornhole and a knock over the buckets game.  In addition, some of the scouts stayed for a bonfire, night hike and overnight campout. The South Mountain District of the Minsi Trail council consists of packs in Northampton and Lehigh counties and Bethlehem Area, Saucon Valley and Southern Lehigh school districts. Photo: Drayden plays one of the games by firing a ball at a stack of large buckets.  Meanwhile some of his fellow members from Pack 306 in Bethlehem eagerly watch.

By Mark Kirlin

 

SPORTS

‘Pates top Emmaus for  District 11  title

The District XI 6A football championship game between the Freedom Patriots and the Emmaus Green Hornets appeared to be a matchup of equals. The two teams had been declared EPC South co-champions after posting identical 9-1 regular season records. Freedom had won the regular season game between the squads 32-31 in overtime after making up a 15-point deficit in the last 1:11 of regulation. When the final horn sounded on Saturday night in Nazareth and the scoreboard showed a score of 49-17, the Patriots left no doubt as to who was the best football team in the Lehigh Valley.

By Tom Wenborg

 

LV FOCUS

Just say ‘Groot’

Just say, “I am Groot.” “Marvel Universe Live! Age Of Heroes” brings the Marvel Cinematic Universe to life at PPL Center, Allentown, for seven performances, Nov. 29 through Dec. 2. The latest production is from Feld Entertainment, which also produces “Disney On Ice,” “Monster Jam,” “Monster Energy Supercross” and “Sesame Street Live,” and is a leading producer of live touring family entertainment. “Marvel Universe Live!” premiered in 2014 in Tampa Bay, Fla. ”Age of Heroes” debuted in 2017. Stops after PPL Center include Nashville, Miami and Atlanta until early 2019 when the tour heads overseas.
By Erin Ferguson

OTHER STORIES

Bethlehem Area SD: New classes planned for next year

Bethlehem Area SD: District students recognized

Bethlehem Area SD: Board talks energy efficiency

Bethlehem: BAPL launches publishing venture

Bethlehem: Clavicord spurs discussion at Moravian conference

Bethlehem: HCC board balks at demo proposal

Bethlehem: Trinity program receives honors

Bethlehem: Simple Gifts, simple pleasures at YWCA event

Bethlehem: Traditions hosts Oktoberfest event

Lehigh Valley: PPL gives $600K in community grants

Opinion: Defending Bethlehem’s sheltering program

South Bethlehem: South New Street project continues accepting feedback

 

WEEKLY FEATURES

Around town community calendar

Police logs

Area obituaries

Center for Animal Health and Welfare

Volunteers

 

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November 14, 2018

COVER STORY

‘Thank you’ veterans

Miller Heights ES Principal Deborah Roeder welcomed dozens of veterans to the school’s 18th annual Veterans Day program Nov. 8, noting the importance of honoring and recognizing their service and sacrifices. Students sang patriotic songs, read inspirational messages and were joined by the Freedom HS Women’s Choir and Patriot Band Fife and Drum Corps. Photo: Waving small American flags, Miller Heights ES students sing “You’re A Grand Old Flag.”

By Dana Grubb

 

COMMUNITY

Mounted Unit welcome friends

Residents of Bethlehem and throughout the region had an opportunity to learn more about the Bethlehem Police Department’s Mounted Patrol in early September. The second annual open house at the Quadrant Private Wealth Stable on East Langhorne Avenue had hundreds of visitors throughout the day, with activities for all ages. The day ended with a sold-out western barbecue. Photo: Mounted Patrol Officer Albert Stridesky visits with 93-year-old John Williams, a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Army in the European theater as a radio operator. His son-in-law Bob Wise brought him to the open house.

By Dana Grubb

 

LOCAL HISTORY

‘King of Bethlehem Firemen’ opens

Images from the time show a distinguished man with a firm brow and a magnificent handlebar mustache. S. Charles Seckelman had the look of a man who was a leader, and in the 19th century he was known as the King of the Bethlehem Firemen. A new play about the Seckelman, premiering Saturday at Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem, takes a look at the renowned firefighter and his time, when volunteers relied on horse-drawn apparatus and the nearest body of water to put out fires. Photo: A new play about S. Charles Seckelman premiers Saturday at Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem. It takes a look at the renowned firefighter and his time, when volunteers relied on horse-drawn apparatus and the nearest body of water to put out fires.

By Kathy Lauer-Williams

 

ANOTHER VIEW-ED’S WORLD

Graphic commentary by Ed Courrier

 

SPORTS

‘Pates top Parkland

For the third straight year, Freedom will play for the District 11 Class 6A football title. After losing to Parkland in each of the past two seasons, the Patriots advanced to this year’s title game with a win over the Trojans in Saturday’s semifinal at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Freedom capitalized on four Parkland turnovers and Patriot quarterback Jared Jenkins threw for three touchdowns in a 35-21 win over the Trojans, ending their streak of six consecutive district titles. “The biggest thing is we’re going back to play for another district title,” said Jenkins. “It’s been bothering us that we have two silver medals from the past couple years. We’re going to get prepared for next week and go play our best football game.”

By Mike Haines

 

FOCUS

Healing and humanity

“Charles F. Stonewall: Between Silence and Light” explores the emotional aftermath of personal trauma captured through the camera lens, in an exhibition through Dec. 15, Ronald K. De Long Gallery, Penn State Lehigh Valley, Center Valley. Each photograph, shot with models, some with acting experience, reflects emotions of sadness, hurt and betrayal experienced by people who had been severely traumatized. The powerful works provide a face for the anonymous victims. Their stories were collected by Stonewall from staff members of shelters where casualties of sexual assault, psychological abuse or domestic violence sought refuge.

By Ed Courrier

 

OTHER STORIES

Bethlehem: City council taken to task

Lehigh County: Exec vetoes budget amendment

Lehigh County: County gang task force lauded for teamwork

Northampton County: County to buy twp. Human services building, then build forensic center

Student profiles – Logan Maeding, Moravian Academy

High school news reports – Moravian Academy

 

WEEKLY FEATURES

Around town community calendar

Police logs

Area obituaries

Center for Animal Health and Welfare

Volunteers

 

MEET THE PRESS

The Bethlehem Press online

Where to buy the Bethlehem Press

To subscribe: New start

Send news to the Bethlehem Press

To advertise: Ad staff

Follow us on Facebook

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