A successful first “Songs and Stories in the Mausoleum” program last year has the Lehighton Area Heritage Alliance thinking big in 2019.

Just over 50 people attended the inaugural event, which featured traditional folk and local history stories by Kathy Long, as well as traditional folk music by Dave Matsinko.

This year, guests will have two opportunities to learn about Lehighton’s history in a fun and unique atmosphere on Sept. 28, with the first show scheduled for 3:30-4:30 p.m. and a second show set to run from 5-6 p.m., both inside the mausoleum.

“We had a great first year and we’re hoping to do even better with an extra show,” Long said of the event. “This is a $10 ticketed event and we’re hoping to use the proceeds toward some projects including a long-term goal of ours to open a heritage center in Lehighton.”

This year’s event will have an industrial theme, as Long said the heritage alliance was fortunate enough to be gifted photographs of what was at one time Lehighton’s largest industrial property.

The Lehigh Machine Company is now long gone, but Long, while showing the photographs, will explain its location and history in the area.

“We’re incredibly lucky to have received these pictures, and it allowed us to gear this event toward an industrial theme,” she said. “I’ll also be talking about men like Asa Packer, Carlos Baer of Baer Silk Mill fame and Charles Schwab. Dave will also be singing industrial songs about the coal, steel, iron and railroad industries.”

Unlike the popular walks at the cemetery, located at Fourth and Alum streets, this event is located at the mausoleum itself and is easier to access for the elderly.

“A lot of time some of the older people are scared off the cemetery walks by having to walk the perimeter of the cemetery, but this is different,” Long said. “There will be parking near the mausoleum so the walking is taken out of the equation.”

It is also one of the few times each year the general public can access the mausoleum, which is usually reserved for those with loved ones inside. Long said the building is stunning, with granite, marble and beautiful stained-glass windows.

Should the program be successful, it could go a long way toward helping the heritage alliance build itself up and continue to provide products and programs for the community.

“We’re looking at things like printing books of former cemetery walks so people can have those stories chronicled forever,” Long said. “Ultimately, we’d like to open an actual heritage center in Lehighton. Think of the possibilities and hands-on programs we could do. We all want to continue to share the history of the area, and I think a heritage center would be a great way to preserve it.”

Tickets for the “Songs and Stories in the Mausoleum” are available by calling 610-377-4403, or emailing lehightonheritage@gmail.com.

Seating is limited, so those interested are encouraged to get tickets in advance.