{"id":54096,"date":"2025-12-07T03:41:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T03:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/54096\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T03:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T03:41:11","slug":"christmas-on-the-farm-blends-holiday-cheer-and-pa-dutch-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/54096\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas on the Farm blends holiday cheer and PA Dutch tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Victoria Anderson and Elyse Pedri had no problem picturing life behind a wooden desk roughly 20 times older than themselves.<\/p>\n

Anderson of Shillington and Pedri of Fleetwood, both 11, said they wouldn\u2019t mind learning in the one-room schoolhouse on the grounds of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have to rush to class,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n

\"FriendesFriendes Victoria Anderson of Shillington and Elyse Pedri of Fleetwood, both 11, sit together in the back of the classroom of the one-room schoolhouse during the Christmas on the Farm at the Pennsylvania German Heritage Center at Kutztown University on Saturday, dec. 6, 2025. They would sit there if they went to school in the early days because it\u2019s close to the stove to keep warm. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

The schoolhouse and the rest of the historic farmstead sprang to life as it was centuries past as part of Christmas on the Farm at the Pennsylvania German Heritage Center at Kutztown University.<\/p>\n

A blacksmith hammering metal, bakers retrieving treats from a wood-fired stove, a piano-playing pig dressed in its holiday best and a devious creature from German folklore \u2014 these were a few of the attractions on offer Saturday at the annual event.<\/p>\n

At the schoolhouse, Pedri had a spot picked out in the rear of the room. The building was equipped with period-correct desks and a chalkboard with lessons written in Pennsylvania Dutch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d sit in the back and then we (she and Anderson) could talk,\u201d Pedri said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Anderson\u2019s mother, CarrieAnn, has some experience with classrooms as a pre-K teacher at Immanuel United Church of Christ. She was amazed that teachers back then managed to educate every age group at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have two age groups in my classroom, and that\u2019s a little difficult,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n

Baking joy<\/p>\n

A summer kitchen on the grounds played host to the baking expertise of Terry Berger and Jeffrey Primaldi.<\/p>\n

\"TerryTerry Baker of Carbon County, left, and Jeffrey Primaldi of Gordonville, Lancaster County,p prepare ox-tongue cookies in the summer kitchen during the Christmas on the Farm at the Pennsylvania German Heritage Center at Kutztown University on Saturday, dec. 6, 2025.. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Berger said many summer kitchens served dual purposes \u2014 as a place where workers would prepare meals during peak months and as food storage space in the winter. The pair baked \u201cox tongue\u201d cookies with a wood-burning stove, filling the room with the smell of molasses and spice \u2014 two primary ingredients.<\/p>\n

\"TerryTerry Baker of Carbon County takes some ox-tongue cookies out of the Prizer iron stove in the summer kitchen during the Christmas on the Farm at the Pennsylvania German Heritage Center at Kutztown University on Saturday, dec. 6, 2025.. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a lot of Dutchy things, there\u2019s a backstory there,\u201d Carbon County resident Berger said. \u201cThey were made at Christmas time that it was the beasts of the field that met Jesus in the stable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Buhlinger said the cookies were worth the drive from his home in Netcong, N.J.<\/p>\n

\"PeterPeter Buhlinger of Netcong, N.J., takes a bite of the freshly baked ox-tongue cookie during the Christmas on the Farm at the Pennsylvania German Heritage Center at Kutztown University on Saturday, dec. 6, 2025.. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

\u201cDelicious,\u201d he said. \u201cThere used to be steam shows (at the cultural center). That\u2019s how I started coming here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making music<\/p>\n

Elsewhere on the farm, Martina the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig showed off piano-playing skills. A few animal crackers as motivation spurred the pig to press its snout rhythmically across the keys of a toy piano.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s 15 years old,\u201d said Kim Miller of Auburn. \u201cShe\u2019s my old lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller was with Puddin Heartland 1st, an organization dedicated to rescuing and caring for pigs in need.<\/p>\n

Avalyn Kistler, 10, held Bentley, a 6-week-old sow, and one of Miller\u2019s other herd members, in a comfy bundle of blankets.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s fun,\u201d Kistler said of Bentley. \u201cAnd he keeps me warm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AvalynAvalyn Kistler, 10, of Kutztown holds Bently, a 6-month-old Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, during the Christmas on the Farm at the Pennsylvania German Heritage Center at Kutztown University on Saturday, dec. 6, 2025.. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Inside the farmhouse, Sarajane Willliams took to the harp, treating guests to a tranquil rendition of \u201cAway in a Manger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SarajaneSarajane Williams of Macungie, Lehigh County, plays a 34-string harp during the Christmas on the Farm at the Pennsylvania German Heritage Center at Kutztown University on Saturday, dec. 6, 2025.. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Williams said 18th-century Moravians in Bethlehem would use harps as a remedy for sleeplessness and to soothe other ills.<\/p>\n

Willaims, who works as a psychologist, said she uses harp therapy to treat mental health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found out that all the things that I\u2019ve been doing (with the harp) originated in Bethlehem,\u201d she said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

A sweet conclusion<\/p>\n

In the farmhouse kitchen, Becky Manley and Mary Riebold were busy preparing pumpkin pies using redware dishes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s made with the crookneck squash,\u201d Manley noted. \u201cThat was the favorite of the Pennsylvania Dutch. The orange jack-o-lantern pumpkins were for the cows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BeckyBecky Manley of Phoenixville, left, and Mary Riebold of Allentown bake pumpking pies using redware during the Christmas on the Farm at the Pennsylvania German Heritage Center at Kutztown University on Saturday, dec. 6, 2025.. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

The afternoon saw the arrival of a shadowy figure straight out of German folklore \u2014 the Belsnickel.<\/p>\n

With cakes and candies in one pocket and a birch switch in the other, the less jolly companion of St. Nick is said to travel door to door before Christmas. The nice get sweet treats, while the naughty are met with just desserts.<\/p>\n

Luckily \u2014 and like seemingly everyone else at the farmstead \u2014 the Belsnickel is in a good mood when he visits Christmas on the Farm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Victoria Anderson and Elyse Pedri had no problem picturing life behind a wooden desk roughly 20 times older…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54097,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[349,182,139,28,30,29,706],"class_list":{"0":"post-54096","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pennsylvania","8":"tag-berks-county","9":"tag-local-news","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-pennsylvania","12":"tag-pennsylvania-headlines","13":"tag-pennsylvania-news","14":"tag-top-stories-reg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54096","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=54096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}