EASTON, Pa. — A time-honored Easton tradition continued Saturday night as the city’s Peace Candle was lit for the 73rd time, kicking off the winter holiday season.
“Every year when the candle goes up, I'm like, ‘Oh, it’s officially Christmastime,’” said Julie VanOsdol, main street manager with the Greater Easton Development Partnership.
“I always thought it was just so magical,” added VanOsdol, who grew up in Easton. “It’s cool to see every year.”
The Greater Easton Development Partnership, in collaboration with the City of Easton, hosted the candle lighting. Lehigh Valley Health Network was the presenting sponsor.
“I always thought it was just so magical.”Julie VanOsdol
The Peace Candle, which stands 106 feet tall, is erected over the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Easton’s Centre Square. It was first built in 1951 to honor families who lost a loved one in World War II. Today, the candle honors local men and women in the military. It will stay lit in the evenings until Martin Luther King Jr. Day in mid-January.
Patti Price, wife of former Easton Councilman David O’Connell, won the raffle to light the Peace Candle this year. For a $5 donation to the Greater Easton Development Partnership, people were entered into the raffle. Price found out she won last Tuesday.
“I don’t have a history of winning things, and I just thought, ‘Are you sure?’” she said. “It’s a once in a lifetime thing.”
Price, deputy director of a global anti-hunger nonprofit, attended the candle lighting celebration with her husband, daughter and grandson. She got to hold a large wooden match while hitting the light switch that controls the candle. This is the first year the wooden match prop was used in the ceremony.
“Easton is kicking off the holiday spirit for everyone who’s here, and I think it’s marvelous,” Price said.
Jeremy Joseph, founder of Big Easy Easton Brass, was also announced as the Gretchen Wrenshall Award winner at the Peace Candle celebration for his dedication to community service.
Joseph’s community band has been playing at Easton events for the last eight years. Joseph is creator of the art project, Brick Easton, which consists of LEGO models of Easton people, places and events.
He’s also recently created a documentary about the people who raised the money to save Easton’s State Theatre Center for the Arts and is trying to start a youth drumline for kids in Easton’s West Ward.
“If you love this city and you put some good intentions into it, the city will love you back.”Jeremey Joseph founder, Big Easy Easton Brass and Brick Easton art project creator
“If you love this city and you put some good intentions into it, the city will love you back,” Joseph said. “To get acknowledged by the mayor and to get recognized in an environment like this is just fantastic.”
Greater Easton Development Partnership and the City of Easton also collaborate to host the Winter Village, an outdoor market of 40 vendors stationed in Centre Square. The presenting sponsor of the Winter Village is the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 102.
The Winter Village will be open on weekends in December up until the Christmas holiday.
Amanda Thomas, 35, of Easton, has been coming out to see the Peace Candle lighting for about a decade. For the last five years, she’s recorded the lighting ceremony on Facebook live for her young niece to watch at home. She also enjoys visiting the Winter Village.
“I usually like to come out to support the little businesses and to see who all comes down and what’s new and what’s been here for awhile,” Thomas said.
The Winter Village was created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to allow people to safely shop for the holidays while following social distancing guidelines. The event was such a hit that it continued.
“It’s been a real success for many of our businesses,” said Marcy McKinney, director of special events and promotions for Greater Easton Development Partnership.
Matt Lasko, owner of Winter Village Ornaments, has been selling his ornaments at the Winter Village since 2020. His manufacturing business suffered during the pandemic, and he was able to make good money selling his art at Centre Square.
He’s continued participating in the Winter Village because he loves being a part of it, he said.
Lasko’s ornaments are inspired by Pennsylvania Dutch folk art. He makes new versions each year, but keeps the same imagery on them, such as the Peace Candle.
Lasko has many returning customers who purchase the $7 ornaments every year as gifts or for their own collection.
“People love them,” he said.
Lasko said his ornaments and other wares in the Winter Village are perfect for small gifts. The outdoor market is open from 5-9 p.m. on Fridays; from 1-9 p.m. on Saturdays; and from 12-5 p.m. on Sundays.
