Special Events: Bus Trip to Bethlehem
The Friends were on the road to The Christmas City: Bethlehem Pennsylvania on Thursday, September 22, 2011
Twenty-three Friends of the Library trippers traveled to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on September 22, 2011. The trip included touring the closed Bethlehem SteelStacks and reliving the history of the area and its importance to the development of the steel industry in the United States.
The SteelStacks are part of the Arts/Quest project, an arts and cultural campus located at the former site of the Bethlehem Steel plants. Bethlehem is a wonderful example of the business community and community leaders working together to reinvent their city after the demise of the steel industry.
Along with the SteelStacks project, Bethlehem is also known as the Christmas City. It was settled by Moravians in the 1700s as they fled Europe searching for religious freedom in the new world. The Moravian Museum of Bethlehem complex includes some of the most important and oldest buildings in the Lehigh Valley and remarkable stories are told about the early Moravian medical practices, communal living, missionary work and a progressive educational system.
Trippers were also given the opportunity to visit the newest addition to the area’s successful resurgence, the Sands Casino.Others enjoyed shopping in the wonderful small shops in downtown Bethlehem.
Before leaving for home, a delicious meal was served at one of the Art/Quest’s several dining areas
I hope you will consider joining us on a future trip and experience another educational adventure with the Friends of the Library.
Gerry DeAngelo FOL Trip Coordinator
