LVHM:

A “Hess’s Department Store” slide-lecture will be presented, 7 p.m. Dec. 16, Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, 432 W. Walnut St., Allentown.

“No store in the Lehigh Valley could rival the magic of a visit to Hess’s Department Store, especially at the holidays,” said Joseph Garrera, executive director of the Museum.

Drawing on more than 1,000 photographs, the slide-lecture will re-create the excitement that once drew national celebrities to Allentown, including Johnny Carson and Rock Hudson. The memories continue to invoke awe decades after the store’s closing. The presentation will include film footage from the glory days of Hess’s.

Christmas was a very special time to be entertained at Hess’s. The store was completely transformed, indoors and outdoors, with festive decorations. Santa often met visitors at the door.

Santa kept up with the times, arriving at Hess’s each year by ever-more modern and sometimes fanciful means of transportation. He arrived by helicopter and by parachute. He even arrived by “flying saucer.” Once at Hess’s, he settled into “Santa’s Workshop” where he heard the holiday dreams of generations of Lehigh Valley children.

Information: lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org, 610-435-1074