Area Christmas events
Area events
• Tamaqua Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual Santa parade Friday evening.• "A Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Tail" will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday and at 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday at the theater, 125 Pine St., Tamaqua. For more information, call 570-668-1192.• Palmerton's Christmas in the Park Festival will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. It will include Santa, holiday sweets, lighted Christmas trees, and the showcase of Palmerton's new holiday lights on Delaware Avenue. There will also be food and craft vendors, horse and carriage rides, and live music from organizations.• The 33rd Annual Olde Time Christmas Festival in Jim Thorpe will be celebrated the first two weekends in December. The festivities kick off at 6 p.m. Friday. Events continue on Saturday, Sunday, Dec. 13 and Dec. 14. For more information, call 888-JIM-THORPE, visit
www.jimthorpe.org or follow the Facebook page JimThorpeOldeTimeChristmas for complete event information.• Carbon Mountaineers Marine Corps League 996 and Aquashicola Fire Company will sponsor a full-course dinner for veterans, low-income families and individuals, as well as the elderly who reside in the Palmerton Area School District, from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Aquashicola Fire Company. Santa will be present for the children, and there will be entertainment from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Reservations are required. Call H.F. (Nick) Hawkey at 610-826-6465 with names, addresses and ages of those planning to attend.• Blue Ridge Communications will host its sixth annual Breakfast with Santa at Penn's Peak in Jim Thorpe on Sunday, with seatings from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The cost is $8 for children 12 and under and $10 for adult breakfast. Gratuity is not included. Children 2 and under are free with a paying adult. Advanced ticket purchase is required through the Penn's Peak box office at 610-826-9200 (credit card required) or in person at the box office or Roadies Restaurant (cash or credit card).• Freedom Community Church invites children and their parents to a free Community Christmas Party at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Lehighton Recreation Center. Cookies, crafts, games, and hot chocolate will be available. For more information, contact the Rev. Mark Akers at 610-714-9834 or go to
www.freedomchurchpa.org.• The Tamaqua High School Jazz Chorale will be the special musical guest at the Fourth Annual Tamaqua Community Advent Breakfast on Dec. 13 at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Greenwood and Mauch Chunk streets. The event begins at 9 a.m. and includes breakfast by Zion's Culinary Crew, special music, an Advent message provided by the Rev. Virginia Goodwin and a candle lighting ceremony. For more information, call 570-668-4451, 570-668-1880 or stop by the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce Office, 114 W. Broad St., Tamaqua.• A holiday grocery bingo will benefit the West End Fire Company and West End Community Ambulance on Dec. 14. The doors will open at noon with bingo beginning at 1 p.m. Admission will be $10 for 20 games.• Festival of Lights at Phifer Ice Dam's Park, hosted by the Franklin Township Lions Club, the walk-through outdoor holiday display of lights and music at 880 Main Road in Lehighton in Franklin Township includes a nightly visit from Santa and runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 21 as well as Dec. 22 and 23. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children ages 4-12, and free for children under the age of 4. For more information visit
www.FranklinTwpLions.com or call 610-714-2204.• The Western Pocono Community Library in Brodheadsville is hosting a gingerbread house contest. Information and rules are available at the circulation desk.Tree lightings• The Pocono Health Foundation and the Rotary Club of the Smithfields presents the 23rd Annual Holiday Tree Lighting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hughes Cancer Center in East Stroudsburg. Santa and musical entertainment will be provided by local school groups with a reception to follow with hot cocoa and cookies. Contact Pocono Health Foundation at 570-476-3629 or email
mstrunk@pmchealthsystem.org.• The Tamaqua tree lighting ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday in Depot Square Park.Concerts• The Pleasant Valley Choral Society will present its annual Christmas concert "Sounds of the Season" at 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Pleasant Valley High School auditorium in Brodheadsville. The suggested donation is $8 for adults, children under 12 get in free. Tickets can be purchased at the door. For more information call 570-402-2026.• The Bach and Handel Chorale Inc. begins its Christmas concerts at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Jim Thorpe on Saturday with concerts at noon and 3 p.m.Additional Christmas concerts will be held at:• St. John's Lutheran Church in Ringtown at 3 p.m. Dec. 13.• Tamaqua Area Community Arts Center at 7 p.m. Dec. 13.• St. Paul's United Church of Christ Trexlertown at 3 p.m. Dec. 14Tickets for all concerts can be purchased through the Bach and Handel Chorale's website at