Scene in Easton: Peace Candle Lights the Night for the Holiday Season

By Christina Georgiou

The Easton Peace Candle was lit for the first night of the
holiday season Friday night.
Click on any photo for a full size view.

Despite frigid temperatures, thousands turned out for the annual Easton Peace Candle lighting Friday night.

The switch was pulled by Abigail and  Amelia Faulkner, accompanied by their mother Tara. The three shared the "Illuminator" title, which was won in the annual eBay auction for $610 by Tom Lutes, a Downtown resident and local business owner. Lutes bestowed the honor on the three, who are the wife and daughters of his friend, Carl Faulkner,an Easton Police Department motorcycle officer.

Sandra O'Brien-Werner, who headed the Easton Holiday Committee, which planned the Peace Candle lighting for years before the event was taken over by the Easton Main Street Initiative, was named this year's recipient of the Gretchen Wrenshaw Community Spirit Award.

Mayor Sal Panto praised O'Brien-Werner, noting that the Holiday Committee had raised nearly half of the $25,000 needed for recent Peace Candle renovations and maintenance.

Mayor Sal Panto offers the switch for Amelia and Abigail
Faulker to pull, as their mother, Tara, behind them, looks on.

Volunteers at the First UCC on North Third Street hand out
hot cocoa and cookies at their open house during the
Peace Candle lighting event Friday evening.

Numerous shops stayed open late for the event, and event attendees enjoyed a number of seasonal activities, including a trackless train and horse drawn carriage rides, as well as a holiday parade that included the arrival of Santa Claus.

Homemade cookies and coffee and hot chocolate were a hit at the First UCC open house, as chilly attendees stopped by to warm up and view the historic church.

Two other churches, St. John's Lutheran and Cornerstone Church, had tents in Centre Square where children did crafts and made tree ornaments.

A petting zoo also amused kids and their parents, while musicians from the Easton Area High School Brass Ensemble, Easton Municipal Band, and Tuba Christmas entertained the enthusiastic crowd with seasonal songs.

Sandra O'Brien-Werner accepts the Gretchen Wrenshaw
Community Spirit Award.

Ice carving was also part of the event.

Weekend Guide, November 29 to December 1

In between the shopping frenzies, you deserve a bit of holiday fun...

Friday, November 29

Annual Holiday Open House: All day. In honor of the holidays, admission is just $2 per person. Sigal Museum, 342 Northampton St. www.sigalmuseum.org
 
Easton Peace Candle Ceremony: 5 to 9 p.m. See the candle lit for the first time of the holiday season.  Numerous Downtown Easton shops will be open late, a parade will bring the official arrival of Santa Claus to the city at 7 p.m., and ice sculpting demonstrations, a craft show, kids' activities, live music, and horse-drawn carriage rides for a fee will also be part of the evening's entertainments. Centre Square and surrounding blocks. Click here for more details.

Holiday Art Affair: Begins 5 p.m. Lehigh Valley artists and food artisans including:  Emily Gartner, Ann Elizabeth Schlegel, Freckle Face Fudge, Mary Ann Riker, Mary Mulder, Bob Schantz and Brian Wiles, with live music and more. The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel, 140 Northampton St. 484-597-6663

Candle Lighting Open House: Begins at 6 p.m. Refreshments, activities, hot cocoa, Christmas stories for the kids and more! First United Church of Christ of Easton, 27 North 3rd St.

Electric Gumbo, DJ Menson: Band at 7 p.m., DJ at 10 p.m. Rivals Sports Bar & Nightclub, 5 Lehns Court. 610-923-7625 or www.rivalseaston.com

Sal Ritz & Joe Mixon: 8 p.m. The Riegelsville Inn, 12 Delaware Road, Riegelsville. 610-749-0100 or www.riegelsvilleinn.com
 
Hot Bijouxx: 9 p.m. Two Rivers Brewing Company, 542 Northampton St. 610-829-1131 or www.tworiversbrewing.com

Brian Dean Moore: 9 p.m. Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti House, 136-138 Spring Garden St. 610-252-3033 or www.colonialpizzapub.com

Ole Skool Friday Night Jukebox Jam: 10 p.m. A night of memories and a funky good time. Feel free to jump into the stream. Dancing and singing is highly encouraged--it's an age regression session!  La Pazza, 1251 Ferry St. 610-515-0888 or www.lapazza.com

DJ Mikey Z: 10 p.m. Riegelsville Tavern, 1274 Easton Road, Riegelsville. 610-510-3030 or www.riegelsvilletavern.com

The Depas: 10 p.m. Porters' Pub, 700 Northampton St. 610-250-6561 or www.porterspubeaston.com

DJ Lazykid: 10 p.m. Dub's on Fifth, 402 South Fifth St., West Easton. 610-438-3827 or www.dubson5th.com

Saturday, November 30

Shop Small Saturday: A number of Easton businesses are participating in this annual event. Stop by and browse, help celebrate all the unique items and superior service small, local businesses have to offer. Various locations.

Holiday Art Affair: Begins 5 p.m. Lehigh Valley artists and food artisans including:  Emily Gartner, Ann Elizabeth Schlegel, Freckle Face Fudge, Mary Ann Riker, Mary Mulder, Bob Schantz and Brian Wiles, with live music and more. The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel, 140 Northampton St. 484-597-6663

Free Texas Hold'em: 7 & 9 p.m. Registration is 15 minutes prior to each game. La Pazza, 1251 Ferry St. 610-515-0888 or www.lapazza.com

A Few Good Men, DJ Mike West: Band at 7 p.m., DJ at 10 p.m. Rivals Sports Bar & Nightclub, 5 Lehns Court. 610-923-7625 or www.rivalseaston.com

Jordan White: 8 p.m.  Leaf Restaurant Cigar Bar Lounge, 90 Mort Drive. 610-559-1336

George Kilby Jr.: 8 p.m. The Riegelsville Inn, 12 Delaware Road, Riegelsville. 610-749-0100 or www.riegelsvilleinn.com

Go Trio: 9 p.m. Two Rivers Brewing Company, 542 Northampton St. 610-829-1131 or www.tworiversbrewing.com

Decoy Clones: 9 p.m. Riegelsville Tavern, 1274 Easton Road, Riegelsville. 610-510-3030 or www.riegelsvilletavern.com

Joe Cassady and the West End Sound: 10 p.m. College Hill Tavern, 420 Cattell St. 610-252-9456

Uncle Rocco: 10 p.m. Dub's on Fifth, 402 South Fifth St., West Easton. 610-438-3827 or www.dubson5th.com

Our Griffins: 10 p.m. Porters' Pub, 700 Northampton St. 610-250-6561 or www.porterspubeaston.com

Sunday, December 1

Gary Schocker CD Release Celebration: 2 p.m. The internationally acclaimed flutist performs a short set of solo flute music, followed by a CD signing of "A Harp for Christmas." Mercantile Home, 140 Northampton St. 610-258-4046 or www.mercantilehome.com

Industry Night: 10 p.m. Rivals Sports Bar & Nightclub, 5 Lehns Court. 610-923-7625 or www.rivalseaston.com

Easton's most comprehensive guide to what's happening over the weekend, in the city and beyond, is published every Friday.

Are you planning an event? Did we miss something? Let us know! Email us.

Fundraisers for Easton Peace Candle to Support Further Restoration

By Christina Georgiou

Randi Kaplan DellaVichia holds up a garden banner depicting
Easton's Peace Candle at a city press conference Tuesday.
Kaplan's Awnings has produced the small flags as the first in
a series that will depict Easton scenes, with a portion
of the sale proceeds going towards needed Peace Candle
renovations.

Easton's Peace Candle got a major overhaul just last year, but it still needs another $10,000 of work for its restoration to be complete, Mayor Sal Panto said at a press conference yesterday.

The skin of the candle which has lit Centre Square since 1951 was replaced with new  marine plywood and the iron angles are also new. Still to go are lighting and electrical upgrades, along with new flames to top it.

While the city sponsors part of the annual lighting event, and the Easton Main Street Initiative has taken over organizing the lighting festivities from the Easton Holiday Committee since last year, the money for the needed candle renovations still needs to be raised.

Other fund raisers, such as "light a night" and the eBay auction for the privilege of being the "Illuminator" or person who gets to pull the switch that lights the candle for the first time of the season, contribute to the lighting event itself, not Peace Candle upkeep.

"We're still looking to the public to help with the renovations," Panto said.

"Shares" in the Peace Candle will again be sold this year for $10 each, and copies of a Peace Candle cookbook, originally printed and published by the Holiday Committee, will also be available for $10 a copy, he said.

Garden flags will also join the fund raising items this year, with the first in a series of Easton icons by Kaplan's Awnings depicting the Peace Candle. A portion of the proceeds of each sold will go toward the necessary renovations.

"Today we're introducing our first Easton scene garden flag," said Randi Kaplan DellaVichia. "Our goal is to introduce a new flag every six months."

The 12-by-18-inch banners will be available for $15 each during the Peace Candle lighting ceremony on Friday. They'll also be for sale in the shop beginning on Monday and available for purchase online at the company's website.

Kaplan's has also introduced Easton and Phillipsburg high school team banners and flags this year. A portion of the proceeds from those items go to support the booster clubs of the schools' respective teams, DellaVichia said.

Panto said he expects the flags, which Kaplan's plans to sell at the Peace Candle lighting event on Friday, will be a hit.

"We get a lot of request or Peace Candle memorabilia," he said, noting that the candle lighting is part of a series of well-loved Easton Thanksgiving traditions.

"It starts with the bonfire on Wednesday, the victory on Thanksgiving--which always makes the turkey a bit sweeter, and then the candle lighting on Friday," Panto said.

The lighting event is set to take place from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 29 on Centre Square. All metered curbside parking spaces in the Downtown district will be free all day, and many shops and businesses will be holding open house events and keeping longer hours that day too, the mayor noted.

Highlights of the Easton Peace Candle lighting include:

• The Easton Area High School Brass Ensemble at 5 p.m.
• A presentation by Lehigh Valley Youth Community Theatre at 5:30 p.m.
• A concert by the Easton Municipal Band at 6 p.m.
• The Santa parade, starting at Fifth and Northampton streets at 7 p.m.
• The Peace Candle lighting at 7:45 p.m.
• A concert by Tuba Christmas at 8:15 p.m.

Photos with Santa, a holiday art fair and an artisans village, a performance by Sweet Adelines, ice sculpting, a petting zoo, trackless train rides, performances by the EAHS Chamber Singers and String Orchestra, plus more, is also planned for the event.

Additionally, the First UCC on North Third Street will hold an open house, and both St. John's Lutheran Church and Cornerstone Church will have tents on Centre Square at the event.

This year's Peace Candle lighting event sponsors include Wells Fargo, First Energy, Valenca, Unity Bank, KWM Insurance, RMG Insurance, Marriott TownPlace Suites, and Haunted Easton.

Peace Candle Illuminator Again to Be Chosen by EBay Auction

The Easton Peace Candle, moments after it was lit for the first time
for the holiday season at last year's lighting event.

Once again this year, the privilege of flipping the switch and lighting Easton's iconic Peace Candle will go to the winner of an eBay auction for the title of "The Official 2013 Illuminator".

The title, however, also comes with responsibilities, noted the Easton Main Street Initiative in a media release about the auction.

The high bidder must be present and attend the Santa Parade, which has been extended over last year's route and begins at 7 p.m. The Illuminator will also carry "The Official Match", an apparently new feature of the event. The Illuminator will then pull the switch to light the Peace Candle during the lighting ceremony at 8 p.m.

The auction, which began quietly on Friday, had already received 22 bids from five Illuminator hopefuls by Monday afternoon, with $200 needed to top the list. Proceeds from the auction will help offset Peace Candle lighting ceremony event expenses.

The privilege was won last year for a high bid of $280 by Tom Sestak, who chose to bequeath the honor on his girlfriend, Cindy Lytle, who pulled the switch in front of a cheering crowd with three friends close at hand.

In 2011, bidding topped out at $400, and the privilege was granted to Mary Elizabeth Soffera of Williams Township, a young fund raiser and big fan of the Peace Candle, after her grandfather, Ed Dietrich, won the auction and bestowed the honor upon her.

The Peace Candle Lighting ceremony and Holiday Open House event will be held the day after Thanksgiving, on Friday, November 29 from 5 to 9 p.m. Many Downtown retailers will be open late that evening, and the city has decreed that curbside metered parking that day is free.

Activities in addition to the parade and lighting ceremony are planned to ice sculpting demonstrations, a craft show, kids' activities, live music, and horse-drawn carriage rides for a fee.

To view the auction or bid on the title of "The Official 2013 Illuminator", click here.

Easton Peace Candle Sponsors Can "Light a Night"

A crane stands at the ready on Centre Square Tuesday
evening. Easton's Peace Candle, a decades-long
tradition and the largest non-wax candle in North
America, is set to be erected today over the
Soldiers and Sailors monument.

Volunteer and city workers are set to erect Easton's Peace Candle today on Centre Square, and the traditional lighting ceremony will happen on Black Friday, November 29 from 5 to 9 p.m., but keeping the largest non-wax candle in North America lit throughout the holiday season, until January 20, requires a community effort.

To that effect, the Easton Main Street Initiative (EMSI), which has taken over the organization of the Peace Candle lighting event in the past few years, is seeking businesses and individuals to "Light a Night".

For $30 a day, sponsors can honor a loved one or promote their business, the organization has announced. Event sponsors will be listed in the official event program and be listed on a display on Centre Square.

The donations are tax-deductible.

More information can be found on the EMSI website here, and "Light a Night" sponsorship forms can be downloaded directly by clicking here.

Completed forms with a check for $30 made out to the Greater Easton Development Partnership (GEDP), can be mailed to:

Easton Main Street Initiative
c/o Peace Candle
35 S. Third Street
Easton, PA 18042

Sponsors may also drop off their forms with payment at Crayton's Creations, 249 Northampton St. during business hours--Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

Artists and Artisans Sought For Peace Candle Lighting

Artists and crafters are being sought for this year's Peace Candle lighting
event in Easton. The annual celebration marking the beginning of the
holiday season in the city is expected to be attended by more than 3,500
people.
Easton Eccentric file photo

Easton's annual Peace Candle Lighting ceremony is set for the evening of Black Friday, November 29, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the Centre Square, and there are still spaces available for artists, artisans, and crafters who would like to show and sell their wares to a crowd that is expected to be in excess of 3,500 people.

The fee to take part in the event is $25. Those wishing to participate must supply all the necessary elements of their displays, such as a tent or canopy, tables, and lighting and extension cords (electricity will be supplied).

The deadline to sign up is November 16.

The Easton Peace Candle lighting is made possible by the joint efforts of the Easton Holiday Committee and the Easton Main Street Initiative. The iconic candle, the largest non-wax candle in North America, has been a part of the city's holiday landscape for nearly 50 years.

For more information or to reserve a spot with payment, contact Marian Wacker at 610-923-6552 or email her.

Peace Candle Lighting Draws a Crowd

By Christina Georgiou

Hundreds gathered in Centre Square Friday evening for Easton's annual Peace Candle Lighting ceremony and related seasonal events, including an appearance by Santa Claus.

Easton historian and centarian Jane Moyer was awarded the Gretchen Wrenshaw Award, which is granted each year to honor community service.

Centarian Jane Moyer received the
Gretchen Wrenshaw Award.

Mayor Sal Panto praised Moyer's life long commitment to the city, noting, "She's put in nearly 100 years of community service too."

"People say Easton’s nothing good anymore,” Moyer said. "But it’s here. We’re full of history."

The privilege of being the Imperial Illuminator--or the person who gets to pull the switch and light the Peace Candle for the first time of the holiday season--was won for a high bid of $280 by Tom Sestak.




Cindy Lytle, second from right, pulls the switch to light the
Easton Peace Candle for the first time of the season, while
her friends, left, and Easton Holiday Committee Chair Sandra
O'Brien-Werner, right, watch.

 But Sestak chose to bequeath the honor on his girlfriend, Cindy Lytle, who pulled the switch with three friends close at hand, to a cheer from the crowd.

As the candle glowed, Panto quipped, "It works. Our city electrician has a job for another year."

In addition to the award and lighting ceremonies, a number of other events and attractions amused the crowd, including performances by Easton Area High School Brass Ensemble, Uptown String Band and TubaChristmas.

An ice sculpting demonstration was sponsored by Velenca restaurant, a petting zoo and the opportunity to explore Easton Public Works heavy equipment and truck amused children, and Cops 'n Kids, sponsored by Just Around the Corner gallery, and gave out popcorn and small toys to children.

Children also decorated a Christmas tree on the Centre Square with ornaments they made at the COPS 'n Kids Reading Room, with the assistance of the Cops 'n' Kids volunteers and the Easton Area High School Red Rovers Basketball Team and Coach Hutnik. Pine cone bird feeders made in the Art in the Alley, an activity provided by the Easton Police Department, were also hung "as a gift to the birds of nature."

A volunteer helps a
child hang a decoration at
the Peace Candle Lighting
Friday evening.
(Photo contributed
by the Easton COPS 'n Kids
Reading Room.)

"We hope that residents will not only appreciate the beauty of the Peace Candle, but also the handiwork of the children who regularly visit the Reading Room to obtain free books on each visit as they come to know the joy of reading," said Judith Dickerson, director of the COPS 'n Kids of Easton reading room.



Retired Easton Police Detective Walt Howell and Patrolman Tim
Wagner give out toys to children



A young lady gets the chance to sit on Patrolman Carl Faulkner's motorcycle.





Scott Miernicki, with his son Wade, 9, sell
brownies and hot chocolate to benefit
College Hill's Cub Scout Pack 3.



Sue Ruggles, of St. John's Lutheran Church, helps children make seasonal crafts.