CHRISTMAS MARKET

Lemont Village Association is pleased to be having their 14th Annual German-style market celebrating Christmas in Lemont, with local crafts, music, bratwurst and treats, beverages and good spirits, will be offered again this year. Local products and arts and crafts by more than 25 artists will be available in the Grain Elevator and Coal Sheds (the Granary), 133 Mt. Nittany Road, Lemont, on Friday, Dec. 6, from 5-8 p.m., and on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Admission is free, so come out and enjoy the magic of the season. There will be a warming fire outside and music Friday evening opening the market with Christmas cheer and grilled bratwurst and hotdogs for supper. Food and drink will also be available all day on Saturday. Come dressed for the weather and have a cup of hot cocoa or a warming German drink with good friends and neighbors — all that is needed to start the holidays right. Children are very welcome — Santa will be there on Saturday afternoon. Be sure to dress for the weather — there is NO heat in the buildings. Local Lemont merchants will have special hours and offerings, making it a festive weekend throughout all of Lemont.

All proceeds go to the restoration and maintenance of the Historic Grain Elevator and Coal Sheds. Together we can guarantee that generations to come will be able to enjoy the Granary.

For more info, please contact suesmith1288@gmail.com

CHRISTMAS PARTY

The descendants of Wilson and Hazel Miller will be having their annual Miller Christmas Party on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m., at the Marsh Creek Brotherhood Park, Richner Hollow Road, Howard. Each family is asked to bring covered dishes for the potluck supper. Bring a few dollars along to participate in the prize drawings.

Santa will be coming, so bring a gift for your child(ren).

Pass the word to all family members so they know to come! The Rogers’ family is in charge of the Christmas Party this year, so questions can be directed to Wanda at 814-880-0583.

Also, mark your calendar for the Miller Family Reunion on May 31, 2025.

YOUNG

PATRONS

Centre County Young Patrons of Husbandry (Y.P. of H.) will meet on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m., at Sunset West Restaurant in Pleasant Gap for a Dutch treat Christmas dinner and party. We will be signing Christmas cards for shut-in Centre County Grange members.

Please bring a wrapped gift for a “Yankee Swap” game. All Grangers are encouraged to come for a night of fun, food and fellowship!! RSVP to Ben or Maryann Haagen at 814-383-4428 or by texting 814-883-1469.

CHRISTMAS DANCE

There will be a Christmas Dinner/Dance on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 8, from 2-5 p.m., at Lambert Hall, 303 Forge Road, Bellefonte. Zupe will be providing the music and Townside Cafe will cater the meal. Call/text 717-543-8348 for more information.

FIRE NEWS

Centre Hall Fire Company’s first Friday Bingo will be on Dec. 6. Doors open at 5:30; early birds games at 6:30 and regular Bingo starts at 7 p.m. Rip tickets and food available.

Centre Hall Fire Company will be holding a Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 21 from 8-11 a.m. Come to the fire station to enjoy breakfast with Santa, arts and crafts and a “snowball fight.” The price for breakfast is $8 for those ages 13 and older; $5 for ages 7-12; and those 6 and younger get to eat free. Bring your cameras for some photo opportunities with St. Nick, too!

Millheim Fire Company has their cash and gun raffle tickets for sale. The raffle date is April 12, 2025. Tickets are $10 each of 3/$20.

FREE

CLOTHING

The Light of the World Clothing Bank at St. John’s United Church of Christ, 145 W. Linn St., Bellefonte, will be open on Friday, Dec. 6, from 2:30-5p.m. and on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m. until noon. Clothing (for all seasons) for everyone from babies to adults, towels, blankets, sheets, some beautiful handmade afghans, shoes, purses and more are available. Everything is free! For more info contact Cathy, the clothing bank coordinator, at 814-355-9072 or 814-355-4983.

CHRISTMAS AT CURTIN

Announcing an entire weekend of Christmas at The Curtin with festivities beginning on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m., and concluding on Sunday evening at 7 p.m.

For holiday photos, plan your visit for Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or on Sunday, Dec. 8, from noon to 4 p.m. Santa Claus has confirmed that he will be there. No registration or sign up is needed for holiday photos. Photographers will be available to assist, and guests can take photos with their own camera/phone. The holiday photos are free, but donations are requested.

The weekend festivities conclude with a 1970s-themed evening reception on Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. Celebrate with family and friends and enjoy light snacks and holiday desserts, Happy Valley wines (one glass free, $5 additional glasses), mulled cider, music, a holiday sing along, a special reading of “Bertie’s Christmas Eve” and take a lantern tour of the mansion using battery operated lanterns.

“Two parlors and two large Christmas trees and two centuries of history all in one place provide various settings for popup photos and memory-making opportunities,” said Sue Hannegan, president of the Roland Curtin Foundation, the volunteer-run nonprofit charged with restoration and preservation of the property. “Our evening reception is a chance to see the mansion as Victorians did — without electricity. There’s something magical about eating by candlelight.”

Tickets for the evening reception are $30 per person. Limited tickets are available due to the size of the parlors. Tickets can be purchased online at curtinvillage.com. Visit the “donate/tickets” page. Please write in Christmas at the Curtin in the reference ID section. You may also pay by Venmo or PayPal. If you want to pay cash at the door, be sure to RSVP first by emailing your reservation to curtinvillage@gmail.com.

The Curtin Mansion is located at 251 Curtin Road, Howard, Pa.

All proceeds benefit the nonprofit Roland Curtin Foundation and its efforts to save the expansive and historic iron furnace industrial site and its associated residential village and ironmaster’s mansion built in 1831.

Tax-deductible donations are always appreciated and accepted online at curtinvillage.com.

For more information, visit curtinvillage.com or their Facebook page, Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village.

SANTA TIME

McElhattan Pathway to Christ Church is offering family time with Santa. Come enjoy free cookies and milk with Santa on Sunday, Dec. 8, from noon to 2 p.m. You can also have your photo taken with Santa and emailed to you as a keepsake reminder of the event. Free gift bags will be presented to each child while supplies last. The church is located at 502 McElhattan Drive, McElhattan. For more info on this and other events at the church, email BJ at Bpeters388@comcast.net.

LOTS OF

HAPPINESS

Happy Anniversary to Jerry and Gerry (aka Geraldine) Dreese who celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary on Nov. 28.

Happy Birthday to Elaine McCloskey, of Marsh Creek, who celebrated her 90th birthday on Nov. 29.

Happy Birthday to Bill Rogers, also of Marsh Creek, who will be turning 90 on Sunday, Dec. 1.

BENEFIT BINGO

A benefit Bingo will be held for Tammy Nyman on Dec. 14 at KBR Bingo in the Piper Museum building, 1 Piper Way, Lock Haven. Tickets are $20. There will also be a 50/50 raffle, Chinese auction, rip tickets and food. Doors open at 11 a.m. and Bingo starts at 1 p.m. Tickets and information are available by contacting Holly at 443-619-3272 or Amber at 570-295-6257.

Tammy is in need of a double lung transplant. Tammy and her husband, Wally, live in Beech Creek. Wally is a Howard Area Lion who helps frequently with Lions Bingo held at the Beech Creek Fire social hall.

Donations of Chinese auction gift baskets and prizes are also being sought to make this benefit a success for the family. If you can donate a basket, gift card or items for the auction please contact Holly or Amber to arrange for delivery or pickup. Or, if you plan to attend the Lions Bingo on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 6:30 p.m., bring your donation to Wally there.

Funds raised from this Bingo will help defer the costs of traveling, hotel stays and things needed during the transplant and afterwards. Please keep Tammy and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

SPORTSMEN’S CLUB

The Liberty Township Sportsmen’s Club is open for members to get your rifles ready for deer hunting if you haven’t done so already. A Muzzleloader Shoot is planned for Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. Rain or shine with a $10 entry fee.

Turkey shoots at the club are held on the last Sunday of each month.

Check the website, www.libertysportsmen.com, for more upcoming events scheduled there.

LIONS NEWS

Howard Area Lions will have their food bank distribution on Monday, Dec. 2, from noon to 3 p.m. Bring your sturdy boxes back each month.

Lions food distribution will also be held on Monday, Dec. 16, when Toys for Tots will also be given to food bank eligible families for Christmastime. Registration for the toys will be held at noon.

The Lions will be holding a Red Cross Blood Drive at the Howard fire hall on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 12:30-6 p.m. Please become a regular donor at the Howard location.

CHEER CLUB

Senior Cheer Club will meet at noon on Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Friendship Community Center in Beech Creek. All those 55 and older are invited to come! Bring a covered dish to share for the potluck. Don’t worry about bringing a covered dish at the last minute — there’s always plenty to eat at these luncheons. We’re having a big Christmas meal featuring all the traditional favorite foods.

Last month Larry wanted to have 30 people there, and we made him proud by having 34 people come! So, this month Larry wants more people to come! Senior Cheer Club won’t meet again until next March because of the cold winter months, so do your best to come out and bring a friend along!

We’re having a gift exchange during the December meeting. Ladies are to bring a wrapped gift for a lady and men bring a gift for a man. Spend about $10-$12 for the gift. Label your gift accordingly as to who it’s for and we’ll have a gift swap during the meeting.

At the last meeting we sang Happy Birthday to Fred Yost, Brenda Etters and Judy Cain who were all having November birthdays. Since it was the month of Thanksgiving, each said what they were thankful for. Family, friends, Jesus and his many blessings, freedom and health were what many folks said they were the most thankful for.

Relda Williams won the door prize gift that Judy Cain brought last month, so Relda will be bringing the door prize for the December meeting.

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Howard Happenings is written and compiled by Tammy Coakley who can be reached by email at tammysue0115@gmail.com or by telephone at 814-625-2684.