NOTES FROM THE SHENADOAH HISTORICAL SOCIETY

JANUARY 2003

I don’t want to call this a "newsletter", because It doesn’t fit any format I’ve seen, but I

thought you would be Interested in some of the year-end activities of the Society.

I asked LorraIne Sweeney for some help in reporting on the TREE LIGHTING and the

SNOW BALL (as you will see, her articles are a lot more descriptive than mine) and I’ll

report on the HOLIDAY TOUR.

Before signing off, I want to remind everyone to consult the attached

Calendar of Events and if you are anywhere near Shenandoah on one or

more of the dates, please join us....you’ll have a great time!

Edie Sinkiewicz

 

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THE TREE LIGHTING CELEBRATION

Everything was set to kick off on Friday, November 29th at 6 p.m. But our annual tree lighting

ceremony had to be altered, due to the very cold temperatures and the strong,

gusty winds that were blowing across our little mountain town. The scheduled horse and

buggy ride was cancelled; the musicians had voiced their concerns of the instruments

freezing; and so, the decision was made to move the entire program inside to the

Shenandoah Senior Citizen’s Centre where the later reception was to be held.

Shenandoah’s Christmas tree stood tall, but barren in the darkness of the night, at the base

of the Shenandoah Heights hill. Valerie Macdonald, our Vice President was the person

selected to turn the light switch to illuminate the tree. Borough Manager Joe Palubiusky

was one of the group that huddled together to watch the official opening of the town’s

holiday season. Once the tree was lit, everyone rushed to the warmth of the Hall and the

camaraderie of the people already within. In the Hall you found chestnuts roasting,

popcorn popping, coffee brewing, hot chocolate and hot spiced cider steaming.

Homemade cakes and cookies lined several tables that displayed them in a festive manner.

Valerie acted as the Mistress of Ceremonies and introduced the performers. We were

treated to solos by Amanda Fritz and Angelica Dunsavage. The combined Catholic

Children’s Choir performed familiar Christmas carols as did the Saint Cecelia’s Choir

of Saint Casimir’s Church, led by Teofil Galezniak. Members and friends of the Historical

Society performed the dramatization of the Dickens’ classic, A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Closing the entertainment segment, the UNICO BAND CHRISTMAS ENSEMBLE played

a medley of holiday tunes. Close to a hundred people enjoyed the program and showed

their appreciation by giving each a hearty round of applause. The reception was equally

well-received as demonstrated by the amount of food and beverages consumed.

Considering the state of world affairs today, sharing in an event such as this not only

warms the head, but raises the awareness of how blessed we are to live in this great

country of America. Congratulations GREATER SHENANDOAH AREA HISTORICAL

SOCIETY. A job well done!

lorraine hhh sweeney

December 20022002