The Allentown Brew Works is hosting a Holiday Sing-a-long Happy Hour! While the City of Allentown celebrates the start of the holiday season with the annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony Thursday, December 3 from 4pm-7pm in the 800 block of Hamilton Street,the Lehigh Valley Gay Men’s Chorus will be leading traditional holiday favorites inside on the main floor of the Brew Works!
Plenty of free parking is located in the Farr Lot located on 8th Street between Linden & Hamilton streets. Additional parking can be found in the Hess Deck at 8th and Linden Streets.
Outside:
This year, the city’s tree is in the perfect location — the heart of the city’s downtown. The pocket park where the tree stands is directly across the Brew Works and is adjacent to Allentown’s PPL skyscraper, which is decorated to serve as a holiday symbol throughout the Lehigh Valley. Recognized as a beacon of light year-round, the PPL Building’s holiday transformation is a beloved tradition.
Similarly, the annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony includes traditional holiday favorites: hot chocolate, Santa Claus and a majestic 40 foot tall Blue Spruce tree as the foundation. Many enhancements will attract attendees in 2009. A few of the new features include: an Elf Parade, appearances by characters from The Nutcracker, Pip the Mouse and Mrs. Claus, free horse-drawn carriage rides, live stage performances, strolling entertainers, arts and crafts, face painting, and ice carving demonstrations by Sculpted Ice Works.
The Italian American Band will provide strolling entertainment. Stage performances are scheduled by Civic Theatre of Allentown, O’Grady Quinlan School of Irish Dance, “InAcchord;” a Muhlenberg College a capella group; Associated Mess Improv Comedy Group and Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts.
Elementary, middle, high school students and adults were invited to enter the Allentown Holiday Haiku Contest. Hundreds of entries were received. Sixty haiku writers were chosen to receive a “Spirit of the Season Award.” Their haiku will be displayed in store and restaurant windows along Hamilton Street in Downtown Allentown. Five writers in each age category will be chosen and given the honor of reading their haiku at the Allentown Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony.
The Elf Parade is sure to be one of the highlights of this event. Children are invited to dress like elves and get their faces painted with those recognizable rosy red cheeks before being led on a parade by Mrs. Claus. Prizes will be given for the best costumes. Those who wish to participate should be lined up by 5:30 in the Farr Lot on 8th Street between Linden and Hamilton.
The actual tree lighting is scheduled for 6:30pm.
Refreshments will be available for purchase. Attendees will also have a golden opportunity to visit the Art Mart: Holiday Gifts gallery and shop located adjacent to the holiday tree.
The City of Allentown’s Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony provides a great opportunity for people to gather and join in the holiday cheer. Downtown employees can head to the festivities upon completion of their workday. After scooping-up their little ones from school, moms and dads can bring them to the celebration and city residents can congregate and participate in the fun. Please consider yourself cordially invited to join us on December 3 between 4pm-7pm to sing some carols, eat some cookies and warm your heart.
Inside:
Keep warm inside the Allentown Brew Works! Sing along with the fabulous Lehigh Valley Gay Men’s Chorus. They will lead us through all our traditional favorites as we enjoy a glass (or mug!) of Christmas cheer.
They also be conducting a fundraiser with wonderful holiday wreaths for your home or office! All funds support the LVGMC and their mission.
About LVGMC: The organization began on August 9, 1994 when 10 men gathered to form the Lehigh Valley Gay Men’s Chorus. Under the initial direction of Robert Roush and Steven Olofson, their feet first touched a stage in a Holiday concert in December of that year, in the Moose Lounge in Allentown, PA. Under former direction of Beverly Morgan, and Jay Kawarsky, and the current direction of J. Clinton Miller, LVGMC continues to push the envelope in the Valley and surrounding area. From their performance of “Sing For The Cure” for the national conference in Washington, D.C. of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research in 2002 to the organization of a candlelight vigil in honor of Matthew Shepard, to being the first all GLBT group to perform at the MayFair Arts festival, performances at First Night Bethlehem Celebration, F.A.C.T. (Fighting AIDS Continuously Together) Summer Games, Freedom to Marry celebrations, local church services, and their performance of their “Alec Baldwin Doesn’t Love Me”. LVGMC is making a difference in Lehigh Valley and the US, musically and socially. “Alec Baldwin Doesn’t Love Me”, their first CD was released in June of 2000 and our second CD, “Slices” was released in the summer of 2004.
They are a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, and have been named ‘Best Musical Group’ in the Philadelphia Pride Parade. They have performed with Opera Diva Marilyn Horne, the Moravian Wind Ensemble, ACCO (a Chorus Celebrating Women), the Concord Chamber Singers of Bethlehem, PA, the Chamber Choir of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC, Another Octave (a Connecticut Women’s Chorus) and many other choruses and individuals. A special Judy Garland birthday party concert was held in June of 2000 with New York City’s Tommy Femia bringing his highly acclaimed ‘Judy’ to Bethlehem. They performed at GALA 2000 Music Festival, San Jose CA. and the GALA International Conference in Montreal Canada in August of 2004.
