“Love Letters to Bethlehem,” a documentary about living in Bethlehem, with plenty of local scenery and a focus on small businesses in the city, premiered at ArtsQuest’s Frank Banko Theater July 16. A small reception was held before the premiere. A panel discussion following the showing featured film director Brian Rashid, and members of the Chamber of Commerce and business owners who were featured in the documentary.

“Love Letters to Bethlehem” is a project developed by Rashid, CEO of Brian Rashid Global, and supported by the City of Bethlehem, the Bethlehem Marketing Council and the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce.

Senior Vice President of the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce Tammy Wendling opened the premiere, saying the documentary features stories of why people chose to stay and live, work and play in Bethlehem.

Rashid explained that his storytelling platform, Love Letters for the World, began in 2020 when he was stuck in Uruguay during the pandemic because there were no outgoing flights.

“At end of the year, I wrote Uruguay a love letter,” he said, “and I walked onto dark streets in Uruguay to film it.”

Within a week, the video went viral.

“Thousands of people wrote me, ‘Thank you for showing me part of my country I can’t see, for showing what we are proud of,’” he said.

Rashid said that of all the places he’s been in the world, he’s found few places more caring than Bethlehem.

“Bethlehem wants to hug you,” he said before the start of the film. “You’re about see a film my partner Molly and I have worked really hard on.”

Following the premiere, the panel gathered onstage to take questions. Here are some of their comments.

Bethlehem Initiative manager Claire Boucher discussed the creation of the documentary. She said, “I did love letters to Moravian Univerrsity” when she was in college, then moved to the Chamber of Commerce and did “Love Letters to Bethlehem,” which took a few months, starting in March, to complete between initial conversations, filming, editing and distribution. “It was a collective decision within the marketing council on who to highlight,” she said. “The goal was to showcase individuals who are actively making an impact in this community and have strong recognition in Bethlehem. “

Guillermo Lopez Jr., of the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, said, “Bethlehem is a suburb of Puerto Rico. Many other people say Bethlehem is suburb of where they came from.”

Kassie Hilgert, ArtsQuest CEO, said she previously lived in Winston-Salem, N.C. the only other Moravian settlement in the United States. “When I came to Bethlehem, I thought Moravians were everywhere,” she said. “A central tenent of Moravian culture was music. Musikfest unites people from here and who come here.” She said she feels blessed to see how people in Bethlehem rise up living next to each other, no matter their station in life, supporting small business, volunteering and performing at Musikfest. “We sustain our community with our dollars,” she said. “Consumers cannot do without business and business can’t do without consumers.”

Quartez Moore, co-owner of TasteSmokers, said, “Bethlehem is a small business incubator – a close-knit community. I feel really lucky.”

Veronica Moore, co-owner of TasteSmokers, spoke of giving more than what you have. “Share. Teach how to get what you want in a way that is fair and equitable,” she said. “Make sure youth see what they can grasp onto.”

Mayor William Reynolds said he’s thankful every day because his job is made easier as mayor because people want to move to Bethlehem. “We seek happiness in each other,” he said, “new challenges and a spirit of community. It’s not a competition in Bethlehem. Spirit and vibe here.” Reynolds reminded everyone that small businesses don’t happen by accident. “They happen because we support them,”he said.

Geoge Wacker, of Lehigh Valley Live, expanded on what Reynolds said about business and cooperation. “As a younger business owner, there are people with experience I can talk to. We wouldn’t want to have tried this business venture anywhere else.”

Derek Wallen of Country Club Brewing, Roasted and Lehigh Valley Printing, noted that Musikfest brings over a million people a year to the city. “Small businesses notice this, feel fully supported.”

Donegal Square owner Neville Gardner is 40 years in business. “We have a small business community whose members are very helpful to one another. For me it’s a pleasure to help people who need help. Energy that comes from our business community goes out to the world, and as long as we can produce that energy and send it out, we will continue to attract new people.”

Film director Rashid concluded the panel discussion. “I hope people see that everyone on stage is excited about what they’re doing,” he said, “and that there are people from different places who can find a place where they can live and give. It’s like ‘I’ve got the restaurant you’ve got the art, let’s collaborate.’ You can do something that you love. A lot of people in the world don’t have any sense of discovery.”

You can watch the “Love Letters to Bethlehem” documentary on bethlehempa.org/love-letters-to-bethlehem.