{"id":194157,"date":"2026-05-16T10:20:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T10:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/194157\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T10:20:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T10:20:22","slug":"lassie-child-star-jon-provost-to-headline-lehigh-valley-history-expo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/194157\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Lassie’ child star Jon Provost to headline Lehigh Valley history expo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jon Provost remembers when there were just three television channels to choose from. One of them showcased his own show.<\/p>\n

The former child actor, who played Timmy on the television series \u201cLassie\u201d in the 1950s and 60s, spent years on set with treasured dogs and Hollywood legends, a show he said was one of the many materials representing \u201cAmericana.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll be among the unique array of figures \u2014 some living, many long gone \u2014 representing 250 years of American history as part of the upcoming History Expo on Saturday, May 23, at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum in Allentown.<\/p>\n

\u201cJon and I just revel in all of that marvelous history,\u201d said Laurie Jacobson, Provost\u2019s wife, an author and Hollywood-history expert who will give two talks during the expo focusing on the Beatles and Hollywood. \u201cAnd I think the world does, too. The world is thrilled with what we have produced over the decades, and that is all to be celebrated.\u201d<\/p>\n

The annual expo, which this year will mark America\u2019s semiquincentennial, seeks to both invite audiences back to the start of U.S. history, and celebrate its future, explained Jim Higgins, executive director of the Lehigh County Historical Society, which organizes the event. The society is aiming to beat a record expo attendance of 1,750 guests.<\/p>\n

The organization\u2019s members believe the expo is an opportunity for anyone to celebrate American history. It is one of many upcoming Lehigh Valley celebrations paying homage to the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary<\/a>.
\n\"TheThe 1816 Lehigh County Courthouse Bell, featured in one of the museum\u2019s exhibits, which was a site at the courthouse in the early 19th century. (Andreas Pelekis\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Higgins explained that the Lehigh Valley was an essential ground for the Revolutionary War, a barrier for opposing troops, with both the Blue Mountain and South Mountain ranges providing \u201ca safe haven.\u201d There were no battles fought in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always gear each tour to what people are interested in, what the visitors are interested in,\u201d said Jill Youngken, the historical society\u2019s assistant director and chief curator, displaying an exhibit map that explained Lehigh Valley\u2019s geography in the 18th century. \u201cBut we do hope to impart some of the Revolutionary War here too, so that people really understand that this affected everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LehighLehigh Valley Heritage Museum Executive Director Jim Higgins (left) and Chief Curator Jill Youngken (right) stand in the lobby of the Allentown museum. (Andreas Pelekis\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

The expo, beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m., will begin with a painting unveiling led by Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel. It will wrap up with a performance courtesy of the Allentown Band, with more than a dozen local historical societies participating. Original artwork created by Allentown School District students will also be showcased.<\/p>\n

A new exhibit at the museum from the Lehrman Institute of American History, titled \u201cDeclaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy,\u201d will feature key turning points in the nation\u2019s history. And a collection of classic cars from the collection of Ron Smith \u2014 including a 1914 Model T Ford Touring Car, a 1966 Ford Custom Police Car, and a 1922 Chevrolet Coupe Model 490 utility \u2014 will be on display.<\/p>\n

\"Allentown'sAllentown\u2019s Trout Hall will be open to guided mini-tours during the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum\u2019s History Expo. (Kevin Mingora\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

The event will include guided mini-tours of Trout Hall, a mansion dating back to 1770 that was built by James Allen, a son of Allentown\u2019s namesake William Allen. \u201cThe Brandywine Colonials Fife and Drums Corps\u201d band will perform classic 18th and 19th century military field tunes at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not going to be any lapse in terms of what\u2019s going on here,\u201d said Youngken, who also worked on a pop-up exhibit highlighting the nation\u2019s bicentennial celebrations in 1976.<\/p>\n

From historic presentations to fireworks, here\u2019s how the Lehigh Valley is celebrating America\u2019s 250th anniversary<\/a><\/p>\n

Provost will sign autographs and participate in book signing presentations, while discussing his favorite memories while on the set of \u201cLassie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe actors, the adults, made more mistakes than the dogs did,\u201d said Provost, who visited the museum more than a decade ago.<\/p>\n

Now 76, Provost said \u201cLassie\u201d is still fresh in people\u2019s minds from all across the world, just as he wants U.S. history to always remain fresh and important. \u201cLassie\u201d still airs on channels internationally, while full episodes have been uploaded to YouTube. He said he gets regular emails from show viewers from across the globe.<\/p>\n

\"ActorActor Jon Provost, who played Timmy from the TV show \u201cLassie\u201d, signs copies of his book Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, in Los Angeles. (Ric Francis\/AP)<\/p>\n

Jacobson said that \u201cLassie,\u201d among the other classic Hollywood shows that can be coined as \u201cAmericana,\u201d are the ones that still speak to people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe subject matter is still relevant today,\u201d she said, as the couple described how Provost\u2019s character Timmy regularly gets into trouble, while learning from mistakes in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was always a moral involved, not so much like regular TV shows today,\u201d Provost said.<\/p>\n

Provost and Jacobson hope to reminisce about \u201cAmericana\u201d and Hollywood\u2019s golden age at the expo, but they also want the history buffs and family visitors to remember what America means to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a milestone,\u201d Provost said of the semiquincentennial. \u201cAnd obviously, I think it\u2019s a great time for people to come together and celebrate what our country stands for.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you go: Free admission, and the event begins at 10 a.m. at 432 W. Walnut St., Allentown. More details can be found on the Lehigh County Historical Society website at www.lehighcountyhistoricalsociety.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Andreas Pelekis is a freelance writer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jon Provost remembers when there were just three television channels to choose from. One of them showcased his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194158,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[119,153,155,154,1681,433,182,139,28,289,432],"class_list":["post-194157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-allentown","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-entertainment","tag-lehigh-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-things-to-do","tag-top-stories-tmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}