Remember how amazing it was as a youngster to experience the music, colorful lights and tasty food of the holidays—and then those presents waiting under the tree?
This season, you can rekindle those memories and share some of that lost excitement with your own family. Not too far from Harrisburg, you can enjoy an ice festival, a traditional German Christmas, a walk with holiday lights and special, handcrafted presents.
An old-time Christmas is just a short drive away.
Magical Evening.
For the past 18 years, the State College Ice Sculptors have wowed audiences in Lewistown, and this year will be no different. On Dec. 4 and 5, your family can watch professional ice carvers turn solid blocks of ice into works of art using chisels, chainsaws and blow torches.
“Our theme this year will be a ‘Vintage Christmas,’ and we begin with our annual crazy parade,” said festival coordinator Jenny Landis of the Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau. “The procession kicks off at 6 o’clock sharp from St. John’s Church, and we’ll walk/march/hop/skip down N. Main Street with noisemakers, dancing ribbons and papier mache puppets on sticks. It’s fun!”
The Festival of Ice is held in Monument Square directly in front of the historic Mifflin County Courthouse. In addition to the sculptors and power tools, there’s entertainment, a holiday market, crafts and food.
“With the holiday music and the lights reflecting from the ice sculptures, it’s truly a magical evening,” said Landis.
Pony rides and a petting zoo will entertain the younger set, as will cookie decorating, carnival games and letter-writing to Santa. The empty lot near the courthouse will be transformed into a live nativity scene, including an ancient market with activities in each of the stalls. To help set the mood, the Beth-El choir from the Mennonite Church in Belleville will perform holiday music each evening.
For a unique memory, you can treat your family to a tour of downtown Lewistown from the back of a horse-drawn carriage. Rides are $3 per person, free for children five and under. All money raised will be donated to local charities. For model train buffs, the Mifflin County Model Railroad Club train display will set up in the lower level of the building next to the courthouse.
Of course, no Christmas festival would be complete without an opportunity to meet Santa, who will greet visitors and take gift requests at the West Side Gallery. Be sure to stop in and exchange a ho-ho-ho.
Artistic Twist
Later that weekend, the Perry County Council of the Arts (PCCA) will offer holiday fun at both of its locations in Newport—the Landis House and the PCCA Gallery.
“It’s a great time to be in a small town with all of the cute shops and holiday decorations,” said PCCA Creative Programs Director Jasmine Colbert. “A shopping day here is like an adventure to seek out one-of-a-kind gifts. And you can support local businesses at the same time.”
First, visit the newly remodeled Landis House (67 N. 4th St., Newport) for a special holiday family outing. Local music teachers will feature their students in a holiday piano recital, and Santa will visit to share cookies.
At the PCCA Gallery on the square (1 S. 2nd St., Newport), you can shop the Artisan Marketplace, where you will find unique and locally made holiday gifts. While in the gallery, you can visit with demonstrating artists, get signed copies of local authors’ books and enjoy light refreshments.
Be sure to fortify yourself with a warm beverage and a snack at Espresso Yourself before checking out the annual Newport tree lighting at 5 p.m. on the square.
German Christmas
Your next adventure, the following weekend, is to downtown Mifflinburg, which will be lined with festive huts featuring unique handmade crafts and traditional treats for Christkindl Market, a traditional German holiday celebration.
Founders Joannah Skucek and her late husband Rudi lived in Germany for 20 years before returning to her hometown, where she opened a business. One day, at a meeting of town merchants, the conversation turned to how to draw visitors to Mifflinburg.
“How about a Christkindl market?” Joannah suggested. “Everyone looked at Rudi and me and asked, ‘A what?’”
Christkindl markets began in Germany in 1434. Local craftsmen and food vendors found that, if they set up their wares around the town’s churches during Christmas activities, the public would buy their goods to eat and give as gifts.
The first year, the Mifflinburg Christkindl Market had about 20 vendors located around the many local churches.
“Through our volunteers’ hard work and Rudi’s charismatic leadership, our market is now the oldest authentic outdoor German Christkindl market in the United States,” explained Joannah. “Last year was our silver anniversary, and the market had an estimated 12,000 visitors to our 100 vendors.”
The celebration opens with a parade featuring St. Nicholas riding his white horse. Then, over three days, people browse through picturesque huts filled with Christkindl treats and unique handmade crafts.
Be sure to dress warmly. Last year, my wife and I visited on an extremely cold day, which marred our ability to spend much time outdoors. Fortunately, there’s a pub where you can warm up with a glass of Glühwein (glow wine) in a specially designed collector’s mug. You also can enjoy hearty German beer along with Hungarian goulash and a variety of German sausages.
For treats, there are gourmet coffees and hot mulled cider to drink with Christmas cookies and the traditional German lebkuchen (gingerbread) hearts. An outdoor stage is located across from the Christkindl Pub, where you’ll see continuous entertainment, including dancers, school musical groups and jugglers.
There is plenty of fun for little ones, too. In Kinder World, children can visit the Elf School to solve puzzles and meet Mrs. Claus. Inside the Gingerbread House, they’ll see the “Gingerbread Family” decorating the Christmas tree and watch “Mother Gingerbread” make cookies. At the Peek-A-Boo Doll House, kids can watch dolls and teddy bears having a tea party around the Christmas tree as they hang stockings to the music of the holidays.
Planners work to balance tradition with new ideas.
“Our criterion is simple,” Joannah said. “If we want to add something new, we ask ourselves, ‘Would they do it in Germany?’ For example, I was asked one year where visitors can find a traditional German breakfast. I thought, ‘Now that’s a good idea.’ So, we worked with one of the local churches to sponsor a German breakfast.”
Don’t forget to bring your holiday greeting cards.
“It’s an Austrian tradition,” Joannah said. “Visitors can make their greetings unique by having a Christkindl cancellation stamp placed on holiday cards at the Christkindl Corner.”
The special, pictorial cancellation stamp, designed by a local artist, changes each year. So, you can start your collection this season.
Christmas Trail
Rounding out the season, Little Buffalo State Park will open its weeklong Christmas Trail on Dec. 17. There, children can meet Santa, see thousands of lights and enjoy handcrafted wooden figures.
“The Christmas Trail is at least 30 years old and has become a tradition for many families,” said Ben Ranney, who coordinates the program.
Local school districts participate by bringing their choirs or vocal groups to perform on the Moore Pavilion stage. 4-H clubs will sell hot chocolate and treats at the warming station“The lights along the wooded trails, the holiday music, the excitement of the children all meld together to create a beautiful and festive mood,” said Ranney. “It’s very special.”
There you have it—four celebrations over three weekends, all a relatively short drive out of the city. This holiday season, it will be easy to enjoy Christmas in the country.
GOING THERE
The Festival of Ice is located on Monument Square in downtown Lewistown on Thursday, Dec. 4, 6 to 9 p.m., and Friday, Dec. 5, 6 to 10 p.m. For more information, visit www.juniatarivervalley.org or call 717-248-6713.
PCCA’s holiday shopping and music takes place in downtown Newport on Saturday, Dec. 6. For more information, visit www.perrycountyarts.org or call 717-567-7023.
The Mifflinburg Christkindl Market hours are Thursday, Dec. 11, 4:30 to 9 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The market is located on Market Street between 4th and 6th streets in Mifflinburg. For more information, visit www.MifflinburgChristkindlMarket.com.
The Little Buffalo Christmas Trail will be open from Dec. 17 to Dec. 23, 6 to 9 p.m., in the park’s East Picnic area. The program is free and flashlights are helpful in some areas of the trail. Contact the park at 717-567-9255 or email littlebuffsp@state.pa.us.
Don Helin published his first thriller, “Thy Kingdom Come,” in 2009. His recently published novel, “Devil’s Den,” has been selected as a finalist in the Indie Book Awards. His latest thriller, “Secret Assault,” was published in November. Contact Don on his website, www.donhelin.com.
